‘Cats Resume Big Ten Play With Weekend Series at Iowa

NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: GAME-DAY INFO
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	VIDEO STREAM	LIVE STATS
Friday, Mar. 29	at Iowa	2 p.m. CT	Bob Pearl Softball Field	BTN Plus	StatBroadcast
Saturday, Mar. 30	at Iowa	1 p.m. CT	Bob Pearl Softball Field	BTN Plus	StatBroadcast
Sunday, Mar. 31	at Iowa	Noon CT	Bob Pearl Softball Field	BTN Plus	StatBroadcast
Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_Sports) \| Instagram (nusbcats) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern \| Iowa

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern will look to stay perfect in Big Ten play this weekend as it heads on the road to Iowa City for the team's first conference road trip of the season.

The #B1GCats and Iowa will open action on Friday, March 29 at 2 p.m. CT. The teams will meet on Saturday, March 30 at 1 p.m. CT, before playing the finale on Sunday, March 31 at noon CT.

The Wildcats opened conference play in style last weekend at Sharon J. Drysdale Field as they swept a three-game series over Rutgers, belting seven homers and having each of their nine regular hitters in the lineup record at least one extra-base hit. The seven home runs for the #B1GCats mark their most in a home series since the 'Cats hit eight in a three-game series vs. Iowa on April 9-10, 2016.

At 22-7 on the year, Northwestern is off to its best start to a season since 2007. This past week, the Wildcats clocked in at No. 15 in the NCAA Women's Softball RPI rankings, the second-highest mark in the conference.

Iowa (15-12) enters the series having gone 5-5 in its last 10 games. The Hawkeyes went 1-2 at Purdue last weekend in their first conference series of the season and dropped a 10-1 decision vs. Western Illinois on Wednesday in the team's home opener.

The Wildcats hold a 66-47 series advantage over the Hawkeyes. Northwestern has won 12 of its last 16 games against Iowa and taken each of the last five series between the two teams. Last season, the 'Cats took two out of three games when the two teams faced off in Evanston and then met again in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals which NU won, 2-1, in extra-innings thanks to a three-hit gem tossed by Kenna Wilkey and a walk-off double by Rachel Lewis.

Lewis has been on a tear over the last three weeks, hitting .476 (10-for-21) with four homers, three doubles, five RBI, nine runs scored and a 1.190 slugging percentage over a six-game span. The sophomore All-American now has a team-high eight homers on the season, tied for fifth-most in the Big Ten, along with 22 runs scored.

Both Lewis and Morgan Newport currently boast six-game hitting streaks heading into this weekend, tied for the longest streak by a Wildcat batter this season. Maeve Nelson has reached base in 10-consecutive games, and is hitting .370 (10-for-27) with two homers, two doubles, seven walks and 12 runs scored during that span.

Jordyn Rudd currently ranks sixth among all first-years in the nation with 29 RBI on the season. She also boasts a .349 batting average (30-for-86) which is tied with Newport for the highest mark on the team. Nikki Cuchran leads the team with 10 multi-hit games of the season and has driven in 14 runs over the team's last 13 games.

In the circle, the Northwestern pitching staff boasts a 2.02 ERA (55 ER/190.2 IP) and has notched 217 strikeouts through 29 games, the fourth-best mark in the conference. Danielle Williams leads all first-year pitchers in the country with 15 wins on the season.

Fans looking to follow along with the action this weekend can get live tweets via @NUSBCats on Twitter. All three games will also be available to stream on BTN Plus.

••••••
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!

‘Cats Resume Big Ten Play With Weekend Series at Iowa

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nikki Cuchran

Rachel Lewis

Maeve Nelson

Morgan Newport

Jordyn Rudd

Kenna Wilkey

Danielle Williams

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics