2017 Softball Roster

Jack McLaughlin
Paul Capobianco
Jack McLaughlin
Jack McLaughlin

21 Sara Novak

  • Height 5-11
  • Class Senior
  • Hometown Shorewood, Ill.
  • Highschool Minooka Community

Biography

Awards: Team's most improved Player (2017) ... 2017 Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree ... Big Ten Freshman of the Week (March 24, 2014) ... Academic All-Big Ten (2015, 2016, 2017) ... Big Ten Postgraduate Scholarship recipient ... Chi Alpha Sigma member

2017: Novak started at third base in all 52 games for Wisconsin … had the fourth-best batting average on the team at .307 … her 15 HBP led the Badgers and ranked third among Big Ten players … fourth on the team with 32 RBI … scored a career-high three runs against Princeton (3/4) … hit two doubles against Maine (3/11) as well as batting in a season-high three runs … recorded a career-high four hits against Northern Illinois (5/02), going 4-for-4 and bringing in two runs … came up big in the NCAA Tournament with her first home run of the season to bring in two runs against Oregon (5/20) … had 11 multi-hit games … logged three sacrifice hits on the year … had two six-game hitting streaks … named the 2017 Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree … received the team’s Most Improved Player award … finished her career with a .404 on base percentage, the sixth-best in UW history … her 41 career hit by pitch ranks second all-time … earned the Big Ten’s Postgraduate Scholar award

2016: Played in 50 games and started in 48 … held the fourth-best batting average on the team at .291 … led the team in hit by pitch (15), the second-most HBP in a single season, claiming second in UW records … logged the second-most RBI (39) on the team, tying for in the program’s single-season records, while her 15 Big Ten RBI ranked eighth in the records … had the second-most multiple RBI games (12) on the team, ranking sixth in single-season records, including five three-RBI games, which rank fourth in UW single-season records … logged nine multiple hit games … posted the second-longest reached base streak (19) on the team … registered the highest fielding percentage (.992), the sixth all-time best percentage in a single season, of the Badgers and clinched the team’s season high with 14 putouts against Nebraska (5/7) … blasted her ninth double of the season vs. Indiana (5/13) and became one of 14 players in the program to hit a double in the Big Ten Tournament, had a team-high and personal season and career-high two doubles against Detroit (3/22), which was included in a career-best three hits … racked up a season-best four RBI vs. Santa Clara (3/13) off of three hits, including a home run

2015: Missed due to injury

2014: Saw action in 42 games, starting in 34 ... 11 HBP is second most by a freshman in Wisconsin history ... ninth best on base percentage (.364) for freshman ... four home runs in Big Ten play is tied for third most in school history ... scored first run against Bethune-Cookman (2/8) ... notched first career hit and RBI against Florida Gulf Coast in just third at bat (2/16) ... first extra-base hit was a home run at Northwestern on March 21 ... went 5-for-8 with two runs, two home runs and five RBI in series at Northwestern (3/21-22) ... led team to dominant 9-3 victory at Michigan, gathering two hits, including a double and home run and six RBI

High School: Member of the Minooka Community High School varsity softball team ... team won the 2013 Class 4A Illinois State championship ... named 2013 Daily Herald MVP Player of the Year ... first team all-conference sophomore, junior and senior seasons ... 2012 Southwest Prairie Conference MVP ... set five Minooka high school career records ... set a new Minooka high school home run record with 12 her sophomore year ... named to Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times all-state honorable mention teams ... high school coaches were Mark Brown and Amy Saelens ... played for the New Lenox Lightning team for coach Jim Abbott ... named Scholar Athlete all four years ... Illinois State Scholar ... AP Scholar with honors ... two-year member of National Honor Society

Personal: Parents are John and Kay Novak ... has one brother, John

Head coach Yvette Healy on Novak: "We are thrilled to have Sarah Novak join the Badger softball family. Sarah is one of the premier athletes in the Chicagoland area. After playing for years in Jim Abbott's New Lenox Lightning Gold program, we know that Sarah will be sound fundamentally, prepared to walk in and make an immediate impact on the left side of the infield. We love her strength, leadership, athleticism and intelligence. She has great range and quickness in addition to exciting homerun power."
 

Why Wisconsin?

"Playing for the Badgers gave me the opportunity to compete at the highest level while receiving a top notch education! The coaching staff and all my teammates also help to create a fun family atmosphere"
 

Off the Field with Sara:
My favorite thing about Wisconsin softball: How everyone is constantly being goofy and joking around with each other -practices and games are always full of laughs!
Before each game I: Listen to music to get me pumped up
Non athletic talent: Making jewelry
Something I have to do before I turn 40: Own a horse!
Favorite quote: "A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself" - Josh Billings
Most memorable softball achievement: Hitting a grand slam and driving in 6 runs and hitting a game winning home run in a series win over Michigan
Best UW memory: Making the NCAA tournament and traveling to beautiful Oregon with my coaches and teammates!
If I were stranded on an island I would bring: My roommates (Taylor Berry and Sarah Fonk) because we're all pretty outdoorsy and would have some good survival skills!
Greatest fear: Worms or zombies
Song I would pick as the soundtrack to my life: Paranoid by Black Sabbath
TV sitcom family I would be a part of: The Simpsons
Favorite movie line or scene: "If you ain't first you're last" - Ricky Bobby (I can quote the entire movie!)
Favorite Book: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Favorite UW athlete: JJ Watt
Favorite athlete: Jonathan Toews
Best UW road trip: Anytime we pass through Chicago and stop at Portillo's!
Favorite team to play: Michigan

Season Highs (batting)
At Bats 4 (3x) MR at Michigan, May 4
Runs 2 vs. North Dakota, April 9
Hits 2 (3x) MR at Michigan, May 2
Doubles 1 at Michigan, May 2
Triples N/A
Home Runs 1 (4x) MR at Michigan, May 4
Runs Batted In 6 at Michigan, May 2
Walks 2 (2x) MR vs. Iowa, March 29
Strikeouts 2 (3x) MR vs. Nebraska, April 30
Stolen Bases 1 at Michigan, May 3
Hitting Streak 3, March 21-22
Season Highs (pitching)
Innings Pitched 1.0 at FIU, Feb. 15
Strikeouts 1 at FIU, Feb. 15
Walks 3 vs. Arizona State, March 8
Fewest Walks N/A
Hits N/A
Fewest Hits N/A
Home Runs N/A
Runs N/A
Fewest Runs N/A
Earned Runs N/A
Fewest Earned Runs N/A

* Fewest = mininum 4.0 IP

Statistics

Season Statistics

Season Statistics

No statistics available for this season.

Career Statistics

There are no statistics available for this player.

Historical Player Information

  • 21

    2014Freshman

    SS/P/UT
    5'11"
    21
  • 21

    2015Sophomore

    SS/P/UT
    5'11"
    21
  • 21

    2016Junior

    UT
    5'11"
    21
  • 21

    2017Senior

    UT
    5'11"
    21