Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Kick Off 2004 Season at Arizona State Triangular
2/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 5, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill. - Coming off the best season under third-year head coach Kate Drohan, the Northwestern softball program is ready to make yet another step in the direction of becoming a national powerhouse. The Wildcats take their first step at the Arizona State Triangular this weekend in Tempe, Ariz. where they will face No. 20 ASU and Kansas.
Of all the intangibles a national powerhouse must possess to reach such status, confidence is, perhaps, the most significant. With a solid blend of battle-tested veterans and young talent, the 'Cats feel as though they can be better than last year's 36-19 team which advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Championship.
"I think our team is ready," said Drohan, who has compiled 60 wins in two seasons. "We have kind of been chomping at the bit to get out and play. We're excited to be in the sun."
Like any other season-opening weekend, Drohan will find out quite a bit about her team. With half of last season's starters lost to graduation, the question becomes how do the replacements fill their shoes.
"I am really looking for this team to gel," Drohan said. "We've got a lot of newcomers and we need to combine their talents and gifts and I think we are going to start to do that this weekend."
While an element of uncertainty will always loom over a team's first game of the season, the Wildcats have a few proven commodities. Seniors Carri Leto and J.C. Kira have been staples in the Northwestern lineup for the past three years. The duo has played in a combined 281 ballgames and were both selected as second-team All-Big Ten performers last season.
Junior Erin Mobley posted one of the best offensive seasons in Northwestern history in 2003. She garnered first-team All-Big Ten honors as well as second-team NFCA All-Mideast Region. Mobley set Northwestern single season records with total bases (98), extra-base hits (21) and doubles (13).
Pitcher Courtnay Foster established herself as one of the nation's premier freshman hurlers in 2003. She racked up 292 strikeouts en route to being named second-team All-Big Ten and NFCA All-Mideast Region honors.
Without question, playing high-caliber teams like Arizona State and Kansas let a team know where they stand, and the Wildcats are eager to prove they belong with the best.
Scouting the Sun Devils
Arizona State began the season 3-0 by sweeping Stephen F. Austin at home last weekend. The Sun Devils were 32-25 overall last season and 7-14 in the Pac10. Senior Phelan Wright will lead the ASU again this seaso. She earned first-team All-Pacific Region and first-team All-Pac-10 honors. She is ASU's career leader in batting average (.378), recorded a career-high 48 RBIs (second all-time in a single-season at ASU) and set the single-season record for home runs (15). Arizona State is coached by Linda Wells. Well, who is currently the seventh-most successful active coach in NCAA Division I history with 851 victories, has led the Sun Devils to 11 (seven consecutive 1997-03) NCAA Regional appearances in 14 seasons, including two trips in the past five years to the College World Series (1999/2002). Arizona State and Northwestern both appeared in the same NCAA Regional Tournament last season, but did not face each other. Arizona State holds a 3-1 advantage over NU in the all-time series.
Scouting the Jayhawks
Kansas recorded a 26-22 overall record in 2003. After starting the season with a 16-4 record, the Jayhawks stumbled a bit in conference play, going 4-14 against Big 12 competition. Kansas returns 15 of 16 letterwinners from last season, including all 10 starters. Sophomore Jessica Moppin hit a team-high 11 home runs and recorded a .559 slugging percentage as a freshman. Former Jayhawk All-American pitcher and KU Hall of Famer Tracy Bunge is in her eighth year as head coach after guiding the Jayhawks to a 218-193 record over the previous seven seasons. Northwestern holds a 3-1 advantage over the Jayhawks in the all-time series.
