Five things to know: NCAA Regionals

MADISON, Wis. – For the third-straight year, the Wisconsin softball team is going dancing after earning a NCAA Tournament bid. The Badgers will compete in the Norman regional against No. 1 Oklahoma, Notre Dame and UMBC. UW's first game is scheduled for Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) against Notre Dame and will air live on ESPN.

1. THE BRACKET:

2. BIG PLAYER (OF THE YEAR): Last week junior Kayla Konwent became the first Badger to earn Big Ten Player of the Year honors after having a standout season. Konwent was a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection and was also named to the ESPN/USA Softball Top 10 Player of the Year watch list.

3. HISTORY MADE: Wisconsin's third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament marks the first time in program history the Badgers have earned back-to-back-to-back bids. Last weekend the team also became just the second team in school history to record a 40-win season.

4. AWARDS GALORE: Three other Badgers earned conference honors last Wednesday as well. Sophomore Taylor Johnson also garnered first team All-Big Ten accolades while junior Kaitlyn Menz was a second-team All-Big Ten selection and Angela Morrow was named Wisconsin's sportsmanship honoree.

5. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:
Oklahoma- The top-seeded Sooners enter the tournament with a 49-2 record. They also went a perfect 18-0 during Big 12 conference play. Oklahoma earned 23 run-rule victories during the 2019 with only one extra-inning game against No. 10 Texas. Its two losses came at the hands of No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 UCLA. The Sooners have an NCAA-leading 40-game winning streak heading into the tournament.

Notre Dame- The Fighting Irish are 36-16 overall in 2019 and went 18-6 in ACC play to finish second in the Atlantic division. Their best win of the season came over No. 2 Washington at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. UND topped the Huskies, 3-2, in eight innings. Irish player Cait Brooks was named the ACC Player of the Year. The senior designated player amassed a .433 average, 20 home runs, 129 total bases, a .915 slugging percentage and a .525 on-base percentage.

UMBC- The Golden Retrievers are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002 after earning an automatic bid by winning the America East Tournament. UMBC is 30-22 on the season and went 7-11 in conference play. The Golden Retrievers are led by freshman Courtney Coppersmith. The Rookie earned five America East All-Conference Honors, including Rookie of the year, Pitcher of the year, first team All-Conference pitcher, second team All-Conference utility player and was a member of the all-rookie team. Coppersmith has pitched four no-hitters during her freshman campaign.

Five things to know: NCAA Regionals

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Johnson

Kayla Konwent

Kaitlyn Menz

Angela Morrow

University of Wisconsin Athletics