Northwestern University Athletics
No. 25 Wildcats Set for Mary Nutter Classic
2/19/2020 10:09:00 AM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: KAJIKAWA CLASSIC INFO | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (CST) | LOCATION (Field) | VIDEO STREAM | Live Stats |
| Friday, Feb. 21 | Auburn | Noon | Palm Springs, Calif. (Fenway) | FloSoftball ($) | Sidearm |
| Friday, Feb. 21 | #7 Florida | 5 p.m. | Palm Springs, Calif. (Fenway) | FloSoftball ($) | StatBroadcast |
| Saturday, Feb. 22 | #15 Oregon | 11:30 a.m. | Palm Springs, Calif. (Yankee) | FloSoftball ($) | StatBroadcast |
| Saturday, Feb. 22 | Long Beach State | 2 p.m. | Palm Springs, Calif. (Yankee) | FloSoftball ($) | Sidearm |
| Sunday, Feb. 23 | #2 Washington | 11 a.m. | Palm Springs, Calif. (Pawtucket) | FloSoftball ($) | StatBroadcast |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_Sports) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Tournament Central | Northwestern Game Notes |
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EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 25 Northwestern is set to play five games this weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, including three ranked matchups.
The Wildcats will begin play against Auburn at 12 p.m. CT on Friday before taking on #7 Florida later that evening. They will then battle #15 Oregon and Long Beach State in a Saturday doubleheader and will conclude the trip against #2 Washington on Sunday.
This will mark the Wildcats' 15th appearance at the nation's most prestigious non-conference tournament. They will join Nebraska and Wisconsin as one of three teams representing the Big Ten. Last season, the Wildcats went 4-1 at the tournament, winning their first four games before a narrow 3-1 setback to Washington.
Northwestern is coming off a 2-2 weekend at the ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, headlined by a 6-2 win over No. 5 Florida State on Saturday. The win over the Seminoles marked the Wildcats' first top five win since defeating No. 2 Michigan on March 25, 2016.
Rachel Lewis was crowned Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday for the second time in her career after collecting six hits and an .867 slugging percentage at the renowned ESPN St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Tournament. The Ohio native kicked off her stellar weekend with a double and a walk against No. 15 Georgia. On Saturday, she doubled and smacked a two-run homer to help take down Kansas. Later that day, she hit a bases-clearing double to put the game out of reach in a 6-2 win against No. 5 Florida State. Her five doubles are tops in the Big Ten and rank seventh best in the nation. She now leads the Big Ten in doubles (5), is fourth in the conference in slugging percentage (.759), ninth in on-base percentage (.500) and third in runs scored (10).
Lewis and Nikki Cuchran have reached base in each of the Wildcats' first nine games this season. Cuchran currently ranks tied for third in the Big Ten with a team-high six walks on the year, while Lewis enters the weekend on a team-best six-game hitting streak.
The reigning NFCA National Freshman of the Year, Danielle Williams, has also continued to impress in the circle, pitching her best game against Florida State as she allowed just two hits while striking out a season-high 11 batters while allowing only one earned run. Also picking up a win in the circle last weekend was Kaley Winegarner, who threw 3.2 shutout innings of relief and struck out six in a 5-4 victory against Kansas to improve to 2-0 in her fifth-year campaign.
Morgan Newport also had a standout performance this weekend, driving in the game-winning RBI against both Florida State and Kansas. Newport led the 'Cats against the Seminoles with two hits, two RBIs, a run of her own and a double.
First-year Gracie Huff hit .500 (5-for-10) and tallied a .615 on-base percentage last weekend at the ESPN SPC Elite Tournament, which both ranked sixth among all qualifying players in the tournament. Huff entered the weekend having never recorded a hit, but scored a run in all four of the Wildcats' games and reached base three times in both of the 'Cats' wins over Kansas and #5 Florida State, hitting a doubled in each game.
All games from this weekend will be live streamed on FloSoftball. Fans can also follow live updates, as well as the Wildcats' entire 2020 season, on Twitter at @NUSBCats.
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