After a rocky start to its conference schedule, Wisconsin has the opportunity to finish among the top teams in the Big Ten.
While Madison is as cold and snowy as ever, the softball team is heating up, spending its last two weekends in the Sunshine State to open up their 2014 season.
The Wisconsin softball team took the field against Illinois State Saturday in a pair of fall exhibition games, winning 3-0 and 3-2.
For anyone who has suffered through a cold, drawn-out Wisconsin winter, there is little to brag about when describing the weather in the Midwest. While walking more than a quarter of a mile outside in early February is often a challenge, battling the harsh conditions of an often non-existent spring proves to be even more difficult for softball players. Such an unforgiving climate makes for a few months of almost solely indoor practices and numerous cross-country road trips for the Wisconsin softball team.
There are certain things you come to expect in life. Lindsay Lohan getting arrested. Dubstep making your head pound. A less-than-pleasant bathroom experience after Taco Bell (but that second gordita crunchwrap supreme was so worth it).
This Saturday will be defined by three words: bats, balls and glory.
Wisconsin (35-9 overall, 12-5 Big Ten) swept the Northwestern Wildcats (25-18, 9-7) in a doubleheader at home Wednesday afternoon, coming a month after the original date for the matchup was postponed due to weather.
The Wisconsin softball team (10-5 Big Ten, 33-9 overall) plays host to Northwestern (9-5, 25-16) Wednesday in a Big Ten conference doubleheader. The Wildcats look to knock off a surging Badger squad coming off a three-game sweep of Ohio State last weekend.
Football
The Wisconsin softball team (7-5 Big Ten, 29-8 overall) will return home Tuesday afternoon for the first time this season. The Badgers will battle in-state rival UW Green Bay (9-18 overall) in a double-header beginning at 3 p.m.
Due to a pair of rainouts April 10, the Badgers (7-5 Big Ten, 29-8 overall) extended their streak to 37-straight road games this weekend as they met No. 22 Nebraska (8-3, 30-9) for three games.
The Wisconsin softball team (6-3 Big Ten, 28-6 overall) travelled to the Twin Cities this weekend to face off against conference foe Minnesota in a three-game series. The Badgers looked to build upon a hot start to their Big Ten schedule winning five of their first six conference games against Illinois and Iowa.
The Badger softball team (5-1 Big Ten, 24-7 overall) began conference play this past week, taking on Big Ten opponents Illinois (1-5, 11-7) and Iowa (1-5, 20-13) in two separate away tournaments. Wisconsin was scheduled to play two same-day games at home against Northwestern (16-13, 2-3) March 27, but both were postponed due to poor weather conditions.
The Wisconsin softball team (22-3 overall) will begin Big Ten play Friday as it travels to Champaign, Ill., to play three games in three days against conference foe Illinois. The Fighting Illini (10-12) carry a four-game wining streak into the weekend and look to knock off a Badger squad that is off to its best start in school history.
The Wisconsin softball team (22-3 overall) ended the non-conference schedule with a bang this weekend at the Louisville Classic. The Badgers won all four games they played, against North Carolina (18-8), Ball State (12-10) and Eastern Michigan (8-12) twice, after the final game against hometown Louisville was cancelled due to poor weather conditions.
The Wisconsin softball team (18-3 overall) stuck to their winning ways this weekend as they swept the competition at the Saluki Invitational in Carbondale, Ill. The Badgers relied on strong pitching performances and clutch hitting as they recorded wins over Belmont, Southern Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, and Eastern Kentucky on Saturday and Sunday.
The Wisconsin softball team (14-3 overall) will return to the Midwest for the first time this season when the Badgers take on Belmont (6-7), Eastern Kentucky (9-5), Illinois-Chicago (3-12) and the host team, Southern Illinois (9-8), at the SalSaluki Invitational in Carbondale, Ill., this weekend.
The Badgers (14-3 overall) took home four wins in their six-game run this weekend at the Easton Invitational in Fullerton, Calif. Wisconsin took on Cal State Fullerton, No. 18 Stanford, No. 8 California, CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly, playing Cal State Fullerton twice. UW picked up four wins over the weekend but lost games to Cal State Fullerton and California.
After sweeping the competition last weekend in Orlando and getting off to the best start in school history, the Wisconsin softball team (10-1 overall) will travel to the Golden State looking to continue its success against some top-caliber competition. The Badgers open up Thursday with a game versus Cal State Fullerton before playing in the Easton Invitational over the weekend.
The Wisconsin softball team (4-1 overall) heads to Orlando this weekend to take part in the 2013 Citrus Classic, facing off against Georgia Southern (6-3) and Boston University.
Read on Issuu
Solutions by The State News
