For Badger outfielder Katie Hnatyk, it has gotten hard to swing a bat without hitting a home run.
With the hot-hitting Hnatyk, who went 11-14 with four homers and 13 RBI at last weekend's UTEP Invitational in El Paso, Texas, Wisconsin will play Friday yet another warm weather tournament.
This time around, the 6-4 Badgers travel to Atlanta for Georgia Tech's Buzz Classic, a three-day, 25-team extravaganza of drop-balls and risers. Iowa and Purdue will also represent the Big Ten in what will be an early test of Wisconsin's abilities.
UW's first game is scheduled for 12 p.m. Friday, with 5-4 Morehead State on deck. The Eagles will take the field with a four-game winning streak on the line, having won the Middle Tennessee Strikeout Breast Cancer Classic last weekend.
Morehead State will rely heavily on freshman pitcher Alex Gjerve, who has won three games in a row including the Breast Cancer Classic championship game. Sophomore Bri Jones will also look to provide some punch in the Eagles' batting order.
After Morehead State, the Badgers will go on to face Florida A&M, East Tennessee State and Georgia State over a two-day span. Although Wisconsin should have little trouble with 1-12 FAMU, its two games Saturday could prove more difficult.
East Tennessee State senior Stephanie Gaynord batted .313 in 2006, belting 11 home runs en route to a .593 slugging percentage—both school records. Still, the 3-7 Buccaneers have lost seven of their last eight games and, with eight freshmen on the roster, remain inexperienced.
Capping round robin play for the Badgers will be a showdown against 9-4 Georgia State. Freshmen Danielle Roddy and Nikki Bradford are leading the Panthers so far this year, with Roddy coming off a .786 week at the plate. The top three teams in each five-team pool will move on to tournament play, meaning the Badgers will have to win two games to advance.
A best-case scenario for Wisconsin would be a place in the tournament's Gold bracket single-elimination round, where they could run into a national power such as Georgia Tech. In order for that to happen, however, players such as Hnatyk and freshman pitcher Letty Olivarez will have to bring their A-games.
Olivarez shut out UTEP last weekend to pick up her first career win, shutting down an offense that had been averaging over nine runs per game. On the other end, senior hurler Eden Brock will be looking for career win number 53 in Atlanta and sole position in second place on the school's all-time wins list. Sophomore pitcher Leah Vanevenhoven has been quite effective in relief, posting a 3-0 record with a 3.32 ERA.
In addition, sophomore second baseman Ricci Robben will join Hnatyk on the offensive end, looking to stay on the tear she began in El Paso. She hit .538 with two home runs and six RBI last weekend and currently ranks ninth in the Big Ten with a .393 batting average.
Also swinging the bat well is senior center fielder Samantha Polito. Her .303 batting average is third on the team while she is tied for the team lead with eight runs and three stolen bases. The leadoff hitter will be key to the success of Wisconsin this weekend.
