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UW heads to South Bend
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Also by Jordan Schelling:
- Offensive outburst in 3rd propels UW to victory (April 14, 2008)
- Michigan next up for UW (April 11, 2008)
- Struggling UW continues slump (April 10, 2008)
- Badgers hit by poor pitching (April 8, 2008)
- Freshman pitcher shines in 1st start at Goodman diamond (April 7, 2008)
Related Stories:
- UW returns to NCAA tournament (November 12, 2004)
- Women's soccer to face Oakland, Notre Dame (September 7, 2001)
- Stone, Badgers prepared for Irish (December 4, 2003)
- Women's soccer looks to end offensive woes (October 4, 2001)
- Badgers back on the road (April 9, 2004)
by Jordan Schelling
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
After two weeks and nine games at home, the Wisconsin softball team is back on the road Wednesday as it travels to South Bend, Ind., for a nonconference battle with Notre Dame.
The Badgers head into the game following a disappointing weekend in Big Ten play. The team was swept by Michigan in a doubleheader Friday and split two games Sunday with Penn State.
Wisconsin got strong performances from many players, but some crucial errors and sloppy field conditions led to the 1-3 record over the weekend.
“Actually, I thought we played pretty well,” head coach Chandelle Schulte said. “We certainly had our opportunities, but I don’t think they’re disheartened. Hopefully, we’ll just keep getting better.”
Wisconsin (12-32) will need to play its best once again Wednesday as it faces off against one of the top teams in the Big East conference. Notre Dame (26-13) is currently tied for third in the Big East with a 7-3 record in conference play.
Leading the way for the Fighting Irish has been the stellar performance of pitcher Brittany Bargar. The junior from California boasts a 20-8 record with an earned run average of 0.98.
“Bargar is one of the best pitchers in the country,” Schulte said. “But usually we do fairly well against the No. 1s; it’s the twos and threes that we struggle with.”
Backing Bargar up has been strong defense for Notre Dame, which has a .958 fielding percentage. As a result, the Fighting Irish have allowed only 84 runs on the season through 39 games.
Schulte’s main concern is not her team’s offensive output; she is more concerned with her pitchers’ ability to shut down the Notre Dame hitters.
“We hit better pitching, so I’m not too worried about our offense,” Schulte said. “I’m worried about their offense, which is hitting .273 — so we’ll have to keep them at bay, and then we’ll have a fairly good shot at it.”
Wisconsin pitcher Leah Vanevenhoven’s recent performance has typified the kind of season it has been for the Badgers.
A week ago, against Northern Iowa, Vanevenhoven was within one out of a no-hitter before giving up a three-run home run in the seventh inning to lose the game.
Following that game, she struggled for much of the weekend, until Sunday’s finale, when the junior held Penn State to only four hits, but a two-run triple in the sixth ultimately cost the Badgers a victory.
Following a day off and some much-needed rest, Vanevenhoven feels she and her teammates are ready to face an excellent Notre Dame squad.
“In practice we were all up and we were all positive as we worked on our hitting and pitching, getting ready for the game,” Vanevenhoven said. “Having the laid-back atmosphere, with structure though, will help us into the weekend.”
In preparing for a strong hitting team like Notre Dame, Vanevenhoven hopes to use some of the same techniques she focused on against teams like Northwestern and Michigan.
“In those games I tried to keep the ball off the plate, rather than worrying about anything else,” Vanevenhoven said. “I just really need to hit my outside corners, and I will be successful. If I leave anything over the plate, I know that they’ll just jack it out of the park.”
Much like last week against Northern Iowa, the Badgers hope to sharpen their focus with another midweek nonconference game.
“I think it just gives us another chance to fine-tune some things,” Schulte said. “We’ll be able to work on things like bunt-and-runs, base-running issues we’ve had and other things like that.”
As the Badgers prepared for the Notre Dame offense, pitcher Letty Olivarez focused on a few specifics, such as locating her changeup and keeping her pitches down in the strike zone.
Olivarez believes her team will be ready to play a strong game against the Fighting Irish.
“If we all just go out and shake off whatever has happened, we should be fine,” Olivarez said. “As long as we come out with heart, and everyone wants to play, we should do well.”
Bill Williams (April 16, 2008 @ 7:06am):
How can you not be worried about the offense? The Badgers are last in the Big Ten in hitting and the only thing they are first in is strickouts. Who is the batting coach? Lets get a new one.
Anonymous (April 16, 2008 @ 10:44am):
The head coach is the batting coach
Anonymous (April 16, 2008 @ 10:50am):
If men's baseball was unpopular enough to get dropped.. think about how much ANY of us care about women's softball. Christ.
Anonymous (April 17, 2008 @ 12:06am):
Watched the game today on Notre Dame's Web site. UGLY.
Anonymous (April 17, 2008 @ 7:16am):
Time to go. They need a new head coach. She is awfull!!!!!
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