Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Take Their Game to Sunshine State
3/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 5, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Fresh off a 3-2 record at the Worth Invitational in Fullerton, Calif. last weekend, including two wins over ranked teams, the Northwestern softball team takes its game to Plant City, Fla. this weekend to participate in the prestigious Speedline Invitational. The Wildcats open play at 2 p.m. Eastern time Thursday when they take on Ball State, followed by a 4 p.m. meeting with Hofstra. Friday's action pits NU against North Carolina at 10 a.m. and No. 4 Washington at 2 p.m. The 'Cats close out round-robin play at 10 a.m. Saturday when they face No. 16/21 Massachusetts.
The Speedline field includes 24 teams overall, playing in four pools. The tournament is round-robin format for seeding purposes with the single elimination championship round starting at 5 p.m. Saturday. The championship round of the tournament will include the top three seeds from each pool. The fourth seed will advance to a consolation round of the tournament.
NU has dropped both its meetings with Washington already this season and is 1-6 all-time against the Huskies. The 'Cats are 6-3 all-time against Ball State, 1-0 versus Hofstra and 3-1 against UMass. Northwestern has never faced North Carolina.
Last Time Out
The Wildcats posted a 3-2 record at the Worth Invitational in Fullerton, Calif. last weekend, defeating two ranked teams in the process. NU opened play Friday with a 4-3 victory over No. 17 Oregon State. Erin Mobley recorded a game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the sixth for Northwestern, and J.C. Kira added two hits and an RBI. The 'Cats followed up the win with a 4-3 defeat of defending national champion and sixth-ranked California in eight innings. Courtnay Foster struck out nine to pick up the victory. Cindy Muran had two hits, including a two-run home run. NU dropped a pair of games to top 10 teams on Saturday, falling to No. 4 Washington 9-0 in five innings and No. 7 Cal State Fullerton 1-0 in eight. However, the Wildcats bounced back on Sunday to close out the tournament with a 3-0 win over Portland State. Foster struck out a career-high 11 and allowed just three hits in picking up the win.
Scouting Ball State
The Cardinals (0-2) have competed in just two games so far this season, falling to Virginia Tech 6-5 and Indiana State 4-1. Kris Burdine went a combined 5-for-8 in the contests with a double and a triple. Ball State went 23-22 in 2002, including a 13-7 record in the Mid-American Conference. Katie Shea returns after earning MAC Player of the Year honors last season.
Scouting Hofstra
The Pride (5-6) won three out of four games at the USF Best Western Tournament Feb. 21-23. Among Hofstra's victories was an 11-2 win over Indiana. Its only loss was a 6-2 nine-inning decision to South Florida. Amanda Hallaway leads the team with a .360 batting average, but Hofstra is hitting only .203 as a team.
Scouting North Carolina
Last weekend, the Tar Heels (9-9) posted a 1-4 mark at Texas Invitational, dropping two games to Florida and one each to No. 5 Texas and No. 19 Michigan. However, UNC also defeated the Wolverines 3-1. Tiffany Tolleson leads the 'Heels with a .429 batting average and 13 stolen bases. Pitcher Crystal Cox is 5-4 with four shutouts and a 1.20 ERA. She has struck out 66 batters in 52.2 innings.
Scouting Washington
The Huskies (17-0-1) remained undefeated after posting a 5-0 record at the Worth Invitational last weekend. After having 11 of its first 13 games decided by three runs or less, UW notched its last three wins by at least eight runs. Catcher Kristen Rivera is off to a scorching start, hitting .500 (28-for-56) with 10 home runs and 27 RBI. Tia Bollinger is 9-0 with a 1.18 ERA.
Scouting Massachusetts
The Minutemen (5-3) have faced a difficult schedule up to this point, having played seven of their eight games against ranked opponents. UMass dropped its first three games by five runs combined, but has responded to win its last five. The team is hitting just .221, but Brandi Cross leads all regulars with a .364 average, including two home runs.
Head Coach Kate Drohan
Kate Drohan is in her second season as the head coach of the Wildcats. 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 NU, respectively.
'Cats Earn Recognition in National Poll
Thanks in part to two victories over ranked opponents last weekend, the Wildcats are receiving votes in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25 poll. NU is tied with Florida and Mississippi State as the teams with the second-most votes that is not in the top 25, ranking them 27th. Northwestern did not receive any votes in this week's USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.
Foster Named NU Female Athlete of the Week
Freshman Courtnay Foster was recognized as the Northwestern University Hilton Garden Inn Female Athlete of the Week for her performance in Fullerton, Calif. last weekend. Foster struck out nine in earning the win over No. 6 California. She then allowed just three hits and no earned runs in a tough-luck 1-0 loss to No. 7 Cal State Fullerton. Foster responded by striking out a career-high 11 to earn her first collegiate shutout in a 3-0 win over Portland State. Her 0.63 ERA in the three games lowered her season ERA to 0.97.
To Be the Champs...
Northwestern's 4-3 victory over California last weekend was the softball team's first win against a defending national champion in school history. The 'Cats are now 1-5 all-time when facing the NCAA champion the following season.
Northwestern against the defending NCAA champion
Year Opponent Result
2003 California W, 4-3 (8 inn.)
1992 Arizona L, 2-0
1992 Arizona L, 11-0
1985 UCLA L, 1-0 (NCAA Tournament)
1984 Texas A&M L, 2-0
1984 Texas A&M L, 1-0 (NCAA Tournament Semifinals)
Tough Road Ahead
The Wildcats face a challenging schedule in 2003. Northwestern will encounter at least 12 different opponents and 19 total games against teams that are ranked in the top 25 or are receiving votes in the NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll. Included on the schedule are four of the top nine ranked teams in the current poll. NU has faced, or will face California, Arizona and Cal State Fullerton once and Washington three times.
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 a first-team NCFA All-Mideast Region pick 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.
Team Captains
Seniors Lauren Schwendimann and Jessie Wellnitz and junior Carri Leto are 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 committing an error. Leto earned second-team All-Big Ten honors at shortstop for the Wildcats last season.
Next Time Out
Northwestern will take two weeks off before beginning a busy week of action March 24. On that day, the Wildcats travel to Bradley before moving on to play at Illinois State the following day. The ensuing day, the 'Cats travel to Notre Dame for a doubleheader. After a day off, NU opens Big Ten play with games back-to-back days at Michigan State. The Wildcats wrap up their eight games in seven days stretch March 30 with a doubleheader at Michigan.
