MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Madison will host one last home series at Goodman Diamond this upcoming weekend against the University of Iowa. The opening game of this series will be shown on the Big Ten Network on Friday, May 5 at 6:30, and it will conclude with a game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 7 to honor the seven seniors for the Wisconsin Badgers.
1. LAST TIME OUT: Due weather, the Badgers and Terrapins played two-of-three games in the series. In the first game against Maryland, both teams struggled to accumulate a hit or a run. However, Wisconsin came on the winning side while putting up one run when it mattered most, in the top of the seventh inning. Katie Keller hit a sacrifice fly to left field with bases loaded to plate Bree Mitchell, who was pinch running for Kayla Konwent. In the second game, both teams were held to just four hits, one of those being a 2 RBI single from Brooke Kuffel to give Wisconsin its first runs of the game in the third inning. However, Maryland responded with two runs in the fourth to take the 3-2 advantage and the Terrapins held on to the lead the remainder of the game.
2. PITCHERS FEAR KAYLA KONWENT: Fifth year star hitter, Kayla Konwent, has now drawn 33 walks in the 2023 season after her walk in the past series against Maryland, 20 of those alone in conference play. This high number not only leads the Badger team but is the second most in all of the Big Ten through 43 games. Due to her hard hitting reputation, pitchers tend to throw around Konwent, as exemplified by the 132 walks she has accumulated through her career, 19 of those being intentional. With 38 hits on the season and 200 on her career, the ability to be so selective at the plate is an impressive trait that the Wisconsin native has acquired in her time as a Badger to give her an on base percentage of .530.
3. SENIOR STARS: This upcoming weekend the Wisconsin Badger softball team will honor and recognize seven current players for their dedication to the program while in Madison. This group of fifth years and seniors, all with multiple ranges of time spent here, includes Kayla Kownwent, Katie Keller, Maddie Schwartz, Tessa Magnanimo, Fiona Girardot, Christaana Angelopulos, and Alyssa McClelland. These seven players have been and continue to be an essential part of the team's success with four of the seven consistently starting throughout the 2023 season. Three of the seven are fifth year players while the remaining four are considered fourth years with eligibility remaining.
4. SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The University of Iowa is currently sixth in the Big Ten with a 10-10 conference record. The Hawkeyes are 30-22 overall on the season which is a dramatic improvement from finishing last in the Big Ten in the 2022 season with just three conference victories and a 0.130 winning percentage. Iowa is currently on a two game win streak following the Rutgers series and have been led by senior Nia Carter as of late. Carter has a whopping .481 batting average and 87 hits which leads the Big Ten in both categories. Fifth year senior, Breanna Vasquez, seems to be the go-to pitcher for the Hawkeyes as she has upheld a 16-7 record on the mound and a 2.37 ERA.
5. UP NEXT: Following the series at Goodman, the Wisconsin Badgers will await their fate in the Big Ten tournament depending on the results over the weekend. The first games are scheduled for Wednesday, May 10 and will conclude with the championship game on Saturday, May 13. The 24th Big Ten Conference Softball Tournament will be held May 10-13, 2023, at Eichelberger Field in Champaign-Urbana, Ill., and will be hosted for the first time by the University of Illinois.
