Wisconsin Badgers
Purdue University
Around the Horn: The Badgers will hit the road to face the Purdue Boilermakers
April 03, 2023 | Softball
Wisconsin will head to West Lafayette to face conference opponent
| Â Venue | Â WestLafayette, Ind. | Bittinger Stadium |
| Â Live Statistics | Â Game 1 | Game 2 |
| Â Watch (B10+) | Â Game 1 | Game 2 |
| Â Notes | Â Wisconsin |
|  Social Media |  Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin softball team will prepare for its third series of conference play this upcoming weekend against the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette.
1. LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers had a successful weekend against the University of Illinois, winning the series 2-1. Although the schedule was shifted around due to weather, Wisconsin adjusted and responded accordingly. On Friday, March 30, the first game against the Fighting Illini was moved up to 11:00 a.m. and the Badgers took advantage of their home-field advantage in their first game at Goodman diamond this season. Katie Keller added her sixth double of the season in that game while grad student Kayla Konwent added her team-leading sixth home run to win 6-2. Ellie Hubbard also hit her first homerun as a Badger, along with an RBI double in the morning game. What was supposed to be a 1:00 p.m. game on Saturday was moved to create a doubleheader on Sunday. In the first game of the two on Sunday, the Badgers fell 6-4 despite Christaana Angelopulos and Brooke Kuffel both going 2-for-3. In the series' final game, the Badgers produced three home runs, two of those hit by Brooke Kuffel, to win the game with a score of 10-9 and secure the series victory.
2. UNSTOPPABLE SOPHOMORE DUO: Brooke Kuffel and Ellie Hubbard continue to succeed at an impressive rate. The two players had the highest batting averages of the weekend as Kuffel posted a .625, going 5-for-8, and Hubbard accumulated a .444 going 4-for-9. Brooke Kuffel and Ellie Hubbard each had two home runs in the three games bringing in a total of 11 RBI for Kuffel and 7 for Hubbard. Because of their high numbers against Illinois and Michigan State, the two also lead the team in batting average in conference play as Kuffel has gone 8-for-14 with a .571 and Hubbard is 8-for-18 with a .444. Hubbard and Kuffel are now on a six-game hitting streak and will look to extend the streak against the Boilermakers.Â
3. KELLER CONTINUES TO RISE:Â Katie Keller had been crowned the double queen by her former team at NIU and continues to prove why while in Madison. The fifth-year senior is second on the team with hits and is tied for the most doubles with six alongside Skylar Sirdashney. Against Illinois, Keller was 3-for-8 with the third-best batting average on the team at .375. One of those three hits was a double, which raises her on the list for NCAA Division 1 career doubles to fifth in all-time softball history. Heading into the season, the transfer was eighth on the list.Â
4. SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The Purdue Boilermakers are coming off of a series win against Rutgers, which included an extra-inning victory winning 6-3 in eight. The Big Ten opponent holds a 17-19 record and is 2-6 in conference play. Sophomore Tyrina Jones leads the Boilermakers with 43 hits and a batting average of .347 thirty-six games into the season and Mo Wimpee looks to be the teams most utilized pitcher with 31 appearances and an ERA of 3.00. Before facing Rutgers, Purdue faced off against Indiana for the Boilermaker's first Big Ten opponent. Indiana was ranked No. 24 in the country at the time that the two teams played in the doubleheader. The Hoosiers came out with the win in the first game with a score of 5-8 while also pulling out the narrow victory of 5-4 in the second.Â
5. UP NEXT:Â Â Following the weekend series, the Badgers will return home for a single game on Tuesday, April 11Â game against DePaul at 4:00 p.m. Big Ten play will then resume as the Badgers will host No. 20/23 Northwestern April 14-15 for a three game series.
