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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — It was a conversation between boss and employee, but also between peers.
One voice belonged to Barry Alvarez, the Wisconsin director of athletics and Hall of Fame football coach.
The other participant was Yvette Healy, who has spent the last seven years as UW softball coach.
Alvarez had a proven idea from his coaching days with the Badgers that he felt might help Healy fortify her growing program.
"I know you've got limited scholarships," he told her, mindful of the 12-tender limit, "so how about going out and finding the best athletes in the state and recruiting them as walk-ons?"
Alvarez did that to great success, building a walk-on culture that spawned a phenomenon. The list of in-state prospects who began their Wisconsin careers as non-scholarship recruits and went on to become NFL fixtures is long and distinguished.
"They get better," Alvarez told Healy. "The improvement percentage is much higher. They haven't played as long (as some recruits) and they're not as polished, but when we work with them, they're going to continue to get better."
Healy listened and began to craft her own walk-on plan.
"We've been trying to do it every year since we got to Wisconsin," she said.
The latest batch have factored into one of the best starts in program history, one that included a brief stay in the national rankings.
The Badgers won 23 of their first 26 games until they were knocked off stride by a Big Ten Conference series sweep at the hands of Nebraska.
UW (23-6 overall, 2-4 in the Big Ten) will try and end its three-game losing streak when it hosts Iowa at Goodman Diamond Friday through Sunday.
Healy identified four walk-ons on her current 23-person roster, including two from in-state.
Junior outfielder/utility player Brianna Flugaur is from Stevens Point, while freshman outfielder Heather Rudnicki is from Verona.
They are joined by two veteran Iowans in senior catcher Taylor Berry, who's from Muscatine, and sophomore outfielder Gabby Scherle, who's from Slater.
The four represent a recruiting focus for Healy, whose roster leans heavily toward the Midwest. Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois combine for 14 roster spots, while Indiana has one.
"We needed more Midwest kids in our program, there's no doubt," she said. "You want the heart and soul of your program in the Big Ten to be from your state, from the Midwest, where you've got kids that grow up as fans of the Badgers.
"There are challenges to being a warm-weather sport in a cold-weather state, but you don't want kids and all they see when they walk in are challenges. You want kids that walk in and see how much of an opportunity it is."
That's where Flugaur and Rudnicki come in.
Both were prepared to attend UW as students alone, but ultimately wanted to continue playing a game they loved and were good at.
Flugaur played for three WIAA state tournament teams at Stevens Point Area High School, where she was known for her hitting and speed.
Healy said Flugaur is "freakishly fast and strong" and whose home-to-home speed is under 11 seconds, which the coach said is "top tier."
Flugaur said Healy didn't have to make much of a pitch to get her to walk on.
"Growing up a Badgers fan, I know this university is very well-known for its athletic program and just knowing I could be a part of that pretty much sold me right away," Flugaur said.
The opportunity for Flugaur has evolved from a part-time pinch-running role as a freshman to 19 starts this season. Though hitting a light .190 (8-for-42) in 29 games overall, she leads the club in stolen bases with 12 in 16 attempts and is sixth on the team in runs scored with 15.
The script was a little different for Rudnicki, a four-year starter at Verona who said she kept the lines of communication open with Healy and her staff during the recruiting process.
"This is something I really wanted to do," said Rudnicki, her high school valedictorian. "It's always been my dream."
Healy eventually invited Rudnicki to walk on, but not before outlining the immense time commitment involved and telling her she'd be used almost strictly as a pinch runner as a rookie.
"It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Rudnicki said.
"I've always prided myself on being a hard worker and I wasn't afraid that I'd come here and never play. It's a goal to play and turn it into something for myself."
Rudnicki has appeared in 25 games to date with four plate appearances and one hit. She's also swiped three bases in four attempts and scored seven runs.
"I'm trying my hardest to be the best pinch runner I can be at the time so I can be ready at any opportunity," Rudnicki said.
Flugaur and Rudnicki seem to fit the profile Healy has in mind for all her players, but especially walk-ons.
"We've got kids that value the education, the blue-collar work mentality," the coach said. "You're embracing the opportunity and what an honor it is and not looking at the down side.
"We've taken some chances on some Wisconsin kids and some Midwest kids that have just developed into really nice players."
Tucked into the UW softball culture is a mentoring program among the players. This season, Flugaur is serving as a big sister of sorts for Rudnicki.
"Having her as a role model and seeing her get these opportunities I think is motivating and helps me know that I'll get opportunities," Rudnicki said of Flugaur.
Flugaur said her career path was shaped by the guidance of two former walk-ons when she was a freshman in 2015. Outfielder Maria Van Abel and infielder Ashley Van Zeeland were prep teammates at Kaukauna. Flugaur said it took a while to get up to speed — on the field with a Division I program and in the classroom of a world-class university — so having a sounding board is important.
"Both kind of took me under their wing and showed me the ropes, kind of what it meant to be a Badger walk-on," Flugaur said. "Both of them had great work ethics. I think they really led by example.
"Being able to return that favor to Heather is really important to me just because I know how much (Van Abel and Van Zeeland) impacted my experience as a freshman."
Rudnicki said she senses a bond with the other walk-ons at UW, but especially those from the state who cheered for the Badgers growing up.
She recounted one of her first post-games with Wisconsin when she and her teammates linked arms and sang "Varsity."
"For me that was the coolest thing ever," Rudnicki said. "I've been in the stands for every type of (UW) sporting event and I loved singing 'Varsity.' It was my favorite thing.
"But being on the field, singing it as an athlete, is so special to me just because I've grown up with that."
