| Northwestern vs. Chicago State / Western Michigan |
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| Date | Time | Tuesday, March 31 (5 p.m. CST) Wednesday, April 1 (5 p.m. CST) |
| Location | Cougar Field | Chicago, Ill. |
| Media | Game 1: CSU TV Game 2: GameTracker |
| Social | @NUCatsBaseball | @NU_SportsLIVE |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After winning two of three games in its Big Ten opener, Northwestern (7-19, 2-1 B1G) returns to Chicago for a pair of midweek games at Chicago State. The Wildcats will face off against the Cougars on Tuesday, March 31, before hosting Western Michigan at Cougar Field.
The `Cats non-conference contest against Western Michigan -- previously scheduled as NU's home opener -- was moved to Chicago State's Cougar Field due to ongoing renovations at Rocky Miller Park.
Northwestern opened league play with a series win (2-1) over Minnesota. The `Cats dropped their opening game before coming out on top of a classic pitcher's duel with a 2-1 victory on Saturday. Joe Schindler, Reed Mason and Jake Stolley combined for 11 shutout innings in the win. Led by a career-best five RBI from outfielder Kyle Ruchim, the Wildcats clinched the series with a commanding 19-7 victory over the Gophers on Sunday afternoon. The 19 runs scored were the most by the `Cats since 2006.
Zach Jones, who is batting .306 so far this year, leads the Big Ten in doubles with 12, while Scott Heelan (11) and Ruchim (10) rank second and third, respectively. Jones leads the Wildcats with 33 hits, 12 runs and 18 RBI. Ruchim holds a team-best .348 batting average to rank among the conference's top 10.
The Wildcats are hitting .275 as a team -- the sixth-best average in the Big Ten - and lead the conference in hits (267) and doubles (59). NU averages 2.27 doubles per game to sit 15th in the country.
Chicago State (7-18, 1-4 WAC) enters Tuesday's matchup having lost four-consecutive games, including a series sweep at Northern Colorado. Jared Patterson anchors the team's offense with a .300 batting average. The senior has registered 17 runs and nine RBI on 30 hits this spring.
Scouting report for Western Michigan to follow.
Up next, Northwestern continues Big Ten play with a three-game set at Illinois. The series, previously scheduled to take place at Rocky Miller Park, will be played at Illinois Field in Champaign, Ill. The Illini will host the Wildcats at 6 p.m. on Friday (April 3), 3 p.m. on Saturday (April 4) and 1 p.m. on Sunday (April 5) and admission is free for all fans.
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