It seems the further south University of Wisconsin junior outfielder Katie Hnatyk moves, the further north her offensive stats climb. After spending her early years in Canada, attending high school and earning All-State accolades in Minnesota and now playing for the Badgers, Hnatyk continues to improve both her plate discipline, along with her geographic knowledge of North America.

Although the population of Hnatyk's hometown of London, Ontario is almost twice that of Madison, playing softball in Canada is entirely different from the Division-I atmosphere found in the United States.

"It was on a much smaller scale," Hnatyk said of Canadian softball. "There aren't as many teams, so once you get to the upper levels, everybody knows everybody."

Hnatyk, however, has made the transition from our neighbor to the north to the Big Ten look easy.

"When I came here, the atmosphere and team chemistry was so great," she said. "The coaches were so enthusiastic about everything they did. It seemed like a great place to come to."

Largely a result of better scouting and additional knowledge of a player's ability, it is not uncommon for second-year players to go through the infamous "sophomore slump." Apparently, Hnatyk didn't get the memo.

After posting a .313 batting average and being named third-team All-Big Ten in 2005, Hnatyk smacked 10 home runs and hit .321 in conference on her way to earning second-team honors in 2006. She is currently tied for UW's all-time home run lead with 20, along with Kris Zacher and Boo Gillette.

"Coming in as a freshman, [pitchers] don't really know who you are, so they just guess as to where to throw you," Hnatyk said. "But once you see the same pitchers over and over again, especially in the Big Ten, it gets a little tougher for everybody. They know what your weaknesses are and where to throw you."

This repetition has certainly been tougher on opposing pitchers than on Hnatyk, who has welcomed the familiarity, hitting 21 points higher in conference last season. She paced the team with 33 RBIs, and her .593 slugging percentage was good for sixth in the league.

During her career at UW, Hnatyk has developed into not only one of the top hitters for the Badgers, but in the whole conference, and has grown into a leader along the way.

"I definitely know the game a lot better," Hnatyk said. "Before, like in high school and when you're younger, you kind of just play and you don't really think about it too much, but now I know why I do everything and I can see certain situations. The knowledge that I have is that much greater."

UW head coach Chandelle Schulte couldn't agree more and described Hnatyk as a leader by example.

"She's more of a quiet leader, a performance leader," Schulte said. "She does well, so it pushes everybody else."

Over the summer, Hnatyk jumped at the opportunity to travel back northward and play for Team Canada at the 2006 World Cup of Softball. She held her own alongside many of the top players from around the globe throughout the tournament, highlighted with a two-run homer against Great Britain.

"It was amazing to see that level of softball firsthand," Hnatyk said. "I got to play with and against some of the best softball players in the world. That was definitely a great experience."