Northwestern University Athletics
NU Treks to Indiana to Take on Hoosiers, Purdue
4/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 10, 2003
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EVANSTON, Ill. - After having its Wednesday game versus Northern Illinois postponed due to inclement weather, Northwestern returns to Big Ten play this weekend. NU (21-11, 3-5 Big Ten) travels to Indiana to take on the Hoosiers in single games at 3 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday. The 'Cats wrap up the road trip with a doubleheader at Purdue beginning at noon Sunday. The Wildcats are 45-34 all-time versus Indiana, while Purdue holds a slim 14-13 series edge over NU.
Last Time Out
Northwestern opened its home season by posting four wins in five games last week. The 'Cats held on for a 5-4 win over Illinois-Chicago in the home opener Wednesday. NU led 5-2 entering the seventh inning, and threw out the potential tying run attempting to score. Erin Mobley (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) went 3-for-4 for the Wildcats, including a double and triple. Courtnay Foster struck out 13 batters to pick up the win. After having its game against No. 20 Ohio State postponed due to rain Friday, Northwestern swept a doubleheader from the Buckeyes Saturday. The 'Cats rallied for five runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to win the opener 5-2. J.C. Kira (Honolulu, Hawaii/Saint Francis) hit a two-run single to tie the score, and Kristen Amegin (W. Sacramento , Calif./Elk Grove) followed with the game-winning RBI single. Carri Leto (El Cajon, Calif./Valhalla) went 3-for-4 and Lauren Schwendimann (Tustin, Calif./Foothill) allowed only two hits over 6 2/3 shutout innings of relief to earn the victory. NU rolled in the nightcap, 10-3. Amegin and Cindy Muran (Newbury Park, Calif./Newbury Park) hit home runs for the Wildcats. The 'Cats dominated the first game of its twinbill with Penn State Sunday, outhitting the Nittany Lions 8-2. But a sixth-inning solo home run by Kelley Galigher was all PSU needed to pick up a 1-0 win. Foster struck out nine in picking up the tough-luck loss. In the second game, NU hit three home runs of its own to post a 4-0 win. Mobley, Schwendimann and Robyn Pettinger (Hoffman Estate, Ill./Fremd) each went deep for the 'Cats. Schwendimann allowed just three hits in picking up the complete-game shutout.
Scouting Indiana
The Hoosiers (14-18, 0-6) have dropped 26 consecutive Big Ten games, including their first six this season. Indiana dropped two games at home to Wisconsin last weekend, 6-1 and 4-3 in nine innings. Three of its Big Ten losses have been by one run. Stormy Hanson is batting a team-leading .402 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 24 RBI. She also has 13 stolen bases and a .814 slugging percentage. Heather Stillians leads the squad with a 2.42 ERA, to go along with a 7-9 record.
Scouting Purdue
The Boilermakers (24-17, 3-3) are tied for fifth in the Big Ten with a 3-3 record after dropping two games to Minnesota last weekend, 1-0 and 8-2. Andrea Hillsey leads the conference with 56 hits and a sizzling .487 batting average. Heidi Foster and Tricia Lilley have hit nine home runs apiece. Foster also has a Big Ten-leading 15 doubles. Angi Roembke has posted 21 stolen bases in 22 attempts. Leighann Burke is 16-8 this season with a 1.94 ERA and seven shutouts. Purdue swept a doubleheader from IPFW Tuesday. Diana LaRiva tossed a no-hitter in an 8-0 opening-game win. The Boilers won the nightcap 19-0.
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.
Mobley Named Big Ten Player of the Week
Sophomore right fielder Erin Mobley has been named the Big Ten Softball Player of the Week. It is the first such honor for Mobley in her career and the second time an NU player has received a Big Ten honor this season. Freshman Courtnay Foster (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) was previously named Co-Big Ten Pitcher of the Week. Mobley posted a .444 batting average (8-for-18) and a .944 slugging percentage as the Wildcats won four out of five games. For the week, she totaled four doubles, a triple, a home run, six runs scored and four RBI. Mobley recorded at least one hit in all five games last week, and has hit safely in 18 of the last 20 contests. She is batting .462 over that span, which includes 10 multi-hit games. Mobley leads the team with a .375 batting average and a .587 slugging percentage. Her team-high four triples ranks second in the Big Ten, while her eight doubles ranks sixth.
'Cats Earn Recognition in National Polls
Northwestern has been ranked as high as 22nd in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll this season. This season represents NU's first top 25 appearance in a national poll since 1995. The 'Cats have also received votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll, reaching a ranking as high as 27th. The Wildcats are ranked 29th in both polls this week.
Schwendimann Earns NU Honor
Pitcher Lauren Schwendimann was named the Northwestern University Hilton Garden Inn Athlete of the Week for her performance the week of March 31-April 6. The senior appeared in three games, pitching 15.1 innings and posting a perfect 0.00 ERA. She struck out 10 batters and walked one. Schwendimann pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings of two-hit relief as NU rallied for a 5-2 win against No. 20 Ohio State Saturday. The following day against Penn State, she tossed a complete-game three-hitter and hit a home run as the Wildcats won 4-0.
Home Sweet Home
After recording only eight home runs over their first 27 games of the season away from Drysdale Field, the Wildcats' bats came alive last week at the "friendly confines." Northwestern hit six home runs in its first five games at home, including three during a 4-0 win in the second game of a doubleheader against Penn State Sunday. The three home runs in a game ranks as a tie for the second-highest single-game total in school history. NU most recently accomplished the feat against Ohio State April 28, 2000. The single-game record is six set versus DePaul May 4, 1982.
Climbing the Charts
Senior left fielder Brett Nakabayashi (Irvine, Calif./Irvine) continues to climb toward the top of the leaderboard in a number of career offensive categories. She currently has 99 career runs scored to rank fourth on the all-time chart. Nakabayashi needs just two more runs to move into a tie for third and six to tie for second. The record is 115 held by Erin Jancic (1999-2002). She also currently ranks in a tie for fifth all-time with 63 walks, just two shy of third place. Jenn Schull (1997-2000) holds the NU record with 75 career walks.
Tough Road Ahead
The Wildcats face a challenging schedule in 2003. Northwestern will encounter at least 13 different opponents and 20 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 five of the top 10 ranked teams in the current poll.
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 travel just a few miles south to take on Loyola-Chicago in a 3 p.m. doubleheader Tuesday. The Wildcats then make the trek to Iowa to face the Hawkeyes in single games at 6 p.m. Friday and noon on Saturday.
