MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin softball team heads to Clearwater, Florida this weekend to compete in the USF Under Armour Invitational. On Friday, UW plays Central Michigan at 12:30 p.m. (CT) and USF at 3 p.m. The Badgers face College of Charleston at 9 a.m. and Western Michigan at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Wisconsin closes out the tournament on Sunday playing Wright State at 8:30 a.m.
 
1. IN IT TO WIN IT: Last weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, the Badgers played some of the country's top teams and came out with some impressive wins, including a 3-2 victory over No. 6/12 Auburn. The team was 3-3 overall in California with wins against Auburn, Fresno State and San Jose State. The Badgers also played a thrilling game against No. 16 Oklahoma State but lost a close 3-2 contest.
 
2. RECORD ALERT: Senior Kelsey Jenkins recorded her 146th career run against Fresno State last weekend to become UW's all-time leader in that category. Jenkins notched a team-high four runs throughout the Mary Nutter Classic and also led the team with a .429 on base percent.
 
3. STELLAR DEFENSE: Wisconsin held five of its six opponents to five or fewer runs at the Mary Nutter Classic thanks to impressive defensive performances. Sophomore Kaitlyn Menz picked up two wins for the Badgers while striking out 21 batters in three games. Freshman Halely Hestekin picked up the win in UW's 1-0 victory against SJSU for her first career shutout. Playing first base most of the weekend, senior Stephanie Lombardo collected a team-high 42 putouts with no errors.
 
4. WICKED WYDERSKI: Shortstop Brooke Wyderski had a huge offensive weekend for the Badgers. The senior had a team-high five RBIs with six hits, three runs and a homer against Missouri. This season Wyderski is tied with Jenkins for a team-high 10 runs and ranks second on the team with 15 hits and 10 RBIs.
 
5. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
Central Michigan (4-4)
The Chippewas are led by senior Lacy Tolfree and junior Erika Underwood. Its last time out at the Liberty Softball Challenge, CMU went 3-1, dropping a 4-3 decision to Liberty in nine innings. Central Michigan is a member of the Mid-American Conference and won the MAC west division crown in 2017.
 
USF (7-10)
Tournament host USF has played four ranked teams so far this season, with its biggest win coming against No. 18 Michigan, 3-2. Senior Astin Donovan, USF's top returning player, has 15 hits, five runs and four RBIs this season.
 
College of Charleston (7-5)
The Cougars are Wisconsin's only opponent over .500 heading into the weekend. Their last tournament was the Georgia Classic where they went 2-2, falling twice to Georgia. Senior Taylor DuPree and sophomore Yari Felix lead the Cougars with eight runs each.
 
Western Michigan (5-5)
Last weekend the Broncos went 3-1 at the Chattanooga Frost Classic after opening their season at the prestigious Kajikawa Classic. WMU is 1-2 against ranked opponents this season and also recorded a 15-7 win over Big Ten rival Purdue. Sophomore Mackenzie Swienhart and freshman Samantha Coffel have combined for 24 hits and 12 runs through their first 10 games.
 
Wright State (0-10)
Still seeking their first win of the season, the Wright State Raiders are led by seniors Honnah Susor, Macey Gunther and Ashley Sharp. Susor and Gunther have 11 and eight hits, respectively, and Sharp is Wright State's leading pitcher with a 5.09 ERA.