Northwestern University Athletics
B1G Battle Looms in Lincoln for Northwestern, Nebraska
4/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
| 2015 Northwestern Softball -- Nebraska Series |
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| Game Notes | Northwestern's Weekly Release |
| Game One: Northwestern (20-15, 8-3 B1G) at Nebraska (23-18, 10-4 B1G) |
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| Date | Friday, April 17 | 4:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Bowlin Stadium | Lincoln, Neb. |
| Live Coverage | Live Nebraska Audio | Live Stats | @NU_SportsLIVE  |
| Game Two: Northwestern (20-15, 8-3 B1G) at Nebraska (23-18, 10-4 B1G) |
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| Date | Saturday, April 18 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Location | Bowlin Stadium | Lincoln, Neb. |
| Live Coverage | Live Nebraska Audio | Live Stats | @NU_SportsLIVE |
| Game Three: Northwestern (20-15, 8-3 B1G) at Nebraska (23-18, 10-4 B1G) |
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| Date | Sunday, April 19 | 3 p.m. CT |
| Location | Bowlin Stadium | Lincoln, Neb. |
| Live Coverage | Live on BTN | Live Stats | @NU_SportsLIVE |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- As teams cross the halfway point of the Big Ten season this week, two of the conference's top teams will face off in Lincoln, Nebraska, when Northwestern travels to play Nebraska in a three-game set.
SCHEDULE UPDATE: The series starts at 4:30 p.m. CT Friday, April 17, which is one hour earlier than originally announced due to weather concerns. It then continues at 1 p.m. CT Saturday. Sunday's series finale has a newer time than was originally publicized, as well; first pitch has been pushed back three hours to 3 p.m. CT to accommodate a live broadcast on BTN. The Friday and Saturday games will feature live audio courtesy of Nebraska.
Northwestern entered last week in first place in the Big Ten before suffering a series sweep at the hands of then-No. 15 Minnesota. With the conference standings determined by percentage, the Gophers (9-3, .750), Wildcats (8-3, .727) and Huskers (10-4, .714) are all within a game of each other in the battle for second place behind fourth-ranked Michigan (11-2, .846).
NU and Nebraska have had a similar trajectory to their seasons. The Wildcats have faced an incredibly challenging schedule and started the year with a 3-9 record before going 17-3 over their next 20 contests. Northwestern currently stands at 20-15 on the year and No. 31 in the NCAA's most recent RPI rankings. How tough has NU's schedule been? The average RPI of its opponents is 64 while those foes have a 64 percent combined winning percentage in their non-Northwestern games.
Meanwhile, Nebraska began 2015 with a 6-9 record before righting its ship with an 11-3 outburst over its subsequent 14 games. While the Huskers' overall record of 22-18 is similar to the Wildcats, Nebraska is 54th in the most recent RPI.
In the Big Ten race, both the Wildcats and Cornhuskers have faced two of the more challenging teams in this year's conference setting already. Northwestern swept Purdue and its excellent pitching at home while Nebraska traveled to West Lafayette and took two of three from the Boilermakers. Both squads also have faced Minnesota, with Nebraska going 1-2 at home against the Gophers while Northwestern dropped all three games in Minneapolis.
Northwestern junior Andrea Filler continues to be an RBI machine this season, driving in four more runs over NU's four games against ranked foes last week to reach 42 on the season. Included in that total were three more sacrifice flies to give her an NCAA-leading eight on the year. Though both Andrea DiPrima (17 games) and Sabrina Rabin (14 games) saw career-best hitting streaks come to a close last week, both remain among the Big Ten's leaders in several statistical categories.
Following this series, Northwestern returns home for five Big Ten games in a five day span. NU hosts Illinois on Wednesday, April 22, for a doubleheader on BTN before hosting Ohio State on Senior Weekend.
NORTHWESTERN ADDS KALEY WINEGARNER TO CLASS OF 2019
.@NUSBCats add championship pitcher Kaley Winegarner to highly touted #B1GCats Class of 2019! http://t.co/BamPtSWQgS pic.twitter.com/k3zNTqc75p
-- Northwestern Sports (@NU_Sports) April 16, 2015
NORTHWESTERN NAMED A TOP COLLEGE FOR DIVISION I SOFTBALL
Congrats @katedrohan and @CarylDrohan on building a special program..U 2 are the best of the best!!! #B1GCats #B1G https://t.co/W0ZueNPjEc
-- Pat Fitzgerald (@coachfitz51) April 8, 2015
PLAY BALL!For a complete preview and notes on this weekend's Nebraska series, download the Northwestern weekly release available in the chart at the top of this page.
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