Northwestern University Athletics
NU Opens Regional Play Against Tennessee Tech
5/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 15, 2003
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AUSTIN, Texas -
Northwestern kicks off its run to the Women's College World Series at 5:30 p.m. Thursday deep in the heart of Texas. The second-seeded Wildcats (35-17) face off against Tennessee Tech (41-14) in the final game of the evening at McCombs Field. NU is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and the first since 2000.
After squeaking into the Big Ten Tournament with a sixth-place finish during the regular season, the 'Cats made a Cinderella run to the tournament championship game. Despite dropping a 2-0 decision to Iowa for the title, the Wildcats still earned the highest seed of any of the seven Big Ten teams that received regional berths.
Tennessee Tech makes its first regional appearance after going 17-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference and winning the conference tournament title. The Golden Eagles are led OVC Player of the Year Stephanie Dallman, who ranks among the nation's leaders with a .443 batting average.
Northwestern is 12-11 in five previous tournament appearances. In addition to their appearance three years ago, the Wildcats made four consecutive trips from 1984-87. NU has faced one of the toughest schedules in the country this season and is 18-15 against teams in the NCAA Tournament field. The 'Cats only have two losses this season to teams that did not receive a tournament bid (Wisconsin, Purdue).
If the 'Cats are able to defeat Tennessee Tech, their game on Friday against the winner between Arizona State and Southwest Texas will shown on ESPN2 on a tape-delay basis at 6 p.m.
