Feb. 25, 2009
Northwestern's NFCA Leadoff Classic Notes (PDF Format) 
NFCA Leadoff Classic Tournament Page
EVANSTON, Ill. -- One week after playing in a tournament with 13 ranked teams in the field, No. 18 Northwestern will take on another strong schedule at this weekend's NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga.
The tournament will be played at the South Commons Stadium and Complex (400 4th Street, Columbus, GA 31901), less than half a mile from the Alabama border on 4th Street.
The 2009 Leadoff Classic boasts 11 ranked programs in its 21-team field, including all three top-25 programs from the Big Ten Conference. Northwestern will play two ranked opponents on Friday, beginning with No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette at 10 a.m. CT before facing No. 20 LSU at 3 p.m. CT. On Saturday, NU gets a rematch against Long Island at 12:30 p.m. CT after the Blackbirds bested the Wildcats last week at the Cathedral City Classic. NU follows that up with a 3 p.m. game against Georgia Tech before concluding the Leadoff Classic at 9 a.m. CT Sunday against South Carolina.
Northwestern's has several intriguing matchups this weekend in terms of series history. The Wildcats have faced the Rajin' Cajuns only once before, but ULL knocked NU out of the 2004 NCAA Tucson Regional in the contest. Northwestern and LSU played a classic game at last season's Palm Springs Classic where Nicole Pauly (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning to give the Wildcats a 6-4 win. Northwestern and South Carolina also are former NCAA Tournament foes; the Wildcats and Gamecocks faced off in the 2007 Evanston Super Regional where NU won in straight sets to reach its second-consecutive Women's College World Series.
This is Northwestern's second entry in the NFCA Leadoff Classic under head coach Kate Drohan. The Wildcats previously made the trip in 2006, playing two games on Friday before the remainder of the event was washed out.
Northwestern's offense continues to be the best in the Big Ten, with the Wildcats ranking first among their conference brethren in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, hits, runs, RBIs and home runs. Senior Tammy Williams (Roscoe, Mo./Osceola) ranks first in the conference with 23 hits and a .469 batting average while classmate Erin Dyer (Homer Glen, Ill./Lockport) has a league-best 17 RBIs. Sophomore Robin Thompson (Detroit, Mich./Martin Luther King) has scored a Big Ten-best 16 times in Northwestern's 14 games.
For Northwestern's complete NFCA Leadoff Classic Game Notes package, click on the .pdf link at the top of this page.