Venue	Nancy Almarez Field | Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Live Statistics	Cal Baptist | BYU | Oregon | Ole Miss
Stream (Flo Softball $ )	Cal Baptist | BYU | Oregon | Ole Miss
Game Notes	Wisconsin
Social Media	Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin softball team will begin its 2023 season shortly in sunny Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as the first game is set for Thursday, Feb. 10 at 3:00 p.m. against California Baptist. With four games to play in the tropics, the Badgers look to start the season hot against both new and old opponents over the span of three days.

Let's go around the horn of things you need to know before the weekend:

1. RECAPPING LAST SEASON: UW finished its 2022 spring season going 30-21 while placing eighth in the Big Ten. Due to that success, the Badgers earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the last eight full seasons. Wisconsin went 2-2 at the big dance and ended its journey while putting up a loss against Florida in the NCAA Regional Championship. Kayla Konwent was named First Team All-Big Ten, while Fiona Giardot and Maddie Schwartz reigned in Second Team honors. 

2. RECORD RETURNERS: Kayla Konwent and Maddie Schwartz, two essential players for the Badgers, have returned to the team for their fifth year. Both Konwent and Schwartz continue to put up numbers few Badgers have before. Kayla is just the second First Team All-American in program history behind Chloe Miller, the player that Konwent surpassed in overall career home runs in the 2022 season. Maddie Schwartz currently sits in fourth for most wins as a pitcher within a season with 23 victories in 41 appearances. Konwent was also named to the D1Softball's preseason D100 list at No. 91. The two leaders will both guide Wisconsin with their talent and experience in the 2023 season. 

3. SEVEN NEW STARS: The Wisconsin softball team welcomes seven freshmen that will add to the ability of the Big Ten competitor. Head Coach Yvette Healy has high expectations for this group as she declared on National Signing Day over a year ago, "This is one of the most talented classes we've ever recruited to Wisconsin. With speed, power, defense and pitching, the future looks bright for Wisconsin softball." The new class consists of a two-time Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year, two players from Illinois, two from Colorado, one each from Indiana and Arizona. With such an array of new additions the Badgers look to capitalize on the success from last season and continue to become a threat to all opponents.

4. SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Wisconsin will open the season on Thursday against California Baptist University, a team the Badgers have never played before. CBU finished 30-26 in 2022 and 12-12 in the Western Athletic Conference. Hours later, Wisconsin will face BYU, a team they have a 1-5 record against and have not played since 2016. On Friday, Feb. 10 the Badgers will take on No. 24 ranked Oregon. The Ducks hold the upper hand, winning all nine games against Wisconsin in program history.  On the final day, UW will take on No. 25 The University of Mississippi, or 'Ole Miss', at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11. This will be the first time the two teams go head-to-head since 1999. 

5. HOW TO WATCH: Although hours away and many degrees hotter, fans can still follow the results of the Badgers through Flosoftball live broadcasts. Along with that, twitter users can get live updates on the @Badgersoftball account throughout the games. Live stats will also be posted on our website and can be found on the team's schedule page.