Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Clinch Big Ten Championship
5/6/2022 9:10:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern softball clinched the outright Big Ten title on Friday, the eighth title in program history and third under Kate and Caryl Drohan.
It is the first time the Wildcats have won the Big Ten since 2008 and their first outright title since 2006. Northwestern also won the Big Ten in 1982 and four-straight seasons from 1984-1987.
Northwestern holds an 18-3 record against Big Ten opponents this season, the 'Cats overall record sits at an impressive 38-8 record.
The 'Cats were dominant on both sides of the field during Big Ten play this season. Senior ace Danielle Williams is on pace to win the Big Ten pitching triple crown with 13 wins, 132 strikeouts, and a 1.82 ERA in 88.2 innings. Overall, Williams has tallied 24 wins against three losses, a 1.38 ERA, and 263 strikeouts in 178.0 innings.
Led by Rachel Lewis, Northwestern was the highest scoring team in the Big Ten season at 152 runs. The Wildcats also hit a conference-high 38 home runs and posted conference-bests with .416 on-base percentage, .583 slugging percentage, and .999 OPS against B1G opponents.
In 21 games against conference opponents, Lewis is currently leading the league with 12 home runs, 63 total bases, 29 runs scored, a 1.068 slugging percentage, and 1.629 OPS.
Sophomore Hannah Cady trails only Lewis on the Big Ten leaderboards with seven home runs, while posting a .381 average and 1.191 OPS against conference opponents.
Along with Lewis and Cady, Skyler Shellmyer (.370), Jordyn Rudd (.365), Nikki Cuchran (.355), Grace Nieto (.314) are all currently hitting over .300 in conference play, while Maeve Nelson and Rudd both posted OPS' over 1.000 at 1.058 and 1.097, respectively.
Northwestern will head to the Big Ten Tournament in East Lansing, Mich. next weekend as the No. 1 seed. The 'Cats are seeking their third Big Ten Tournament title in program history and first since 2008.
