March 26, 2010
Northwestern's Purdue Series Game Notes (PDF Format) 
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- The 2010 Big Ten season is upon us and Northwestern opens both its conference slate and its home schedule this weekend, March 27-28 against Purdue at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. First pitch for both contests is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
Northwestern enters Big Ten play as winners of five of its last six games to improve to 14-11 on the season while Purdue is 12-16 overall on the year. The Wildcats hold a 25-16 edge over the Boilermakers in the all-time series between the programs, with NU boasting a 14-2 mark over PU during the nine-year Drohan era in Evanston dating to 2002.
Saturday will feature a reunion of the 2002 senior class at Sharon J. Drysdale Field with a ceremony before the game. It also is Aly Euler Day at the ballpark. Northwestern will honor each of its five 2010 seniors with individual days during the home schedule. The earliest arriving fans on those days will receive collectable trading cards featuring that day's member of the senior class.
This weekend's series should prove to be a fast one; Purdue and Northwestern rank 1-2 in the Big Ten in stolen bases. The Boilermakers have a league-high 64 steals in 75 attempts while the Wildcats rank second with 53 swipes. NU has been caught stealing only four times, though, giving it a conversion rate of .930 versus PU's .853.
Northwestern freshman Kristin Scharkey made her Division I debut over spring break after missing the first four tournaments of the year due to injury. The speedy freshman went 3-for-3 in her first collegiate game and enters this weekend with a .400 batting average (8-for-20), seven stolen bases and six runs scored in six games played.
Freshman Emily Allard has benefitted from Scharkey's presence at the top of the lineup, matching the school's single-game record for runs scored when she crossed the plate four times Thursday at Northern Illinois.
THE PROMOTIONS
Saturday is Aly Euler Day at the ballpark. The first 100 fans to arrive will receive a collectable trading card featuring Euler. Saturday also will feature a reunion of the senior class of 2002. For more on Northwestern's planned softball promotions during the year, click here.
THE BROADCASTS
Both of this weekend's games will be streamed live in high quality by the Big Ten Network at BigTenNetwork.com. The broadcasts are pay-per-view, with each event costing $2.99. Select streams throughout the season will be re-aired in high definition on the Big Ten Network itself as part of its "Student U" intiative.
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