Northwestern 2019Softball
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NORTHWESTERN 2019SOFTBALL NUSports.com | @NUSBCats | @NU_Sports | #B1GCats 2019 schedule NORTHWESTERN CHICAGO’S BIG TEN TEAM Overall: 17-6 Home: 0-0 Big Ten: 0-0 Away: 1-4 THIS WEEK: MARCH 16 Streak: L1 Neutral: 16-2 February Titan Classic – Fullerton, Calif. Fri. 8 Utah State W, 12-0 (5) Fri. 8 Pacific W, 7-0 Sat. 9 Louisville W, 1-0 Sat. 9 Loyola Marymount L, 2-3 Sun. 10 Idaho State W, 7-4 B1G/ACC Challenge – Chapel Hill, N.C. Fri. 15 Louisville W, 9-8 (9) Fri. 15 at North Carolina W, 9-3 MARCH 16, 9 A.M. MARCH 16, 2 P.M. Sat. 16 at North Carolina L, 0-5 Sun. 17 Louisville W, 4-2 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic – Cathedral City, Calif. LEADING OFF Fri. 22 BYU W, 1-0 Fri. 22 Duke W, 6-5 (8) After a 3-2 showing last weekend in Oklahoma, Northwestern has its sights set on Sat. 23 Utah W, 10-0 (5) Sat. 23 Long Beach State W, 2-1 Bloomington, Indiana for a doubleheader on Saturday at the Hoosier Classic. Sun. 24 #5 Washington L, 1-3 Now 17-6 on the year, Northwestern is off to its best start to a season since 2014. March Saturday’s doubleheader marks the last weekend of non-conference games for the ‘Cats Stanford Invitational – Palo Alto, Calif. Fri. 1 Cal Poly W, 6-2 before opening Big Ten play. They begin conference play next week, March 22-24, for a Fri. 1 at Stanford L, 0-1 home series against Rutgers at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. Sat. 2 Cal Poly Canceled (Rain) Sat. 2 North Dakota State W, 7-0 The Wildcats are one of seven teams in the Big Ten either to be ranked or receiving votes Sun. 3 Montana W, 4-0 Oklahoma Tournament – Norman, Okla. in the USA Today/NFCA poll. Fri. 8 Drake W, 2-1 (8) Fri. 8 at #3 Oklahoma L, 0-7 Fans looking to follow along can get live tweets at @NUSBCats on Twitter. Live stats will be Sat. 9 Tulsa W, 9-1 (5) available through Indiana’s website, while the Wildcats’ game against the Hoosiers will be Sat. 9 Grand Canyon W, 7-2 Sun. 10 at #3 Oklahoma L, 0-8 (5) broadcasted on BTN Plus. Hoosier Classic – Bloomington, Ind. Sat. 16 Toledo 9 a.m. Sat. 16 at #19 Indiana 2 p.m. SCOUTING REPORT FRI. 22 RUTGERS* 4 p.m. SAT. 23 RUTGERS* 1 p.m. TOLEDO ROCKETS SUN. 24 RUTGERS* Noon 2019 Record: 7-12 WED. 27 DePAUL 4 p.m. Fri. 29 at Iowa* 5:30 p.m. Series History vs. NU: Toledo leads; 3-2 Sat. 30 at Iowa* 1 p.m. Last Meeting vs. NU:April 3, 1993: (1-0, NU Win) Sun. 31 at Iowa* Noon Team BA: .236 (112-for-474) | Team ERA: 5.88 (81 ER/124.0 IP) April Recent Games WED. 3 LOYOLA (CHICAGO) 4 p.m. • March 10 – L vs. Penn State (2-8) Fri. 5 at Nebraska* 5:30 p.m. • March 9 – L vs. Saint Joseph’s (5-8, F8) Sat. 6 at Nebraska* 1 p.m. Sun. 7 at Nebraska* Noon • March 9 – L vs. Colgate (0-1) TUE. 9 NOTRE DAME 4 p.m. • March 8 – W vs. St. John’s (9-8) Wed. 10 UIC 6 p.m. FRI. 12 WISCONSIN* 4 p.m. SAT. 13 WISCONSIN* 1 p.m. SUN. 14 WISCONSIN* Noon #19 INDIANA HOOSIERS FRI. 19 PURDUE* 4 p.m. 2019 Record: 22-4 SAT. 20 PURDUE* 1 p.m. SUN. 21 PURDUE* 4 p.m. Series History vs. NU: NU leads; 66-38 TUES. 23 ILLINOIS (DH)* 2 p.m./4:30 p.m. Last Meeting vs. NU:March 17, 2018: (9-2, NU Win) Fri. 26 at Michigan State * 5 p.m. Team BA: .264 (169-for-641) | Team ERA: 1.36 (35 ER/180.0 IP) Sat. 27 at Michigan State * Noon Sun. 28 at Michigan State * Noon Recent Games • March 12 – W at Florida Gulf Coast (2-0) May • March 12 – L at Florida Gulf Coast (1-3) Fri. 3 Minnesota*  6 p.m. • March 10 – L vs. Furman (1-5) Sat. 4 Minnesota *  3 p.m. Sun. 5 Minnesota*  3 p.m. • March 9 – W at South Florida (3-2) * Big Ten Game ALL HOME GAMES IN BOLD (SHARON J. DRYSDALE FIELD) 2019 NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL GAME NOTES #B1GTime: With a 1.83 ERA (40 ER/152.2 IP), Northwestern is one PHENOMENAL PITCHING: Northwestern pitchers have hurled 171 of three Big Ten teams to rank among the top 25 in the nation in ERA strikeouts, good for second in the Big Ten. (also Wisconsin and Indiana). • Entering this weekend, Northwestern is one of just two schools in the conference to have two pitchers with over 50 strikeouts ... IF YOU’RE NOT FIRST, YOU’RE LAST: Northwestern has outscored its Danielle Williams is second in the conference with 103 strikeouts opponents 32-9 in the first inning this season, having scored in the while Kenna Wilkey ranks ninth with 52 ... NU is one of just two opening frame in 11 of their 23 games thus far. The Wildcats are 11-0 schools to have two pitchers rank in the top 10 in the conference in games in which they score in the first inning and 12-1 in games in overall strikeouts (also Michigan). when they score first. • The Wildcat pitching staff ranks second in the Big Ten and eighth in the nation with a 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. YOUNG AND RESTLESS: Danielle Williams’ 12 wins rank second in the Big Ten, tied for fifth in the nation and are tied for the most wins BREAKING THROUGH: Northwestern had four-first year student among all first-years in the country. Her 103 strikeouts are tied for athletes in its opening day lineup this season: Skyler Shellmyer (CF), third-most in the Big Ten and for fourth-most among all first-year Nikki Cuchran (DH), Maeve Nelson (SS) and Jordyn Rudd (C). pitchers in the country. Her 8.58 strikeout-to-walk ratio also leads the • Last season, the ‘Cats had three first-year starters since Day One: conference. Mac Dunlap (3B), Rachel Lewis (2B) and Kenna Wilkey (P/DP). • Williams is one of seven qualifying pitchers in the Big Ten to rank in the top 50 in the nation in ERA ... her 1.34 ERA (16 ER/83.1 IP) ALL-BIG TEN: Four Wildcats from this year’s squad earned All-Big Ten ranks second among all qualified first-years in the conference. distinctions in 2018. Rachel Lewis was a unanimous First-Team and • Her four shutouts are the most among all first-years in the nation All-Freshman Team selection, Morgan Nelson was also selected to the and are tied for the most in the Big Ten. First-Team. Kenna Wilkey was an All-Freshman Team selection, while Lily Novak was selected to the conference’s All-Defensive Team for her WALK IT OUT: NU batters have drawn 93 walks so far this season, the work at first base. most in the Big Ten. • With Lewis and Nelson both returning, Northwestern is one of • Morgan Nelson’s 16 walks are tied for third in the conference. just five schools in the Big Ten to be returning multiple first-team All-Big Ten players from 2018. YOUNG AND RESTLESS (part II): Jordyn Rudd’s 25 RBI are the fifth most in the Big Ten, along with the most by a first-year in the CARDIAC CATS: NU won five games last year in which it entered conference. She also ranks third in the Big Ten with eight doubles the seventh inning trailing by two-or-more runs, and went 5-1 in already on the season. extra-inning contests. Overall, the Wildcats trailed at some point • In her first collegiate at-bat against Utah State, Rudd cleared the in a 15 of their eventual victories, but outscored their opponents bases with a three-RBI double and then followed it up with a by a whopping 47-11 margin in the seventh inning and after. Most double in her next at-bat ... Later that day against Pacific, Rudd importantly, when Northwestern held a lead, it did not give it up: the went 2-for-2 with two home runs and five RBI ... Her eight RBI in Wildcats were 21-1 when leading after five innings. the team’s first two games are the most since Andrea Filler (NU’s • This season, Northwestern has outscored its opponents 16-2 in current director of operations) also had eight in 2016. the seventh inning and has already come back three times when trailing entering the seventh inning. Furthermore, they are 9-0 SHUTOUT SEASON: Northwestern blanked Utah State 12-0 in their when leading after five innings. season debut, marking their first shutout win since 2005. They then proceeded to also shut out Pacific, 7-0, in their second game and A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE: Now in their 18th season together at Louisville, 1-0, in their third game, which marks the first time since the helm of the Northwestern program, head coach Kate Drohan and 1985 the Wildcats have shut out an opponent in three-consecutive associate head coach Caryl Drohan, her twin sister, earned the 500th games to start the season. win of their careers in 2016. • Their current total of 587 includes 219 Big Ten victories, 30 NCAA BREAKOUT STAR: Leading up to the 2019 season, Rachel Lewis was postseason wins and five at the Women’s College World Series.