Badgers Wrap Up Fall Season at Home Saturday
October 03, 2003 | Softball
Fall is the time of the year when college freshmen have the opportunity to get acclimated with their new surroundings. The same can be said for the freshman members of the Badger softball team. UW will wrap up its fall exhibition season Saturday when it hosts Winona State in a doubleheader beginning at noon at Goodman Diamond.
'The fall is a great opportunity to get our newcomers out on the field and see what they can do,' Wisconsin head coach Karen Gallagher said. 'I think our freshmen have done a great job. They're a real athletic group and are really competitive. They're coming in here and are getting down to business. They come out here and give 100 percent all the time.'
Wisconsin has posted a 3-1-1 record in the fall, including victories over UW-Parkside and UW-Green Bay last weekend. With 10 freshmen on the roster for the 2004 season, the Badgers have spent much of the fall working on fundamentals and trying players out at different positions. So far Gallagher has liked what she has seen from the group and feels it has great chemistry.
'I think it has gone very well,' Gallagher said. 'It seems like the past few weeks have flown by. I'm looking forward to this weekend to bring it all together.'
The Badgers will have huge shoes to fill inside the pitcher 's circle as the team must replace three-time All-Big Ten selection Andrea Kirchberg. However, Wisconsin has a talented trio individuals who are ready to step into the spotlight. Junior Katie Layne and sophomore Sara Gonzales return to the Badger lineup. Meanwhile, freshman Eden Brock has shown plenty of promise in the fall, including posting four strikeouts in three innings of work to pick up the save in the 5-1 win against UW-Green Bay. Gonzales tossed a four-hit, complete-game shutout against UW-Parkside.
'We've played very good defense and this spring that will be important,' Gallagher said. '(Kirchberg) was a great pitcher in her own rite, but we're going to have a different look this year. We 're going to have more finesse and pitchers who will rely on hitting their spots and having solid defense behind them. I think that will make us a better team, not having to rely on Andrea striking everyone out.
'I really like what Eden has brought to the team. We look forward to having her out on the mound this spring.'
Despite the losses of Kirchberg, Erin Barnharst and Mandy Liles ' who is now a volunteer assistant ' Wisconsin will return seven starters to its lineup for 2004. UW returns a number of talented players from a squad that was playing some of its best ball at the end of the 2003 season, as shown by its posting wins in five of its final seven games. Gallagher has also been happy to see the high level of competition as players battle it out for starting spots in the spring.
'I think if we can set a good foundation in the fall, we can do a lot of good things and surprise a lot of people,' Gallagher said. '
