Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Minnesota
#B1GCats Ready For Big Ten Showdown at No. 8 Minnesota
5/2/2019 12:07:00 AM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: GAME-DAY INFO | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | VIDEO STREAM | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, May 3 | at Minnesota | 6 p.m. CT | Jane Sage Cowles Stadium | BTN Plus | Sidearm | |
| Saturday, May 4 | at Minnesota | 3 p.m. CT | Jane Sage Cowles Stadium | ESPN 2 | Sidearm | |
| Sunday, May 5 | at Minnesota | 3 p.m. CT | Jane Sage Cowles Stadium | BTN | Sidearm | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_Sports) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern |
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EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 14 Northwestern will put its perfect conference record on the line this weekend in its final series of the regular season as the Wildcats travel to Minneapolis for three marquee matchups against No. 8 Minnesota.
The Wildcats are 41-7 on the season and 20-0 in conference play for the first time in program history. With three games remaining in the regular season, the #B1GCats hold sole possession of first place in the conference and can clinch a Big Ten championship, the program's first since 2008, with a series win this weekend.
Action will begin on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. CT and will be available to stream via BTN Plus/BTN2GO. The teams then meet on Saturday, May 4 at 3 p.m. CT before closing out their regular seasons on Sunday, May 5 at 3 p.m. CT on BTN. Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPNU and Sunday's game will live on BTN.
Entering this weekend, the 'Cats have won 19-straight games, their longest streak since 1985. During that stretch, Northwestern has outscored its opponents 125-31. The Wildcats are hitting .280 (138-for-492) and have combined for 50 extra-base hits during that span while limiting its opponents to a .160 (71-for-445) average.
Minnesota sits just behind the Wildcats in the Big Ten standings at 18-1. The Golden Gophers are currently riding an 11-game winning streak and are a perfect 8-0 when playing at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium this season. Northwestern leads the all-time series between the two teams, 58-57. The teams last met in the championship game of last year's Big Ten Tournament as the Gophers came away with a 9-6 victory.
This past week, Northwestern clocked in at No. 11 in the NCAA Women's Softball RPI rankings, the second-highest mark in the conference just behind Minnesota (No. 10). The #B1GCats also rose two spots in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll up to No. 19 and stayed at No. 14 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll for a second-straight week.
Last weekend, Northwestern earned its sixth-straight weekend sweep as they took three games on the road at Michigan State. Northwestern hitters combined for 17 extra-base hits while hitting a blistering .374 (34-for-91) at the plate. Five different Wildcats reached base in at least half of their plate appearances over the series. Rachel Lewis led the way with an .846 on-base percentage fueled by seven walks and four hits. Maeve Nelson and Jordyn Rudd each reached base seven times in the series, while Skyler Shellmyer and Loly Novak each had a .500 OB%.
In the circle, Northwestern limited Spartan hitters to a .191 average (13-for-68) as three-different NU pitchers tossed complete games. On Friday Kenna Wilkey tossed a career-high 13 strikeouts to earn her 10th win of the season. Danielle Williams followed that up on Saturday by tossing 13 strikeouts of her own to improve to 13-0 in Big Ten play and then, later that day, Kaley Winegarner allowed just two hits while retiring 12 of the last 14 batters she faced in a run-rule victory.
Northwestern has been exceptional at both starting and finishing games this season. The Wildcats have outscored their opponents 62-13 in the first inning this season and 36-4 in the seventh inning. Ultimately, the 'Cats are 29-2 in games when they score first and are 27-0 when leading after six innings.
At the plate, Wildcat batters have drawn 212 walks this season, the most in the Big Ten.
Lewis leads the conference with 43 walks, already tied for fifth-most in program history for a single-season. Morgan Nelson is just behind her with 38 walks, the second-most in the conference and the sixth-most in program history. Entering this weekend, Nelson has reached base in 22-consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team and the longest streak of her career.
Following this weekend, Northwestern will travel to Bloomington for the Big Ten Tournament. First round action begins on Thursday, May 9 and will run through the Saturday, May 11. Northwestern's tournament schedule will be announced following the conclusion of Big Ten games on Sunday. Fans interested in supporting the #B1GCats in Bloomington can purchase tickets HERE.
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