Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, March 27
Seattle, Wash.
9 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Washington
Northwestern Set for Three-Game Series at Washington
3/26/2026 4:01:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern baseball closes out its west coast road swing when it travels to Washington for a three-game series at Husky Ballpark this weekend.
Friday and Saturday's games are scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. CT, with Sunday's series finale slated for 3 p.m. CT. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
Friday, March 27: NU – RHP Garrett Shearer vs. Washington – RHP Noah Kenney
Saturday, March 28: NU – RHP Matt Kouser vs. Washington – RHP Gunnar Nichols
Sunday, March 29: NU – TBD vs. Washington – RHP Hayden Lewis
Last weekend, Northwestern secured its second ranked victory in as many weeks, defeating No. 21 Oregon, 11-10, in an extra-inning thriller in Eugene. The win gave NU its most ranked wins in a single season since 2015 (three).
The Wildcats rank fifth nationally in strength of schedule, having played nine of their last 14 games against opponents ranked in D1Baseball's Top 25.
INF Ryan Kucherak went 7-for-15 with one home run, one double and three walks, tallying four RBI and scoring three runs over four games in Oregon.
INF Noah Ruiz logged an RBI in all four of NU's games in Oregon, bringing his team-high total to 19 on the season.
RHP Matt Kouser ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 111th nationally with a 2.77 earned-run average. The sophomore right-hander has logged three starts with five or more strikeouts so far this season.
OF Jackson Freeman leads all Wildcats in batting average (.326), hits (28), total bases (45) and on-base percentage (.389). Freeman has recorded a pair of four-hit games this season, the most hits in a single game by a Wildcat in 2026.
OF Jack Lausch has already slugged a team-high five home runs in 2026, one shy of his 2025 total of six. The senior outfielder leads all 'Cats in homers (five), stolen bases (four), slugging percentage (.563), total bases (45), triples (two) and runs (18).
Washington leads the all-time series between the two schools, 5-2. Last season, the Huskies took two of three games in Evanston, with Northwestern winning the series finale, 10-4. Seven different Wildcats recorded an RBI in the contest, including two each from Kucherak and Lausch.
The Huskies (10-14, 4-5 Big Ten) enter the weekend off a midweek win at Pepperdine, defeating the Waves, 11-2, on Tuesday. OF Jackson Hotchkiss leads all Huskies and ranks 10th in the Big Ten with seven home runs on the season.
Northwestern returns home to Evanston, where it'll play its next nine games in the Chicagoland area. The Wildcats kick off the home stretch on Tuesday, March 31, at 3 p.m. CT, against Valparaiso at Miller Park.
Friday and Saturday's games are scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. CT, with Sunday's series finale slated for 3 p.m. CT. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
Probable PitchersWeekend Series in Seattle ??
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) March 25, 2026
?? B1G+ pic.twitter.com/gRzUuV6bqG
Friday, March 27: NU – RHP Garrett Shearer vs. Washington – RHP Noah Kenney
Saturday, March 28: NU – RHP Matt Kouser vs. Washington – RHP Gunnar Nichols
Sunday, March 29: NU – TBD vs. Washington – RHP Hayden Lewis
Last weekend, Northwestern secured its second ranked victory in as many weeks, defeating No. 21 Oregon, 11-10, in an extra-inning thriller in Eugene. The win gave NU its most ranked wins in a single season since 2015 (three).
The Wildcats rank fifth nationally in strength of schedule, having played nine of their last 14 games against opponents ranked in D1Baseball's Top 25.
INF Ryan Kucherak went 7-for-15 with one home run, one double and three walks, tallying four RBI and scoring three runs over four games in Oregon.
INF Noah Ruiz logged an RBI in all four of NU's games in Oregon, bringing his team-high total to 19 on the season.
RHP Matt Kouser ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 111th nationally with a 2.77 earned-run average. The sophomore right-hander has logged three starts with five or more strikeouts so far this season.
OF Jackson Freeman leads all Wildcats in batting average (.326), hits (28), total bases (45) and on-base percentage (.389). Freeman has recorded a pair of four-hit games this season, the most hits in a single game by a Wildcat in 2026.
OF Jack Lausch has already slugged a team-high five home runs in 2026, one shy of his 2025 total of six. The senior outfielder leads all 'Cats in homers (five), stolen bases (four), slugging percentage (.563), total bases (45), triples (two) and runs (18).
Washington leads the all-time series between the two schools, 5-2. Last season, the Huskies took two of three games in Evanston, with Northwestern winning the series finale, 10-4. Seven different Wildcats recorded an RBI in the contest, including two each from Kucherak and Lausch.
The Huskies (10-14, 4-5 Big Ten) enter the weekend off a midweek win at Pepperdine, defeating the Waves, 11-2, on Tuesday. OF Jackson Hotchkiss leads all Huskies and ranks 10th in the Big Ten with seven home runs on the season.
Northwestern returns home to Evanston, where it'll play its next nine games in the Chicagoland area. The Wildcats kick off the home stretch on Tuesday, March 31, at 3 p.m. CT, against Valparaiso at Miller Park.
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