April 1, 2010
Northwestern's Illinois Series Game Notes (PDF Format) 
Watch LIVE on BigTenNetwork.com!
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's Big Ten-opening home stand rolls on this weekend when No. 18 Illinois visits Sharon J. Drysdale Field April 3-4 for a pair of games.
The squads will face off at 2 p.m. CT Saturday after rain showers have forced the first pitch to be forced back an hour before playing the series finale at 1 p.m. CT Sunday. Both games will be streamed live on BigTenNetwork.com before being re-aired in high definition on the Big Ten Network later in the week. See below for complete re-air schedule and information.
Northwestern is one of four conference unbeatens after the opening weekend of Big Ten play. NU swept Purdue at Sharon J. Drysdale Field to join Ohio State and Iowa at 2-0. Michigan is 1-0 after besting Illinois in the only game those two schools played; rain forced the cancelation of their second contest.
The Wildcats are winners of seven of their last eight games, averaging 6.4 runs per contest in those outings. The Illini enter the series with a 24-4 record, inclusive of a 2-3 record against ranked opponents.
Northwestern freshman Emily Allard is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week after exploding onto the conference scene during the first week of league play. Allard scored nine runs, stole eight bases and drove in five, batting .643 during the Wildcats' four games last week.
In the circle, senior Lauren Delaney earned both Big Ten wins over Purdue to bring her within four of the NU all-time record of 97 (Delaney is 93-32). She also comes into the Illinois series 11 strikeouts shy of 1,100 for her career.
Senior Nicole Pauly is riding her usual start of Big Ten play hot streak, having scored seven runs in NU's last four games. She also has hit a home run in each of the Wildcats' last three outings.
VOTE FOR PAULY!
Pauly began this week by being named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Fans can vote for Pauly once per day at seniorCLASSaward.com or by texting SOFTBALL to 74567.
THE PROMOTIONS
Saturday is Kelly Dyer Day at the ballpark. The first 100 fans to arrive will receive a collectable trading card featuring Dyer. On Sunday, it is Nicole Pauly Day, with 100 trading cards of Pauly going to the early birds at the ballpark.
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.
This weekend's rebroadcast schedule is:
Saturday, April 3 Game vs. Illinois
Re-broadcast on Big Ten Network
Sunday, April 4, 10 a.m. CT
Monday, April 5, 2 a.m. CT
Sunday, April 4 Game vs. Illinois
Re-broadcast on Big Ten Network
Monday, April 5, 1 p.m. CT
Wednesday, April 7, 6 a.m. CT
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