Northwestern University Athletics
High-Octane Wildcats Welcome Boilermakers to Evanston
4/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
| 2015 Northwestern Softball -- Purdue Series |
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| Game Notes | Northwestern's Weekly Release |
| Game One: Northwestern (17-11, 5-0 B1G) vs. Purdue (23-11, 4-2 B1G) |
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| Date | Friday, April 3 | 4 p.m. CT |
| Location | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Coverage | BTN Plus on BTN2GO | Gametracker | @NU_SportsLIVE  |
| Game Two: Northwestern (17-11, 5-0 B1G) vs. Purdue (23-11, 4-2 B1G) |
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| Date | Saturday, April 4 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Location | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Coverage | BTN Plus on BTN2GO | Gametracker | @NU_SportsLIVE |
| Game Three: Northwestern (17-11, 5-0 B1G) vs. Purdue (23-11, 4-2 B1G) |
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| Date | Sunday, April 5 | Noon CT |
| Location | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Coverage | BTN Plus on BTN2GO | Gametracker | @NU_SportsLIVE |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Two of the top teams in the Big Ten so far this season will square off at Sharon J. Drysdale Field this Friday through Sunday, April 3-5, when Purdue makes the short drive up to Evanston to face first-place Northwestern.
The series kicks off at 4 p.m. CT Friday, April 3, before continuing at 1 p.m. CT Saturday and noon CT Sunday. All three games will be streamed live via BTN Plus on BTN2GO, with Sunday's game being re-aired on BTN at 10 a.m. CT Wednesday, April 8.
Tickets are available now online at NUsports.com or at the gate. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for youth and $3 for groups of 15 or more. New this year, fans can purchase 10-ticket flex plans at NUsports.com for just $3 a ticket. These tickets can be used in any combination for Northwestern home games at "The J."
The first 100 fans through the gate Friday will receive a free Northwestern Beanie sponsored by Cricket. On Saturday, NU is hosting a Camper Reunion with participants in the Wildcats' camps and clinics welcomed back to watch the game. On Easter Sunday, the first 100 fans will receive vouchers for free ice cream and all fans can visit an egg dying station to create their own Easter eggs to take home!
Northwestern (17-11, 5-0) is the lone remaining Big Ten unbeaten thanks to a three-game sweep on the road at Penn State followed by a doubleheader sweep at home against Wisconsin. The Wildcats and Badgers third game was rained out on Sunday. Purdue (23-11, 4-2), meanwhile, has a 4-2 conference mark courtesy of its own sweep of Wisconsin before dropping 2 of 3 to B1G newcomer Rutgers. Prior to this weekend, Purdue will play a midweek game against Ball State.
The Wildcats are 5-0 in the Big Ten thanks in no small part to their very big bats. Nine different #B1GCats have combined to average four home runs per game in Big Ten play, and Northwestern has a .973 team slugging percentage that leads the conference by a mind boggling .207 points. NU has earned three of its five victories via the run-rule and is averaging 12.2 runs per game.
33 runs in 2 games = Happy @NUSBcats #B1GCats. @NU_Sports pic.twitter.com/Kzrxnp1AOj
-- Jerry Lai (@jerrytlai) March 28, 2015
Five different Wildcats are batting over .500 in Big Ten play, with senior Olivia Duehr leading the way with a conference-best .615 average and 1.846 slugging percentage. She has five home runs already in five B1G games, and was named the Big Ten Player of the Week March 23. Meanwhile, fellow senior Julia Kuhn is hitting .533 following a 4-for-5 series against Wisconsin in which she had two home runs of her own.
Freshman Sabrina Rabin has extended her current hitting streak to 11 games while classmate Sammy Nettling is settling in after missing the first month of the year with an injury. Nettling is batting .583 with two home runs in four Big Ten starts.
Not to be outdone, junior Andrea Filler has 10 RBIs in five league games while slugging 1.200 and senior Andrea DiPrima has a team-season-best 12-game hitting streak going with three home runs of her own against Big Ten brethren.
Northwestern's juggernaut of an offense will face a true test in Purdue ace Lilly Fecho, who has thrown 62 percent of the Boilermakers' innings this year. Fecho is 15-7 with a 1.19 ERA and is averaging 9.1 strikeouts per seven innings.
The Wildcats have not been without an ace of their own in Big Ten play. Junior Kristen Wood leads the conference with a 0.95 ERA and a .132 opponent's batting average while compiling a 4-0 record thus far. She already has a pair of 5.0-inning complete-game one-hit shutouts with 11 strikeouts, one each against Penn State and Wisconsin. Wood currently ranks 19th in the country with 9.4 strikeouts per seven innings.
UP NEXT
Northwestern welcomes UIC to Sharon J. Drysdale Field at 4 p.m. CT Wednesday, April 8, for a nonconference midweek showdown. Fans will be able to play Midweek Bingo and it is District 65 Day, where all District 65 students and their families will be admitted for just $3!
PLAY BALL!
For a complete preview and notes on this weekend's Purdue series, download the Northwestern weekly release available in the chart at the top of this page.
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