Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Take on Buckeyes Thursday Afternoon
5/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 24, 2006
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -
Big Ten Tournament Notes in PDF Format
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Northwestern's baseball team learned it will play 36-19 and third-seed Ohio State in its first game of the 2006 Big Ten Tournament. The second-seeded Wildcats earned a first-round bye after finishing second to conference champion Michigan in the regular season. The Buckeyes needed 12 innings to defeat sixth-seed Purdue, 2-1. NU plays at 2:35 p.m. (CT).
The Boilermakers fall to the loser's bracket where they will take on the five-seed Illinois at 11 a.m. (CT). The Illini dropped Wednesday's opening game 8-1 to Minnesota. The Gophers take on top-seeded Michigan at 6 p.m. (CT).
Tournament Preview
Northwestern has accomplished a lot of `firsts' this season. It is the first time is school history to win 21 Big Ten games. It is the first time in the Paul Stevens era NU has earned a first-round Big Ten tournament bye. So with all the `firsts' going on, why not the NCAA Tournament?
Just like in basketball, the winner of the conference tournament receives an automatic bid to the 64-team tournament. Northwestern has never won the Big Ten Tournament and is qualifying for just the seventh time since the tournament was introduced in 1981. Four of the Wildcats' seven appearances, including the last three, have occurred in Minneapolis (1984, 2000, 2002, 2003); the other two took place at Ohio State (1991, 1995).
NU is 6-12 in the tourney and head coach Paul Stevens is 3-10 all-time. The Wildcats' best finish was 1984, when they were runner-up to Michigan.
The site of this year's tournament is Ray Fisher Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., home of the league champion Wolverines. Fifth-seeded Illinois hosted in 2005.
The 2006 Wildcats are led into postseason action by Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Dan Brauer. Brauer wins the award after missing the entire 2005 season because of an arm injury. Brauer is just the second Wildcat hurler to he honored as the league's top pitcher, as Chad Schroeder was the first NU standout selected in 1995.
After a slow nonconference start, Brauer picked up right where he left off after the 2004 campaign. He was a remarkable 7-0 in conference action and NU won all eight of his league starts. He ended the regular season as the Big Ten strikeout leader in overall games (90) and conference games (56).
Stevens earned his third Big Ten Coach of the Year honor after being voted top skipper in 1991 and 1995.
Northwestern first baseman Pat McMahon repeated his first-team accolades in 2005 (as the DH) with a first-team first-baseman selection. Sophomore Antonio Mulé took McMahon's spot as the league's top designated hitter. It is his first distinction. Brauer was a unanimous first-team starting pitcher selection.
Catcher Geoff Dietz and relief pitcher Julio Siberio each garnered All-Big Ten accolades for the first time. Both earned third-team honors.
