Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, May 17
Northwestern
vs
Detroit Mercy
#B1GCats Ready to Kick Off NCAA Evanston Regional
5/16/2019 4:40:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – After earning the no. 16 overall seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Northwestern is set to host its first NCAA Regional since 2008 beginning Friday, May 17.
Joining the Wildcats in Evanston will be Louisville, Southern Illinois and Detroit Mercy. Action kicks off on Friday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field when Southern Illinois takes on Louisville at noon CT. Thirty minutes following the conclusion of game one, the #B1GCats will face off against Detroit Mercy.
For a full, updated weekend schedule, along with additional information for fans attending the game, visit the Evanston Regional Central page.
All games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, with both of Friday's games being televised live on ESPN3. Additionally, WNUR Sports will have broadcasts for every Northwestern games which can be found HERE.
GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THIS WEEKEND
This marks Northwestern's 18th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 13th in the 18-year Drohan era. NU has advanced to the NCAA Regional final seven times under the Drohans, winning its region four times and making two trips to the Women's College World Series.
The Wildcats have made the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons. Last year, the 'Cats advanced to the championship game in the NCAA Athens Regional after a pair of thrilling victories over California before coming up just short against No. 7 Georgia.
This marks the first NCAA Tournament appearance for Detroit Mercy after the Titans claimed the 2019 Horizon League Championship. The Titans are led by the 2019 Horizon League Coach of the Year, John Conway, along with the 2019 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, Ashley Mauser. Friday's game will be the first-ever matchup between Northwestern and Detroit Mercy.
Louisville will be making its 14th NCAA regional appearance and first since 2016. Northwestern leads the all-time series against Louisville, 6-4. The Wildcats are 3-0 in matchups against the Cardinals this season. The teams first met on opening weekend at the Titan Classic, with the 'Cats winning 1-0 behind a two-hit shutout from Danielle Williams. The following weekend, Northwestern came away with two wins at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including a thrilling 9-8 victory in nine innings after Maeve Nelson hit a go-ahead homer, followed by a 4-2 win on Sunday, February 17.
Southern Illinois is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2017. The Salukis earned an at-large bid after finishing second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 17-6 record in the regular season. Northwestern leads the all-time series, 5-2, and has won five-straight matchups between the schools dating back to 1980.
Northwestern is 13-1 when playing on its home field this season, hitting .291 (98-for-337) with 40 extra-bases hits (23 homers, 16 doubles and a triple) while outscoring opponents 91-33.
Power has been a strength for the 'Cats throughout the season as they have already hit 52 home runs this year, their most since belting 61 in 2015. That slugging has translated into wins, as the 'Cats are 29-1 this season when they hit at least one homer. Rachel Lewis has led the way with a team-high 14 homers this season, bringing her career total to 31-career home runs, tied with Adrienne Moka for the most by an NU player in her first two seasons with the program.
On Thursday, the NFCA announced Danielle Williams, Jordyn Rudd and Maeve Nelson were all selected to the 2019 All-Great Lakes Region team. Williams and Rudd were named to the first team, while Nelson earned third-team honors. All three first-years have played an integral role in the Wildcats' success this season – Williams leads the Big Ten with 28 wins on the season and 13 shutouts (the most by any rookie pitcher in the nation), Rudd leads the team with 53 hits, a .338 batting average and 47 RBI, while Nelson started every game at shortstop for the 'Cats and led the way in conference play with a .329 average (24-for-73) in 23 games.
Joining the Wildcats in Evanston will be Louisville, Southern Illinois and Detroit Mercy. Action kicks off on Friday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field when Southern Illinois takes on Louisville at noon CT. Thirty minutes following the conclusion of game one, the #B1GCats will face off against Detroit Mercy.
For a full, updated weekend schedule, along with additional information for fans attending the game, visit the Evanston Regional Central page.
All games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks, with both of Friday's games being televised live on ESPN3. Additionally, WNUR Sports will have broadcasts for every Northwestern games which can be found HERE.
GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THIS WEEKEND
This marks Northwestern's 18th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 13th in the 18-year Drohan era. NU has advanced to the NCAA Regional final seven times under the Drohans, winning its region four times and making two trips to the Women's College World Series.
The Wildcats have made the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons. Last year, the 'Cats advanced to the championship game in the NCAA Athens Regional after a pair of thrilling victories over California before coming up just short against No. 7 Georgia.
This marks the first NCAA Tournament appearance for Detroit Mercy after the Titans claimed the 2019 Horizon League Championship. The Titans are led by the 2019 Horizon League Coach of the Year, John Conway, along with the 2019 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year, Ashley Mauser. Friday's game will be the first-ever matchup between Northwestern and Detroit Mercy.
Louisville will be making its 14th NCAA regional appearance and first since 2016. Northwestern leads the all-time series against Louisville, 6-4. The Wildcats are 3-0 in matchups against the Cardinals this season. The teams first met on opening weekend at the Titan Classic, with the 'Cats winning 1-0 behind a two-hit shutout from Danielle Williams. The following weekend, Northwestern came away with two wins at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including a thrilling 9-8 victory in nine innings after Maeve Nelson hit a go-ahead homer, followed by a 4-2 win on Sunday, February 17.
Southern Illinois is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2017. The Salukis earned an at-large bid after finishing second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 17-6 record in the regular season. Northwestern leads the all-time series, 5-2, and has won five-straight matchups between the schools dating back to 1980.
Northwestern is 13-1 when playing on its home field this season, hitting .291 (98-for-337) with 40 extra-bases hits (23 homers, 16 doubles and a triple) while outscoring opponents 91-33.
Power has been a strength for the 'Cats throughout the season as they have already hit 52 home runs this year, their most since belting 61 in 2015. That slugging has translated into wins, as the 'Cats are 29-1 this season when they hit at least one homer. Rachel Lewis has led the way with a team-high 14 homers this season, bringing her career total to 31-career home runs, tied with Adrienne Moka for the most by an NU player in her first two seasons with the program.
On Thursday, the NFCA announced Danielle Williams, Jordyn Rudd and Maeve Nelson were all selected to the 2019 All-Great Lakes Region team. Williams and Rudd were named to the first team, while Nelson earned third-team honors. All three first-years have played an integral role in the Wildcats' success this season – Williams leads the Big Ten with 28 wins on the season and 13 shutouts (the most by any rookie pitcher in the nation), Rudd leads the team with 53 hits, a .338 batting average and 47 RBI, while Nelson started every game at shortstop for the 'Cats and led the way in conference play with a .329 average (24-for-73) in 23 games.
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