Northwestern
Harvard
'Cats Travel to USA Baseball National Training Complex for Four-Game Weekend
2/21/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern baseball continues its 2025 campaign as it travels to the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C. for a four-game weekend beginning Saturday, February 22 and concluding Monday, February 24. All four games in Cary will be streamed on USABaseball.tv.
Probable Pitchers
Saturday, 2/22: Harvard - RHP Truman Pauley vs. NU - LHP Crawford Wade
Sunday, 2/23 (G1): Fordham - RHP Mike Rabayda vs. NU - RHP Garrett Shearer
Sunday, 2/23 (G2): Fordham - TBA vs. NU - TBA
Monday, 2/24: Indiana - TBA vs. NU - TBA
Northwestern looks to build on its opening series win at Long Beach State with four games against three opponents this weekend. The Wildcats will take on Harvard on Saturday, February 22 at 12:30 p.m. CT, followed by a doubleheader against Fordham on Sunday, February 23 beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT, and will close out the long weekend by taking on Indiana on Monday, February 24 at 10 a.m. CT.
Last weekend, Northwestern won its opening series for the first time since 2008, taking two out of three at Long Beach State. On Saturday, INF Trent Liolios homered twice and drove in four runs in an 6-2 victory. On Sunday, INF Ryan Kucherak hit his first career home run to tie the game in the fifth, before a three-run seventh inning propelled the 'Cats to a 4-3 win.
Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Week RHP Matthew Kouser earned the win in his first collegiate start, surrendering just one earned run on two hits, four walks, and a hit by pitch, striking out one in 6.0 innings of action. The victory clinched Northwestern's first season opening series win since 2008 against CSUN. Kouser combined with Blake MacMillan and Sam Hliboki to limit the Dirtbags to just three hits, the fewest by a Northwestern opponent in nine innings since March 20, 2022, when Northwestern allowed just one hit in an 8-1 victory over Evansville.
In two appearances, Sam Hliboki struck out four and allowed just one hit in 4.0 innings pitched, earning saves in both of his appearances. Hliboki is just one of 18 players nationally to have multiple saves in 2025.
After competing for the football program for three seasons, OF Jack Lausch made his Northwestern debut on the baseball diamond. At Long Beach State, Lausch went 3-for-10 with a double, scoring three runs and driving in one. The Chicago native started 10 games at quarterback for the Northwestern football team in 2024. He completed 159-of-296 passes for 1,714 yards (53.7%), while rushing 87 times for 213 yards and two touchdowns. Lausch is NU's first baseball-football dual-sport athlete since right-handed pitcher and quarterback/punter Dan Kubiuk played for both programs in 2015-16.
The 'Cats return the bulk of their lineup from 2024 and rank in the top two in the Big Ten in percentage of returning production in every major offensive category. Northwestern returns at least 75% of its total hits, runs, runs batted in, home runs and extra-base hits in the lineup this season. Northwestern leads the Big Ten in percentage of returning production in the following categories: Runs (75.6%), HRs (90.3%), and XBH (79.4%).
Last season, Northwestern posted an eight-win improvement from 2023, and finished with nine road non-conference wins, its most in a season since at least 2000. Under Greenspan, the Wildcats improved dramatically defensively, posting a .980 fielding percentage, which led the Big Ten and ranked 10th nationally. The 'Cats had just 37 errors out of 1,847 chances. The year before Greenspan arrived on campus, Northwestern was 13th in the league in fielding percentage.
OF Jackson Freeman, C Bennett Markinson, and INF Owen McElfatrick were all named to the 2025 Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch List. Markinson was also rated by D1Baseball as a Top 50 Catcher in the country. RHP Matthew Kouser and UTL Carter Danz were named to D1Baseball's Big Ten Impact Freshmen List.
Harvard is scheduled to open its 2025 season on Friday with a matchup against Fordham. The Crimson posted a 13-26 record last season and are picked to finish sixth in the eight-team Ivy League.
Fordham enters the weekend at 0-3 after getting swept by No. 13 NC State last weekend. The Rams posted a 19-33 record in 2024 and are picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic 10 this season.
Indiana also enters the weekend 0-4, falling to UNLV (twice), Xavier, and No. 7 Oregon State last weekend in Surprise, Ariz. The Hoosiers went 33-26-1 in 2024, earning a berth to the 2024 Knoxville Regional. IU was selected to finish third in the 2025 Big Ten Preseason Poll. The contest between the Wildcats and Hoosiers will not count towards the Big Ten standings and the two teams are not scheduled to meet again this season.
Northwestern will return to North Carolina next weekend for a three-game series at No. 17 Duke. Friday's game is set for 3 p.m. CT, Saturday's contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT, and Sunday's finale is slated for 12 p.m. CT.
