Wildcats Return to Action For Five Games at Oklahoma Tournament

NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Oklahoma Tournament (Norman, Okla.)
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	VIDEO STREAM	LIVE STATS
Friday, Mar. 8	Drake	3:30 p.m. CT	Marita Hynes Field	N/A	StatBroadcast
Friday, Mar. 8	at No. 3 Oklahoma	6 p.m. CT	Marita Hynes Field	Fox Sports Oklahoma	StatBroadcast
Saturday, Mar. 9	Tulsa	10:30 a.m. CT	Marita Hynes Field	N/A	StatBroadcast
Saturday, Mar. 9	Grand Canyon	3:30 p.m. CT	Marita Hynes Field	N/A	StatBroadcast
Sunday, Mar. 10	at No. 3 Oklahoma	1 p.m. CT	Marita Hynes Field	Fox Sports Oklahoma	StatBroadcast
Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_SportsLive) \| Instagram (nusbcats) \| Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern

EVANSTON, Ill. – Following another successful trip to California in which Northwestern went 3-1 at the Stanford Invitational and outscored its opponents 17-3, the Wildcats travel to Norman, Okla. for a five-game tournament hosted by No. 3 Oklahoma.

The #B1GCats enter the weekend at 14-4 on the season, tied for its best start since 2004 and for the best start since Kate Drohan took over as head coach in 2002.

The 'Cats open the weekend on Friday afternoon with a matchup against Drake, the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Later that evening, they face off against the hosts, No. 3 Oklahoma, for one of two games between the teams this weekend. On Saturday, the 'Cats face off against Tulsa followed by Grand Canyon, who just handed No. 1 Florida State its first loss of the season on Wednesday. They wrap up action on Sunday afternoon with another matchup against the Sooners.

This past week, the Wildcats clocked in at No. 25 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, marking their second-straight week in the Top 25. They are also one of seven teams in the Big Ten either to be ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA poll.

Last weekend, the entire Northwestern pitching staff turned in a phenomenal all-around weekend, finishing with a combined 0.26 ERA (1 ER/27.0 IP) along with 38 strikeouts in four games. Kenna Wilkey tossed 10.2 scoreless innings while going 2-0 in her two appearances on the weekend, including notching a season high 10 strikeouts against North Dakota State. Danielle Williams allowed no earned runs in 13.0 innings across two starts while striking out 21, including 12 against Montana, en route to earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors, as announced by the conference on Monday.

As a team, Northwestern ranks sixth in the nation with a 1.26 ERA. They are one of three Big Ten teams to rank among the top six in the nation in ERA, along with Wisconsin and Indiana.

At the plate, the 'Cats have four everyday starters currently boasting a batting average over .300. Nikki Cuchran leads the team with a .365 average (19-for-52) after collecting a team-high six hits last weekend. Jordyn Rudd has a .316 (18-for-57) average and leads the team with 21 RBI on the year. Morgan Newport is hitting .333 (18-for-54), while Lily Novak is hitting .306 (15-for-49).

The Wildcats have been excellent at starting the game this season, outscoring their opponents 27-9 in the first inning this season. They are 10-1 in games in which they score first. They have also finished the game strong, outscoring their opponents 15-2 in the seventh inning.

Fans looking to follow along can get live tweets all weekend via @NUSBCats on Twitter. Live stats will be available through OUStats.com, and the games against No. 3 Oklahoma will both be televised on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

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Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics

Wildcats Return to Action For Five Games at Oklahoma Tournament

Players Mentioned

Nikki Cuchran

Morgan Newport

Lily Novak

Jordyn Rudd

Kenna Wilkey

Danielle Williams

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