Five things to know: Illinois

Wisconsin

21-3

Illinois

16-5

Game Coverage

March 22-24 | Eichelberger Field | Champaign, Ill.

MADISON, Wis. – Warmer weather is finally upon the Midwest just in time for the No. 23 Wisconsin softball team to kick off conference play this weekend. The Badgers will travel to Illinois for a three game series against the Illini. UW will play on Friday at 5 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon.

1. GOING BACK-TO-BACK: Kayla Konwent was named Big Ten Player of the Week last week for her exceptional play at the USF-Clearwater Parks and Recreation Showcase. The junior led the Badgers in almost every single statistical category two weekends ago, helping the Badgers to a 4-1 record to advance to 21-3 overall. Konwent tallied a team-high 10 hits, two doubles, three home runs and 21 total bases. She also hit .625 with a 1.313 slugging percentage.

2. PRE-CONFERENCE WRAP UP: The Badgers hold a 21-3 record going into Big Ten play. The team held an 11-game win streak, including two tournament sweeps at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and the Islander Invitational. UW's pre-conference stretch also included ranked wins over No. 9 Texas and No. 15 Arizona State.

3. NOTHING LITTLE ABOUT IT: At the USF-Clearwater Parks and Recreation Showcase, junior Jordan Little had quite the weekend, scoring five runs with five hits, five walks, five RBI and two home runs.

4. B1G STATISTICS: Last season, Wisconsin finished seventh in the Big Ten with an 11-9 record. Going into conference play, the Badgers are one of four B1G schools to be in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches rankings, while three others are receiving votes. UW has the fewest losses (3) coming into the conference season. The Badgers lead the league with a 1.39 team ERA led by freshman Maddie Schwartz who leads the B1G with a 1.18 ERA.

5. SCOUTING ILLINOIS: The Illini are 16-5 this season and will play three more games before hosting Wisconsin this weekend. They have two ranked wins over No. 13 Kentucky and No. 22 Oklahoma State during their first tournament of the season. Sophomore catcher Bella Loya leads Illinois, collecting 28 hits, 23 RBI and eight homers so far this season.

Wisconsin

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Players Mentioned

Kayla Konwent

Jordan Little

Maddie Schwartz

University of Wisconsin Athletics