Northwestern University Athletics
For McElfatrick, Northwestern’s Rise Encapsulates His Legacy
2/13/2026 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sidney and Mildred LaPidus Head Baseball Coach Ben Greenspan first encountered Owen McElfatrick in an opposing dugout.
Then an assistant coach at Michigan, Greenspan marveled at the athleticism of the Northwestern first-year infielder in the spring of 2023. Mere months later, McElfatrick became an integral component of Greenspan's new venture — his first collegiate head coaching job with the Wildcats.
"Once I arrived here, my impression was this is a guy that absolutely loves Northwestern," Greenspan said. "He's a very high-quality teammate, he's about the right things, he represents the program and the place at an extremely high level and he's selfless. He communicated from the start, 'I'll do whatever this team needs me to do to help us win.'"
Now a senior, McElfatrick has helped usher in a transformation of the Northwestern baseball program. A model of consistency, McElfatrick has started 146 games during the past three seasons.
Last season, he led the team in batting average (.303), hits (59) and stolen bases (five). The infielder added 16 doubles, nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 2025. He's tied for sixth in the program's career home runs leaderboard (24).
"I've learned to stay away from the concrete goals like trying to hit .330 or getting caught up in the results of the game," McElfatrick said. "A lot of the reason why people have success is that they understand that the seasons are a grind. Each day is a new opportunity. You're never as bad as you think you are, or as good as you think you are."
"If you approach every game, every practice, every lift like that, you're bound to run into some success."
The Wildcats have increased their win total during every season of McElfatrick's career, and the Tampa native carries lofty aspirations into the 2026 season. McElfatrick said this year's team possesses an untapped gear.
"We've had a lot of talented teams since I've been here, but this group is really putting it together," McElfatrick said. "Everyone knows what's at stake. The separating factor of this team is that everybody wants to win and is just really dedicated to it."
While McElfatrick has long proven a leader by example, Greenspan said the senior has developed a significant voice of authority throughout his career.
"He's one of the first guys in the cages every day," Greenspan said. "He models the behavior first, and that gives him the ground to stand on, to lead. When he does use his voice, it really means something. It carries weight with the team."
"From a leadership perspective, what's so cool about him is that he's had opportunities to go play professional baseball, and he's chosen to come back to this program multiple times. There's this era of transactional versus transformational. Owen's love for this place, for the program, shines through the action of choosing to come back."
That love for the program reciprocates what Greenspan has poured into the team, McElfatrick said.
Before McElfatrick departed for summer break in 2025, Greenspan told him he couldn't leave town without stopping by his family home. McElfatrick obliged, and he said that moment was a perfect encapsulation of his coach's character.
"He's just got an open door, he's always willing to listen to you and be there for you," McElfatrick said. "I've never had a coach in my life that's done the things he's done for me. Pushing me hard, being there when I need support and just instilling confidence in me, I really can't thank him enough for what he's done."
Even through a litany of preseason training sessions, Greenspan has seldom seen the team's competitive fire fade.
McElfatrick posited that he and his teammates are always competing, whether that be in the weight room or on the practice field.
"We're setting up to go out there and compete with the other team more than I've ever really seen," McElfatrick said. "We have a bunch of guys that just really want to prove something. We have guys that transferred in here to get a better opportunity. We have first-years that want to prove things. We have guys that are trying to prove things for the MLB Draft."
With the 2026 season looming, McElfatrick said the finality of his senior season has inevitably begun to strike. He said four years have flown by, and his Wildcat career has imparted wisdom that he'll carry far beyond the baseball diamond.
When all is said and done on his college baseball career, McElfatrick knows he'll have made a tangible mark at Northwestern.
"When I'm done here, I can hang my hat on the fact that we've grown as a program," McElfatrick said. "Looking back on my freshman year, I had no idea that we would turn it around to this level. I'm going to leave here with my head held high, knowing that the seniors and I have put in a lot of work to try and create a better program for the guys that come in."
"There are going to be times when you're going to struggle. What are you going to do about it to turn it back around? I can't thank this place, the coaches and my teammates enough for giving me these life lessons that I'm gonna take with me for the rest of my life."
Then an assistant coach at Michigan, Greenspan marveled at the athleticism of the Northwestern first-year infielder in the spring of 2023. Mere months later, McElfatrick became an integral component of Greenspan's new venture — his first collegiate head coaching job with the Wildcats.
"Once I arrived here, my impression was this is a guy that absolutely loves Northwestern," Greenspan said. "He's a very high-quality teammate, he's about the right things, he represents the program and the place at an extremely high level and he's selfless. He communicated from the start, 'I'll do whatever this team needs me to do to help us win.'"
Now a senior, McElfatrick has helped usher in a transformation of the Northwestern baseball program. A model of consistency, McElfatrick has started 146 games during the past three seasons.
Last season, he led the team in batting average (.303), hits (59) and stolen bases (five). The infielder added 16 doubles, nine home runs and 32 RBIs in 2025. He's tied for sixth in the program's career home runs leaderboard (24).
But McElfatrick doesn't base his goals on individual stats and accolades.??????-?????? ?????? ??@o_mcelfatrick earns Third Team All-@B1Gbaseball honors after a standout season at third base! pic.twitter.com/2RnfMFluo1
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) May 20, 2025
"I've learned to stay away from the concrete goals like trying to hit .330 or getting caught up in the results of the game," McElfatrick said. "A lot of the reason why people have success is that they understand that the seasons are a grind. Each day is a new opportunity. You're never as bad as you think you are, or as good as you think you are."
"If you approach every game, every practice, every lift like that, you're bound to run into some success."
The Wildcats have increased their win total during every season of McElfatrick's career, and the Tampa native carries lofty aspirations into the 2026 season. McElfatrick said this year's team possesses an untapped gear.
"We've had a lot of talented teams since I've been here, but this group is really putting it together," McElfatrick said. "Everyone knows what's at stake. The separating factor of this team is that everybody wants to win and is just really dedicated to it."
While McElfatrick has long proven a leader by example, Greenspan said the senior has developed a significant voice of authority throughout his career.
"He's one of the first guys in the cages every day," Greenspan said. "He models the behavior first, and that gives him the ground to stand on, to lead. When he does use his voice, it really means something. It carries weight with the team."
"From a leadership perspective, what's so cool about him is that he's had opportunities to go play professional baseball, and he's chosen to come back to this program multiple times. There's this era of transactional versus transformational. Owen's love for this place, for the program, shines through the action of choosing to come back."
That love for the program reciprocates what Greenspan has poured into the team, McElfatrick said.
Before McElfatrick departed for summer break in 2025, Greenspan told him he couldn't leave town without stopping by his family home. McElfatrick obliged, and he said that moment was a perfect encapsulation of his coach's character.
"He's just got an open door, he's always willing to listen to you and be there for you," McElfatrick said. "I've never had a coach in my life that's done the things he's done for me. Pushing me hard, being there when I need support and just instilling confidence in me, I really can't thank him enough for what he's done."
Even through a litany of preseason training sessions, Greenspan has seldom seen the team's competitive fire fade.
McElfatrick posited that he and his teammates are always competing, whether that be in the weight room or on the practice field.
"We're setting up to go out there and compete with the other team more than I've ever really seen," McElfatrick said. "We have a bunch of guys that just really want to prove something. We have guys that transferred in here to get a better opportunity. We have first-years that want to prove things. We have guys that are trying to prove things for the MLB Draft."
With the 2026 season looming, McElfatrick said the finality of his senior season has inevitably begun to strike. He said four years have flown by, and his Wildcat career has imparted wisdom that he'll carry far beyond the baseball diamond.
When all is said and done on his college baseball career, McElfatrick knows he'll have made a tangible mark at Northwestern.
"When I'm done here, I can hang my hat on the fact that we've grown as a program," McElfatrick said. "Looking back on my freshman year, I had no idea that we would turn it around to this level. I'm going to leave here with my head held high, knowing that the seniors and I have put in a lot of work to try and create a better program for the guys that come in."
"There are going to be times when you're going to struggle. What are you going to do about it to turn it back around? I can't thank this place, the coaches and my teammates enough for giving me these life lessons that I'm gonna take with me for the rest of my life."
Players Mentioned
INF
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