66 // VARSITY February 27, 2014
INSIDE
SOFTBALL
Walk this way: Walk-ons
continue UW tradition
Tancill, Van Abel and Van Zeeland lead Badgers
BY CHRISTIAN BLATNER @BADGERSOFTBALL
O
ver the past few de-
cades, the Wisconsin
football team has prid-
ed itself on being one of the
premiere walk-on programs in
the country.
Young players who may
have been offered scholar-
ships from smaller Division I
schools or received no inter-
est at all after high school have
flocked to Madison where,
since 1990, Barry Alvarez,
then as head coach and now as
athletic director, has empha-
sized the importance of giving
these underdogs a chance to
take the field for the Badgers.
But the success of Wisconsin
walk-ons doesn't stop there.
Now in her fourth year at
the helm of the softball pro-
gram, Yvette Healy is begin-
ning to reap the benefits of the
advice she took from Alvarez when inter-
viewing for the job.
Two weekends ago playing in the Flor-
ida International Classic in Miami, Fla.,
walk-ons Megan Tancill, Maria Van Abel
and Ashley Van Zeeland combined to
tally 18 of the Badgers' 41 hits, posting
a .460 batting average and scoring seven
of the team's 19 runs.
"Coach Alvarez told me how impor-
tant it was to throw our arms around
the state of Wisconsin and create a solid
walk-on strategy," Healy explained. "And
thank goodness for that great advice."
The softball coaching staff has worked
hard to develop a great presence in the
state of Wisconsin.
The staff has been invited to speak
at high school all-star banquets, state
coaches clinics and high school athletic
directors events. It's held clinics on cam-
pus in Madison and across the state, try-
ing to help grow the game of softball in
Wisconsin and it's paid dividends for the
program.
"Our Midwest kids have shown a tre-
mendous amount of heart, passion, grit
and pride," Healy said. "Those kids take
a lot of pride representing the thousands
of girls playing softball in the state of
Wisconsin who dream of wearing the
'Motion W.'"
After a turnout of nearly 500 campers
at the softball program's winter clinics
in January, it's clear the sport's future is
bright in Wisconsin and for the Badger
softball family.
SCHEDULE (4-5)
COMING UP
Feb. 28 Texas A&M-CC 10 a.m.
Feb. 28 #12 Texas A&M 5:15 p.m.
Mar. 1 Texas A&M-CC 12:15 p.m.
Mar. 1 #12 Texas A&M 3 p.m.
Mar. 2 UConn 10 a.m.
