Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Open 2003 Season in Tampa Friday
1/30/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 30, 2003
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EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern gets the 2003 season underway this weekend as it travels to Tampa, Fla. to participate in the Louisville Slugger Invitational hosted by the University of South Florida. The Wildcats open play against Auburn at 9 a.m. Eastern time Friday morning before taking on South Florida at noon.
Saturday's action sees NU taking on Sam Houston State at 9 a.m. and Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m. Play concludes at 11 a.m. Sunday with the 'Cats facing off against Arizona, last year's NCAA runner-up.
The host Bulls are the only team in the tournament field to have played a game so far this season. USF posted two shutout victories over Jacksonville on Jan. 25. NU has all-time records of 4-2 versus South Florida, 1-5 against Florida Atlantic, 0-1 against Sam Houston State and 0-8 against Arizona. The Wildcats have never faced Auburn. Arizona, Florida Atlantic and Auburn each appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season.
2002 Season Recap
The Wildcats posted a 24-18-1 record in 2002, including a 10-9 mark in the Big Ten. NU finished in a three-way tie for fifth place, but missed out on a berth in the Big Ten Tournament due to lost tiebreakers to Illinois and Penn State. Northwestern was sitting at 10-5 in the Big Ten when it dropped its final four conference games. The season was highlighted by victories over a pair of teams that advanced to the College World Series. NU knocked off then-15th ranked Michigan 3-2 on April 19. The 'Cats also pulled off a 1-0 victory over then-No. 8 and eventual national champion California on March 23 at the Hawaii Invitational. Overall, the Wildcats were involved in 13 one-run games, posting a 5-8 record in those contests.
Head Coach Kate Drohan
Kate Drohan enters her second season as the head coach of the Wildcats in 2003. In her first season at the helm, Drohan led Northwestern to a 24-18-1 record and a 10-9 mark in the Big Ten. It was NU's fifth consecutive season with 20 or more victories. The team finished tied for fifth in the conference, and missed out on a berth in the Big Ten Tournament due to a lost tiebreaker. Prior to becoming head coach, Drohan served as an assistant under longtime coach Sharon Drysdale for four seasons. Assistant coaches Alicia Smith and Caryl Drohan, Kate's twin sister, are in their third and second seasons with the 'Cats, respectively.
Scouting the Tigers
Auburn advanced to the NCAA Regional last season, eventually finishing with a 38-27 record. The Tigers posted a 15-15 mark in the SEC under sixth-year coach Tina Deese, who is 142-170-1 over that time.
Scouting the Bulls
South Florida recorded a 24-33-1 overall mark and a 9-11 record in Conference USA a season ago. Head coach Ken Eriksen has a record of 259-153-1 in seven seasons at USF.
Scouting the Bearkats
Sam Houston State collected a record of 11-31 in 2002, including a 9-18 Southland Conference record. Bob Brock enters his second season at SHSU and is 753-363 in 19 overall seasons as a head coach.
Scouting the Lady Owls
Florida Atlantic went 62-13 overall and 16-2 in the Atlantic Sun last season. Joan Joyce is 373-170 in nine seasons as the head coach of the Lady Owls. FAU advanced to the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee last season.
Scouting the Wildcats
Arizona posted a 55-12 overall and 15-6 in the Pac-10 in 2002. The Wildcats lost the NCAA Championship game to California 6-0. Head coach Mike Candrea carries a career record of 926-184 in 17 seasons at Arizona.
Northwestern in Season Openers
Dating to the 1976 season, NU has posted a 9-19 record in season openers. The Wildcats have lost their first game of the season for the past nine years. Northwestern has lost to Florida Atlantic in the season opener each of the past three years and to South Florida in 1999. The 'Cats' last season-opening win came in 1993 when they defeated St. Mary's 13-3.
Returning Honorees
Northwestern returns a number of players who have received either conference or national honors in past seasons. Carri Leto was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2002 and second-team NCFA. All-Mideast Region in 2001. Lauren Schwendimann received second-team NFCA All-Region honors last season and in 2000. She also picked up second-team Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades a year ago. Schwendimann and Alyson Schulz earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2000.
Foothill Connection
The Wildcat roster features three players that attended the same high school. Freshman Jamie Dotson, sophomore Erin Mobley and senior Lauren Schwendimann each attended Foothill High. Dotson and Mobley are from Santa Ana, Calif., while Schwendimann hails from Tustin. The trio will have the opportunity to face off against two of their former teammates this weekend. Arizona freshmen Autumn Champion and Courtney Fossatti also attended Foothill.
Team Captains
Seniors Lauren Schwendimann and Jessie Wellnitz and junior Carri Leto have been named the team captains for the 2003 season. Schwendimann, a pitcher, earned second-team NFCA All-Region honors in 2002 as a utility player. Wellnitz appeared in 37 games in the outfield last season without commiting an error. Leto earned second-team All-Big Ten honors at shortstop for the Wildcats last season.
Next Time Out
Northwestern travels to Tucson, Ariz. to participate in the Arizona Pepsi Classic from Feb. 14-16. NU will take on the host Wildcats, Arkansas, Washington, Florida International and Big Ten rival Minnesota.
