Northwestern University Athletics
Drohan, Miller Headline Big Ten Softball Postseason Awards Haul
5/8/2024 9:00:00 AM | Softball
Northwestern lands Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Coach of the Year and Three First Team All-Big Ten selections.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Northwestern took home a series of Big Ten postseason awards on Wednesday, headlined by Ashley Miller winning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Kate Drohan being named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
In addition, Kansas Robinson, Kelsey Nader and Miller all received First Team All-Big Ten honors, with Miller being one of four conference players to be a unanimous selection. First-year catcher Emma Raye was also named to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team, as well as to the conference's All-Defensive Team.
Drohan earns Big Ten Coach of the Year honors for the third-straight year and fourth time in the last five seasons the award was handed out. With a lineup that saw six of its nine defensive starters turn over from 2023, Drohan led the Wildcats to a 33-10 record and a 19-3 record in conference play en route to their third-straight Big Ten regular season title. In her 23rd year at the helm, Drohan is now a six-time Big Ten Coach of the Year recipient, the second-most accolades among any coach in Big Ten history behind Carol Hutchins (17). It also marks just the second time in Big Ten softball history that a coach has won three-consecutive Coach of the Year awards (also Hutchins: 2011-13).
Miller becomes the fourth-different Wildcat in program history to win Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, joining Eileen Canney (2006-07), Lauren Delaney (2008) and Danielle Williams (2022). The graduate transfer led all Big Ten pitchers with a 1.34 ERA (29 ER/151.1 IP), the 12th best mark in the nation, as well as a .164 opposing batting average and 4.02 hits allowed per seven innings (ninth in the country). The Leo, Indiana native also won a Big Ten-leading four Pitcher of the Week honors this season, tying a program single-season record. In conference play, Miller upped her game to another level, finishing with 12 wins and a 1.61 ERA (21 ER/91.1 IP), both of which led the Big Ten. Miller struck out 92 batters (third in Big Ten) in 17 Big Ten appearances and averaged 7.1 strikeouts per seven innings (second-best in the conference). Miller finished the conference season with a 12-1 record, going 8-0 over her final 10 starts.
Robinson earns All-Big Ten honors for the first time in her career, having been named to the All-Freshman Team in 2023. Anchoring second base throughout the season, the sophomore sensation currently leads the team in batting average (.409), slugging percentage (.773), on-base percentage (.515), RBI (34), hits (54) and home runs (11). Robinson's current marks of a .409 batting average/.515 on-base percentage/.773 slugging percentage puts her in rare territory as one of just four Wildcats ever to post a slash line of at least .400/.500/.770 in a single season, joining Garland Cooper (2007), Tammy Williams (2009) and Adrienne Monka (2009, 2011). Robinson also opened the season with a 34-game reached base streak, tied for the fifth-longest in Big Ten history.
Nader takes home the first All-Big Ten accolades in her career after being named to the All-Freshman Team as a starter in 2023. Nader led the Wildcats with a jaw-dropping .473 batting average (35-for-74) in 22 Big Ten games, to go along with a team-best 20 RBI and 22 runs scored. Nader's 35 hits and .473 batting average in conference play trailed only the Big Ten Player of the Year, Jess Oakland (Minnesota), while her 1.261 OPS ranked seventh in the conference and second on the team behind only Robinson (1.320).
Since the start of Big Ten play on March 23, Nader has raised her batting average on the season from .266 up to .377, she also finished the regular season with a team-leading 37 runs scored and 20 multi-hit games, becoming one of just five Wildcats since 2012 to finished with 20+ multi-hit games in a single season (Skyler Shellmyer, Sabrina Rabin, Emily Allard and Marisa Bast).
Raye takes home All-Freshman Team and All-Defensive honors following a successful rookie campaign in which she led all first-years in the Big Ten with 10 home runs on the year while finishing with an .844 OPS and 29 RBI. Her nine multi-RBI games on year were tied with Robinson for the most on the team, while her .591 slugging percentage in Big Ten play trailed only Robinson (.803) and Nader (.743). Raye elevated her play down the stretch for the 'Cats, hitting .297 (11-for-37) with homers, 11 RBI and a .676 slugging percentage in the month of April before winning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors in the Wildcats' final regular season series of the season, hitting two home runs to power NU to a pair of victories over Indiana as the 'Cats clinched the Big Ten Title.
Raye's performance behind the plate was nothing short of stellar, as she worked with a pitching staff that led the Big Ten in ERA (2.27) throughout the season and posted a 2.51 mark in conference play–0.78 points higher than the next closest team. As a team, Northwestern allowed the fewest stolen bases in the conference (13, next closest 20) and the lowest stolen base percentage (.520, next closet .645)–with Raye accounting for all but one game at catcher for the Wildcats. The Superior, Wisconsin native also caught 12 runners stealing, good for third-best in the Big Ten and 34th in the nation. This marks the fourth-consecutive season in which a Northwestern catcher has earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors, with Jordyn Rudd taking home the honor in each of the last three seasons including a 2022 campaign that saw her win the inaugural Rawlings Gold Glove.
In addition, Lauren Boyd was honored as Northwestern's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient.
Northwestern earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2024 Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa and will be back in action in the Quarterfinals on Thursday to face the winner of Purdue vs. Indiana at 11 a.m. CT on Big Ten Network. Following the Big Ten Tournament, the Wildcats will set their sights on the NCAA Tournament, as the 'Cats look to earn their 22nd overall tournament appearance in program history.
