The University of Wisconsin softball team won 21 games last season and at the time, Melanie Cross was playing softball at Cienega High School in Vail, Arizona. Now the freshman catcher is a starter for Wisconsin and the Badgers have already surpassed their win total from last season.
At this point in the season, after the team’s sweep of in-state rival UW-Green Bay, Cross owns a .295 batting average, seven doubles, six home runs and 30 RBIs, while the Badgers made huge strides this season to reach a 26-19-1 record.
Being a freshman did not dissuade Cross from limiting herself in what she could achieve in her debut season.