Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Omaha
Northwestern Faces Omaha in Season Opener
2/13/2020 1:42:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern is set to begin its 2020 season this weekend with a three-game set against Omaha (Feb. 14-16). The set will be held at the Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Friday, Feb. 14
Omaha: RHP Joey Machado 0-0, -.-- ERA
Northwestern: RHP Mike Doherty 0-0, -.-- ERA
Saturday, Feb. 15
Omaha: LHP Spencer Koelewyn 0-0, -.-- ERA
Northwestern: LHP Quinn Lavelle 0-0, -.-- ERA
Sunday, Feb. 16
Omaha: RHP Richie Holetz 0-0, -.-- ERA
Northwestern: RHP Tyler Uberstine 0-0, -.-- ERA
News and notes…
145 AND 5: Northwestern enters its 145th season of intercollegiate competition with Spencer Allen at the helm. It is Allen's fifth season as head coach for the Wildcats. In 2017, Allen led the Wildcats to its first appearance in the Big Ten Tournament since 2010 and a run to the Big Ten Tournament Championship game for the first time since 1984.
MAJOR LEAGUE LEGENDS: Three 'Cats moved to the professional level in 2019, with pitcher Nick Paciorek, Alex Erro, and Jack Dunn all being selected in the MLB draft, marking the first three players to be selected under Allen's tutelage.
EYE ON THE PRIZE: After losing seven conference games by one or two runs, the Wildcats missed out on the Big Ten tournament by just one win. The Wildcats will look to return the conference tournament where three years ago, they made a run all the way to the final game.
BIG STICKS: Junior outfielder Casey O'Laughlin led last year's Wildcats with five home runs and a .457 slugging percentage. The Wildcats return over half of their home run production from last season and had the second best team batting average during conference play.
WEST COAST BEST COAST: Of eight newcomers, three are from California: Luke Tanner, Tyler Uberstine, and Jack Dyke. Uberstine, a USC transfer and right-handed pitcher, is the highlight of the newcomers.
THE 'GOOSE': Sophomore Shawn Goosenberg, also a California native, started 43 games as a first-year and led the team in doubles (14) and triples (3). He made it to Third Team All-Big Ten and the All-Big Ten Freshman Team
ALL BIG TEN BOYS: In addition to Goosenberg, Mike Doherty was also named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team last season. He led all Northwestern starting pitchers with a 3.72 ERA (second in the Big Ten in ERA among first-year starting pitchers), 5 wins, and a .251 opponent batting average.
Michael Trautwein, Dunn's cousin, was also named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. Trautwein's father, Michael, also played for the Wildcats and went on to play for the Red Sox. He threw out 70% of base stealers (16-23) last season, the best rate in the Big Ten.
KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY: David Dunn, younger brother of decorated Jack Dunn and Trautwein's cousin, started in all 50 games in his first full season. He made one error all season, resulting in a .992 fielding percentage.
BACK ON THE HILL: Northwestern returns 10 of their 11 top pitchers in terms of innings from last season, including every pitcher that started a game for them last season. Quinn Lavelle, Ryan Bader, Mike Doherty and Parker Hanks all started at least 7 games and pitched 36.0 innings last year.
SHUT IT DOWN: Quinn Lavelle Finished sixth among Big Ten starting pitchers with a 3.54 FIP (fielding independent pitching), only allowed one home run last season, and threw a two-hit shutout against San Jose State on March 29th.
WHAT A RELIEF: The Wildcats return several of their most dominant relievers from a year ago. Senior right-hander Josh Levy led last year's 'Cats with a .151 opponent batting average and was second with a 3.65 ERA. Senior left-hander Sam Lawrence posted a team-best 1.18 WHIP last season.
SHORT HOME RUNS: The 'Cats will only play 22 games at home, compared with 30 games on the road. The 'Cats are on the road for their first 13 games of the season before they return to Miller Park for their home opener on Thursday, March 12th against Kent State.
WEEKENDS IN THE SOUTH: After this, Northwestern will head to Columbia, S.C., to face-off with South Carolina for another weekend series on Feb. 21-23. Then the 'Cats will travel further South to Tampa, Fla. for their final weekend series against South Florida.••••••
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