Badgers travel south to compete in Dream City Invitational

Friday, February 13

Arlington, TX

10:00 AM

Wisconsin Badgers

Iowa State

Hilary Blomberg rounds the bases at Paradise Classic.

Photo by: Ashley Steltenpohl

Badgers travel south to compete in Dream City Invitational

February 11, 2026 | Softball

UW looks to build on winning weekend in Florida

By: Maddox Durst

Venue	Allan Saxe Field \| Arlington, Texas
Live Stats	Iowa State (G1) \| UT Arlington \| Tulsa (G1) \| Tulsa (G2) \| Iowa State (G2)
Watch ($)	UT Arlington (ESPN+)
Game Notes	Wisconsin
Social Media	X \| Instagram \| Facebook

MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin softball team returns to action in their second weekend tournament of the year, as they will compete in the Dream City Invitational in Arlington, Texas, between Feb. 13-15.

The Badgers (3-2) are set to take on Iowa State at 10:00 a.m. CT and host UT Arlington at 3:00 p.m. CT on their first day in the Lone Star State, followed by a doubleheader on Saturday against Tulsa, with games beginning at 10:00 a.m. CT and 12:30 p.m. CT. UW will wrap up the weekend with a Sunday morning rematch against the Cyclones, taking place at 9:00 a.m. CT.

Fans can follow along with live stats throughout the weekend, located on the uwbadgers.com website. Wisconsin's game versus the Mavericks on Friday afternoon will be streamed on ESPN+.

UW secured three victories in their first weekend of gameplay in the 2026 season at the Paradise Classic, winning a pair against Stonehill and defeating Army, all of which were shutouts. The Badgers' pitching staff earned three shutouts in four games to start a season for the first time in program history.

Freshman Berritt Herr was key in the circle early on for Wisconsin, as the right-hander tossed four scoreless innings with four strikeouts against Army in her collegiate debut. Sophomore Kendra Lewis, senior Shelby Jacobson and sophomore Jordan Felci each made quality contributions throughout the weekend's action as well, appearing in multiple stints over the five games.

The offense picked up right where they left off after a strong 2025 campaign, hitting .383 as a team over the weekend. Lewis, junior Alivia Bark and sophomore Hannah Conger each produced at least one hit in all five games in Florida. Conger led the way for the Badgers, going 6-for-11 (.545 BA), highlighted by her first career home run against host Florida Atlantic. Bark, who eclipsed 100 hits in her career, and Conger each plated six Badgers in five games, while Lewis finished with a team-high seven hits.

Junior Danielle Lucey and redshirt freshman Jaclyn Showalter each chipped in six hits, too. Showalter, in her first action on the diamond after missing all of last season, produced a pair of multi-hit performances—doubling twice over the weekend.

To wrap up the standout performers, junior Hilary Blomberg blasted the 20th home run of her career on Opening Day versus Army. The Verona native led Wisconsin in home runs in the 2025 season with 12.

This upcoming weekend, UW will face Iowa State for the fourth time in program history. The Badgers own a 3-0 record all-time versus the Cyclones, winning all three matchups at a neutral site. UW will play UT Arlington for the first time in program history, and will take on Tulsa on Saturday, Feb. 14, for the first time since the 2005 season.

Up Next: The Badgers will take on their third tournament of the season next week, as they will return to Florida to participate in the Gulf Coast Classic in Fort Myers, beginning on Feb. 20. UW is set to battle against UConn at 9:00 a.m. CT and host Florida Gulf Coast at 6:00 p.m. CT on Friday.