Northwestern Announces 2025 Softball Schedule
12/16/2024 3:04:00 PM | Softball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern softball has unveiled its complete 2025 schedule, featuring a challenging 48-game regular season slate that includes non-conference tournaments across the country, 22 Big Ten matchups, and 15 home games at Sharon J. Drysdale Field in what will mark the final season at the venue before undergoing a full renovation ahead of the 2026 season.
Coming off another successful season in 2024 that saw the Wildcats clinch their third consecutive Big Ten regular season title, Northwestern will once again test itself with one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Wildcats will face 11 teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, including five that advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals and two that competed in the Women's College World Series. Notably, nine of Northwestern's first 14 games are against teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Non-Conference Highlights
The Wildcats open their season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida (Feb. 7-9), headlined by marquee matchups against Missouri, Duke, and Tennessee. Northwestern then travels to Baton Rouge, La., for games against LSU, Virginia Tech, and UT-Arlington (Feb. 14-16), followed by its annual appearance at the prestigious Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Desert, Calif. (Feb. 21-23).
The Wildcats will open their home schedule with a rare three-game non-conference series in March against SEC foe, Mississippi State (March 21-22), giving fans an early-season opportunity to see top-tier competition at 'The J.'
Big Ten Slate, Oklahoma City Experience
Northwestern's Big Ten schedule begins in unique fashion, with a showcase in Oklahoma City—the site of the Women's College World Series—against Penn State and Michigan State (March 13-16). The Wildcats will host three Big Ten series at home with key matchups against Illinois (April 5-7), Nebraska (April 12-14), and Wisconsin (April 25-27).
The regular season concludes with a marquee series at UCLA (May 2-4), in what marks the Bruins' first season in the Big Ten conference.
The 2025 Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Purdue University, taking place from May 7-10 in West Lafayette, Ind.
2024 Recap and 2025 Outlook
The Wildcats continued their dominance in 2024, winning their third consecutive Big Ten regular season title and earning their sixth straight NCAA postseason appearance, the longest active streak in the conference. Northwestern won every Big Ten series (8-0) for the second consecutive year and advanced to the NCAA Austin Regional, falling to the No. 1 overall seed Texas Longhorns, who went on to finish as the national runner-up.
The Wildcats earned a haul of postseason accolades, including Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for Kate Drohan for the third straight year and sixth time in her career. Sophomores Kelsey Nader and Kansas Robinson were named All-Americans, while catcher Emma Raye was recognized on both the Big Ten's All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams.
Looking ahead to 2025, Northwestern welcomes a consensus Top-25 signing class, including Kaylie Avvisato (Leesburg, Va.), Emma Blea (Fresno, Calif.), Kate Dowden (Indianapolis, Ind.), and Avery Garden (Allen Park, Mich.).
The roster continues to benefit from the leadership of Kate Drohan and her twin sister, Caryl Drohan, who enter their 24th season coaching the Wildcats, passing legendary Northwestern coach Sharon Drysdale for the longest tenured coaching stint in program history.
Fans can secure their seats for this season NOW by placing a deposit on season tickets.
***
Complete 2025 Schedule
Feb. 7 - Kennesaw State (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 7 - Missouri (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 8 - Duke (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 8 - Tennessee (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 9 - Southern Mississippi (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 14 - VA Tech (Baton Rouge, LA)
Feb. 14 - at LSU
Feb. 15 - UT-Arlington (Baton Rouge, LA)
Feb. 15 - at LSU
Feb. 16 - UT-Arlington (Baton Rouge, LA)
Feb. 21 - Seattle (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 22 - Utah (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 22 - St. Mary's (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 23 - California (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 28- Central Michigan (Louisville, KY)
Feb. 28 - Longwood (Louisville, KY)
March 1 - Longwood (Louisville, KY)
March 1 - at Louisville
March 2 - at Louisville
March 13 - Penn State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 14 - Penn State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 15 - Michigan State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 16 - Michigan State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 21-22 - Mississippi State (Evanston, IL)
March 26 - Northern Illinois (Evanston, IL)
March 28-30 - at Minnesota
April 1 - Notre Dame (Evanston, IL)
April 5-7 - Illinois (Evanston, IL)
April 12-14 - Nebraska (Evanston, IL)
April 16 - Loyola Chicago (Evanston, IL)
April 18-20 - at Rutgers
April 22 - at UIC
April 25-27 - Wisconsin (Evanston, IL)
May 2-4 - at UCLA
May 7-10 - Big Ten Tournament (West Lafayette, IN)
May 16-18 - NCAA Regionals
May 23-25 - NCAA Super Regionals
May 28-June 5 - Women's College World Series (Oklahoma City, OK)
Coming off another successful season in 2024 that saw the Wildcats clinch their third consecutive Big Ten regular season title, Northwestern will once again test itself with one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Wildcats will face 11 teams that qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, including five that advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals and two that competed in the Women's College World Series. Notably, nine of Northwestern's first 14 games are against teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
See You in 2025 ????
— Northwestern Softball (@NUSBcats) December 16, 2024
Our Complete Schedule ?????#GoCats | #BeRemarkable pic.twitter.com/JoTomG43Ze
Non-Conference Highlights
The Wildcats open their season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida (Feb. 7-9), headlined by marquee matchups against Missouri, Duke, and Tennessee. Northwestern then travels to Baton Rouge, La., for games against LSU, Virginia Tech, and UT-Arlington (Feb. 14-16), followed by its annual appearance at the prestigious Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Desert, Calif. (Feb. 21-23).
The Wildcats will open their home schedule with a rare three-game non-conference series in March against SEC foe, Mississippi State (March 21-22), giving fans an early-season opportunity to see top-tier competition at 'The J.'
Big Ten Slate, Oklahoma City Experience
Northwestern's Big Ten schedule begins in unique fashion, with a showcase in Oklahoma City—the site of the Women's College World Series—against Penn State and Michigan State (March 13-16). The Wildcats will host three Big Ten series at home with key matchups against Illinois (April 5-7), Nebraska (April 12-14), and Wisconsin (April 25-27).
The regular season concludes with a marquee series at UCLA (May 2-4), in what marks the Bruins' first season in the Big Ten conference.
The 2025 Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Purdue University, taking place from May 7-10 in West Lafayette, Ind.
2024 Recap and 2025 Outlook
The Wildcats continued their dominance in 2024, winning their third consecutive Big Ten regular season title and earning their sixth straight NCAA postseason appearance, the longest active streak in the conference. Northwestern won every Big Ten series (8-0) for the second consecutive year and advanced to the NCAA Austin Regional, falling to the No. 1 overall seed Texas Longhorns, who went on to finish as the national runner-up.
The Wildcats earned a haul of postseason accolades, including Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for Kate Drohan for the third straight year and sixth time in her career. Sophomores Kelsey Nader and Kansas Robinson were named All-Americans, while catcher Emma Raye was recognized on both the Big Ten's All-Defensive and All-Freshman Teams.
Looking ahead to 2025, Northwestern welcomes a consensus Top-25 signing class, including Kaylie Avvisato (Leesburg, Va.), Emma Blea (Fresno, Calif.), Kate Dowden (Indianapolis, Ind.), and Avery Garden (Allen Park, Mich.).
The roster continues to benefit from the leadership of Kate Drohan and her twin sister, Caryl Drohan, who enter their 24th season coaching the Wildcats, passing legendary Northwestern coach Sharon Drysdale for the longest tenured coaching stint in program history.
Fans can secure their seats for this season NOW by placing a deposit on season tickets.
***
Complete 2025 Schedule
Feb. 7 - Kennesaw State (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 7 - Missouri (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 8 - Duke (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 8 - Tennessee (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 9 - Southern Mississippi (NFCA Leadoff | Clearwater, FL)
Feb. 14 - VA Tech (Baton Rouge, LA)
Feb. 14 - at LSU
Feb. 15 - UT-Arlington (Baton Rouge, LA)
Feb. 15 - at LSU
Feb. 16 - UT-Arlington (Baton Rouge, LA)
Feb. 21 - Seattle (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 22 - Utah (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 22 - St. Mary's (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 23 - California (Mary Nutter Classic | Palm Desert, CA)
Feb. 28- Central Michigan (Louisville, KY)
Feb. 28 - Longwood (Louisville, KY)
March 1 - Longwood (Louisville, KY)
March 1 - at Louisville
March 2 - at Louisville
March 13 - Penn State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 14 - Penn State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 15 - Michigan State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 16 - Michigan State (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 21-22 - Mississippi State (Evanston, IL)
March 26 - Northern Illinois (Evanston, IL)
March 28-30 - at Minnesota
April 1 - Notre Dame (Evanston, IL)
April 5-7 - Illinois (Evanston, IL)
April 12-14 - Nebraska (Evanston, IL)
April 16 - Loyola Chicago (Evanston, IL)
April 18-20 - at Rutgers
April 22 - at UIC
April 25-27 - Wisconsin (Evanston, IL)
May 2-4 - at UCLA
May 7-10 - Big Ten Tournament (West Lafayette, IN)
May 16-18 - NCAA Regionals
May 23-25 - NCAA Super Regionals
May 28-June 5 - Women's College World Series (Oklahoma City, OK)
Players Mentioned
Softball - Lauren Boyd Tosses Complete Game Shutout, 'Cats Blank Kentucky in NCAA Regional (5/16/25)
Friday, May 16
Softball - 'Cats Storm Back, Secure Series Victory at No. 8 UCLA (5/4/25)
Sunday, May 04
Softball - 'Cats Earn 8-0 Run-Rule Win at No. 8 UCLA (5/2/25)
Saturday, May 03
Softball - Kaylie Avvisato Hits Walk-Off Home Run, 'Cats Take Series vs. Wisconsin (4/27/25)
Sunday, April 27
