Washington softball to open 2026 Big Ten Tournament vs. Minnesota

The Washington Huskies are ice-cold as their 2026 regular season comes to a close.

Coach Heather Tarr's team has lost eight of its last nine games in conference play, leading into the Big Ten Tournament, and 11 of its last 15 overall. However, in that stretch, the Huskies, who will head into the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the conference, pulled off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, whom they'll now get to see to open the conference tournament in College Park, Maryland.

During that three-game series in early April, the Huskies scored 21 runs over the three games. Over their seven-game losing streak that followed, they scored the same amount, so Washington's lineup should have a golden chance to get back on track to open the tournament.

One of the biggest spark plugs in the lineup throughout the year has been junior third baseman Giselle Alvarez, who leads the team with her .379 batting average, 66 hits, 53 runs batted in, and 123 total bases, while her 15 home runs, 36 runs scored, and 1.122 OPS are all second on the squad. Between Alvarez, Alexis DeBoer, and Jadyn Glab, the middle of Washington's order has been one of the best in the Big Ten all year, as the Huskies finished the year tied for No. 6 in the conference with 347 runs scored.

In the circle, Tarr will likely turn to sophomore Morgan Reimer, who has scuffled as of late but has still been among the conference's best pitchers. She finished the regular season with a 22-7 record, 2.86 ERA, and 1.34 WHIP across 159 1/3 innings with a .256 batting average against, 11 complete games, and 124 strikeouts.

The Huskies are searching for their first win in the Big Ten Tournament after being ousted by Indiana in their first game in 2025. Washington will take on Minnesota on the Big Ten Network at 8:00 a.m. PT on Wednesday, May 6.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies to take on Minnesota to start Big Ten Tournament