Friday, March 3
Fullerton, Calif.
2 p.m. CT/Noon PT
Northwestern
vs
California
California Swing Continues at Prestigious Judi Garman Classic
3/1/2017 10:15:00 AM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Judi Garman Classic | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | STREAM | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, March 3 | #23 California | 2 p.m. CT/ Noon PT |
Anderson Family Field | FloSoftball ($) | Live Stats | |
| Friday, March 3 | South Carolina | 7:30 p.m. CT/ 5:30 p.m. PT |
Field 2 | FloSoftball ($) | Live Stats | |
| Saturday, March 4 | Fresno State | 11:30 a.m. CT/ 9:30 a.m. PT |
Anderson Family Field | FloSoftball ($) | Live Stats | |
| Saturday, March 4 | #3 Florida | 2 p.m. CT/ Noon PT |
Anderson Family Field | FloSoftball ($) | Live Stats | |
| Sunday, March 5 | #8 Washington | 11 a.m. CT/ 9 a.m. PT |
Anderson Family Field | FloSoftball ($) | Live Stats | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern | Official Tournament Website |
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Buoyed by momentum coming out of last weekend's Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Northwestern returns to California this weekend, March 3-5, for the Judi Garman Classic hosted by Cal State Fullerton.
The Garman boasts nearly as prestigious a field as the Mary Nutter, and represents another top tier tournament on college softball's early-season California swing. Half of the 14 teams competing on two fields at Fullerton's campus enter this weekend ranked in the USA Today/NFCA top 25. Northwestern will face three of those squads, beginning at 2 p.m. CT/noon PT Friday, March 3 with No. 23 California. NU plays South Carolina Friday night and Fresno State Saturday morning before ending the tournament with a pair of top-10 foes: No. 3 Florida and No. 8 Washington.
The Wildcats and Huskies played just one week ago at the Mary Nutter. Kenzie Ellis hit a first-inning home run for Northwestern, but the Huskies battled back with a pair of unearned runs in the third before taking command with a four-run fifth in an eventual 6-3 win over NU.
The Wildcats dominated N.C. State and earned a solid all-around 3-1 victory against Houston in their final two games of last week's event, giving the squad some momentum heading into yet another strong tournament field. With three more ranked foes on the horizon, NU will have played 11 of its first 18 games of 2017 against ranked opponents. Despite the tough schedule, the Wildcats have been in nearly every single game this season; of their 10 losses, the 'Cats have been within two runs seven times, three times going into the bottom of the seventh tied or into extra innings against ranked opponents.
Northwestern is beginning to fire on many cylinders at this point in the year, with all signs pointing toward getting over the hump in close contests. Senior Anna Petersen had a career day with a grand slam and two doubles in the victory over the Wolfpack, while junior Sammy Nettling busted out of an early-season slump to go 5-for-10 with three doubles over NU's last three games.
In addition to leading Northwestern with a .351 average at the plate, Ellis has a team-best 2.26 ERA in the circle and is coming off a complete-game one-hitter in the win over Houston.
Following this week's event, the Wildcats will have a week off to prepare for winter quarter final exams before returning to action March 17-19 with six games at the Santa Clara Invitational for Spring Break 2017.
NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL HOME TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
Full season passes, single game tickets and group tickets to all 14 Northwestern home games are available NOW at NUsports.com. NU welcomes Big Ten foes Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland and Purdue to The J this year while also hosting nonconference games against UIC, Notre Dame and DePaul. Don't miss the FUN! Get yours today!
PROGRAMMING NOTE
In 2017, NU communications contact Doug Meffley will be on the road less, but the Wildcats will still be streamed multiple times at every tournament of the year. Below is a coverage schedule that should help in planning how you follow the 'Cats from here forward. All streams are free unless otherwise noted; subscription information for pay-per-view streams will be disseminated the week before those events. Also, EVERY GAME this year will have live stats and live tweets at NUsports.com and @NUSBCats.
A full home stream and television schedule will be finalized and available in the coming weeks.
JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC: All games will be covered live by FloSoftball ($)
SANTA CLARA TOURNAMENT: Doug Meffley will return to the road to have an audio broadcast of all six games in Santa Clara ($)
PLAY BALL!
For a complete preview and notes on this weekend's Judi Garman Classic, download our Game Notes available here and in the chart at the top of this page.
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Players Mentioned
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Sunday, May 04
Softball - 'Cats Earn 8-0 Run-Rule Win at No. 8 UCLA (5/2/25)
Saturday, May 03
Softball - Kaylie Avvisato Hits Walk-Off Home Run, 'Cats Take Series vs. Wisconsin (4/27/25)
Sunday, April 27
