Northwestern University Athletics
Saturday, February 17
Glendale, Ariz.
3:30 p.m.
Northwestern
vs
Nebraska - Omaha
SCHEDULE UPDATE: 'Cats Open Campaign in Arizona, Battle Omaha
2/15/2018 6:48:00 PM | Baseball
UPDATE (Friday, Feb 16: 4:00 p.m. CT) - Friday's season-opening game has been canceled due to travel issues. Northwestern and Omaha will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 4:30 p.m. CT with game two following approximately 35 minutes after. The series finale will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
UPDATE (Friday, Feb 16: 9:30 a.m. CT) - Friday's season-opening game has been canceled due to travel issues. Stay tuned for more updates on the weekend's remaining games.
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern baseball opens the 2018 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 17 with a series against Nebraska-Omaha in Glendale, Arizona, at Camelback Ranch Stadium – the Spring Training home of the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
WNUR will broadcast every pitch of this weekend's action.
The Wildcats enter the 2018 season after completing one of the most memorable campaigns in program history, advancing to the Big Ten Conference Tournament title game for the first time since 1984. NU was the seventh seed in the conference tournament and knocked off No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 4 Maryland during the run.
Northwestern went 21-12 to close the campaign to finish the season with a 27-30 overall mark. The program's 27 wins were a 12-win improvement from the 2016 season and most wins since the 2000 season.
THE OPPONENT:
Omaha posted a 12-40 overall mark in 2017 with nine of its wins coming against Summit League foes. IF/RHP Grant Suponchick is the Mavs' top returner at the dish after posting a .287 average with 47 hits and 22 RBI.
ON THE BUMP:
Northwestern will have a new look to its rotation this season, headlined by the return All-Big Ten Freshman Hank Christie. Christie had a breakout rookie campaign. The right-hander finished the season with a 5-4 record and 3.82 ERA, but was 4-1 (3.12 ERA) in league games. The Oak Park, Illinois, native posted team-highs in innings pitched (77.2) and strikeouts (49).
Christie will throw game one Friday night.
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reylonds has elected to go with junior Danny Katz for game two before turning the ball over to a pair of left-handed first years in Quinn Lavelle and Ryan Bader.
Katz appeared in 17 games in 2017, all of which came out of relief. The Winnetka, Illinois, native will make the first start of his career.
Nebraska-Omaha will throw junior RHP Grant Suponchick in game one, junior RHP Cal Kehnke in game two, redshirt freshman RHP Joey Machado in game three and senior Payton Kinney in the finale.
ARIZONA OPENERS:
This will be the fourth straight season-opening series in Arizona for the #B1GCats:
• 2015: Surprise, Ariz. (0-3)
• 2016: Mesa, Ariz. – Sloan Park (Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs) (2-2)
• 2017: Tempe, Ariz. – at Arizona State (0-3)
UPDATE (Friday, Feb 16: 9:30 a.m. CT) - Friday's season-opening game has been canceled due to travel issues. Stay tuned for more updates on the weekend's remaining games.
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern baseball opens the 2018 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 17 with a series against Nebraska-Omaha in Glendale, Arizona, at Camelback Ranch Stadium – the Spring Training home of the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
WNUR will broadcast every pitch of this weekend's action.
The Wildcats enter the 2018 season after completing one of the most memorable campaigns in program history, advancing to the Big Ten Conference Tournament title game for the first time since 1984. NU was the seventh seed in the conference tournament and knocked off No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 4 Maryland during the run.
Northwestern went 21-12 to close the campaign to finish the season with a 27-30 overall mark. The program's 27 wins were a 12-win improvement from the 2016 season and most wins since the 2000 season.
THE OPPONENT:
Omaha posted a 12-40 overall mark in 2017 with nine of its wins coming against Summit League foes. IF/RHP Grant Suponchick is the Mavs' top returner at the dish after posting a .287 average with 47 hits and 22 RBI.
ON THE BUMP:
Northwestern will have a new look to its rotation this season, headlined by the return All-Big Ten Freshman Hank Christie. Christie had a breakout rookie campaign. The right-hander finished the season with a 5-4 record and 3.82 ERA, but was 4-1 (3.12 ERA) in league games. The Oak Park, Illinois, native posted team-highs in innings pitched (77.2) and strikeouts (49).
Christie will throw game one Friday night.
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reylonds has elected to go with junior Danny Katz for game two before turning the ball over to a pair of left-handed first years in Quinn Lavelle and Ryan Bader.
Katz appeared in 17 games in 2017, all of which came out of relief. The Winnetka, Illinois, native will make the first start of his career.
Nebraska-Omaha will throw junior RHP Grant Suponchick in game one, junior RHP Cal Kehnke in game two, redshirt freshman RHP Joey Machado in game three and senior Payton Kinney in the finale.
ARIZONA OPENERS:
This will be the fourth straight season-opening series in Arizona for the #B1GCats:
• 2015: Surprise, Ariz. (0-3)
• 2016: Mesa, Ariz. – Sloan Park (Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs) (2-2)
• 2017: Tempe, Ariz. – at Arizona State (0-3)
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