With the season's first pitch just over the horizon, the Wisconsin softball team looks to make a statement during the 2017 season with a combination of savvy veterans, a talented class of newcomers and a great deal of knowledge in the coaching corps.

The Badgers are scheduled to face nine teams that advanced to the 2016 NCAA Tournament, four of which finished the season among the nation's top 25. UW's advantage against these programs lies in its offensive experience, returning 68.7 percent of its running, 70.7 percent of its hitting and 79.9 percent of last season's RBI production.

Junior Kelsey Jenkins is coming off of her second-consecutive first-team All-Big Ten campaign, earning the highest on-base percentage (.568) and second-highest single-season batting average (.409) in school history last season. The Tucson, Arizona, native has started 105 consecutive games for the Cardinal and White, showing no signs of stopping as she was named to the D1 SoftballNews.com Top 50 watch list, the Fastpitch News top 50 hitters (No. 13) and FPN preseason All-America list as a part of the second team.

The Badgers also return sophomore Melanie Cross, whose standout rookie campaign saw her play in all 53 games, starting all but two behind the plate, and ranked second on the team with six homers. Her .455 slugging percentage was the eighth-best mark for a Wisconsin freshman while her nine doubles earned her a fifth-place rank among freshmen in the record books.
Senior Chloe Miller tied Jenkins for the team lead with seven home runs, while her team-high 51 runs batted in ties for first in Wisconsin history. Miller ranked in the top three among Badgers in every batting category last season.

Wisconsin expects its six newcomers, five freshmen and one transfer, to make an immediate impact on the scoresheet, highlighted by two-time Gatorade Player of the Year Kayla Konwent. Junior transfer Brooke Wyderski, who put together two impressive seasons at Loyola-Chicago, joined Jenkins on the FPN top 50 hitters list, clocking in at No. 27.

The Cardinal and White also welcome two new coaches to the staff in 2017, as Danielle Zymkowitz begins her first year as an assistant coach while former Wisconsin standout Taylor-Paige Stewart joins as a volunteer assistant coach.

Zymkowitz adds a wealth of knowledge as both a coach and player, securing her second-consecutive National Pro Fastpitch title with the Chicago Bandits over the summer and earning a spot on the 2016 All-NFP team. A former Big Ten standout at Illinois, Zymkowitz spent last season as an assistant coach at Toledo, helping the Rockets to their first winning league record (12-11) in 19 years, as well as a Mid-American Conference tournament berth.

A familiar face to the program, Stewart graduated from Wisconsin in 2016 with a degree in neurobiology while finishing off her career at Wisconsin with the program's most saves (7), the fourth-best strikeout ratio (5.37) and the fifth-most wins pitched (46). Stewart was a crucial member of the third-winningest class in UW history, collecting 129 victories in four years.

Stewart will use her experience to guide a pitching staff mixed with experience and youth, but loaded with talent. Senior Kirsten Stevens made 38 appearances last season, recording 10 wins and a 3.22 ERA, striking out 78 batters for the Badgers. Junior Mariah Watts appeared in eight games last season and had 17 starts as a freshman in 2015. Sophomore Angela Morrow made five appearances in her rookie campaign in 2016. UW welcomes freshman Kaitlyn Menz as the newest addition to the mound, who finished her high school career at Waukee high school with 75 wins.

The Badgers open up their season Feb. 10-12 at the UNI Dome Classic in Cedar Falls, Iowa, facing Northern Iowa, Nebraska-Omaha, Toledo, and Drake.