When the University of Wisconsin softball team takes the field for the opening round of the highly anticipated Big Ten Conference Tournament , it will be well represented by some of the state's best former high school standouts.

The impressive group of in-state home-grown talent currently occupies 11 spots on the 22-player roster, including three battle-tested juniors and eight freshmen.

The seventh-seeded Badgers, who finished 14-10 in the league standings and 30-18 overall, are scheduled to face No. 10-seeded Purdue, 11-13 in league and 34-19 overall, in a first-round game at the University of Maryland's College Park on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. (EST).

Eleven former in-state high school softball players are on the roster as the Wisconsin Badgers prepare for the first round of the Big Ten Conference Tournament.…