As the University of Wisconsin softball team gets off to one of the best starts in program history at 13-1, this upcoming weekend will be a test for Head Coach Yvette Healy’s Wisconsin team.
Before last weekend’s tournament in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Badgers swept the Atlantic Coast Conference/Big Ten Challenge and tallied two wins over then-No. 17 North Carolina State.
After the more recent Islander Invitational, the Badgers received as many as 14 votes in the national ranking polls, but NC State and Texas Tech have been their only ranked opponents so far this season — a slight dip on their brief resume.
Softball: Badgers put on slugfest in sweep of Islander Invitational Tournament
Nevertheless, the Badgers will have ample opportunities this coming weekend to prove themselves against ranked teams at the Sun Devil Classic in Tempe, Arizona. The Badgers are scheduled to face the No. 9 Texas Longhorns (13-1) twice, along with the Princeton Tigers (1-3) and the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils (12-4) on their home field.
Wisconsin’s first matchup will be against the Tigers.
Princeton lacks offensive efficiency, as demonstrated by their slow start to the year. They’ve been shutout in all of their three losses, recording just eight hits across those games.
Next up for the Badgers is the No. 9 Texas Longhorns, who boast the same record as the Badgers. The team has hopes of finishing among NCAA softball’s best at the College World Series in Oklahoma City at the end of the season.
The Longhorns’ only loss has come at the hands of No. 10 Louisiana State University, but the Texas offense has driven the team to wins against No. 17 Kentucky, Ole Miss and California. Needless to say, the Longhorns cannot be taken lightly.
Texas is led by sophomore infielder Janae Jefferson on offense, who is already hitting a .452 batting average so far this season. She’ll receive defensive help from junior Miranda Elish in the circle, who has a team-best 0.23 earned run average and holds a 4-0 record for the Longhorns.
The final matchup for the Badgers will come against the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils in their home territory.
Arizona State, like Texas, has had a slightly more difficult schedule than the Badgers. With matchups against No. 3 Florida, No. 25 Oklahoma State and a common loss coming against No. 18 Texas Tech, the Sun Devils have seen and even overcome strong competition already this season.
If the Badgers want to pull off an upset, they will need to shut down offensive powerhouse Kindra Hackbarth, who is hitting .431 with three home runs and 18 runs batted in on the season already.
The Badgers will look to keep their offense rolling versus Sun Devils’ top pitcher Samantha Mejia. Mejia boasts an incredible 7-1 record on nine appearances and has struck out 35 batters in 46.2 innings pitched.
The Badgers kick off the Sun Devil Classic versus Princeton Friday at 10:30 a.m. from Tempe, Arizona. Follow live stats on uwbadgers.com all weekend to stay up to date with this early rolling Wisconsin team.
