The UW softball team had a disappointing 2003 season. It marked the year that hitting took a vacation. The Badgers accumulated a mere .199 batting average, the lowest in the Big Ten. The team had its lowest Big Ten ranking, along with its first sub- .500 season since 1998.
The year also marked the end of three straight years in the Big Ten tournament and two straight years in the NCAA tournament.
The 2003 season was the end of pitcher Andrea Kirchberg's collegiate career, the Badgers' leader in nearly every pitching category at UW.
This year begins with a trip to Las Vegas to play in the UNLV Classic. In the desert heat, the team will play some of the top teams in the nation, including No. 1 UCLA.
Badger junior catcher Boo Gillette is excited to be playing some of the elite teams right away. Gillette and the rest of the team are hoping to make important discoveries about their team before the Big Ten season.
\We're expecting to see our strengths and what we have to work on,"" Gillette said.
As the team approaches its Big Ten opener in April, it will be working on a new game than what they have been used to playing in past years. In order to get into Big Ten contention and a bid to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season, the team will need to reestablish the offense and rely on a new pitching style. Moreover, the 10 freshmen will need to step up and be ready to play at the collegiate level.
One freshman that appears on her way, especially after a stellar fall season, in which the Badgers went 5-1-1 is third baseman Athena Vasquez.
UW Head Coach Karen Gallagher is excited about the rise of Vasquez, as her work and effort in practices are making an impression on the coach.
""If you have ballplayers like that on the team you know you're going to win,"" Gallagher said.
However, 2004 is a new year and a new season. Despite the large freshman class, there are seven starters returning to play at the Goodman Softball Complex. With the team's young players and the first year without Kirchberg, the Badgers will be looking to change the way they play.
""We have a pitching staff that is more of a finesse pitching staff that probably isn't going to blow the ball past anybody, but are going to be good pitchers,"" Gallagher said.
The pitching staff will be led by junior pitcher Katie Layne. In two years, Layne retained a 2.79 earned run average and a 14-15 record. Last year, however, she only went 3-9.
The Badgers' offense needs to come back from an awful team batting average to help Layne and the rest of the pitching staff out.
""We need to hit this year,"" Gallagher said. ""We need to put runs on the board for our pitching staff.""
Gallagher and Gillette believe the potential of this team can deliver a return to the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments in May.
