Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Draws Purdue in Big Ten Tournament Opener
5/8/2017 4:57:00 PM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Big Ten Tournament | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | COVERAGE | LIVE STATS | |
| Thursday, May 11 | No. 9 Purdue | 10 a.m. CT/ 11 a.m. ET |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | BTN | Live Stats | |
| Friday, May 12 | No. 1 Minnesota | 10 a.m. CT/ 11 a.m. ET |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | BTN | Live Stats | |
| Saturday, May 13 | Semifinal | Noon CT/ 1 p.m. ET |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | BTN | Live Stats | |
| Saturday, May 13 | Championship | 5 p.m. CT/ 6 p.m. ET |
Ann Arbor, Mich. | BTN | Live Stats | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern | Tournament Bracket |
||||||
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, this weekend for the 2017 Big Ten Tournament hosted by the Wolverines at Alumni Field.
The Wildcats are the No. 8 overall seed this season, and will get started at 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m ET Thursday, May 11, against No. 9 seed Purdue in the opening round. The winner of that game advances to play No. 1 seed Minnesota at the same time Friday, May 12.
Northwestern carries a 23-16 all-time Big Ten Tournament record into this weekend's event, winning the inaugural edition in 1982—when it was used to determine the B1G's first overall conference champion—and again in 2008. The Wildcats served as hosts three years ago, bringing in lights to stage the first-ever night game in Sharon J. Drysdale Field history—a 10-4 victory over Michigan State. Northwestern received a bye through to the quarterfinal round in each of the previous two seasons; its last appearance in the opening round was the aforementioned victory over MSU at The J.
NU swept its regular-season series with Purdue at home at The J, taking the first game in a 12-4 (6) run-rule decision before winning the remaining games by 6-0 and 6-3 scores.
In that series, junior Sammy Nettling was nearly unconscious at the plate, batting .714 with three doubles. Senior Krista Williams also had a strong three games, hitting .545. In the circle, sophomore Kaley Winegarner through a complete-game 3-hit shutout and also earned a save while tossing 8.0 total scoreless innings. Morgan Newport and Nicole Bond picked up NU's other two victories from the pitching rubber.
The Wildcats and Boilermakers last squared off in the Big Ten Tournament in a 2015 quarterfinal matchup in Columbus, Ohio. Northwestern won that game, 3-0.
Awaiting the winner between Northwestern and Purdue is Minnesota, which won its first Big Ten Championship since 1991 this season. The Gophers currently are the No. 4 ranked team in the nation according to the most recent NFCA coaches poll. NU lost all three of its games in Minneapolis this season, but Bond threw a complete-game two-hitter in the second of the series—the Wildcats narrowly lost by a 3-2 score.
NU and Minnesota also met in the semifinal round of the 2016 Big Ten Tournament in University Park, Pa., when the Gophers picked up an 8-4 decision.
The last time Northwestern and Minnesota hooked up in a Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor? The year was 2004, and the game was a classic. NU trailed 2-0 heading into the final inning and current Gophers pitching coach Piper Ritter was in the circle as a student-athlete. The skies opened and rain delayed the last three outs until the next day—where the Wildcats plated two runs to tie the game and eventually won, 5-2, in 11 innings.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
P/U
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballSoftball - Marina Mason Tosses One-Hit Shutout, 'Cats Claim Series Win vs. Minnesota (5/3/26)
Monday, May 04
The Foundation: Northwestern Softball | 2026 Senior Class
Friday, May 01
Softball - Wildcats Open Weekend with 5-1 Win Over Minnesota (5/1/26)
Friday, May 01
Softball - Marina Mason's Complete Game Shutout Fuels a 1-0 Series Sweeping Win at Purdue - 4/26/26
Sunday, April 26
