Coming off a dominating performance against Valparaiso earlier in the week, Wisconsin (1-7 Big Ten, 16-20 overall) will take the momentum and attempt to get some more conference victories in its series against Iowa (3-8, 12-30) this weekend.
The entire Wisconsin team was clicking in their wins against Valparaiso. Both the offense and pitching showed what they are capable of, even though they haven’t had much success this season. The offense for Wisconsin was the big takeaway as it scored over ten runs in both games, matching how many double digits scores it had registered before the series.
The offense of the Badgers will have the opportunity to take advantage of another struggling pitching staff against the Hawkeyes. The team does not have a pitcher with an ERA less than 5.00, and it has given up more than ten runs in three of their last four games. The one bright spot for Iowa’s pitching staff has been redshirt sophomore Shayla Starkenburg. She has 10 of the team's 12 wins and is the only pitcher on the staff with an ERA below 9.00. While she has struggled lately losing two of her last three outings, Starkenburg has had some strong wins this season, her best coming against No. 4 Michigan.
The pitching for the Badgers will also need to continue the dominance it showed earlier in the week. After allowing just two runs in each of their last two games Wisconsin’s pitching staff looked better than it has all season, especially junior Taylor-Paige Stewart who allowed only two hits and had eleven strikeouts in her last outing.
The offense for the Hawkeyes has struggled at times during the season as it is averaging only 4.16 runs per game, but it has had much better production as of late. Iowa’s offense has scored more than seven runs in their last four games. The best Hawkeye offensive performer, senior Megan Blank, has also been hot with a batting average of .454, five runs scored and eight RBI’s in the last series against Illinois.
While the Badgers have some momentum from their last two wins, this series against Iowa could be key in picking up real speed into the heart of the Big Ten season. The three game home series for the Badgers will kick off Friday at 5 p.m.
