Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, March 6
Seattle, Wash.
8 pm CT
Northwestern
at
#22 Washington
Photo by: Andy Mead/YCJ
'Cats Head to West Coast, Open Big Ten Play at Washington
3/5/2026 5:25:00 PM | Softball
SEATTLE – Northwestern Softball kicks off conference play this weekend with a three-game road series at No. 22 Washington.
The Wildcats and Huskies open the series on Friday at 8 pm CT, followed by a 5 pm CT meeting on Saturday, before wrapping up the series on Sunday at 3 pm CT. All three games can be streamed live on B1G+.
Most recently, Northwestern split four games at the Duke Invitational in Durham, NC. After a Thursday matchup with host Duke was cancelled due to weather, the Wildcats opened the weekend with a 6-4 loss to Boston University on Friday, before bouncing back with an emphatic 11-1 win over Ohio State in the day's second game. Northwestern avenged their loss with a 6-3 defeat of the Terriers on Saturday morning, before falling 6-1 to No. 20 Duke to close out the series.
Northwestern sits at 8-11 on the season, with eight of their 11 losses coming against ranked opponents. Over their first five weekends of action this season, 16 of the Wildcats' first 23 games will come against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams (including 11 different opponents).
Last season, NU posted a 16-6 mark in conference play, tied for fourth place in the Big Ten standings in what marked the Wildcats' seventh-consecutive Top-4 finish in the Big Ten.
Hitting back-to-back in the lineup, the duo of Grace Nieto and Kelsey Nader led the Wildcats' offense last weekend at Duke. Nieto went 6-for-14 with a team-leading .529 on-base percentage and a run scored in each game, adding to her team-leading 14 runs scored on the season. Nader recorded a hit in every game of the weekend (5-for-12), driving in runs in both games vs. BU, and now rides a seven-game hitting streak. Nader is hitting a team-high .397 (23-for-58) on the year, and currently ranks eighth in program history in career batting average (.349).
Kansas Robinson led the team last weekend with a .923 slugging percentage and five RBI, going 5-for-13 with a pair of home runs. Robinson went 3-for-3 in the win over Ohio State, blasting a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to jumpstart a seven-run inning for the 'Cats, and homered in a second-straight game on Saturday in the Wildcats' win over BU. Robinson has led the team in RBI in back-to-back seasons and currently ranks second on the team with 14 runs driven in through four weekends.
First-year pitcher Marina Mason leads Northwestern with 40.0 innings pitched and 49 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .212 batting average. Mason ranks second in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation in strikeouts among first-year pitchers (49). Her rate of 8.58 strikeouts per seven innings ranks fourth in the nation and third among Big Ten rookie pitchers. Mason fired her second complete game of the season on Friday, striking out eight batters to lead Northwestern to a win over Ohio State. After allowing a solo home run in the first inning, Mason proceeded to fire 6.2 scoreless innings, retiring 20 of the last 24 batters she faced–including the last nine batters of the game to pick up her third win of the year.
Riley Grudzielanek tossed her first complete game of the season to beat Boston University on Saturday, scattering three runs and striking out six over 7.0 innings of work. Emma Blea also turned in a strong effort against Boston University, shutting out the Terriers over 5.1 innings on Friday while allowing just one hit, lowering her season ERA to 2.95.
Northwestern is 5-16 all-time vs. Washington, with the Wildcats winning the most recent meeting between the programs, 1-0, on Feb. 26 at the Mary Nutter Classic. Big Ten Player of the Year Rachel Lewis provided the difference maker with a solo homer, while Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Danielle Williams tossed a complete game three-hit shutout. Northwestern's most recent trip to Seattle was for the 2018 Husky Invitational, where they posted a 3-2 record that included an 8-2 loss to Washington. The 'Cats also traveled to Seattle for the 2014 NCAA Regionals, with the Wildcats making it to the Regional Final before falling to No. 12 overall seed Washington, 9-0.
Northwestern heads to Highland Heights, Kentucky next weekend for four games–two against Detroit Mercy and one each against Northern Kentucky and Northern Iowa.
The Wildcats and Huskies open the series on Friday at 8 pm CT, followed by a 5 pm CT meeting on Saturday, before wrapping up the series on Sunday at 3 pm CT. All three games can be streamed live on B1G+.
Most recently, Northwestern split four games at the Duke Invitational in Durham, NC. After a Thursday matchup with host Duke was cancelled due to weather, the Wildcats opened the weekend with a 6-4 loss to Boston University on Friday, before bouncing back with an emphatic 11-1 win over Ohio State in the day's second game. Northwestern avenged their loss with a 6-3 defeat of the Terriers on Saturday morning, before falling 6-1 to No. 20 Duke to close out the series.
Northwestern sits at 8-11 on the season, with eight of their 11 losses coming against ranked opponents. Over their first five weekends of action this season, 16 of the Wildcats' first 23 games will come against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams (including 11 different opponents).
Last season, NU posted a 16-6 mark in conference play, tied for fourth place in the Big Ten standings in what marked the Wildcats' seventh-consecutive Top-4 finish in the Big Ten.
Hitting back-to-back in the lineup, the duo of Grace Nieto and Kelsey Nader led the Wildcats' offense last weekend at Duke. Nieto went 6-for-14 with a team-leading .529 on-base percentage and a run scored in each game, adding to her team-leading 14 runs scored on the season. Nader recorded a hit in every game of the weekend (5-for-12), driving in runs in both games vs. BU, and now rides a seven-game hitting streak. Nader is hitting a team-high .397 (23-for-58) on the year, and currently ranks eighth in program history in career batting average (.349).
Kansas Robinson led the team last weekend with a .923 slugging percentage and five RBI, going 5-for-13 with a pair of home runs. Robinson went 3-for-3 in the win over Ohio State, blasting a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to jumpstart a seven-run inning for the 'Cats, and homered in a second-straight game on Saturday in the Wildcats' win over BU. Robinson has led the team in RBI in back-to-back seasons and currently ranks second on the team with 14 runs driven in through four weekends.
First-year pitcher Marina Mason leads Northwestern with 40.0 innings pitched and 49 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .212 batting average. Mason ranks second in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation in strikeouts among first-year pitchers (49). Her rate of 8.58 strikeouts per seven innings ranks fourth in the nation and third among Big Ten rookie pitchers. Mason fired her second complete game of the season on Friday, striking out eight batters to lead Northwestern to a win over Ohio State. After allowing a solo home run in the first inning, Mason proceeded to fire 6.2 scoreless innings, retiring 20 of the last 24 batters she faced–including the last nine batters of the game to pick up her third win of the year.
Riley Grudzielanek tossed her first complete game of the season to beat Boston University on Saturday, scattering three runs and striking out six over 7.0 innings of work. Emma Blea also turned in a strong effort against Boston University, shutting out the Terriers over 5.1 innings on Friday while allowing just one hit, lowering her season ERA to 2.95.
Northwestern is 5-16 all-time vs. Washington, with the Wildcats winning the most recent meeting between the programs, 1-0, on Feb. 26 at the Mary Nutter Classic. Big Ten Player of the Year Rachel Lewis provided the difference maker with a solo homer, while Big Ten Pitcher of the Year Danielle Williams tossed a complete game three-hit shutout. Northwestern's most recent trip to Seattle was for the 2018 Husky Invitational, where they posted a 3-2 record that included an 8-2 loss to Washington. The 'Cats also traveled to Seattle for the 2014 NCAA Regionals, with the Wildcats making it to the Regional Final before falling to No. 12 overall seed Washington, 9-0.
Northwestern heads to Highland Heights, Kentucky next weekend for four games–two against Detroit Mercy and one each against Northern Kentucky and Northern Iowa.
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