BY KELLI GRASHEL
UW Athletic Communications

MADISON, Wis. — "There's a lot of fight in this group."

Head coach Yvette Healy's words say it all for the Wisconsin softball team who had a tough opening weekend at home, dropping all three games to Nebraska. Three losses in the weekend equaled the total amount of losses the Badgers (23-6 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) had seen all season.

But at the end of the day, it's just three losses at the beginning of conference and in the middle of the season. It doesn't take away from the best start in school history and it doesn't take away from the win column. It's a bump in the road but it's not the biggest hindrance.

Good teams find a way to win, but great teams will find ways to fight back and win against difficult odds, including a three-loss setback.

Senior Chloe Miller had one of the worst weekends of her season, and that was a weekend that included a .444 batting average, .889 slugging percentage and .643 on base percentage. Her worst weekend is something most players and coaches would beg for.

"We just have to get back to work," Healy said. "It was a rough weekend, Nebraska played well and we've got a lot to work on, but at least it's still early in the season. That was my main message, the season's not over. We know we've got to get back to the drawing board a little bit."

Last weekend's obstacle is now in the past and there's no time to look back. Another three-game Big Ten series is just around the corner as the Badgers host the Iowa Hawkeyes at Goodman Diamond on Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

The Hawkeyes struggled in the first stretch of their season, but when it comes to Big Ten conference records don't always mean much. There's an intensity and drive that comes with conference season that makes every team you face a sincere challenge, despite how many wins and losses they have picked up before.

Iowa will enter the weekend with an 8-21 record after clinching their series against Purdue, winning out the last two games with a 5-0 shutout and 8-3 win. The Hawkeyes first face Drake in a midweek matchup in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday before making the trek to Madison.

Miller is still leading the Big Ten in batting average (.511), slugging percentage (.913) and on base percentage (.602), while Kelsey Jenkins still leads the conference in walks (28), fourth in runs scored (36) and is fourth in on base percentage (.538). Her fellow junior Brooke Wyderski remains in the top 10 in slugging percentage, runs batted in (35) and doubles (10). Numbers don't lie. The Badgers still have some of the best bats in the Big Ten and they're not even close to being done yet.
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If there's anything we all know about this year's team, it's that they have a lot of strength in the lineup and a lot of will to win. Three consecutive losses will not sit well with these Badgers and they will be looking to bounce back strong against the Hawkeyes at home.