Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, April 20
Evanston, Ill.
3:30 p.m.
Northwestern
vs
Michigan State
Photo by: Carolyn Katz - CKatz Photography
'Cats Return Home to Host Michigan State
4/19/2018 5:49:00 PM | Baseball
NORTHWESTERN NOTES | MICHIGAN STATE NOTES
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern returns home this week for a weekend series against Michigan State. Friday's game will begin at 3:30 p.m. CT and will be aired on Big Ten Network. Saturday's first pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT, and the Sunday afternoon finale is set for 1 p.m. CT.
All games will be available on the airwaves via WNUR.
The 'Cats currently sport a 9-21 overall record after falling to Milwaukee at in a tight game at home on Tuesday, 6-4 . The Spartans sit at 11-21 after defeating Western Michigan, 10-7, in Kalamazoo on Wednesday.
This weekend's matchup showcases the Big Ten's top teams in stolen bases per game. Northwestern leads the league at 2.13 stolen bases per game, while MSU sits in second with 2.10 swipes per contest.
LAST TIME OUT
After trailing Milwaukee, 4-0, in the first inning, Northwestern rallied to tie the ballgame at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth. First year Casey O'Laughlin came up clutch for the Wildcats in the eighth, hitting his first-career double that scored Connor Lind and pulled the contest even. Milwaukee plated a pair of runs in top of the ninth to go ahead and win, 6-4.
Jack Claeys, Willie Bourbon and O'Laughlin each drove in runs for the 'Cats.
THE OPPONENT
Michigan State enters the series 11-21 overall, including a 3-5 record in conference play, which is good for 11th in the Big Ten standings. Last weekend, MSU split two games at home versus Valparaiso. The last time the Spartans and Wildcats met was late in April 2017, when the Spartans took two of three at Miller Park. Leo Kaplan shined against Michigan State, tallying seven total bases, including a home run, in seven plate appearances in the series. Sophomore Alex Erro also contributed from the dish and on the base paths, hitting .333 with a double and stealing two bases.
The Spartans will hand the ball to RHP Ethan Landon (1-5, 3.34 ERA) for Friday's opener, followed by RHP Mason Erla (4-2, 3.75 ERA) on Saturday. Sunday's starter is TBD.
Mitchell Tyranski and Jake Lowery lead the club with two saves each.
The Spartans' staff sports a 4.46 ERA.
HOME COOKIN'
Northwestern has a handful of players who are looking forward to returning to the friendly confines of Miller Park. In nine home games this season, Charlie Maxwell is batting .308 (8-for-26) with a .462 slugging percentage. Jack Claeys owns a .300 home batting average with a pair of home runs and a slugging percentage of .533. Alex Erro has a team-best six RBI in games at home and is hitting .294.
On the bump, Jack Pagliarini owns a 1.10 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched at Miller Park with 23 strikeouts, while fellow starter Hank Christie boasts a 2.55 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched and a 12-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
TOUGH TEST
Northwestern has faced off against three of the top four teams in the Big Ten Conference standings to open league play – Michigan (1st), Illinois (T-3rd) and Indiana (T-3rd). The Wildcats' opponents are a combined 26-10 against league foes – best mark among league teams.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Northwestern's starting lineup only features a pair of seniors in 3B/DH Connor Lind and C/DH Jack Claeys. Not including pitchers, seven underclassmen have made at least 10 starts in 2018. Since opening Big Ten play, the Wildcats starting weekend rotation has featured two first years (LHP Quinn Lavelle/LHP Jack Pagliarini) and one sophomore (RHP Hank Christie).
ON THE BUMP
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reynolds has elected to go with the same rotation for the home series. Rookie Quinn Lavelle (3-4, 3.80 ERA) will start off for Chicago's Big Ten Team before handing the ball to sophomore Hank Christie (2-3, 4.83 ERA), then the series will conclude with rookie Jack Pagliarini (1-3, 3.38 ERA).
Lavelle will look to bounce back from the shortest outing of his young career. The rookie went just 3.1 innings against No. 10 Indiana on April 13. Before his outing against the Hoosiers, the lefty boasted a 2.75 ERA and 27-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. On the year, Lavelle has held hitters to a .267 clip in his team-best 42.2 innings pitched.
In the games after his first two losses, he posted ERAs of 2.08 and 0.00 with ten strikeouts.
Lavelle was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week (April 2) after throwing a complete-game shutout at Maryland, while fanning a career-high eight batters. He was the first Northwestern rookie pitcher to earn the honor since Brandon Magallones did so in 2012.
Christie has strung together back-to-back quality starts. The Oak Park, Illinois, native has gone 6.0 innings in each of his last two starts (vs/ Michigan/at Indiana) and only allowed one earned run in both outings, while fanning a total of nine batters. Last time out against the Hoosiers, he only allowed three hits and struck out six, tying his season high. When Christie faced up against the Spartans in 2017, he went 5.1 innings, while only allowing one run in and striking out four in a Wildcats win.
Pagliarini had his shortest outing as a starter last Sunday at Indiana, only making it 2.2 innings against the Hoosiers. Pagliarini has been strong coming off of losses this year. After his first loss on March 17 at Central Michigan, he followed up by tossing six strong innings against Illinois (March 25), allowing no earned and fanning seven. And after a strong start April 1 at Maryland in which the Wildcats were narrowly defeated and Pagliarini was credited with the loss, the rookie returned against Michigan and only allowed one earned and struck out eight, tying a career high.
The rookie lefty owns a 44-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has held hitters to a .228 clip this season.
The bullpen has shown it can step up and perform when relied upon to carry the load. During the Wildcats' matchup with Notre Dame on April 11, seven pitchers out of the pen combined to hold the Fighting Irish scoreless. In Tuesday's game versus Milwaukee, Sam Lawrence, Danny Katz, Ryan Bader, Tommy Bordignon and Josh Levy each tossed scoreless innings of relief, while Tyler Lass worked a pair of scoreless frames.
Senior Bordignon has been the leader that the 'Cats need in the pen. The Glenview, Illinois, native now sits at a 3.15 ERA on the season, and has held opposing batters to just a .236 average, second-best mark on the team among those that have tossed at least 20 innings. Bordignon leads Northwestern with three saves this season.
DUNN AND DONE
Junior shortstop Jack Dunn has been a model of consistency in this recent stretch, staying collected and making an impact on virtually every Wildcats run. He is now at eight multi-hit games on the season, including four since March 31. During the same stretch, he has only been struck out five times while scoring eight runs. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native has also reached base in seven consecutive games.
CLAEYS WITH CLASS
Catcher Jack Claeys has emerged as one of the most dangerous slugger on the team in recent weeks. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native is on a six-game hit streak, which includes a .363 clip during the streak. The senior also leads the team with six multi-RBI games. He, too, has been tough to send down without a fight, only going down on strikes three times in the six-game stretch. His four home runs in Big Ten play tie him for second among league batters.
WHEN IT COUNTS
Jack Dunn, Jack Claeys, and Willie Bourbon have excelled with runners in scoring position thus far, each hitting at least .310 with the potential to score runs. Bourbon has had the most such opportunities on the team, having gone to the plate 32 times with the opportunity to knock a run in, and has posted a .313 clip in those situations. The trio has been hyper-efficient at driving in runs with less than two outs. With a runner on third and less than two outs, Bourbon has tallied an RBI 58.0 percent of the time, Claeys has in 75.0 percent of his chances, and Dunn has led the way with an 83.0 percent mark.
The 'Cats bats have been effective at providing run support when their arms retire opponents, as Northwestern sports a 8-1 record when the opponent scores three or fewer runs.
CONFERENCE CRACKS
Jack Claeys currently sits at ninth in the conference in slugging percentage when facing conference opponents at .643 mark. He and second baseman Alex Erro are tied for seventh in hits during conference play with 14 each. Claeys has been key in utilizing the long ball as well, sending four over the wall in conference play, good enough for second in the league.
The 'Cats also have three players in the top-10 in swiping bases against their conference rivals. Jack Dunn, Jack Claeys, and Charlie Maxwell each are among the leaders in the category, with Dunn stealing four and Claeys and Maxwell each nabbing three in B1G games.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern returns home this week for a weekend series against Michigan State. Friday's game will begin at 3:30 p.m. CT and will be aired on Big Ten Network. Saturday's first pitch is set for 2 p.m. CT, and the Sunday afternoon finale is set for 1 p.m. CT.
All games will be available on the airwaves via WNUR.
The 'Cats currently sport a 9-21 overall record after falling to Milwaukee at in a tight game at home on Tuesday, 6-4 . The Spartans sit at 11-21 after defeating Western Michigan, 10-7, in Kalamazoo on Wednesday.
This weekend's matchup showcases the Big Ten's top teams in stolen bases per game. Northwestern leads the league at 2.13 stolen bases per game, while MSU sits in second with 2.10 swipes per contest.
LAST TIME OUT
After trailing Milwaukee, 4-0, in the first inning, Northwestern rallied to tie the ballgame at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth. First year Casey O'Laughlin came up clutch for the Wildcats in the eighth, hitting his first-career double that scored Connor Lind and pulled the contest even. Milwaukee plated a pair of runs in top of the ninth to go ahead and win, 6-4.
Jack Claeys, Willie Bourbon and O'Laughlin each drove in runs for the 'Cats.
THE OPPONENT
Michigan State enters the series 11-21 overall, including a 3-5 record in conference play, which is good for 11th in the Big Ten standings. Last weekend, MSU split two games at home versus Valparaiso. The last time the Spartans and Wildcats met was late in April 2017, when the Spartans took two of three at Miller Park. Leo Kaplan shined against Michigan State, tallying seven total bases, including a home run, in seven plate appearances in the series. Sophomore Alex Erro also contributed from the dish and on the base paths, hitting .333 with a double and stealing two bases.
The Spartans will hand the ball to RHP Ethan Landon (1-5, 3.34 ERA) for Friday's opener, followed by RHP Mason Erla (4-2, 3.75 ERA) on Saturday. Sunday's starter is TBD.
Mitchell Tyranski and Jake Lowery lead the club with two saves each.
The Spartans' staff sports a 4.46 ERA.
HOME COOKIN'
Northwestern has a handful of players who are looking forward to returning to the friendly confines of Miller Park. In nine home games this season, Charlie Maxwell is batting .308 (8-for-26) with a .462 slugging percentage. Jack Claeys owns a .300 home batting average with a pair of home runs and a slugging percentage of .533. Alex Erro has a team-best six RBI in games at home and is hitting .294.
On the bump, Jack Pagliarini owns a 1.10 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched at Miller Park with 23 strikeouts, while fellow starter Hank Christie boasts a 2.55 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched and a 12-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
TOUGH TEST
Northwestern has faced off against three of the top four teams in the Big Ten Conference standings to open league play – Michigan (1st), Illinois (T-3rd) and Indiana (T-3rd). The Wildcats' opponents are a combined 26-10 against league foes – best mark among league teams.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Northwestern's starting lineup only features a pair of seniors in 3B/DH Connor Lind and C/DH Jack Claeys. Not including pitchers, seven underclassmen have made at least 10 starts in 2018. Since opening Big Ten play, the Wildcats starting weekend rotation has featured two first years (LHP Quinn Lavelle/LHP Jack Pagliarini) and one sophomore (RHP Hank Christie).
ON THE BUMP
Associate head coach/pitching coach Josh Reynolds has elected to go with the same rotation for the home series. Rookie Quinn Lavelle (3-4, 3.80 ERA) will start off for Chicago's Big Ten Team before handing the ball to sophomore Hank Christie (2-3, 4.83 ERA), then the series will conclude with rookie Jack Pagliarini (1-3, 3.38 ERA).
Lavelle will look to bounce back from the shortest outing of his young career. The rookie went just 3.1 innings against No. 10 Indiana on April 13. Before his outing against the Hoosiers, the lefty boasted a 2.75 ERA and 27-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. On the year, Lavelle has held hitters to a .267 clip in his team-best 42.2 innings pitched.
In the games after his first two losses, he posted ERAs of 2.08 and 0.00 with ten strikeouts.
Lavelle was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week (April 2) after throwing a complete-game shutout at Maryland, while fanning a career-high eight batters. He was the first Northwestern rookie pitcher to earn the honor since Brandon Magallones did so in 2012.
Christie has strung together back-to-back quality starts. The Oak Park, Illinois, native has gone 6.0 innings in each of his last two starts (vs/ Michigan/at Indiana) and only allowed one earned run in both outings, while fanning a total of nine batters. Last time out against the Hoosiers, he only allowed three hits and struck out six, tying his season high. When Christie faced up against the Spartans in 2017, he went 5.1 innings, while only allowing one run in and striking out four in a Wildcats win.
Pagliarini had his shortest outing as a starter last Sunday at Indiana, only making it 2.2 innings against the Hoosiers. Pagliarini has been strong coming off of losses this year. After his first loss on March 17 at Central Michigan, he followed up by tossing six strong innings against Illinois (March 25), allowing no earned and fanning seven. And after a strong start April 1 at Maryland in which the Wildcats were narrowly defeated and Pagliarini was credited with the loss, the rookie returned against Michigan and only allowed one earned and struck out eight, tying a career high.
The rookie lefty owns a 44-to-21 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has held hitters to a .228 clip this season.
The bullpen has shown it can step up and perform when relied upon to carry the load. During the Wildcats' matchup with Notre Dame on April 11, seven pitchers out of the pen combined to hold the Fighting Irish scoreless. In Tuesday's game versus Milwaukee, Sam Lawrence, Danny Katz, Ryan Bader, Tommy Bordignon and Josh Levy each tossed scoreless innings of relief, while Tyler Lass worked a pair of scoreless frames.
Senior Bordignon has been the leader that the 'Cats need in the pen. The Glenview, Illinois, native now sits at a 3.15 ERA on the season, and has held opposing batters to just a .236 average, second-best mark on the team among those that have tossed at least 20 innings. Bordignon leads Northwestern with three saves this season.
DUNN AND DONE
Junior shortstop Jack Dunn has been a model of consistency in this recent stretch, staying collected and making an impact on virtually every Wildcats run. He is now at eight multi-hit games on the season, including four since March 31. During the same stretch, he has only been struck out five times while scoring eight runs. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native has also reached base in seven consecutive games.
CLAEYS WITH CLASS
Catcher Jack Claeys has emerged as one of the most dangerous slugger on the team in recent weeks. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, native is on a six-game hit streak, which includes a .363 clip during the streak. The senior also leads the team with six multi-RBI games. He, too, has been tough to send down without a fight, only going down on strikes three times in the six-game stretch. His four home runs in Big Ten play tie him for second among league batters.
WHEN IT COUNTS
Jack Dunn, Jack Claeys, and Willie Bourbon have excelled with runners in scoring position thus far, each hitting at least .310 with the potential to score runs. Bourbon has had the most such opportunities on the team, having gone to the plate 32 times with the opportunity to knock a run in, and has posted a .313 clip in those situations. The trio has been hyper-efficient at driving in runs with less than two outs. With a runner on third and less than two outs, Bourbon has tallied an RBI 58.0 percent of the time, Claeys has in 75.0 percent of his chances, and Dunn has led the way with an 83.0 percent mark.
The 'Cats bats have been effective at providing run support when their arms retire opponents, as Northwestern sports a 8-1 record when the opponent scores three or fewer runs.
CONFERENCE CRACKS
Jack Claeys currently sits at ninth in the conference in slugging percentage when facing conference opponents at .643 mark. He and second baseman Alex Erro are tied for seventh in hits during conference play with 14 each. Claeys has been key in utilizing the long ball as well, sending four over the wall in conference play, good enough for second in the league.
The 'Cats also have three players in the top-10 in swiping bases against their conference rivals. Jack Dunn, Jack Claeys, and Charlie Maxwell each are among the leaders in the category, with Dunn stealing four and Claeys and Maxwell each nabbing three in B1G games.
••••••
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
INF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballBaseball - 'Cats Take Down No. 14 UCLA, 9-4 (5/15/25)
Friday, May 16
Baseball - Wildcats Top Beacons, 12-4 (5/13/25)
Wednesday, May 14
Baseball - Northwestern Run-Rules Ohio State to Secure Series (5/11/25)
Sunday, May 11
Baseball - Wildcats Run-Rule Buckeyes at Wrigley Field (5/9/25)
Saturday, May 10
