After beating the No. 1 team in the nation, it may seem like there is nothing else to accomplish. But this is definitely not the case for the Wisconsin softball team.
To start the season, the Badgers attended one of the most competitive tournaments in the nation, the Fiesta Bowl Tournament, in Tempe, Ariz. The team won its first two games Friday, lost its next two Saturday and went on to beat No. 1 Arizona 3-0 in Wisconsin’s final game Sunday afternoon.
Pitching against Arizona was junior Andrea Kirchberg, who struck out 10 batters and allowed just four hits. This game marked her 28th career shutout.
Leading the way offensively were freshmen Boo Gillette and sophomore Meghann Reiss. Gillette, in her first weekend as a Badger, scored the game-winning hit as she blasted one out of the park, tallying the team’s first run. Two batters later, Reiss stepped up to the plate and hit a two-run homerun of her own.
“It was a great win; you beat the No. 1 team in the country, you should be able to beat anyone in the country. It was a great win to come home on,” head coach Karen Gallagher said.
Surprisingly, the impact player of the game was a freshman. Gillette is proving early on in the season she is the real deal and is going to make her mark on the season.
“Boo loves the game; she just loves to play,” Gallagher said. “She is constantly excited about wanting to get better, improving and just wanting to be the best player she can be. She has an extra special passion for the game.”
Friday’s play featured a hot UW team as the Badgers cruised to 3-0 and 6-0 wins over the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and New Mexico State University. Kirchberg was the winning pitcher against UNLV, while freshman Katie Layne earned her first win of the season against NMSU. Gillette and Reiss combined for four hits on the day.
The tides turned for the Badgers Saturday as the team lost 4-0 to No.16 Fresno State and 8-0 to No.12 Nebraska, who hit a grand slam in the fifth inning to blow the game wide open. Diana Consolmagno, Kristin Zacker, Sheena Padovan and Reiss were the only Badgers to record hits for the day.
“I think when you come out with a winning record going out to the best tournament in the country at this time of the year, it is a very positive thing,” Gallagher said. “Our kids played well, and you expect to get a feel of what your team is about and what you need to work on.”
After such a strong showing this weekend, the team has high hopes for what the rest of the season may bring.
“These kids are capable of winning a Big Ten Championship, and they are capable of getting back to the NCAA Tournament and winning more than just a game,” Gallagher said. “We have all the ingredients for a championship team.”
This team is striving to be the best team Wisconsin has had, and already players and coaches alike feel this team is better than last year’s team, which was two outs away from playing in the regional championship in the NCAA Tournament.
“I think we are better in the fact that the whole team is really into it this year,” Kirchberg said. “Everybody really wants to be here and everybody really wants to play, and we don’t have one single person bringing us down.”
