For the first few weeks of the season, it seemed that nobody could figure out Katie Hnatyk. The junior outfielder was hitting everything that opponents could throw at her. Through the Badgers' first 13 games, Hnatyk had already slugged eight home runs, and her batting average was hovering right around the .625 mark. She was slugging somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.200 and systematically destroying any and all who dared to challenge her at the dish.

But lately, teams have found a way to successfully limit the damage that Hnatyk has been able to inflict. Over Wisconsin's last 19 games, Hnatyk has amassed three more home runs, but with each one, it gets harder and harder to crack another.

Is this due to better scouting by UW's opponents? Perhaps. But the strategy that many teams are now employing has nothing at all to do with uncovering whatever weaknesses Hnatyk may or may not have at the plate, because the only thing scouting has revealed to coaches is that bad things happen when you pitch to Katie Hnatyk.

So what pre-game instructions do coaches give their hurlers nowadays? Just don't pitch to her.

Hnatyk has been walked four times in Wisconsin's last four games, with three of them being intentional, frequently with runners on base. For the rest of the season, expect Hnatyk to receive the "Barry Bonds" treatment more often than not.

Since the first few games of the spring, Hnatyk's batting average has predictably declined from an astronomical .625 to a still-impressive .370. Her average still leads the team, and her 10 homers and .771 slugging percentage are both good for fourth in the Big Ten. But from here on out, every pitcher she faces is going to be throwing all kinds of junk at her to try and keep her out of the headlines.

Although good pitches are becoming an increasingly rare sight during Hnatyk at-bats, when someone does make a mistake over the plate, Hnatyk is still quick to make her pay. Hnatyk went 0-for-1 with two walks in Wisconsin's loss yesterday in Game 1 of their doubleheader, but when given a chance to hit in the nightcap, she went 2-for-3 with two singles and an RBI.

As more and more teams take similar approaches in efforts to neutralize the offensive production of power hitters such as Hnatyk, she says that just about the worst thing she could do is start to get anxious at the plate, or become frustrated when rivals pitch around her.

"I just have to learn to be a little bit more selective and more patient," Hnatyk said. "But if I do draw the walk, it gets me excited because I know my teammates can hit me in.

"So if they want to put me on, good for them."

And if Hnatyk is able to maintain this approach through the remainder of the season, offensive production is inevitable.