Northwestern University Athletics
Drohan, Williams Headline Wildcats With Big Ten Awards
5/8/2019 12:31:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Four Northwestern players were honored with All-Big Ten accolades on Wednesday, headlined by first-year pitcher Danielle Williams being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earning unanimous first-team honors, while head coach Kate Drohan was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
First-year Jordyn Rudd also earned first team honors, while sophomore Rachel Lewis and first-year Maeve Nelson each received second team selections, as voted on by the conference's coaches. Williams, Rudd and Nelson were also named to the conference's All-Freshman Team.
This season, Drohan led the Wildcats to a 42-9 overall record, the most regular season wins since 2007, along with a 21-2 record in the Big Ten, the most conference wins in program history. The #B1GCats also notched a 20-game winning streak from March 29 through May 4, the program's longest winning streak since 1985. On April 9, Drohan along with her twin sister, Caryl, secured their 600th career victory with a 3-1 win over Notre Dame. This marks the third time Drohan has won Big Ten Coach of the Year during her 18-year career at Northwestern, the other two coming in 2005 and 2006.
Williams posted a 27-5 record in the regular season to go along with a 1.46 ERA (40 ER/191.1 IP) and 266 strikeouts. Her 27 wins lead the Big Ten and all first-year pitchers in the nation, while she ranks second in the conference in strikeouts and ERA. She has tossed a Big Ten-leading 12 shutouts on the season, the most by any #B1GCats pitcher in her rookie season since 1984.
During Big Ten play, Williams went 14-2 with a 1.53 ERA while limiting Big Ten batters to a .152 combined average, the lowest mark in the conference. The Pleasanton, Calif. native also contributed at the plate, hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two homers and nine RBI in 18 games. At one point, Williams accumulated a 34.0-consecutive scoreless inning streak in conference matchups from March 23-April 12, which included a 15-strikeout spectacle at Iowa on March 29, the most by a Wildcat arm since 2013.
Williams is the ninth Northwestern player to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the first since Sabrina Rabin took home the award in 2015. She is the first Wildcat pitcher to win the award since Eileen Canney in 2004.
Rudd also earned a first-team selection after leading the #B1GCats with a .331 batting average (50-for-151), 13 doubles and 46 RBI, the eighth-most in the Big Ten. She made her presence felt immediately for the Wildcats as she crushed four extra-base hits and eight RBI in the first two games of the season on her way to winning Big Ten Player of the Week following the 'Cats trip to the Titan Classic.
Rudd caught every inning for the Wildcats this season and posted a stellar .993 fielding percentage. The Greenwood, Ind. native also made opposing runners pay on the base paths as she caught 12 runners attempting to steal throughout the season. She also came up with multiple big hits during the Wildcats' 20-game win streak, most notably hitting two grand slams within a five-day span, including in the Wildcats' 4-2 win over Illinois on April 23.
Maeve Nelson has made an impact since opening day, as she played every inning for the Wildcats at shortstop and finished the season hitting .293 (44-for-150) with 11 homers, 29 RBI and 37 runs scored. She elevated her play in Big Ten matchups, leading Northwestern with a .329 batting average and 18 RBI while not commiting a single error at shortstop in 23 conference games.
Lewis earned All-Big Ten honors for the second-consecutive season after leading the #B1GCats with 14 homers, 13 stolen bases and 41 runs scored. The Liberty Township, Ohio native caught fire during Big Ten play, ultimately hitting .310 with eight homers, tied for second most in the conference, along with 22 runs scored and a .776 slugging percentage in 23 games. Her power at the plate has also translated into her drawing a Big-Ten leading 44 walks on the season, which already ranks fifth most in program history.
Senior Lily Novak, who is having a career-year at the plate hitting .285 (39-for-137) with 26 RBI, received the Big Ten Sportsmanship honor.
The #B1GCats finished second overall in the Big Ten and earned a first-round bye in this week's Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Ind. The 'Cats will face the winner of No. 7 Indiana and No. 10 Penn State in the quarterfinals on Friday at 3:30 p.m. CT, with the action being televised on Big Ten Network.
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!
First-year Jordyn Rudd also earned first team honors, while sophomore Rachel Lewis and first-year Maeve Nelson each received second team selections, as voted on by the conference's coaches. Williams, Rudd and Nelson were also named to the conference's All-Freshman Team.
This season, Drohan led the Wildcats to a 42-9 overall record, the most regular season wins since 2007, along with a 21-2 record in the Big Ten, the most conference wins in program history. The #B1GCats also notched a 20-game winning streak from March 29 through May 4, the program's longest winning streak since 1985. On April 9, Drohan along with her twin sister, Caryl, secured their 600th career victory with a 3-1 win over Notre Dame. This marks the third time Drohan has won Big Ten Coach of the Year during her 18-year career at Northwestern, the other two coming in 2005 and 2006.
Williams posted a 27-5 record in the regular season to go along with a 1.46 ERA (40 ER/191.1 IP) and 266 strikeouts. Her 27 wins lead the Big Ten and all first-year pitchers in the nation, while she ranks second in the conference in strikeouts and ERA. She has tossed a Big Ten-leading 12 shutouts on the season, the most by any #B1GCats pitcher in her rookie season since 1984.
During Big Ten play, Williams went 14-2 with a 1.53 ERA while limiting Big Ten batters to a .152 combined average, the lowest mark in the conference. The Pleasanton, Calif. native also contributed at the plate, hitting .306 (11-for-36) with two homers and nine RBI in 18 games. At one point, Williams accumulated a 34.0-consecutive scoreless inning streak in conference matchups from March 23-April 12, which included a 15-strikeout spectacle at Iowa on March 29, the most by a Wildcat arm since 2013.
Williams is the ninth Northwestern player to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the first since Sabrina Rabin took home the award in 2015. She is the first Wildcat pitcher to win the award since Eileen Canney in 2004.
Rudd also earned a first-team selection after leading the #B1GCats with a .331 batting average (50-for-151), 13 doubles and 46 RBI, the eighth-most in the Big Ten. She made her presence felt immediately for the Wildcats as she crushed four extra-base hits and eight RBI in the first two games of the season on her way to winning Big Ten Player of the Week following the 'Cats trip to the Titan Classic.
Rudd caught every inning for the Wildcats this season and posted a stellar .993 fielding percentage. The Greenwood, Ind. native also made opposing runners pay on the base paths as she caught 12 runners attempting to steal throughout the season. She also came up with multiple big hits during the Wildcats' 20-game win streak, most notably hitting two grand slams within a five-day span, including in the Wildcats' 4-2 win over Illinois on April 23.
Maeve Nelson has made an impact since opening day, as she played every inning for the Wildcats at shortstop and finished the season hitting .293 (44-for-150) with 11 homers, 29 RBI and 37 runs scored. She elevated her play in Big Ten matchups, leading Northwestern with a .329 batting average and 18 RBI while not commiting a single error at shortstop in 23 conference games.
Lewis earned All-Big Ten honors for the second-consecutive season after leading the #B1GCats with 14 homers, 13 stolen bases and 41 runs scored. The Liberty Township, Ohio native caught fire during Big Ten play, ultimately hitting .310 with eight homers, tied for second most in the conference, along with 22 runs scored and a .776 slugging percentage in 23 games. Her power at the plate has also translated into her drawing a Big-Ten leading 44 walks on the season, which already ranks fifth most in program history.
Senior Lily Novak, who is having a career-year at the plate hitting .285 (39-for-137) with 26 RBI, received the Big Ten Sportsmanship honor.
The #B1GCats finished second overall in the Big Ten and earned a first-round bye in this week's Big Ten Tournament in Bloomington, Ind. The 'Cats will face the winner of No. 7 Indiana and No. 10 Penn State in the quarterfinals on Friday at 3:30 p.m. CT, with the action being televised on Big Ten Network.
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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!
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