| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Big Ten/Home Opener | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | VIDEO STREAM | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, Mar. 22 | Rutgers | 4 p.m. CT | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | BTN Plus | Sidearm | |
| Saturday, Mar. 23 | Rutgers | 1 p.m. CT | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | BTN Plus | Sidearm | |
| Saturday, Mar. 23 | Rutgers | 3:15 p.m. CT | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | BTN Plus | Sidearm | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_Sports) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern |
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EVANSTON, Ill. – Fresh off a two-game sweep at the Hoosier Classic and a ranked win at No. 19 Indiana on Saturday, Northwestern returns to Evanston this weekend to open its Big Ten schedule at Sharon J. Drysdale Field for a three-game series against Rutgers.
At 19-6 on the season, the Wildcats are off to their best start since 2014 and are one of six Big Ten teams to be receiving votes in the most recent USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll. This past week, Northwestern clocked in at No. 16 in the first NCAA Women's Softball RPI rankings, the second-highest mark in the conference.
The Wildcats and the Scarlet Knights begin the conference season at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, March 22, followed by a 1 p.m. CT game on Saturday and a noon CT first pitch on Sunday. Following this weekend's games, the #B1GCats will stay home for a weekday matinee against DePaul beginning at 4 p.m. CT. All games will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go.
Tickets for the weekend's home series can be bought HERE.
Season passes can be bought HERE for $49 for adults and $29 for youth.
Northwestern is 6-0 all-time against Rutgers. This will be just the second series between the teams since Rutgers joined the Big Ten, the other coming last year when the 'Cats swept a three-game series in Piscataway.
The #B1GCats put on a clinic both offensively and defensively last weekend in Bloomington. Against Toledo, they notched a season-high 13 hits, while Kaley Wingegarner struck out a career-high tying eight batters in a 5.0 innings to earn a win in an 11-2 triumph. Later that afternoon, Danielle Williams tossed her Big Ten-leading fifth shutout of the season as she allowed just two hits and struck out 10 batters, while NU belted a season-high four homers in a 5-0 win over No. 19 Indiana. The 'Cats four homers against IU, all by different players, are their most in a game since an 8-7 win at Rutgers last season on April 22.
As a team, Northwestern ranks 15th in the nation with a 1.76 ERA. The Wildcat pitchers also lead the Big Ten with a 4.66 strikeout-to-walk ratio, the sixth-best mark in the nation.
At the plate, the 'Cats currently have four everyday starters with a batting average over .300. Jordyn Rudd leads the team with a .342 average along with a team-high 26 RBI, the second-most by a first-year in the Big Ten. Two-way star Morgan Newport is hitting .338 with 12 RBI while also boasting a 1.38 ERA (4 ER/20.1 IP) in her seven pitching appearances. Nikki Cuchran is hitting .333, while Morgan Nelson has recorded a hit in five-straight games and is now hitting .310 on the season.
The Wildcats have both started and finished games strong so far this year. Northwestern has outscored its opponents 33-9 in the first inning and 23-2 in the seventh inning. The Wildcats have scored in the opening frame in 12 of their 25 games thus far and are 12-0 in those games. Furthermore, they are 11-0 on the year when leading after five innings.