'Cats Stay In-State for Southern Illinois Invitational

NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	Opponent	TIME	LOCATION	Live Stats
Friday, Mar. 4	Northern Kentucky	10 a.m. CT	Carbondale, Ill.	Live Stats
Saturday, Mar. 5	Murray State	10 a.m. CT	Carbondale, Ill.	Live Stats
Saturday, Mar. 5	Southern Illinois	12:15 p.m. CT	Carbondale, Ill.	Live Stats
Sunday, Mar. 6	Ball State	10 a.m. CT	Carbondale, Ill.	Live Stats
Sunday, Mar. 6	Northern Kentucky	12:15 p.m. CT	Carbondale, Ill.	Live Stats
Social: Twitter: @NUSBcats \| Instagram: @NUSBcats

PALM DESERT, Calif. — No. 17 Northwestern takes its premier early-season resume downstate for the Southern Illinois Invitational this weekend. The Wildcats are set to take on Northern Kentucky on Friday with first pitch at 10 a.m. CT, then they will play doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday, both starting at 10 a.m. CT, against Murray State, Southern Illinois, Ball State and Northern Kentucky again.

Northwestern has already picked up five wins against top-25 opponents, including two dramatic wins over top-five teams in No. 3 UCLA and No. 5 Washington.

Danielle Williams earned National and Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors for her performance at the Mary Nutter Classic last weekend, appearing in all five games with a 3-0 record. Williams pitched two complete game shutouts against top-10 opponents in two days, setting the table for solo home runs from Jordyn Rudd and Rachel Lewis to make the difference in 1-0 wins over No. 9 Oregon and No. 5 Washington. On the weekend, she allowed just one run and six hits over 20.0 innings pitched, while striking out 23 batters.

The Wildcats are 6-2 in the all-time series against Southern Illinois and 9-3 in the all-time series against Ball State. This weekend will mark the program's first-ever meetings with Northern Kentucky and Murray State.

Rudd's younger sister Alexis Rudd is a first-year at Southern Illinois playing pitcher and designated player. She has appeared in the circle once this season, pitching a third of an inning against Northern Illinois, and has four plate appearances. Saturday's game will mark the first time the sisters share the same diamond since 2018 when they helped lead Center Grove High School to a 30-2 record and the semifinals of the Indiana high school state tournament.

Jordyn Rudd is already putting together a career season for the Wildcats in her senior year, boasting a .333 batting average and a .996 slugging percentage. In addition to the home run against Oregon, the right-handed catcher three doubles, one triple and 12 RBIs.

Follow the whole weekend series with live updates on Twitter @NUSBcats and on Instagram @NUSBcats.

'Cats Stay In-State for Southern Illinois Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Rachel Lewis

Jordyn Rudd

Danielle Williams

Northwestern University Athletics