MADISON, Wis. - After a series of tough matchups last weekend, the Wisconsin Softball team (8-6) heads to Tempe, Arizona, to compete in the Sun Devil Classic. Wisconsin will face Southern Utah, Maryland and No. 17 Arizona State over the weekend. The schedule and game times are as follows:

• Friday, February 258 vs Souther Utah at 1:30 p.m. CT
• Friday, February 28 vs ASU at 8 p.m. CT
• Saturday, February 29 vs Maryland at 12:30 p.m. CT
• Saturday, February 29 vs ASU at 6 p.m. CT
• Sunday, March 1 vs Southern Utah at 10:30 a.m. CT

1.RESUME BUILDER: This previous weekend Wisconsin competed against the top three seeded teams in the country. The Badgers went 1-2 against these teams with a sole win over No. 3 Oklahoma and being edged by walk-off home runs against both No. 2 Washington and No. 1 UCLA, despite being the only team to take the Bruins into extra innings. UW proved that they could battle with the nation's top talent.


2. HARDY HESTEKIN: Haley Hestekin pitched 7.2 innings last week against No. 1 UCLA and held them to one run until extra innings. She totaled four strikeouts against the heavy-hitting team.


3. RUDNICKI REACHES: In a close game against No. 3 Oklahoma, the Badgers were winning 4-3 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and only needed one more out to secure the win. Heather Rudnicki secured the ranked win with a grab in left field that could've sent the Sooners around the bases. 


4.STEPH THE SLUGGER: Stephanie Lombardo hit a two-run home run this weekend against San Diego State and also a double against UCLA that brought in the first score of the game. She is averaging .300 and ranks third on the team. She continues to step up in big moments and be a crucial part of the hitting rotation.


5. SCOUTING REPORT:

Southern Utah
The Thunderbird Softball team is off to a slow start with a 1-8 record so far. Their hitter leading in almost every offensive category is junior infielder, Dayna Hokanson. She averages .280 and has totaled seven hits and three RBIs. On defense, their leader is junior pitcher Koryne Coddington. She comes into this weekend with a 4.87 ERA and the sole win of the year for Southern Utah so far.

#17 ASU
The Sun Devil softball team is 12-5 on the season and comes in at No. 17 in the softball rankings this week. Their go-to hitter is freshman infielder, Alynah Torres, who totals seven home runs, 20 RBIs and a .393 batting average. Badgers are likely to face their experienced redshirt senior pitcher, Cielo Meza. She is 6-2 so far this year and has proven to be a threat in the circle with 70 strikeouts and a 1.95 ERA.

Maryland
The Terrapin softball team has a record of 5-8 going into the Sun Devil Classic. Players to look out for include sophomore infielder Regan Kerr, who has eight runs, 10 hits and three RBIs. Also keep an eye on freshman pitcher, Courtney Wyche. Wyche has pitched 30 innings total and has a 4.20 ERA on 37 strikeouts.