2018 NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL ACC/B1G CHALLENGE THE @NUSBCATS The Preview TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE Northwestern travels to Raleigh, N.C., GAME 1 • vs. Louisville 16 • NCAA TOURNAMENT Appearances Friday, Feb. 16 • 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET 7 • BIG TEN Championships this weekend for the 2018 edition of the Live Stats • No Live Stream Available • Home 7 • NCAA Regional Championships ACC/B1G Challenge. NU joins conference 5 • WCWS Appearances partner Ohio State to take on Louisville GAME 2 • vs. Louisville 3 •WCWS Semifinals and site host N.C. State in four games Friday, Feb. 16 • 12:30 p.m. CT/1:30 p.m. ET 1 • WCWS Championship Series across three days. Live Stats • No Live Stream Available • Visitor Due to a poor weather forecast, 2018 SCHEDULE/RESULTS GAME 3 • vs. N.C. State (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) the original schedule for this weekend Saturday, Feb. 17 • 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET Date Opponent Time (CT)/Result has been changed. Northwestern Live Stats • ACC Network Extra • Visitor FEBRUARY now will play Louisville in a Friday 9-11 Kajikawa Classic—Tempe, Ariz. 9 vs. No. 7 Arizona L, 4-1 doubleheader starting at 10 a.m. CT/11 GAME 4 • vs. N.C. State 9 vs. San Diego State W, 7-6 (8) a.m. ET before taking on N.C. State at a Sunday, Feb. 18 • 11:30 a.m. CT/12:30 p.m. ET 10 vs. Boise State W, 11-3 (5) new time of 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET Saturday. Live State • ACC Network Extra • Home 10 vs. Indiana W, 5-1 11 vs. South Dakota W, 13-5 (5) THIS WEEK’S COVERAGE 16-18 B1G/ACC Challenge—Raleigh, N.C. Wolfpack remains at the original time of 16 vs. Louisville 10 a.m. The tournament finale against the 16 vs. Louisville 12:30 p.m. 11:30 a.m. CT/12:30 p.m. ET Sunday. LIVE STATS: Live statistics will be available for all 7 1 at N.C. State 4:30 p.m. By virtue of its 4-1 record following games at the schedule page of NUsports.com 18 at N.C. State 11:30 a.m. 23-25 Nutter Collegiate Classic—Cathedral City, Calif. the season-opening Kajikawa Classic, 23 vs. San Diego State 5:30 p.m. Northwestern is off to its best start to a VIDEO STREAM: In a change from what was 23 vs. Long Beach State 10:30 p.m. season since going 4-0 at the 2008 version originally announced, ACC Network Extra will have 4 2 vs. Tennessee 4:30 p.m. coverage of N.C. State games ONLY. 25 vs. St. John’s 11 a.m. of the Kajikawa. NU’s lone loss so far this year came at the hands of No. 7 Arizona, MARCH 2-4 Husky Invitational—Seattle, Wash. and it took a sixth-inning rally for the Pac- 2 vs. Portland State 3:30 p.m. 12 Wildcats to break a 1-1 deadlock in that game. 2 at Washington 8 p.m. Unlike last week’s Kajikawa Classic and next week’s Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, 3 vs. Portland State Noon 3 vs. BYU 2:30 p.m. which are more than a decade-long mainstays on the Northwestern schedule, the ACC/B1G 4 vs. Alabama Noon CT Challenge is in just its third season. The tournament pairs eight teams from each conference 9-11 Houston Hilton Plaza Classic—Houston, Texas 9 vs. Iowa State 10 a.m. together at four ACC host sites. NU split four games against North Carolina and Boston 9 vs. Penn State 3 p.m. College in 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, before being swept in four contests against 10 vs. Penn State 11:30 a.m. then-No. 3 Florida State and then-No. 24 Pittsburgh in Tallahassee, Florida, last year. 10 at Houston 4:30 p.m. 11 vs. Lipscomb 9 a.m. 11-2 (5) at the Mary Nutter. The Wildcats have a 3-2 series lead over the Cardinals, last 7 1 vs. UIC (Bloomington, Ind.) 9 a.m. Northwestern met N.C. State for the first time last season, run-ruling the Wolfpack 7 1 at Indiana 2 p.m. meeting in 2015 when Northwestern captured an 11-0 victory. Fresh faces old and new have been the story of the early part of the 2018 season for 23 MINNESOTA o 3 p.m. 4 2 MINNESOTA o 1 p.m. 25 MINNESOTA o Noon Rachel Lewis at second 28 at Illinois (DH) o 3 p.m. the Wildcats. For the first time since 2012, three different first-yearKenna Wildcats Wilkey recordedin the circle 30 NEBRASKA o 3 p.m. regular starts in the lineup during the first tournament of the year. 31 NEBRASKA o 1 p.m. went 1-0 with 15 strikeouts in 10.2 innings while batting .333 at the plate and clubbing a base batted .400 with six runs, five RBIs and five stolenMac Dunlap bases. at third base single-handedly APRIL 1 NEBRASKA o Noon saved NU’s win over San Diego State, forcing extra-innings with a tremendous defensive 6 at Purdue o 5 p.m. stopthree-run on a ground home run ball in in her the first-collegiate seventh with the at-bat. winning run on third. 7 at Purdue o 2 p.m. Meanwhile, junior Lily Novak 8 at Purdue o Noon 13 OHIO STATE o 3:30 p.m. and led the Wildcats at the plate all weekend, batting at team-best .500 with a .588 on-base 4 1 OHIO STATE o 1 p.m. stepped into her first regular starting role at first base 15 OHIO STATE o Noon 7 1 GREEN BAY 4 p.m. Northwestern’s offense as a team 18 at Notre Dame 4 p.m. waspercentage tremendous, and a team-highaveraging 7.40seven runs RBIs. per IN THESE NOTES o 20 at Rutgers 2 p.m. game to rank 25th in the country entering • Roster/Quick Facts Information (PAGE 2) 21 at Rutgers o Noon 2 2 at Rutgers o 11 a.m. the season’s second week. Speed on the • Head Coach Kate Drohan (PAGE 3) 25 LOYOLA (CHICAGO) 4 p.m. basepaths has been a huge part of that • Big Ten Standings (PAGE 3) 7 2 IOWA o 4 p.m. 28 IOWA o 1 p.m. production; the Wildcats 18 total steals • Team Statistical Rankings (PAGE 4) 9 2 IOWA o Noon and 3.20 steals per game rank seventh in • The Northwestern Roof Club (PAGE 5) the nation. • Broadcast Schedules (PAGE 5) MAY 2 at DePaul 4 p.m. • National Polls (PAGE 6) 4 at Wisconsin o 5 p.m. • NU Single-Game Records (PAGE 6) 5 at Wisconsin o Noon 6 at Wisconsin o Noon • Season/Career Records (PAGES 7-8) • Student-Athlete Bios/Stats (PAGES 9-27) 10-12 Big Ten Tournament—Madison, Wis. SOFTBALL ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS INFORMATION o All times Central • Home games in BOLD CAPS • Big Ten games Softball Contact: Office Phone: (847) 491-3588 • Office Fax: (847) 491-8818 • Twitter: Cell Phone: (847)Doug 833-2471 Meffley • E-mail: @VoiceOfMeffley [email protected] 2018 QUICK FACTS 2018 NUMERICAL ROSTER NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY No. Name Pos. B/T Ht. Cl. Hometown/High School Location ........................................................ Evanston, Ill. 00 Mac Dunlap IF R/R 5-6 Fy. Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point Founded .........................................................................1851 2 Brooke Marquez IF/OF R/R 5-0 Sr. Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica Enrollment ................................................................8,688 4 Marissa Panko IF/OF L/R 5-6 Sr. Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy President ...............................................Morton Schapiro 5 Sabrina Rabin OF L/R 5-4 Sr. St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North Nickname ..............................................................Wildcats 7 Morgan Nelson IF/OF R/R 5-6 Jr. Scottsdale, Ariz./Scottsdale Prep Academy Official Color ............................................................Purple 9 Lily Novak IF R/R 5-6 Jr. Winnetka, Ill./New Trier Conference .......................................Big Ten Conference 10 Summer Hargett C R/R 5-9 Fy. San Diego, Calif./Point Loma Director of Athletics ...................................Jim Phillips 11 Rachel Lewis IF/OF R/R 5-6 Fy. Liberty Township, Ohio/Lakota East Sport Administrator ..............................Julie Hammer 12 Kenzie Ellis P R/R 6-0 Jr. Indianola, Iowa/Indianola Senior Woman Administrator ...............Janna Blais 15 Sammy Nettling C R/R 5-9 Sr. Tucson, Ariz./Canyon Del Oro 16 Eva Stees C/IF R/R 5-5 So. Chicago, Ill./Lane Tech SOFTBALL FACTS 17 Abbey Boyd OF L/L 5-9 Sr. Wilmette, Ill./New Trier Head Coach .................................................. Kate Drohan 18 Morgan Newport P/U L/L 5-8 So. DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb Alma Mater ..................................... Providence, 1995 20 Nicole Bond P R/R 5-10 Sr. Clayton, N.C./Clayton Record at NU ......................536-327-1 (17th season) Career Record ...................................................... Same 21 Renee Ariola OF R/R 5-4 Sr. Bloomington, Ill./Normal Community Associate Head Coach ............................Caryl Drohan 22 Emma Bartz OF R/R 5-4 So. Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic Alma Mater ..................................... Providence, 1995 25 Maegan Hollins IF/OF L/R 5-6 Fy. Bellaire, Texas/Bellaire Assistant Coach ............................Michelle Gascoigne 30 Kaley Winegarner P R/R 5-9 Jr. Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica Alma Mater ...................................... Oklahoma, 2013 33 Kenna Wilkey P R/R 5-8 Fy. Braidwood, Ill./Reed Custer Volunteer Assistant Coach ...................... Fran Strub Alma Mater ................................Northwestern, 2016 Head Coach: Kate Drohan—Providence, ’95 (17th season) First Season of Competition ...............................1976 Associate Head Coach: Caryl Drohan—Providence, ’95 (17th season) Overall Program Record .............1,186-865-4 (.578) Assistant Coach: Michelle Gascoigne—Oklahoma, ’13 (Third season) Home Field .................................Sharon J.