Northwestern University Athletics
Baseball Set to Begin Big Ten Tournament
5/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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May 22, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - NU is making its fifth appearance in the Big Ten Tournament since the event began in 1981 -- and just like they have all season, the Wildcats came from behind to get there.
Needing two wins over Indiana on the final weekend, NU made things interesting by dropping the first two contests in the four-game set. The Wildcats recovered to win Game 3, 4-1, but Sunday's finale got off to a bad start when NU spotted the Hoosiers a 6-0 lead after two innings. The Wildcats rallied for six in the third to tie the score, though, then took the lead in dramatic fashion as Jon Mikrut tattooed his sixth home run over the leftfield wall. NU scored two more in the inning for a 9-6 lead, and that was enough as starter J.A. Happ and Mikrut -- both freshmen -- held IU to just three hits over the final seven innings.
With the win, NU finished level with Illinois in the Big Ten regular-season standings at 14-15. However, the Wildcats won 2-of-3 in Champaign earlier this year, staking claim to the final tournament spot.
During the conference season, NU won just three of its first 11 conference games, going 1-3 vs. both Ohio State and Purdue including four one-run losses. However, the 'Cats have won 11-of-18 since then to qualify for Big Ten Tournament play for the second time in three years.
A reason for NU's qualification is its pitching. With three senior starters who have thrown more than 850 career innings, it is no wonder the 'Cats hold the second-best ERA in the conference (4.10). Senior Ryan Bos is second in the conference with a 2.39 ERA and has held opposing Big Ten hitters to a .187 average.
Postseason Quickies
In finishing 14-15 in the conference, NU qualifies for the postseason tournament for the second time in three years and just the fifth time since the tournament was introduced in 1981 ... this year's junior and senior classes are the first in school history to make more than one postseason tournament, as the 'Cats also qualified in 2000 ... NU holds a 4-8 record in Big Ten Tournament history ... The Wildcats' best finish was in 1984, when they finished second to Michigan in the tournament hosted by Minnesota ... NU and MSU have never met in postseason play.
