Kirkpatrick Stadium

Kirkpatrick Stadium

1405 Central St., Evanston, IL

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Kip and Sara Kirkpatrick Stadium, home to Northwestern Softball, opened in September 2026 following a $5 million gift from Northwestern Trustee and former student-athlete Kip Kirkpatrick '94, '97 MBA and his wife, Sara Kirkpatrick. The stadium's playing surface remains Sharon J. Drysdale Field, honoring the NFCA Hall of Fame coach for whom the field was first named upon her retirement in 2001.

The new stadium reimagines the Wildcats' home for a Big Ten Championship program, with a team clubhouse featuring a players' lounge and new locker rooms, centrally located student-athlete support spaces for training and development, new dugouts connected to the home clubhouse, and a new seating bowl and concourse with chairback seating. An expansive press box supports full television and radio coverage, while a new entrance and courtyard provide space for tailgating and gameday gatherings. Improved ADA accessibility rounds out the upgrades throughout the venue.

Previously known as Anderson Field before its 2001 renaming for Coach Drysdale, the ballpark underwent a multi-year renovation beginning in 2006 that included new outfield turf, drawing praise for Northwestern's staging of that year's Big Ten Tournament. Nearly two decades later, the 2025-26 construction project marked the most significant transformation in the venue's history, ensuring Northwestern Softball continues to train and compete in a facility that matches the standard of its championship play.

After playing host to NCAA Tournament Regionals and Super Regionals in both 2006 and 2007, Drysdale Field's first renovation phase (including sunken dugouts, permanent seating, a game operations booth and a plaza down the third-base line) was completed. 

In 2008, after again hosting a successful Big Ten Tournament, Drysdale Field was selected as the College winner of the 2008 Stabilizer Solutions/NFCA Field Maintenance Award, an honor that recognizes outstanding grounds maintenance and quality playing surfaces.

After playing host to NCAA Tournament Regionals and Super Regionals in both 2006 and 2007, Drysdale Field's next renovation phase was completed, adding sunken dugouts, permanent seating, a game operations booth and a plaza down the third-base line. The project, made possible by the generosity and efforts of many program friends and donors, gave Chicagoland fans a unique and exciting place to watch some of the best college softball in the nation.

In 2008, following another successful Big Ten Tournament at the venue, Drysdale Field was selected as the College division winner of the Stabilizer Solutions/NFCA Field Maintenance Award, an honor recognizing outstanding grounds maintenance and quality playing surfaces.

Drysdale Field hosted the Big Ten Tournament again in 2014, with temporary lights installed for the occasion. In the first-ever night game played at the facility, Northwestern defeated Michigan State, 10-4, in the opening round of the tournament. Temporary lighting returned to the venue for NCAA Regional games hosted by Northwestern in 2019, 2022 and 2023.

The ballpark's evolution reached its next milestone with the 2026 opening of Kirkpatrick Stadium, which brought permanent lights to the venue for the first time, along with a new clubhouse, seating bowl and expanded fan amenities.

"The Roof Club"

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Few clubs in sports are as exclusive as Northwestern Softball's "Roof Club". Just 10 Northwestern players are members after homering onto the roof of Welsh-Ryan Arena, which borders NU's softball park beyond left field. The following Northwestern players have gone deep enough to reach the roof:

  • Jessica Miller vs. Michigan (March 31, 2007)
  • Nicole Pauly vs. Indiana (April 4, 2009, game 1 of DH)
  • Erin Dyer vs. Indiana (April 4, 2009, game 2 of DH)
  • Adrienne Monka vs. Minnesota (April 14, 2010)
  • Olivia Duehr vs. Iowa (April 7, 2012)
  • Adrienne Monka vs. Ohio State (April 29, 2012)
  • Olivia Duehr vs. Notre Dame (April 9, 2013)
  • Marisa Bast vs. Indiana (April 18, 2014)
  • Olivia Duehr vs. Ohio State (April 26, 2015)
  • Amy Letourneau vs. Michigan State (April 22, 2016)
  • Rachel Lewis vs. Rutgers (March 22, 2019)
  • Maeve Nelson vs. Wisconsin (April 13, 2019)
  • Maeve Nelson vs. Michigan (April 1, 2022)
  • Rachel Lewis vs. Michigan (April 3, 2022)
  • Angela Zedak vs. McNeese (May 22, 2022)

"The Purple Cow"

While gathered in the dugout during NU's 2006 spring break trip to Hawaii, Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan introduced the team to the theory of "The Purple Cow." Taken from a marketing book of the same name by Seth Godin, the Purple Cow is a symbol to remind the team to be remarkable in all that it does. Intended initially by Drohan to be a small phase in the 2006 season, the theme grew so popular within the program that it has become a permanent fixture and symbol for Northwestern Softball. At the inaugural Purple Auction in April of 2007, the parents of the 2007 team purchased and donated a Purple Cow to be displayed at the brand new Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The Purple Cow has had many homes over the years, but is a permanent fixture at the Ballpark.