UW's Dynamic Duo Winding Down Their Careers
May 20, 2005 | Softball
To say that Wisconsin Softball seniors Kris Zacher and Boo Gillette have combined to become one of the top duos in program history would be an understatement.
As the pair lead the Badgers into an NCAA Regional at Goodman Diamond this weekend, they'll have numerous accomplishments to look back on in their storied careers. Together they have rewritten the UW recordbooks and launched an assault on opposing pitchers.
Zacher, a shortstop from Milwaukee, started every game UW played during each of her first three seasons. After hitting .253 as a freshman and .228 as a sophomore, Zacher took her offensive game to a whole new level as a junior.
She raised her season average to .350 while nearly doubling her previous career output in a number of categories, collecting 10 doubles, three triples, four homers, 13 stolen bases, 31 RBI and setting UW single-season records with 63 hits and 91 total bases. The output helped her earn second-team all-region honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The offensive production hasn't stopped in her senior season. Her current .404 batting average and .669 slugging percentage would each rank as the top single-season marks in school history if the season ended today. She is already Wisconsin's career leader in triples, stolen bases, runs and at-bats and is tied with Gillette for the home run lead. Zacher enters play Friday with 199 career hits, just four shy of Julie Borchard's school record of 203.
Meanwhile, Gillette has been steady as a rock behind the plate for the Badgers over her four seasons of play. A Southwest Ranches, Fla., native, she has started all 208 games UW has played the past four years.
Like Zacher, Gillette saw her offensive production explode in her junior year. A year ago, she hit .327 with school single-season records of 14 doubles and 34 RBI. A three-time team captain, she gunned down 12 of the last 13 baserunners attempting to steal in 2004.
The consistency has continued in 2005 as Gillette has bested Zacher's record for total bases with 104 while hitting .351 with 10 doubles and 10 home runs on her way to earning her third consecutive third-team All-Big Ten honor.
In addition to being tied with Zacher for the all-time home run lead, she ranks second in at-bats and fielding percentage and third in RBI, hits and doubles.
Gillette has also made an impact on UW Athletics off the field of play, serving as the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee each of the past two years. In the role she has helped spearhead a number of community service efforts in and around Madison that include food and clothing drives for the less fortunate.
For both players, their careers have come full circle. Wisconsin earned its second NCAA tournament appearance in 2002, the freshman season for Zacher and Gillette. This weekend, the duo leads the Badgers back to the tourney for the first time in three years. Their performances each of the past two seasons have paralleled each other so much that they've shared co-team MVP honors in consecutive years.
Whenever their UW careers do finally come to an end, the pair will have plenty of accomplishments to look back upon.
To view a complete list of where Zacher and Gillette stand on a number of career and single-season lists, click on the PDF link below.
