With spring coming and the weather warming up, it is time for the Wisconsin softball team to leave the chilly confines of Madison and head south to Texas to play in the UTEP Invitational.
This will be the Badgers' second trip to the southwest as they began their season in Tempe, Ariz. in the ASU Kajikawa Classic, earning a 3-2 record. The losses came at the hands of Arizona State, which played in the College World Series, and the defending national champion Arizona Wildcats.
In El Paso, Texas, the Badgers will face Utah, Buffalo, Northern Colorado and the host, Texas-El Paso. Utah is sitting at 4-5-1 and coming off a season in which they went 40-21.
The Bears of Northern Colorado limp into Texas with a 1-9 record and an eight-game losing streak. Northern Colorado has not scored in its last five games and have been held hitless twice this season.
Buffalo comes in at 0-5 and has already lost to UTEP in the Troy Cox Classic in New Mexico. The Bulls are led by senior pitcher Sophie Barstad, who boasts a career ERA of 2.41.
UTEP is led by infielders Amber Bennett and Kelly Lombard who are both hitting over .500 and have combined for five home runs in 10 games. The Miners join the Badgers as the only teams in the tournament with winning records.
Wisconsin's offense is led by senior infielder Athena Vasquez who is hitting .357 and leads the team with four RBIs. Outfielder Sam Polito is hitting .294 and is tied with sophomore Theresa Boruta for the team lead in steals with two.
On the mound, Wisconsin's best pitcher has been freshman Letty Olivarez, who has a 1.42 ERA in 19.2 innings. Olivarez has yet to record a victory, however, as Leah Vanevenhoven has all three of the teams wins in relief. Against the No. 5 Sun Devils, Olivarez tossed a complete game and yielded only one earned run.
The Badgers return all but one starter from its lineup last season and have their top three pitchers. Wisconsin went 22-22 last year and in 2005 made the WCWS.
Head coach Chandelle Schulte is in her second year with UW after coming from the College of Charleston last season. Schulte has won 300 games as a head coach and is the second coach in program history.
The Badgers have won their games by slim margins. Vasquez hit a two run double breaking a 2-2 tie against Cal State-Fullerton in the sixth inning and also hit a two-run homer in the sixth against Long Beach State, which broke a 3-3 tie. Against Florida it was Boruta who hit a game-winning pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth.
In the UTEP invitational, each team plays all the others in round-robin format, which sets up seeding for a playoff Saturday and early Sunday. The Badgers will play four games over the course of Friday evening and Saturday morning.
