Friday, March 1
Palo Alto, Calif.
2:15 p.m. CT/12:15 p.m. PT
Northwestern
vs
Cal Poly
Wildcats Return to California for Stanford Tournament
2/28/2019 12:37:00 PM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Stanford Tournament (Palo Alto, Calif.) | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | VIDEO STREAM | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, Mar. 1 | Cal Poly | 2:15 p.m. CT/ 12:15 p.m. PT |
Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium | Pac12.com | Sidearm | |
| Friday, Mar. 1 | Stanford | 6:45 p.m. CT/ 4:45 p.m. PT |
Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium | Pac12.com | Sidearm | |
| Saturday, Mar. 2 | Cal Poly | Noon CT/ 10 a.m. PT |
Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium | Pac12.com | Sidearm | |
| Saturday, Mar. 2 | North Dakota State | 4:30 p.m. CT/ 2:30 p.m. PT |
Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium | Pac12.com | Sidearm | |
| Sunday, Mar. 3 | Montana | Noon CT/ 10 a.m. PT |
Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium | Pac12.com | Sidearm | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern | Official Tournament Website |
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EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern, boasting its best start to a season since 1987, heads back to California this weekend for a five-game tournament hosted by Stanford.
Northwestern enters this weekend 11-3 after a strong 4-1 showing at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. It is the best start since head coach Kate Drohan became head coach in 2002 and the program's best start since 1987, when they were 12-2 en-route to becoming Big Ten regular season champions.
The #B1GCats have clocked in a few national top-25 rankings this week, most notably at No. 23 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. They are one of seven teams in the Big Ten either to be ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll.
Through the first 14 games, Northwestern's first year class has been excellent on the diamond, led by Danielle Williams, Jordyn Rudd, Nikki Cuchran and Maeve Nelson.
Williams sports a sub-1.00 ERA and is tied for the most wins in the country with nine, while Rudd has the third-most RBI among all first-years in the country with 17. Cuchran has batted .317 out of the clean-up spot for the 'Cats and Maeve Nelson posted a strong weekend at the Mary Nutter with five RBI, including a three-run home run against Utah.
Sophomore Kenna Wilkey turned in an outstanding performance at the Mary Nutter, where she threw 8.1 innings while allowing no earned runs.
Junior Morgan Newport boasts an impressive 1.79 ERA on the season and has been excellent at the plate as well, leading the 'Cats with a .357 batting average and a .481 on-base percentage.
As a pitching staff, Northwestern is one of only three teams with a sub-2.00 ERA in the Big ten, and its 101 strikeouts ranks third in the conference as well.
The Wildcats have both started and finished games strong so far on the young season. They have outscored opponents 22-8 in the first inning and 14-2 in the seventh inning. The 'Cats are 8-0 when they put a run across the plate in the first frame and 6-0 when they lead after five innings.
Fans looking to follow along can get live tweets all weekend @NUSBCats on Twitter. All matches will also be streamed live on Stanford's official website.
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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
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