I was at Southern Illinois yesterday for two games of the Saluki Invitational and got to watch Molly Jacobson start for Wisconsin against the hosts in their second game of the day. Molly looked ok -- 2 innings, 1 run, 3 hits, 1 walk -- it was a pretty quick hook even though she labored in the second inning, and the other Badger pitchers behind her certainly did not impress in an eventual 7-3 loss with 5 errors committed. Southern Illinois is a very strong mid-major squad, winning the Missouri Valley Conference 3 of the last 4 years and picked to win it again this season. Molly's had more opportunities this year, starting 7 games and pitching in 15. She's 4-1 with 2 saves and a 2.77 ERA in 48 IP, giving up 49 hits and walking 14 while only striking out 24. She's Wisconsin's #2 behind a clear #1 in Gabi Salo. Her stuff appeared to be about the same -- not overpowering and pitching to contact, etc. -- but she has an excellent pitching coach in Mike Roberts, who Hokies fans may remember most recently from being the pitching coach at UVA and working with Eden Bigham. Wisconsin is currently 16-8, though I don't believe they're expected to be near the top of the Big Ten this year. Wishing Molly the best of luck for the remainder of her last season! ** Edited by hokiehigh2000 at 3/10/2025, 5:01:54 PM