MADISON, Wis. – After a weekend off, the Wisconsin softball team is primed and ready to open its home and Big Ten seasons at Goodman Diamond this weekend. The Badgers host Rutgers for a three-game series beginning on Friday with a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.,  concluding Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
1. DOING B1G THINGS: The Badgers enter Big Ten play ranked in the top five amongst conference teams in six statistical categories. UW paces the league with 23 sacrifice bunts, ranks third with 35 stolen bases, 47 attempted steals and 80 walks, and is fifth with five sacrifice flies and an on base percentage of .351.
 
2. TOURNAMENT TAKEAWAYS: The Badgers went 13-11 in their five tournaments to begin the 2018 season. Against ranked opponents, UW is 2-6 after defeating No. 12 Auburn and No. 24 USC Upstate. Samantha Arents, Melanie Cross and Brooke Wyderski each tallied three home runs through the first 24 games. The Badgers' best weekend came at the USF Under Armour Invitational where they went 4-1.
 
3. MIGHTY MENZ: Sophomore Kaitlyn Menz had quite the day against No. 24 USC Upstate in the Wildcat Invitational. The Waukee, Iowa native notched a career-high 10 strikeouts while pitching a complete game one-hitter in her 30th career win. Menz is two strikeouts away from 200 career strikeouts.
 
4. KJ and TJ: Senior Kelsey Jenkins and freshman Taylor Johnson had big weekends at the Wildcat Invitational. Both collected a team-high seven hits on the weekend while combining for four runs and two RBI. Jenkins extended her on base streak to 24 games. Johnson notched a career-high three hits against South Dakota in UW's 6-3 win.
 
5. SCOUTING RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights are 15-14 through 29 games this season. Last weekend they competed at the Bear Classic at Mercer where they went 2-3, splitting games with Bucknell and Mercer before being shut out by Austin Peay. Rutgers is led by senior Rebecca Hall, an infielder from Fairfax, Virginia. Hall paces her team with 40 hits, five home runs, 29 RBI, and a .392 batting average. From the circle, the Scarlet Knights rely on starters Cambria Keefer and Whitney Jones. The pair have 3.16 and 3.20 ERAs, respectively, and have combined for 40 strikeouts.