Feb. 17, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - When Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan talked about the difficult schedule she had put together for her team, this is probably what she meant. The Wildcats travel to Palm Springs, Calif. for the Palm Springs Classic where they will face off against some of the best softball programs in the nation. NU faces three top-15 teams, including defending national champion UCLA.
"We always want to play the top teams in the country," said Drohan. "But we are going to approach this weekend the same as any- we plan on going out and playing our game."
Northwestern started the 2004 campaign strong, going 4-1 at the Arizona State Triangular in Tempe, Ariz. against ASU and Kansas. After beating the Jayhawks 5-0 in the first game, the Wildcats rallied from three runs down in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat No. 20 Arizona State 6-5. NU went 2-0 against the Sun Devils and 2-1 against Kansas.
"I was pleased that the team gelled in several areas, but what really made an impact on me was the fact that our team was able to come from behind and win," said Drohan. "That has already changed the dynamic of the team."
Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) was brilliant on the mound in three appearances, racking up 27 strikeouts and not allowing a single earned run in 21 innings of work. Sheila McCorkle (Santa Ana, Calif./Mater Dei) hit three home runs on the weekend, including the game-winner in the Wildcats' 1-0 win over Kansas.
Early in the season, there is still much to learn about a team. It would be fair to say that playing against competition the likes of which Northwestern will face in Palm Springs certainly helps one find out exactly where that team may be.