May 20, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Few teams in the nation faced as tough as a schedule as the Northwestern softball team during the 2003 season. It was that experience in big games against nationally ranked opponents that helped the Wildcats post victories in must-win situations late in the season on their way to a Big Ten Tournament berth and an NCAA Tournament bid.
Head coach Kate Drohan's squad finished with a 36-19 overall record and an 11-9 mark in the Big Ten. The 36 victories marked the fifth most in school history and the program's most since the 1995 squad won 38 games.
In all, NU played 21 games against ranked teams in 2003, posting an impressive 13-8 record in those contests. Northwestern ended up playing 33 of its 52 regular season games against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament, going 18-15 against those opponents. The Wildcats suffered only two losses during the regular season to squads that did not make the NCAA field.
A challenging preseason non-conference slate saw NU take on such perennial powers as Arizona, Washington, Cal State Fullerton and defending national champion California. The Wildcats more than held their own against the stiff competition, posting a win over California and handing Washington its first loss of the season in its 22nd game of the year. Northwestern also became the first team to sweep a doubleheader at Notre Dame since 1998.
Despite starting the Big Ten season 0-4, the Wildcats steadily worked their way back into contention in the conference race. Victories in six of their next seven Big Ten games got NU to 6-5, but losses in four of the next five dropped Northwestern back down to 7-9.
With their backs against the wall, the 'Cats needed four straight wins over ranked conference foes just to make the Big Ten Tournament. Northwestern did just that, as freshman phenom Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) pitched back-to-back shutout wins at Big Ten-leading Iowa, and then two more victories at home over in-state rival Illinois to wrap up the regular season.
The two victories at Iowa and an 18-strikeout one-hitter at Loyola-Chicago earlier in the week helped Foster earn National Player of the Week honors from both USA Softball and NFCA/Louisville Slugger. In the three games she pitched, Foster struck out 41 batters in 21 innings and allowed just six hits an no runs.
Once in the conference tournament field, Northwestern certainly gave all the fans in Iowa City, Iowa their money's worth. The Wildcats' opening round game against third-seeded Michigan State turned into an epic battle. Foster and MSU's Jessica Beech went toe-to-toe like a pair of prize fighters. In the end, NU finally prevailed 1-0 in an exhausting 18-inning pitcher's battle. Foster tied a school record with 20 strikeouts in the second-longest game in school history.
Northwestern followed up the effort with another extra-inning affair against 14th-ranked Michigan, outlasting the Wolverines 8-6 in 12 innings. The win placed the Wildcats in the winner's bracket championship game against Iowa, but the Hawkeyes posted a come-from-behind 2-1 win. An Iowa home run ended Foster's streak of not allowing an earned run at a remarkable 69.2 innings.
The loss meant a rematch with Michigan State for the right to play Iowa for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Trailing 3-2 with no one on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Cardiac 'Cats refused to give up. Three straight hits, highlighted by a Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) RBI single sent the game into extra innings. From there, it was an unlikely hero that ended the game. Senior Jessie Wellnitz (Waterloo, Iowa/East), who had just one home run in her career, launched a three-run walk-off home run for a 6-3 victory.
Despite falling to Iowa 2-0 for the tournament championship, NU's remarkable run certainly caught the attention of the NCAA Tournament Committee. The team was rewarded with a No. 2 seed in a regional in Austin, Texas, the Wildcats' first NCAA berth since 2000.
Northwestern opened with a 2-1 win over Tennessee Tech in the regional opener, as Foster tossed a one-hitter. However, a pair of close losses against Southwest Texas and Hawaii the following day knocked the Wildcats from the tournament.
Despite finishing sixth in the Big Ten during the regular season, no team received more selections than the Wildcats when the all-conference teams were announced. NU earned a school-record eight All-Big Ten selections, headed by first-team pick Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill). The sophomore outfielder attacked the NU record book in 2003, setting a school record for total bases and extra-base hits in a season and tying the doubles mark. She led the squad with a .365 batting average, a .551 slugging percentage and 65 hits. She also teamed with fellow outfielder Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) to combine for 126 hits, the most by a duo in NU history.
Mobley and Foster were both named to the NCFA All-Mideast Region Second Team and Mobley was named a first-team Verizon Academic All-District pick. Foster finished with 292 strikeouts and an average of 9.4 strikeouts per 7 innings, both the second-highest marks in school history. Senior Cindy Muran (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) enjoyed her finest season as a Wildcat, recording a team-leading 34 RBI, the fourth-highest single-season Northwestern total. Second baseman Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) was one of 45 individuals originally invited to try out for the U.S. National Team, including the only Big Ten player.