Wildcats Begin NCAA Tournament With Evanston Regional

NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	LOCATION	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Friday, May 19	Eastern Illinois	2:30 p.m. CT (Game 2)	Sharon J. Drysdale Field Evanston, Ill.	ESPN+	Live Stats
Social: Twitter: @NUSBcats \| Instagram: @NUSBcats

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern is set to host its second-consecutive NCAA Regional, welcoming Eastern Illinois, Miami (Ohio) and Kentucky to Sharon J. Drysdale Field this weekend. It is the sixth time the 'Cats have hosted a regional since 2005.

The Wildcats will be making their 21st overall tournament appearance in program history as well as their 16th tournament appearance in the 22-year Drohan era, including their eighth in the past nine tournaments.

Northwestern earned the No. 12 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after posting a 38-11 overall record and 20-3 record in Big Ten play. The Wildcats rank sixth in the NCAA in RPI and seventh in strength of schedule.

The 'Cats have won 21-straight games at Drysdale Field dating back to last season, posting a .413 team batting average over the winning streak. Northwestern swept its three games in the Evanston Regional last season.

The 'Cats are coming off their second-consecutive Big Ten regular season championship and first Big Ten Tournament title since 2008. It is the first season in program history that NU has won both the outright Big Ten regular season title and Big Ten Tournament.

The Wildcats seek a return to the Women's College World Series for the second-consecutive season after reaching the WCWS in 2022 for the sixth time in program history. After winning the Evanston Regional and defeating Arizona St. in the Tempe Regional, the 'Cats fell to the No. 1 seed and eventual champions Oklahoma in the first game of the WCWS, before being eliminated by No. 5 UCLA the following day.

Northwestern's veteran leadership will look to continue its hot start to postseason play. Maeve Nelson roped a walk-off single in bottom of the seventh inning to beat Indiana 2-1 and clinch the Big Ten Tournament title for the Wildcats. Danielle Williams was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after allowing zero earned runs over 14 innings in the 'Cats three games.

It will be the fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in four chances for the 'Cats graduate students. Jordyn Rudd (.357), Skyler Shellmyer (.321), and Nikki Cuchran (.307) are all career .300+ hitters in postseason play. Rudd posted a .536 batting average in the 2022 tournament while Maeve Nelson slashed .385 with a .996 OPS. Danielle Williams has posted a 3.54 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 95.0 career innings in the NCAA Tournament.

Last week, Williams was named First Team All-Big Ten for the fourth time, becoming just the 11^th player in Big Ten history and third Wildcat to earn four first team nods. Williams is Northwestern's all-time leader in wins (102) and pitching appearances (168).

Nikki Cuchran was also named First Team All-Big Ten for the second-straight season. Cuchran led the 'Cats with a .420 batting average in conference play and has hit .500 (15-for-30) with a 1.410 OPS at Drysdale Field this season.

The Wildcats are 8-3 all-time against Eastern Illinois, having last faced-off in 1998. The 'Cats are 3-0 against Miami (Ohio) and have lost all three matchups with Kentucky in program history. Northwestern last played Kentucky in the 2021 Lexington Regional.

Wildcats Begin NCAA Tournament With Evanston Regional

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nikki Cuchran

Maeve Nelson

Jordyn Rudd

Skyler Shellmyer

Danielle Williams

Northwestern University Athletics