Travel Issues Rearrange Maryland Series Schedule

4/5/2017 12:00:00 PM | Softball

NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Maryland Series
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	COVERAGE	LIVE STATS
Friday, April 7	Maryland	POSTPONED	Sharon J. Drysdale Field	BTN Plus ($)	Live Stats
Saturday, April 8	Maryland (DH)	Noon CT	Sharon J. Drysdale Field	BTN Plus ($)	Live Stats
Sunday, April 9	Maryland	Noon CT	Sharon J. Drysdale Field	BTN Plus ($)	Live Stats
Wednesday, April 12	Loyola (Chicago)	4 p.m. CT	Loyola Softball Field	Studio N ($)	Live Stats
Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (nusbcats) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following the postponement of Wednesday's series at Illinois, Northwestern next welcomes Maryland to Evanston for a three-game series at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The weather forecast calls for sunny skies and warm temperatures all weekend long at The J!

SCHEDULE UPDATE: In addition to schedule changes made following this week's weather postponement of Wednesday's Illinois series, Friday's game against Maryland has been postponed due to weather-related travel problems on the East Coast. NU and Maryland will instead play a noon CT doubleheader Saturday in addition to a Sunday single game, also at noon CT. Tickets for Friday's game will be good for Saturday.

Saturday's noon CT doubleheader will be held just after the Northwestern Football open spring practice at Ryan Field. Any participants in the Youth Football Clinic Saturday and their families can attend softball for just $3. Additionally, Lifesource is having a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Stadium Club (7th floor) of the Ryan Field press box. Arrive early and save a life! For students, a free shuttle will run from campus to the Ryan Field area from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the football spring scrimmage and softball doubleheader.

Sunday's series finale will have a pre-game session called "Eat + Train + Softball," where young players can learn how to fuel properly for the upcoming softball season with a member of the Northwestern Nutrition staff.

BUY TICKETS TO THE MARYLAND HOMESTAND NOW!

Northwestern returns home after facing 20th-ranked Michigan in Ann Arbor last weekend, dropping all three games to the Wolverines. The contests added to what remains the country's fifth-toughest schedule in 2017, giving NU 21 games against top-50 opponents among its first 32 of the year (66 percent).

Maryland enters the weekend on a rough skid after dropping all three games to both Ohio State and Michigan State to start Big Ten play. The Terrapins 7-26-1 record is as similarly deceiving as the Wildcats 13-19 mark—Maryland has played the No. 22 strength of schedule in the country this year and owns one of the nation's most stunning wins: a 4-2 decision over then-No. 1 Florida in Gainesville on February 18.

For Northwestern, senior Anna Petersen continued her hot start to her final Big Ten season. After slugging a pair of home runs in a win over No. 22 Wisconsin, she doubled twice off absolutely red-hot Michigan pitching last weekend in Ann Arbor. Petersen ranks among the conference leaders in home runs, doubles and slugging in Big Ten play.

As a team, NU's speed also continues to rank among the league leaders. The Wildcats rank second in the Big Ten with 49 steals overall and third with seven swipes in conference play. Given Northwestern's tough schedule and the lower OBPs that come with it, NU is making the most of its opportunities to get an extra 60 feet when it's on base.

WEDNESDAY'S POSTPONEMENT LEADS TO SCHEDULE CHANGES
Northwestern's doubleheader against Illinois has been rescheduled for 2 p.m. CT Wednesday, May 3 at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. That date was originally scheduled to feature DePaul coming to Evanston; the game against DePaul has been moved to 4 p.m. CT Wednesday, April 19, at The J.

Additionally, Friday's game against Maryland has been postponed due to weather-related travel problems on the East Coast. The two teams will instead play a noon CT doubleheader Saturday and a single game Sunday.

For the latest schedule information, visit the schedule page at NUsports.com.

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.