If sports teams were judged not by their records or stats but by the characters of their best players, this year’s Wisconsin softball team would be among the best in the nation. Players like Meghann Reiss, Boo Gillette, and Diana Consolmagno, who play with a genuine love for the game and provide inspiration for their teammates, have made the Badgers the team they are today. Another heartwarming personality who deserves credit for Wisconsin’s success is junior shortstop Kristin Zacher.
Zacher is the fun-loving, free-swinging, nose-in-the-dirt shortstop that any team would love to have. Her flair and passion for the game, as well as her ability to bond with teammates, makes Zacher a valuable commodity. This season she has become an outspoken team leader, but she was not always such a dynamic personality.
“My first two years, I was never a talker,” Zacher said. “I never outwardly cheered a lot. But this year I’ve been crazy — I’ve been bouncing around, pushing people around. I’ve lost my voice I don’t even know how many times.”
When senior co-captain Meghann Reiss was sidelined for the season with a knee injury, head coach Karen Gallagher looked for someone to step up and fill that leadership role, which is precisely what Zacher has done.
“I’ve matured a lot as a player and as a person,” Zacher said. “I’ve always looked up to Meghann very much.”
In fact, much of Zacher’s drive comes from the fallen Reiss.
“Not having Meghann around has definitely pushed me to step up,” Zacher said. “It’s tapped into my potential and just made me. Seeing her on the sidelines fires me up and pushes me and makes me think about how I’m still here, and how she would want to be. She still fires me up every single game. In a sense, she’s pushed me without even trying to push me.”
Before Reiss went down, Zacher had already emerged as a major contributor. In her first season, in which she was named the Badgers’ Freshman of the Year, she led the team in slugging percentage, runs, home runs, triples and stolen bases. Last year, she tackled two other offensive categories as she led the Badgers with 19 RBI and five doubles. However, the slugger still has room for improvement.
“I want to bat around .300,” Zacher said. “That’s a big goal. I’ve only batted about .225 for a whole season throughout the years.”
This season, the talented junior is on her way to accomplishing that goal. Zacher currently holds a team-leading .342 batting average and leads the team in RBI (23), triples (2), and hits (38).
As consistent as Zacher has been through the years, she has struggled from time to time. Whenever she enters a slump, the junior standout finds motivation from a unique source. A year ago, Zacher lost a close friend, an athlete at UW-Parkside, in an accident. Ever since, Zacher has worn her friend’s number 23 somewhere on her arm during every game.
“I look at the No. 23 and I say to myself, ‘Okay, you’re still given the opportunity to play, and you need to make the most of it,'” Zacher said. “‘You need to get through this. You’re struggling right now, but you’re still going to be okay.'”
Zacher’s fire and love for the game inspire her teammates as well. In addition to her personal accomplishments, Zacher is a devoted team player who values her squad’s unity.
“I want to keep our team together this year,” Zacher said. “The team chemistry has been awesome this year. We have more instinct with each other more than any team I’ve played on here at the UW.”
Kris Zacher is truly the epitome of a team player. While enjoying incredible personal success, she wants nothing more than to see her team walk off the field each game as the victor. She does more than her part to contribute to her team’s offensive production, as well as team chemistry, and she will be one of the players the other Badgers will look to as they battle through the rest of the Big Ten season.
