By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on September 7, 2012 9:15 AM
|No TrackBacks
Join sophomore Marissa Mersch as she talks about her summer plan and how she improved her game in today's Badger Blog.
Having a summer plan
By Marissa Mersch
It was a great first year playing Badger softball. I finished my freshman year playing for one of the most prestigious universities in the country. After my freshmen year I knew that I had to work hard in the off season and get myself ready after coming off one of the team's best seasons in school history.
Everyone has an idea of what they hope their college career to be like, and for me, I knew I could do better after the results of my freshman year. Our team had such great team chemistry, although I knew that we could have done better after losing some close games against some of the best teams in the nation. We have one of the youngest teams in college softball and with hard work and commitment; we can be one of the elite forces to contend within Division I.
Throughout last season the coaching staff really began to emphasize putting in extra time if you wanted to build a legacy program. With that being said, I started off my summer motivated to be the best softball player I can be through conditioning and working on my skills. I trained with a personal trainer four days a week near my home. I knew that would get me in the best shape of my life. I was not disappointed, as he kicked my butt and pushed me to the maximum at each and every training session. Some days consisted of straight cardio circuits such as hill runs with weights, treadmill and bike workouts and long runs around the town. Other days we concentrated on building muscle mass as we pushed it to the limit with power cleans and squats. I also knew that I needed to work on my hitting and fielding, so I concentrated on working out with the best and went to a hitting instructor who teaches some of the top division I softball players.
Throughout the summer I played in games with players who were home for the summer and were also working on being the best they could be. My former travel coach Bill Conroy (Beverly Bandits) put together a team this summer made up of his former players who are playing at the D1 level. We played competitive games that tested all of our skills. I also worked out at an outfield camp with Coach Megan Ciolli who was a tremendous All-American outfielder at the University of Notre Dame. Coach Ciolli taught me everything ranging from diving to proper outfield throwing mechanics.
I am looking forward to my sophomore year and working with an amazing coaching staff and such a great group of young women. This summer I really began to understand why I fell in love with this game. It really hit me when I was working the little kids softball camp hosted at my high school. The little girls were so happy just to be there and run around the bases. That really began to bring back memories of good times I had and the life lessons I learned throughout the years. Having the opportunity to be a Badger, play at a Big Ten school and get an education at an outstanding university is what many dream of.
With this opportunity I have been given, I realize that you cannot take it for granted and with each day you can become better. You will only see results when you take time to improve on your weaknesses and continue to build on your strengths. The combination of hard working teammates with winning attitudes and great coaches is a recipe for great things to happen this upcoming Badger season.
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on September 4, 2012 9:03 AM
|No TrackBacks
Join head coach Yvette Healy and senior Meghan McIntosh as the write about the upcoming season in today's Badger Blog.
Welcome back to school Badger softball fans. We are so excited to see our team return to campus. School starts on Tuesday, Sept. 4, and move-in has officially begun. We're trying something new this season; we'll start the year off with a week of team meetings and chalk-talks focusing on mental toughness, leadership and competition. Each coach will make a few presentations to the team, and each class will put together presentations too.
Leadership will be a critical component this season. We finished 2012 on the bubble for making the NCAA tournament, ranked in the top 50, and recording the most wins in school history. We challenged our team to come back in the best shape of their lives to prepare for a run at Wisconsin's first Big Ten softball championship.
This week, a few of our Wisconsin softball student-athletes will share their journey this summer. It takes a tremendous amount of motivation and hard work for each athlete to meet and exceed her potential. We have some extraordinary young women in our program, and we're thrilled to have them share their inspirational stories from summer break. - Coach Healy
Summer 2012 By Meghan McIntosh
At a young age I dreamed of making it to the College World Series. When the Badgers were not selected to play in the post season last May, reality set in. I begin to think to myself about my senior season being right around the corner and the time I had to make my dream come true was diminishing.
I had one last summer to become the best athlete I could to help the 2013 Badger softball team make it to the post season. My coaches recommended a 140 mile running challenge over the summer in order for me to have the best endurance possible. I took up this challenge and am about 20 miles from completing it. Through this I gained physical and mental toughness in which I will carry on to the field. Along with this running challenge I also did the recommended lifting workouts to gain and maintain my strength. Being a pitcher, I put a prime focus on developing a stronger core.
A big motivation over the summer was to become the best at what I do. I spent multiple hours out in the bull pen perfecting my fastball, change up, screw ball and curve ball. While working on these pitches, I also worked extremely hard on adding a new pitch. In order to see my progress I was able to throw live to a local summer travel ball team. Not only did I spend time out on the mound I also practiced my fielding and hitting. I tried to improve on every aspect of my game so I can contribute to the Badgers' success this spring.
I took part in a 30-day challenge of trying to keep my heart rate down and not experience stress while taking part in something physically or mentally tough. Being a pitcher, I experience pressure every game. This helped me find ways not to become stressed and relax.
I also learned more than I could imagine by teaching girls how to pitch over the summer. Teaching the fundamentals of pitching to these young girls was beneficial to my own pitching as well. I began to focus on crucial fundamentals such as wrist snap every time I would warm up to throw. This summer I began to realize that I was once one of these young girls dreaming of becoming a part of a college softball team. I am grateful that I had an opportunity this summer to help enrich the softball community in my hometown.
This summer was my last summer to leave everything on the field, in the weight room and on the track. It marked the start of the last preparation for my last college softball season. It may be my last softball season but it will be the first time this Badger softball family will be selected into the NCAA tournament.
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on August 27, 2012 8:54 AM
|No TrackBacks
It is Hall of Fame week at the University of Wisconsin. Join UWBadgers.com as they look back at all of the deserving wrestlers in the UW Hall of Fame.
If you were to come up with a list of the greatest UW wrestlers of all-time, Lee Kemp's name would almost certainly be near, if not at, the top of the list.
Kemp, a member of the Hall of Fame's inaugural 1991 class, was a walking trophy case during his time at UW from 1975-78. Kemp was a three-time national champion at 158 lbs., winning the nation's top spot in 1976, 1977 and 1978, seasons in which Kemp went an astonishing 110-1-1. In those same years he was also a Big Ten champion and a Midlands Tournament champion.
Kemp sits atop the Badger wrestling record book in three categories: single-season falls (18), career falls (47), and career winning percentage (.957).
But Kemp's long list of accomplishments isn't limited to just his time on campus. No, the all-time US wrestling great moved on to leave his mark on the international stage as well.
After graduating Kemp went on after to become a seven-time National Freestyle Wrestling champion -- a USWF champion from 1979-1983 and an AAU champion in 1979 and 1982. He also was a three-time World Freestyle Wrestling gold medalist and a one-time bronze medalist. Kemp, at the age of 21, was the youngest American to win world championships, the first American to win three world championships and the first American to win four World Cup titles. He also was a gold medalist at the Pan American Games in both 1979 and 1984 .
With all of his career accomplishments, it is no surprised that Kemp was inducted to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1989.
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on August 22, 2012 2:59 PM
|No TrackBacks
Join head coach Yvette Healy and Badger players Michelle Mueller and Cassandra Darrah as they write about former UW catcher Boo Gillette in this week's Badger Blog.
Gillette was a member of the UW softball team from 2002-2005. A three-time All-Big Ten performer, Gillette was a member of the 2002 and 2005 squads that qualified for the NCAA tournament. Gillette played in 210 games for the Badgers, second-most all-time at UW, ranks second on the UW career record list with 299 at bats and is tied for third with 20 career home runs.
This week for the blog, Michelle Mueller and Cassandra Darrah - both current UW softball players - had the opportunity to speak with former Badger Boo Gillette, who grew up at the ballpark and learned her shapes and numbers from scouting. As a three-time All-Big Ten softball player, Boo played an important role on the best team in school history with key wins over Arizona, UCLA, Oklahoma and other top ranked teams.
Boo was known for having an enthusiastic spirit and more Badger pride than Bucky himself. We would find it interesting to see a competition between Bucky and Boo to find out who had the most spirit and pride. You would think Boo was a Wisconsin native with all of her Badger pride, but she hailed from Florida. So it was only fitting that we spoke to her now with school and softball rolling around the corner. - Coach Healy
Catching up with Boo Gillette
By Cassandra Darrah & Michelle Mueller
Boo obtained so much Badger pride by being an all or nothing type of person. Her goal while being a Badger player was to have the best four years of her life and to accomplish as much as she could with her team. For those of you that haven't been to Goodman Diamond, there is a small field beyond left field that was used for UW baseball. Being a catcher, Boo had a perfect view from home plate of the field and it helped her to realize that she was given the opportunity to play on an established field that players from the past never got the chance to experience. That contributed to her pride for UW because of the greater opportunity she was given with the newer facilities and how they were treated as student-athletes. The University of Wisconsin is one of the top college sports towns in the nation and Boo believed it was almost impossible to not have an overwhelming amount of pride for the school.
Along with Boo's feelings about Badger pride, she had great advice on how to be mentally tough. Her best advice was to be confident, not be afraid to fail, put yourself in pressure situations as much as possible, and be confident in yourself to be able to execute. She also believes that in order to be mentally tough you have to see yourself as the best and understand that with all the hard work you put in, you will be successful. She trusted in playing with confidence that the talent would follow through. Always being put in pressure situations in practice helped her develop more mental toughness. The softball atmosphere that Boo had while she was here was all about competition with each other and there were new challenges every day. Visualization was a key component to developing a tough mental attitude because she saw herself as the best hitter in pressure situations.
When speaking to Boo, it was clear she had always had a winning attitude and had the mentality that they would win. Growing up with four siblings, she was raised in a competitive atmosphere. Boo's biggest advice was to remember to have fun even if you are struggling and you need to go back to why you started playing in the first place.
Obtaining a winning attitude during her softball career was not hard because 9/11 happened her freshman year and that brought everything into perspective and brought the team closer together. All of a sudden your batting average didn't have much meaning and helped them remember to cherish the time they have.
"If you have the courage to dream something you'll have the courage to go after it. It's not just a Wisconsin jersey; you're playing for everyone before you and after you. It is so much more than the team it's about the program as a whole. Whatever you do now is a stepping stone for the future. Make an identity for your team so you can look back and say we did this." -Boo Gillette
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on July 4, 2012 10:54 AM
|No TrackBacks
Over the course of two weeks, UW Athletics will look back on the Badgers' biggest accomplishments during the 2011-12 season.
Timely hitting, including a home run by Karla Powell, led the Wisconsin softball team to its first-ever win over Nebraska on May 11. The win snapped the Huskers' 16-game home win streak and earned the Badgers their 34th victory of the season, tying the UW school record set in 2000.
Wisconsin's 19 losses in 2012 were the fewest in school history and its .641 winning percentage was a program best.
The Badgers also set a new mark in the record books with their 12th Big Ten win of the season against Purdue on April 28, earning the most league wins in program history. Win No. 13 came against Nebraska, as the Badgers finished the year with a 13-10 record in league play.
The Badgers' success earned them a school-record-tying four student-athletes on All-Big Ten teams, including a pair of first team selections. Second baseman Whitney Massey earned a place on the NFCA All-Great Lake Region first team after finishing the season with a school record 22 doubles and a team-best .358 batting average.
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on June 22, 2012 11:11 AM
|No TrackBacks
In today's blog, head coach Yvette Healy shares her speech from the Goodman Softball Training Center ground breaking on June 21, 2012.
They say true happiness in life comes from being a part of something bigger than yourself, from dedicating yourself to a greater cause and building a legacy that will extend beyond your years. Thank you to everyone in the Wisconsin softball family gathered here today to build not only a new indoor softball facility, but ultimately to build the Badger softball program into a national powerhouse.
What an honor it is to be here today with Randy Schneider and Tracie Adix of our coaching staff, and so many of our Wisconsin student-athletes to celebrate this groundbreaking
We want to extend a special thank you to EG Schramka and the Goodman Foundation for their lead gift and ongoing support of the Goodman softball complex and the new Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Softball Training Center. And to all of the softball alumni, family and friends who have donated their time and money to make this dream project possible.
Thank you to coach Alvarez, Terry Gawlik, Marija Pientka and all the senior staff in the UW Athletics department for their outstanding commitment to women's athletics.
People say it takes a village to raise child, or build a championship program, and after coaching the Badger softball team for the past two years, we know that's true. We are committed to growing Wisconsin softball into a nationally-ranked, NCAA tournament team that competes for a Big Ten championship each year, and a big part of that journey starts today.
We are extremely proud of the strides we've made as a program over the past two years, posting back-to-back 30 win seasons, tying a record for the most wins in school history and earning the most Big Ten wins in a season this year. Yet, we still have a lot of work to do. We know to take this program to the next level, it will take year-round commitment from our student-athletes, state of the art facilities and blue chip recruiting. The addition of the Goodman Softball Training Center will give us a new competitive advantage on all of these fronts.
I've always thought Goodman stadium had one of the most beautiful locations in the country. When you can combine a world-renowned academic degree with nationally ranked athletics, you have something special. The scenery of this beautiful lakefront view coupled with this new state of the state of the art indoor space will now make the of the Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Softball Training Center one of the premiere softball stadiums in the Big Ten and the country.
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on May 9, 2012 6:01 PM
|No TrackBacks
In this week's blog, head coach Yvette Healy talks about the final week of the regular season and what the biggest question is for the Badgers this week.
It's exciting to enter into the final weekend of regular season play for the Wisconsin softball team. We hit the road for Nebraska on Thursday. We're currently 33-17, with a 12-8 Big Ten record, which ties us for 4th place with Nebraska. This is a huge weekend for the Badger softball program. We're a top-50 program right now, on the bubble for making our first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005.
Nebraska has always been a great softball program. The Cornhuskers have made 21 NCAA tournament appearances and seven trips to the Women's College World series. With their 13-0 record at home, we know we'll have our work cut out for us on this trip. The exciting thing is, it's May and we still have a shot at the post-season. Being a life-long Chicago Cubs fan, there haven't been many October's when we're still cheering for the Cubs. It's fun to have so much to play for during our last regular season weekend.
What a great season we've had in 2012. We've broken a lot of offensive records, and put together a few record-breaking win streaks at home and throughout the season. Our challenge is to take the program to the next level, and create a national presence. The biggest question for the Badgers softball team is when. When do we turn that corner? When do we start putting up big wins over legacy programs? When can we get the big wins, against the best teams, when it counts the most?
Everything is coming right down to the wire, with two games Friday night and our last regular season game on Saturday. How we do this weekend will have a big impact, as we wait for the NCAA tournament selection show Sunday night at 9 p.m.
What a great opportunity for this young team to experience in May!
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on April 30, 2012 1:13 PM
|No TrackBacks
In this week's blog, head coach Yvette Healy writes about how there are no shortcuts when building a championship program.
It's great to be back in Madison after a long weekend in West Lafayette, Ind. We traveled to Purdue and split on Saturday before dropping a heartbreaker yesterday. It was only the second Big Ten series we've lost all year.
It's amazing how much it hurts to lose games and drop series. There's a lot of emotional investment in the Badger softball program right now. Our biggest challenge is how we respond to these setbacks. Sports are amazing. They'll rip your heart out sometimes.
I think the losses along the way are just as important as the wins. We love to see what each kid does when she struggles. Does she try to go it alone? Does she back down and get quiet, getting inside her own head? Does she get sad when things don't go her way? Or, does she trust her training, work even harder, and battle back? We challenge our kids everyday not to be selfish. We challenge them to focus on the team, finding a way to contribute even when things are bad. It's such a life lesson, focusing out-word and upward when things are at their worst. Successful people reach out to their teammates and coaches, and find a way to overcome the tough times. They keep things in perspective, and work to overcome their obstacles.
It really has been such a great year so far. We're 30-15 right now, and the Big Ten race is wide open. Wisconsin is 12-6 in conference play, tied for fourth, but just one game out of first with Michigan sitting at 13-5.
Of course we hate that we lost, but we were so pleased with how we hit the ball at Purdue. We scored 14 runs in three games, with 28 hits; they scored 14 runs on 21 hits. It really came down to defense. They pressured us into seven errors this weekend, and had a few key hits when it counted. That's what good teams do though, they pressure and they force you to work very hard for every out. Despite a lot of fight and several great rally innings, we couldn't overcome some of the early and costly mistakes we made in the games we lost.
Here's the exciting part. We have the second best batting average and slugging percentage in conference play, hitting .323, with a .459 slugging percentage. Michigan leads both of those categories. They've also won the conference title the last three years. What an exciting time to face them at home this weekend.
It's funny when you look at the new Big Ten schedule. A lot of fans and teams are complaining about fairness, since each team won't face three other conference foes each season. We've never gotten caught up in that argument. We'll face the No. 1 and No. 2 teams these last two weekends, with six games left against Michigan and Nebraska.
I couldn't think of a better way to finish the season. If you really are a true competitor, you want the tougher road. You want to face the best teams, in the toughest situations, when it matters most.
The path of least resistance sounds appealing, but it's never gotten anyone far. When building a championship program, there are no shortcuts and there's no easy way out. You have to earn every ounce of respect you get, and you'll have to fight for every win and each accolade you collect along the way. Our staff knows that we're the underdogs entering these last few weekends, and that's right where we want to be. We have a scrappy group of hard-working, tenacious young ladies that have something left to prove. Sure the task at hand is big, and truly challenging, but isn't that why we all play and coach this game?
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on April 23, 2012 5:07 PM
|No TrackBacks
In this week's blog, head coach Yvette Healy writes about the journey towards being a champion.
Success, like happiness, is not a destination. It's a journey, a path you choose, a way of life. I am so proud of our Badger softball family. We are on the path of improvement right now, and enjoying the journey as we work to build a championship program.
After being at Wisconsin for one and a half years, a lot of people ask what's so special about Madison and what makes the Badger athletic department great. It truly is a family atmosphere and a winning culture. For our Badger softball team, culture has been the number one thing that we've been working to build, nurture and sustain.
For our staff, creating a championship culture is about empowerment. When teams and student-athletes struggle on the field, in the classroom and in their lives, there's an overwhelming feeling that life, circumstances and situations are out of our control. Somehow things aren't fair, and they'll never change. This negativity breeds negativity, ultimately demotivating, and creating a culture of apathy. No one works hard, there are lots of excuses, and the cycle of failure propels itself.
Our softball team is 11-4 in conference right now, in second place behind Michigan. That ties us for the most Big Ten wins in the history of the program, with three tough weekends left to play. Our 27-13 record makes us a top 50 team, out of nearly 300 D1 softball programs in the country. With six athletes hitting over .300, there's a lot to be excited about. Yet what we're most proud of with this group is the culture of pride and accountability they're working to create.
One of the most gratifying things that any of us can do in a lifetime is to create something new and special. Many people have played in successful programs, and lived prosperous lives with great relationships. Yet what's truly special, is when a group of young women come together to change history. It takes an incredible amount of work, passion, resilience, and belief to create something that hasn't always been there. When student-athletes can overcome obstacles and adversity to succeed, and become the athletes and people they always dreamed of, that is life-changing. True empowerment for our young women is experiencing the invaluable life-lesson that anything is possible. If your situation is bad; in sports, in school, or in life, you have the ability to work to create a new reality. They can change their attitudes, approach, and work-ethic to build a better life.
What makes this journey even more special is the caliber of people, and quality of character in our program. After sweeping Penn State yesterday in front of a record crowd of 1,000 fans, our softball staff and student-athletes volunteered their time to coach and mentor 70 young softball players in a Kids Clinic at our stadium. That type of service leadership in the community is heart-warming. Even after the clinic ended, our athletes stayed to sign autographs and eat pizza with the young softball players and their families.
We have a lot of season left as we enter the home stretch of 2012. Six of our nine remaining Big Ten games are on the road, and we'll play the top three teams these last three weekends as we travel to Purdue and Nebraska, and host nationally-ranked Michigan. We also have five huge non-conference games at home during the next few weeks. It's fun to be on the path and in the hunt. We have a lot of work to do as a team, to become a championship program. Yet, right now, our staff has a tremendous amount of pride as we look at how hard this group is working together to improve every day
By Anna Poulter-Hendrickson on April 19, 2012 4:20 PM
|No TrackBacks
In today's blog, Wisconsin head coach Yvette Healy writes about the Badgers' big weekend at Illinois and the importance of beating Penn State this weekend.
What a great weekend for the Badger softball family! We went down to Illinois and won the series, beating the Illini, 8-0, on Saturday night, on the Big Ten Network. That was our 9th win in a row, which set the new Wisconsin softball record for most wins in a row. Our win on Sunday raised our record to 24-13, helping us climb into a tie for third in the Big Ten, and ranking us 53rd in the RPI, out of nearly 300 D1 teams!
Sunday's games were crazy, as we battled 20 mph winds all day. Sophomore Mary Massei brought everyone to their feet as she belted an amazing three home runs in the same game! Our team had a total of six home runs in that game with sophomore Stephanie Peace, junior Shannel Blackshear and sophomore Michelle Mueller all going yard.
We have a huge home weekend ahead as we prepare for three games against Penn State. The Nittany Lions made the NCAA tournament last year, and have big ranked wins over No. 19 Auburn and No. 22 LSU earlier this year. Their catcher, Kasie Hatfield, was just named Big Ten Player of the Week helping Penn State to win five of its last six conference games. In our all-time records, PSU has won 25-of-32 games against the Badgers, including a two-game sweep last season. Our team is hungry to prove how far we've come as a program, and how much we've improved.
Our staff is really enjoying the passion and pride our team is bringing to the field each day. It's fun to see our athletes work hard, grow, improve, and achieve small goals throughout the season. This weekend will be a huge test for our young squad to see just how close we are to becoming an NCAA tournament team. We're excited to see who steps up and takes charge as we play in front of our friends and families this weekend in Madison!
