COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Northwestern heads to the University of Maryland this week for the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, beginning with a matchup against Penn State on Wednesday evening.
The No. 6 seeded Wildcats match up with the No. 11 seed Nittany Lions at 5:30 pm CT on Wednesday evening, with first pitch moved up 30 minutes from the previously announced 6 pm CT start due to inclement weather forecasted throughout the day in College Park. The winner of Wednesday's matchup will take on No. 3 UCLA on Thursday evening. Action will be televised on Big Ten Network, with Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Jennie Ritter (analyst) on the call.
Northwestern closed the regular season with a 29-20 record and 16-8 mark in the Big Ten, tied for fifth place in the conference standings with Washington, who earned the No. 5 seed by tiebreaker. Penn State enters Wednesday's matchup with a 32-20 record and 11-13 mark in conference play.
This marks the Wildcats' eighth-straight season earning a Top-5 finish in the conference, tied for the longest streak in program history, having also been done from 1982-89 under Sharon Drysdale.
Most recently, Northwestern earned a fourth-straight series win, taking two of three games from Minnesota at The Ballpark at Rosemont in the regular season finale. The Wildcats opened the weekend with a 5-1 win behind a complete game from Marina Mason, before capturing the series with a 6-0 win behind a one-hit complete game shutout from Mason. Over her last 10 outings to close the regular season, Mason is 10-0 with six complete games, four shutouts, a 1.54 ERA (12 ER/54.2 IP), 62 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .150 batting average.
On Monday, Mason was named Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the week, following her 2-0 performance over the weekend during which she posted a 0.50 ERA (1 ER/14.0 IP) and limited Minnesota batters to a .085 opposing batting average. On the season, Mason leads all Big Ten pitchers with a .178 opposing batting average, and ranks second in ERA (2.12) behind only Nebraska's Jordy Frahm. Mason's seven shutouts also lead the Big Ten and are fifth-most in the nation.
Emma Raye led the Wildcats at the plate throughout the weekend, going 4-for-9 with three RBI. Raye's team-leading 57 RBI are seventh in single-season program history and already the most-ever by a Wildcat catcher, and her .789 slugging percentage would rank as 5th-highest in program history (trailing only Adrienne Monka, Tammy Williams and Rachel Lewis). Raye's 1.16 RBI per game this season ranks eighth in the Big Ten and is 11th among all catchers nationally, and her .395 average is best by any catcher in the conference.
Kaylie Avvisato recorded a hit in each game over the weekend and is now riding a 7-game hitting streak and a career-high 27-game reached base streak. During that reached base streak, Avvisato is hitting .418 (38-for-91) with 30 RBI and 37 runs scored. The sophomore finished Big Ten play hitting .375 (30-for-80) with 23 RBI and a team-leading 27 runs scored.
Senior Bridget Donahey enters tournament play this week batting .326 (42-for-129) with 11 home runs and 32 RBI. Donahey's .659 slugging percentage is second on the team behind only Raye, and her 85 total bases rank third. Fellow Senior Grace Nieto has consistently gotten on base for the Wildcats, entering play on Wednesday with a .470 on-base percentage and 40 walks, ninth most in program history for a single season and most for a Northwestern batter since Rachel Lewis in 2022 (45).
The Wildcats and Nittany Lions met earlier this season for a three-game series, with Northwestern earning a three-game sweep on the road in what marked its first trip to State College since 2015. The Wildcats are 59-16 all-time against Penn State, and Northwestern has won the last 19 matchups between the two teams, dating back to 2011.
The No. 6 seeded Wildcats match up with the No. 11 seed Nittany Lions at 5:30 pm CT on Wednesday evening, with first pitch moved up 30 minutes from the previously announced 6 pm CT start due to inclement weather forecasted throughout the day in College Park. The winner of Wednesday's matchup will take on No. 3 UCLA on Thursday evening. Action will be televised on Big Ten Network, with Sloane Martin (play-by-play) and Jennie Ritter (analyst) on the call.
Northwestern closed the regular season with a 29-20 record and 16-8 mark in the Big Ten, tied for fifth place in the conference standings with Washington, who earned the No. 5 seed by tiebreaker. Penn State enters Wednesday's matchup with a 32-20 record and 11-13 mark in conference play.
This marks the Wildcats' eighth-straight season earning a Top-5 finish in the conference, tied for the longest streak in program history, having also been done from 1982-89 under Sharon Drysdale.
Most recently, Northwestern earned a fourth-straight series win, taking two of three games from Minnesota at The Ballpark at Rosemont in the regular season finale. The Wildcats opened the weekend with a 5-1 win behind a complete game from Marina Mason, before capturing the series with a 6-0 win behind a one-hit complete game shutout from Mason. Over her last 10 outings to close the regular season, Mason is 10-0 with six complete games, four shutouts, a 1.54 ERA (12 ER/54.2 IP), 62 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .150 batting average.
On Monday, Mason was named Big Ten Pitcher and Freshman of the week, following her 2-0 performance over the weekend during which she posted a 0.50 ERA (1 ER/14.0 IP) and limited Minnesota batters to a .085 opposing batting average. On the season, Mason leads all Big Ten pitchers with a .178 opposing batting average, and ranks second in ERA (2.12) behind only Nebraska's Jordy Frahm. Mason's seven shutouts also lead the Big Ten and are fifth-most in the nation.
Emma Raye led the Wildcats at the plate throughout the weekend, going 4-for-9 with three RBI. Raye's team-leading 57 RBI are seventh in single-season program history and already the most-ever by a Wildcat catcher, and her .789 slugging percentage would rank as 5th-highest in program history (trailing only Adrienne Monka, Tammy Williams and Rachel Lewis). Raye's 1.16 RBI per game this season ranks eighth in the Big Ten and is 11th among all catchers nationally, and her .395 average is best by any catcher in the conference.
Kaylie Avvisato recorded a hit in each game over the weekend and is now riding a 7-game hitting streak and a career-high 27-game reached base streak. During that reached base streak, Avvisato is hitting .418 (38-for-91) with 30 RBI and 37 runs scored. The sophomore finished Big Ten play hitting .375 (30-for-80) with 23 RBI and a team-leading 27 runs scored.
Senior Bridget Donahey enters tournament play this week batting .326 (42-for-129) with 11 home runs and 32 RBI. Donahey's .659 slugging percentage is second on the team behind only Raye, and her 85 total bases rank third. Fellow Senior Grace Nieto has consistently gotten on base for the Wildcats, entering play on Wednesday with a .470 on-base percentage and 40 walks, ninth most in program history for a single season and most for a Northwestern batter since Rachel Lewis in 2022 (45).
The Wildcats and Nittany Lions met earlier this season for a three-game series, with Northwestern earning a three-game sweep on the road in what marked its first trip to State College since 2015. The Wildcats are 59-16 all-time against Penn State, and Northwestern has won the last 19 matchups between the two teams, dating back to 2011.