The Wisconsin softball team opens up its spring season this weekend as they travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the Fiesta Bowl Tournament. In Tempe, the Badgers will face four teams ranked in the Top 25, including the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats.
After the Fiesta Bowl tournament, the Badgers will play in four other tournaments, including a trip to the Honolulu Invitational, before opening up their regular season with a home game against Oakland University on March 28.
“Our expectations are high this year,” seven-year Badger head coach Karen Gallagher said.
“We have a nice balance between experience and youth. We probably have the most talented team we have ever had, and of course, we always hope to do better than we did the year before,” Gallagher said.
Last year, the Badgers finished the season with a 31-22 record and a 4th place finish in the Big Ten. Leading the team this year are senior outfielder Erin Barnharst, who batted for a .476 average during the 2002 fall season and drove in 11 RBIs, sophomore catcher Boo Gillette, who batted .478 and senior pitcher Andrea Kirchberg, who compiled a fall record of 3-1, struck out 33 batters and had a 1.04 ERA.
“We think we can contend for a Big Ten championship,” Gallagher said. “We just need to go out and start playing so that we can see what our strengths are and what our weaknesses are. This weekend will be a good measure of that. We have been practicing indoors for the past four weeks, and it is hard to judge everything when we’re not outside playing on the dirt.”
Diana Consolmagno, a junior second baseman and last year’s winner of the Badger Pride Award and the team’s vocal leader, echoes the team’s anticipation for this upcoming weekend.
“We are really looking forward to this weekend,” Consolmagno said. “We are going to be outside in the warm weather, and it is going to be great to finally get things going. I think this weekend will be a good indication of how good we can be as a team. We are playing some of the top teams in the country, and that is the best way to start.”
The key to success for the team this year will be veteran players such as junior Meghann Reiss, senior Mandy Liles and senior Sheena Padovan, who hope to continue their solid play while receiving aide from the total of ten incoming rookies that could make an impact immediately.
“I think the new players will come in and play and do well for us,” Gallagher said.
“We have so many good players, and everybody wants to play, so everybody from our oldest to the youngest is doing their best to make an impression. We have a lot of great competition in practice from people fighting for spots; we all benefit from that.”
“Everybody wants to do their best for this team,” Consolmagno said.
“Anything that we can do, every practice and every game to make this team better, we will do it. We’re shooting for the stars. We want to make it to the World Series.”
The Badgers will get plenty of tests this weekend, with warm weather and sunshine and a chance to start the season the way they think they can.
