Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
First Place 'Cats Prepare For Weekend Series at Michigan State
4/25/2019 4:38:00 PM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: GAME-DAY INFO | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | VIDEO STREAM | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, Apr. 26 | Michigan State | 5 p.m. CT | Secchia Stadium | BTN Plus | Sidearm | |
| Saturday, Apr. 27 | Michigan State | Noon CT | Secchia Stadium | BTN Plus | Sidearm | |
| Sunday, Apr. 28 | Michigan State | Noon CT | Secchia Stadium | BTN Plus | Sidearm | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_Sports) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern |
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EVANSTON, Ill. – Riding a 16-game winning streak, its longest since 1985, and sitting atop the Big Ten standings, No. 14 Northwestern travels to East Lansing for a three-game series against Michigan State in the Wildcats' penultimate series of the regular season.
Now 38-7 on the year and 17-0 in Big Ten play, Northwestern is off to its best start in program history. On Monday, the #B1GCats clocked in at No. 10 in the NCAA Women's Softball RPI rankings, the highest mark in the conference.
After playing their last nine games at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, the Wildcats will play their final six games of the regular season on the road. The #B1GCats and Spartans will open action on Friday, April 26 at 5 p.m. CT. The teams will meet on Saturday, April 27 at noon CT, before playing the finale on Sunday, April 28 at noon CT.
Earlier this week, Northwestern swept both games of a midweek doubleheader against in-state rival Illinois. In game one, the 'Cats cruised to an 8-0 victory in five innings as Danielle Williams earned her 11th shutout victory of the season. The #B1GCats kept the momentum rolling later in the afternoon as they took game two, 4-2, powered by a third inning grand slam from Jordyn Rudd.
Williams' noteworthy week continued on Wednesday, when she was announced as a Top 26 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. She is just one of three first-year finalists, and one of three Big Ten players, to be considered for the award. The list will be narrowed down to 10 finalists on May 8, followed by three finalists on May 22. The recipient will be named on May 28.
Tuesday's doubleheader against the Illini also marked the Wildcats last regular season home games of the season. In 14 home games at Sharon J. Drysdale Field this season, the #B1GCats hit .291 with 40 extra-bases hits (23 homers, 16 doubles and a triple) while outscoring its opponents 91-33. Away from the friendly confines of Evanston, the 'Cats are hitting .272 while outscoring opponents 159-62 entering this weekend.
The 'Cats have also excelled recently at getting runners on base. Last weekend against Purdue, three different Wildcats reached base at least seven times over a three-game span. Rachel Lewis had an .818 on-base percentage, fueled by eight walks, Jordyn Rudd recorded four hits and four walks for an .800 on-base percetange, while Morgan Nelson posted a .583 on-base percentage along with five RBI.
Morgan Nelson ?has reached base in 19-consecutive games entering this weekend, the longest streak by an NU player this season and her longest streak since her rookie campaign in 2016 (20-straight games). The senior from Scottsdale, Ariz. also leads the Big Ten with 37 walks, already tied for sixth most in program history for a single season, while Rachel Lewis is right behind her, having drawn 36 walks on the season.
Northwestern's pitching staff has also been phenomenal throughout the season. The 'Cats pitchers have limited opposing batters to a .192 batting average, the best mark in the Big Ten, along with a conference-best 1.79 ERA (77 ER/301.2 IP). The Wildcat pitchers have been backed by phenomenal defense throughout the season, as their .972 fielding percentage ranks third-highest in the conference.
Northwestern is 77-29 all-time against Michigan State and has won 12-straight matchups against the Spartans dating back to 2011. The teams last met during the 2018 Big Ten Tournament, where Morgan Newport tossed her first-career no-hitter (the second in Big Ten Tournament history) in an 11-0 run-rule victory.
Fans looking to follow along can get live tweets via @NUSBCats. All games will be available to stream via BTN Plus/BTN2GO.
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