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Wisconsin Softball trying to stay hot at Hoosier Classic

Wisconsin Softball looks to bring its momentum from the Joan Joyce Classic to the Hoosier Classic.

The Wisconsin Badgers are coming off a 4-0 weekend in Florida at the Joan Joyce Classic, and are looking to keep the streak going at the Hoosier Classic in Indiana.

To start the weekend, the Badgers will face off against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons.

A name to watch? Freshman sensation Paytn Monticelli to continue her dominant pitching.

Monticelli was a 2022 PGF All-American for the Beverly Bandits prior to attending Wisconsin. Thus far, Monticelli is living up to the Top-100 prospect status she earned in the 2022 Extra Elite 100 ranking system.

Monticelli set a career-high in strikeouts last week against the North Carolina Tar Heels when she struck out 13 batters during a complete game. During the weekend, she recorded two wins improving to 3-0 on the season with an impressive 1.97 ERA.

Monticelli does the pitching, but Kayla Konwent leads the way with her powerful bat to complement the stellar pitching from Monticelli.

Konwent went 7-12 (.583) with two home runs, and 5 runs batted in the four games.

The offense scored a total of 18 runs in 4 games.

Now, the Badgers will be facing Purdue Fort Wayne in a doubleheader, with the Mastodons beginning with a 4-12 record on the season and on a 4-game losing streak.

The Mastodons are a team that is desperate for a win. However, Wisconsin is a much better team. I believe the Badgers will pick up two wins against the Mastodons.

With the two wins I predict that should come against Purdue Fort Wayne, Wisconsin head coach Yvette Healy would pick up her 500th career win Saturday.

Sunday, the Badgers will have another doubleheader due to the rain that delayed games on Friday.

The Wisconsin Badgers will play the Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis Jaguars. The Jaguars are 2-10 on the season, hence why Wisconsin should have the advantage in this game as well. If Wisconsin plays as they have been, they'll make this game a win.

The toughest game of the weekend happens to be the Badgers’ last game of the weekend.

Sunday afternoon, on the Big Ten Network, the Wisconsin Badgers will face off against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Conference play in the preseason tournament!

The Hoosiers are a much better team than the other teams the Badgers will face, and are much more battle-tested than the Badgers.

The Hoosiers are 6-8 on the season, with five of their eight losses coming against teams ranked in the Top 25. On the other hand, the Badgers have a 6-6 record, with 2 of their 6 losses coming against teams in the Top 25.

Now, this doesn't mean Indiana is the better team. It just means they have played a tougher schedule to date.

The Badgers can make it another 4-0 weekend, but they must capitalize on their first three opponents and keep the Hoosiers from stealing bases, as they lead the Big Ten with 31 stolen bases.

Should be a great weekend for Badgers Softball!