MADISON, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Madison softball team will prepare for the Big Ten Tournament this week at the University of Illinois, with the first game scheduled for Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. against No. 12 seed Illinois.

1. LAST TIME OUT: The Badgers needed to have a stellar weekend against the University of Iowa and did just that, sweeping the Hawkeyes in the three game series. In the first game, Wisconsin was paced by Katie Keller and Kayla Konwent as the two seniors produced all five of the Badger hits. Keller went 3-for-t3 and crossed the plate two times for the home team in the 3-0 victory. Game two is when the bats came alive for Wisconsin, led by Peyton Bannon, Molly Schlosser, Kayla Konwent, and Katie Keller all amassing two hits to add to the team's 11 total. The Badgers came away with the 9-0 shutout in five innings to mercy rule the Iowa Hawkeyes. On senior day, Wisconsin found a way to win once again as  Kayla Konwent sent a solo home run out of the park to ignite the Badger team to give them the 1-0 lead. Konwent and Ellie Hubbard both singled later in the game to bring around two more runs and hand the Badgers the 3-1 victory.

2. KK DUO IS ON FIRE: Kayla Konwent and Katie Keller, in the one and two spots in the lineup this weekend, have gone on an impressive hit streak in the final games of the season. Super senior Kayla Konwent has accumulated eight hits in the last five games with two doubles, a home run, and three RBI. Graduate transfer Katie Keller also has eight hits in the five games with four doubles, bringing her within four for most all-time in NCAA history within a career.  Over the weekend, Kayla Konwent 6-for-8 with a .750 batting average, and Keller finished 7-for-10 with a .700 batting average as the two players had 13 of the team's 22 hits. The two leaders are heating up when it matters most and will look to continue on this offensive terror over the next few games.

3. BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TIME: Following an impressive weekend, the Badgers earned the five seed heading into the Big Ten tournament at Eichelberger Field. In the first game, Wisconsin will face off against the host, the Fighting Illini, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night. Illinois is currently the #12 seed after finishing the regular season in Maryland going 0-3 against the Terrapins. With a win on Wednesday, the UW softball team would advance to the quarterfinal game against the University of Nebraska on Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. CT. The Huskers hold the #4 seed and have a bye in the first round of the tournament, along with #1 Northwestern, #2 Indiana and #3 Minnesota. All of these games will be televised on the Big Ten Network and available on the Fox Sports App.

4. SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: The University of Illinois ended the regular season 28-26 and 6-16 in conference play. When the two opponents faced earlier this season, Wisconsin came out on top, winning the series 2-1; a victorious 6-2 in game one and 10-9 in game three. The only other conference wins of the season for the Fighting Illini came in game two against Ohio State and then in a sweep against Michigan State. Kelly Ryona is Illinois' hottest hitter with a .349 batting average and 59 hits on the season. Stevie Meade is the only other player hitting above .300 for the Fighting Illini as she posts a .304 batting average with 49 hits. While at Eichelberger Field, the opponent's home field, Illinois is 10-10 in the spring season. 

5. UP NEXT:  The Big Ten tournament is a single-elimination style and runs from Wednesday, May 10, through Sunday, May 14. On the final day, the championship game will start at 3 p.m. CT. The 64 teams chosen for the regional stages of the national tournament, which start on May 19, will be announced by the NCAA following the conclusion of the conference tournament.