The Badgers have a three-game series with the Nittany Lions this weekend.
With the end of the regular season drawing nearer, the Wisconsin Badgers women’s softball team will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in a three-game series this weekend. Wisconsin is currently sitting at 16-24 with 11 games left on their schedule.
The Badgers are coming off a double-header against Minnesota this past Wednesday where they split two games 1-1. Wisconsin pitcher Tessa Magnanimo led the team to the win in their first game with a no-hitter bringing her record to 9-11 on the season. The team then went on to record a loss 3-7 in the second game of the series.
The Badgers have a chance to make a late-season run in the Big Ten and move up in the standings with nine conference games remaining on the schedule. Wisconsin currently sits in tenth place tied with Ohio State with a 5-9 record and well within reach of the third through eighth-place teams.
Opponent Preview
At fourth in the conference Penn State (30-11 overall, 9-5 Big Ten) also has nine Big Ten games remaining on their schedule. The Nittany Lions’ pitching and hitting statistics are both close to the middle of the conference with a .294 batting average and a 3.17 ERA. Both of these numbers are superior to Wisconsin who have a batting average of .275 and an ERA of 4.35.
Well, the numbers say that Penn State is a better team than the Badgers, The Nittany Lions have hit a three-game losing streak that included a sweep in a two-game series against Ohio State who currently hold the same conference record as Wisconsin.
With a tight conference race, this series holds weight for both teams as the Badgers attempt to climb the Big Ten standings and Penn State tries to maintain their place near the top.
Key Players
Penn State: Maddie Gordon
Penn State’s junior Maddie Gordon has provided a significant offensive spark with a 10-game hitting streak over the course of April. The streak has included five multi-hit performances as Gordon has caught fire this month.
With nine RBI and three home runs during her red-hot April hitting streak she has played a crucial role at the plate for the Nittany Lions. The biggest challenge for the Badgers will be to keep Gordon off of the base paths and keep the bases empty to keep her from raking in her teammates.
Wisconsin: Gabi Salo and Tessa Magnanimo
In a big series, the Badgers will need some strong performances on the mound from their two best pitchers. Senior Gabi Salo has the tenth-best ERA in the conference with 2.77 and Graduate Student Tessa Magnanimo is seventeenth with 3.35 and will be coming off of her no-hitter appearance against Minnesota on Wednesday.
While Penn State is not the most outstanding hitting team in the conference they are still batting a .294 average and have been consistent throughout the season.
For a Badgers team who rank eleventh in ERA, it will be very important for their two best pitchers to keep Penn State off the scoreboard for a chance at a couple of wins this weekend.