Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Welcome No. 22 Badgers to Open Drysdale Field Season
3/22/2017 1:40:00 PM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Wisconsin Week | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | AUDIO | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, March 24 | #22 Wisconsin | 4 p.m. CT | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | Studio N ($) | Live Stats | |
| Saturday, March 25 | #22 Wisconsin | 1 p.m. CT | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | Studio N ($) | Live Stats | |
| Sunday, March 26 | #22 Wisconsin | Noon CT | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | Studio N ($) | Live Stats | |
| Wednesday, March 29 |
UIC | 4 p.m. CT | Sharon J. Drysdale Field | Studio N ($) | Live Stats | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern | Wisconsin |
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern opens its 2017 home schedule this weekend, and in true Wildcats fashion it is against a ranked opponent. NU welcomes No. 22 Wisconsin to Sharon J. Drysdale Field for a three-game Friday through Sunday, March 24-26, set to kick off Big Ten play.
Opening Day at The J is 4 p.m. Friday, March 24, on what is forecast to be a beautiful, 70-degree day in Evanston. The Wildcats and Badgers then are scheduled to play at 1 p.m. CT Saturday and noon CT Sunday to complete their series.
Northwestern comes into the weekend on a five-game winning streak following its Spring Break 2017 trip to Northern California. The games put a cap on a preconference schedule that is rated as the toughest in the entire nation according to the first NCAA RPI data released this week.
The Wildcats have played 60 percent of their schedule thus far against teams in the top-35 of the current RPI, including six against the top six. Additionally, more than three-fourths of the NU schedule (76 percent) has come against teams in the current RPI top-70. NU has victories over Nos. 18 (California), 24 (South Carolina), 30 (Fresno State) and Tulsa (34) in that stretch. Of its losses to top-ranked RPI foes, Northwestern took No. 1 Washington and No. 5 Baylor into extra innings.
Wisconsin also will arrive in Evanston riding high. The Badgers are winners of 12 straight, having not lost since February 24 against Boston College.
Northwestern pitching has been outstanding and diverse so far in 2017. The four-member staff has compiled a team ERA of 2.73, the first time NU has been under 3.00 as a staff at this point in the season since the 2009 campaign. The schedule those hurlers have faced makes that number all the more impressive.
At the plate, junior Marissa Panko is leading a phalanx of Wildcats who are heating up midway through the year. Over NU's last eight games, Panko is batting .500 with a .621 on-base percentage. She joins Sammy Nettling (.308, 10 RBIs in NU's last 15 games) and Brooke Marquez (hits in six-straight at-bats over three different games) as 'Cats whose averages are much higher today than they were a few weeks ago. In Marquez's case, the centerpiece of her offensive streak was a 4-for-4 performance against Long Beach State that included a triple and featured a career-best five RBIs.
Following the Wisconsin series, NU hosts a midweek nonconference contest at 4 p.m. CT Wednesday, March 29, against UIC.
NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL HOME TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
After cavorting around Northern California on Spring Break 2017, the Wildcats return home to open their Sharon J. Drysdale Field schedule March 24-26 against No. 24 Wisconsin. Season passes for NU's 13 home games are available now at NUsports.com. In addition to Wisconsin, Northwestern welcomes Illinois, Maryland and Purdue to town from the Big Ten while also hosting nonconference matchups with UIC, Notre Dame and DePaul. Get your tickets today!
We also are holding a raffle each day next week leading up to the start of the home season March 24 against No. 24 Wisconsin. One season-ticket holder will be randomly selected each day to win the prize in the chart below—so don't wait until the last minute, buy your season tickets today to be eligible for all of next week's prizes!
WELSH-RYAN ARENA CONSTRUCTION
Fans are encouraged to park in the lot east of Ryan Field (The "East Lot") to avoid the construction barriers in place for the ongoing Welsh-Ryan Arena renovation project. Fans also should be aware that Sharon J. Drysdale Field will have temporary restroom facilities until the completion of the project, and that the left-field bleachers have been removed. The right field bleachers remain in place.
NORTHWESTERN RELEASES STREAMING SCHEDULE FOR REMAINDER OF 2017
Once again this season, the majority of NU's games will be broadcast via BTN Plus or Studio N, two subscription platforms each requiring separate purchases. More information on each service and a helpful broadcast list are below; please note that all of these game designations are subject to change. Links to each game broadcast will be found on the schedule page at NUsports.com.
STUDIO N (12 Games): Studio N audio and video fall under a single subscription once again this year. Northwestern softball SID Doug Meffley will have seven road audio broadcasts in addition to five home streams that will all be part of the Studio N package. Cost is $3.95 for a 24 hour pass, $6.95 for a monthly pass (BEST VALUE!) or $39.95 for an annual pass. We recommend a monthly pass for the Santa Clara Round Robin Tournament because it will also give you access to the entire Wisconsin home series (March 24-26) and the UIC home game (March 29) for one $6.95 purchase.
- March 17-19 (Santa Clara Round Robin)
- March 24-26 (Wisconsin home series)
- March 29 (UIC home game)
- May 3 (DePaul home game)
BTN PLUS (16 Games): Northwestern will play 16 games on BTN Plus this season. Cost is $9.95 for a monthly pass for Northwestern games. If you plan to purchase a BTN Plus subscription, we recommend you wait until just before the Michigan series to maximize your monthly pass.
- March 31-April 1 (Michigan away series)
- April 7-9 (Maryland home series)
- April 14-16 (Minnesota away series)
- April 21-23 (Purdue home series)
- April 29-30 (Nebraska away series)
- May 5-7 (Iowa away series)
BTN (5 Games): Northwestern will play five games on BTN this season, including three at Sharon J. Drysdale Field:
- April 2 at Michigan
- April 5 vs. Illinois (DH)
- April 25 vs. Notre Dame
- April 28 at Nebraska
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