5 things to know: ACC/Big Ten Challenge

MADISON, Wis.- It's the second week of the 2020 softball season, and the Wisconsin softball team (4-1) will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to play in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. To kick off the weekend, the Badgers will play Louisville (1-4) Friday at 4 p.m. CT Saturday games will start at 1:30 p.m. with a second match-up against Louisville at 1:30 p.m. followed by North Carolina (3-2) at 4 p.m. The weekend will conclude with a game against North Carolina at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.

1. FRESH FACES: After the conclusion of the first weekend of play, several freshmen made some noise in the batter's box. Starting third basemen for the Badgers, Fiona Girardot, scored four times throughout the weekend after hitting two doubles and a home run. Her slugging percentage ranks second on the team at .692. Abby Herbst also contributed to badger offense in her collegiate debut. The designated hitter posted five hits, including a double and counted for three RBIs. Her .462 on-base percentage ranks second on the team.

2. MIGHTY MORGAN: Sophomore transfer, Morgan Kummer led the team in RBIs with five on the weekend and recorded a single homerun against Northern Illinois at the top of the fifth inning on Saturday. The Ellsworth, Wisconsin native has a batting average of .364 after 11 at-bats.

3. KKKKKKAITLYN: Senior pitcher Kaitlyn Menz ruled the pitcher's circle winning all three games she started in. While striking out her opponents 14 times, she allowed just one run over the weekend.

4. KRANK THE BAT KAYLA: Leading the team in almost every offensive category was none other than senior first basemen, Kayla Konwent. She comes into this week with a 1.000 slugging percentage, a .750 on-base percentage and a .615 batting average. She recorded eight hits that counted for two doubles, a home run and two RBIs.

5. SCOUTING REPORT
Louisville
The Louisville Cardinals (1-4) started their season last weekend in Clearwater, Florida, with a win over ranked Ole Miss. However, they lost the next four games. Coming off a 35-23 record in 2019 and making a run in the NCAA tournament, the Cardinals ended the season fifth in the ACC. Senior outfielder Celene Funke was voted to the Preseason All-ACC Team and hit two triples in the opening weekend for Louisville.

UNC
The North Carolina softball team (3-2) faced a tough schedule in their opening weekend at the Florida State Tournament. Their two losses came from No. 2 Alabama (2-5) and No. 9 Florida State (1-2). Later that weekend, the Tar Heels redeemed themselves from their first match-up and upset the No. 2 team in the country with a 9-8 win. 2019 All-ACC First Team outfielder Kristina Burkhardt returns for the Tar Heels this season and poses an offensive threat for her opponents. This past weekend she posted a triple and four RBIs with a .385 hitting average.

University of Wisconsin Athletics

5 things to know: ACC/Big Ten Challenge

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Players Mentioned

Fiona Girardot

Abby Herbst

Kayla Konwent

Morgan Kummer

Kaitlyn Menz

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