[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]

Wisconsin’s softball team was swept by border-rival Minnesota last weekend to put the finishing touches on one of the most disappointing seasons in the program’s history.

UW finished with a final record of 15-40, including a last place finish in the Big Ten with a 3-17 record. The 40 losses are the most in program history, and it marks the first time the Badgers have finished 11th in the Big Ten.

UW faced difficulties from the start when senior Katie Hnatyk — the team’s leader in home runs and RBI’s in 2007 — chose not to play her final season for the Badgers. Midseason departures by junior Tara Hiteman and pitching coach Kim Martin also put a damper on the second half of the season.

Finding a way to score runs was a battle every game for UW, and the Badgers finished last in the Big Ten in batting average and next-to last in runs scored. Contributing to UW’s offensive struggles was a Big Ten low .316 slugging percentage and a UW record 385 strikeouts. The Badgers also failed to produce a .300 hitter for the first time in four years.

Seniors Lynn Anderson and Joey Daniels were two of the few bright spots on offense for UW. Anderson led the Badgers with nine home runs, and Daniels led UW in eight different offensive categories, including batting average and on-base percentage.

Inconsistent pitching was a thorn in the side all year for the Badgers, and the team’s penchant for giving up runs late in the game cost them time and time again. Junior Leah Vanevenhoven and sophomore Letty Olivarez were the leading pitchers for the Badgers, though freshmen Kristyn Hansen was called upon for several spot starts or mop-up duty. UW was 10th in the Big Ten with a 4.48 ERA and ninth in the conference with 39 home runs given up.

Hansen showed her potential for next season, when she threw a complete game shutout April 6 against Indiana for the Badgers’ only shutout of the year. Vanevenhoven and Olivarez both proved they could dominate for stretches, but neither was able to put together an extended run of impressive pitching.

Although there were few highlights this season, the Badgers did manage to record a three game winning streak against Northwestern State, UC-Davis and Cal Poly in the mid-February. On the flip side, however, UW also posted two different six game losing streaks.

In the three years of head coach Chandelle Schulte’s tenure, the Badgers have finished 10th, ninth and 11th, respectively. UW has never qualified for the Big Ten postseason tournament under Schulte.

The Badgers finished their season with a 14-4 loss to Minnesota that ended in five innings via the “mercy rule.” It was a fitting end for a team that struggled with both pitching and hitting all year and perhaps showed it is time to shake things up with the UW softball program.