Tuesday, April 18
DeKalb, IL
3:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
NIU
Wildcats Head West for Matchup at NIU
4/17/2023 6:10:00 PM | Baseball
DE KALB, Ill. – Northwestern baseball will head west on Tuesday to wrap up a home-and-home series against Northern Illinois with a road matchup against the Huskies. First pitch between the teams is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
The Wildcats (5-25, 3-6 B1G) will meet the Huskies (7-25, 4-10 MAC) for the second time this year after claiming a 15-11 victory in the Miller Park opener on March 28. The 'Cats collected a season-high 18 hits in the win, including seven doubles and two home runs.
Though they've gone 3-8 since last seeing NIU, Northwestern has taken some steps forward, particularly in the power department. The team has combined for 13 homers in their last 11 games, including five against UIC and two in Sunday's finale at Nebraska. Eight different players have hit at least one home run in that period and three of them - Griffin Arnone, Owen McElfatrick and Stephen Hrustich - have homered at least twice.
For Hrustich, the home runs have been only part of his production. The senior leads the team in batting average, at .333, and enters Tuesday's game with a 21-game on-base streak intact. His .511 slugging percentage also ranks first among Wildcats, and along with a .474 on-base percentage, gives him an OPS near 1.000.
The 'Cats will face an NIU team coming off a series split against Western Michigan. The Huskies picked up an extra-innings victory on Friday before falling 7-1 on Saturday, bringing them to 2-7 since first playing the Wildcats.
After Tuesday's game concludes, the 'Cats will head back to Evanston to prepare to host Rutgers this weekend at Miller Park. First pitch in Friday's series opener against the Scarlet Knights is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
The Wildcats (5-25, 3-6 B1G) will meet the Huskies (7-25, 4-10 MAC) for the second time this year after claiming a 15-11 victory in the Miller Park opener on March 28. The 'Cats collected a season-high 18 hits in the win, including seven doubles and two home runs.
Though they've gone 3-8 since last seeing NIU, Northwestern has taken some steps forward, particularly in the power department. The team has combined for 13 homers in their last 11 games, including five against UIC and two in Sunday's finale at Nebraska. Eight different players have hit at least one home run in that period and three of them - Griffin Arnone, Owen McElfatrick and Stephen Hrustich - have homered at least twice.
For Hrustich, the home runs have been only part of his production. The senior leads the team in batting average, at .333, and enters Tuesday's game with a 21-game on-base streak intact. His .511 slugging percentage also ranks first among Wildcats, and along with a .474 on-base percentage, gives him an OPS near 1.000.
The 'Cats will face an NIU team coming off a series split against Western Michigan. The Huskies picked up an extra-innings victory on Friday before falling 7-1 on Saturday, bringing them to 2-7 since first playing the Wildcats.
After Tuesday's game concludes, the 'Cats will head back to Evanston to prepare to host Rutgers this weekend at Miller Park. First pitch in Friday's series opener against the Scarlet Knights is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
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Friday, May 16
Baseball - Wildcats Top Beacons, 12-4 (5/13/25)
Wednesday, May 14
Baseball - Northwestern Run-Rules Ohio State to Secure Series (5/11/25)
Sunday, May 11
Baseball - Wildcats Run-Rule Buckeyes at Wrigley Field (5/9/25)
Saturday, May 10
