The season is winding down for the Wisconsin softball team (26-23 overall, 5-9 Big Ten) as it heads on the road to face regional foe Loyola (19-26, 8-7 Horizon League) tonight.
The Badgers are coming off two disappointing losses to No. 8 Michigan last weekend and hope to regain their winning ways against a Loyola team that they defeated 8-0 and 2-1 in a doubleheader April 7 in Madison. Despite their previous success against the Ramblers, Head Coach Karen Gallagher knows this game cannot be taken lightly.
\They are a scrappy, competitive team that knows how to play the game,"" Gallagher said.
Junior shortstop Kris Zacher is a bit more confident.
""We should dominate right away as long as we just get the job done,"" Zacher said.
Zacher and junior catcher Boo Gillette have been two of the more consistent Badgers this season and have quietly put together fantastic seasons.??With a batting average of .348, four home runs, 30 runs batted in, and 10 stolen bases, Zacher is threatening to break one or more of Wisconsin's all-time records. Gillette is right behind with a .342 average and has broken the single-season record for doubles in a season with 14. She has also tied the single-season record for RBIs in a season with 32.
With matchups against Illinois and Iowa at home this weekend, tonight's game provides a chance to get the team prepared for more Big Ten action.
""Everybody is so tough in the Big Ten,"" Gallagher said. ""These games just take a little bit of pressure off of the players. We can just play and not feel so stressed.""
""There is just less stress, and they also serve as a place for people to work on things that they are struggling on,"" Zacher said.
While the game has no implications on the Big Ten standings, it does serve as a chance to improve the team's overall record in its attempt to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year.
With only seven games remaining in the season, Wisconsin is in position to make a run at entering the Big Ten Tournament, along with finishing the year on a successful note.
""We don't want the season to end,"" Gallagher said.??""We want to get to the Big Ten Tournament because we know that anything can happen there.""
With the Big Ten Tournament as the hopeful destination after the season, Gallagher stressed that taking one game at a time will be the team's most important objective.
""We need to focus on the moment, do well and just take one game at a time,"" said Gallagher.
