Northwestern University Athletics
"Don't Let the 'Cats Get Hot" - By Sydney Supple
4/13/2023 4:04:00 PM | Softball
Don't let the 'Cats get hot.
In the last nine games, our team has put up 94 runs. That is a statement that should be heard around the country. The best way to tell the story is by looking at the celebrations at home plate, the excitement in the dugout, and the laughs from our team–on and off the field. Kate said it best: when we are playing selfless softball, that is when we are at our best. That is exactly how we are playing–for each other, for the name on the front of our jersey, for the women before us, and for the women to come.
Penn State did whatever they could to throw all their pitchers last weekend, but our poise and readiness made all of the difference. We saw a challenge, and we welcomed it. On Saturday, we kept our foot on the gas pedal and never let up for 24 runs. It was one of those days when everything went right in the world, and we got to enjoy the fruits of our labor. However, the best part about college softball and sports as a whole is that the game never knows who is "supposed" to win. You wake up each day and start every game tied with the other team because nothing that happened the day before counts. Sunday was a very different type of ballgame than Saturday was, and that is when you have to embrace and love the game even more for the challenges it brings. I felt that our team fully embraced it, buckled down, and fought hard enough to put ourselves in a position to have the bat in our hands with runners on base in the bottom of the seventh to let Jordyn Rudd do what she does best...deliver another walk-off hit (this time being a GRAND SLAM).
"Ballgame" - Jordyn Rudd pic.twitter.com/L7NwhTmm9S
— Northwestern Softball (@NUSBcats) April 9, 2023
This past midweek game, we finished our series sweep versus Illinois on a high note and kept the undefeated streak at home alive. That winning streak is because of all of you who are packing The J at every opportunity you can get. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming, and these wins are ours together.
As we make our way to Wisconsin, I have to say this weekend is bigger than the game for me. Playing in my home state for the first time in four years, on the same field that I last stepped on for my very last high school game when we won the state championship, makes me emotional. This game and program have allowed me to see the biggest stages of college softball, but none will compare to playing in front of my home crowd with my family and friends there to celebrate this full-circle moment. Let's enjoy this one together Cats'.
With Love Always,
Sydney #26
