The Northwestern baseball team is battling through a difficult stretch of Big Ten games, with a series against conference power Minnesota looming on the horizon.

But at least the Wildcats won’t have to worry about staying cool.

Coach Paul Stevens said the weather the team played in at Indiana was the coldest he has experienced in a while.

“This is not exactly the type of weather I’d want to play baseball in,” Stevens said. “My wife told me I needed to start up the snowblower.”

Despite the weekend’s wintery conditions, NU (15-14) picked up two crucial wins over the Hoosiers.

And more cold weather is in store for today’s 3 p.m. game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee (13-12). Stevens will let NU reliever Ryan Bos battle both the elements and the Panthers while trying to extend the winning trend.

Bos’ start for the Cats will be his first action as a starting pitcher since the summer.

And Bos, who grew up in suburban Barrington, said he can handle the weather.

“I am from around here and I’m used to this kind of baseball,” the sophomore southpaw said. “You just have to suck it up.”

Working out of NU’s bullpen, Bos generally throws about 15 or 20 pitches in a game. He said today’s start would be a big change and he would take it “one inning at a time.”

Stevens said starting should not be a difficult transition for Bos.

“It doesn’t matter whether you start a game or come in in the fourth inning,” Stevens said. “If you’re facing the first hitter of the game or the 40th, you’re still facing a hitter. (Bos) is looking to show what he can do.”

The Cats are hoping the weather will cool down Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s bats. The Panthers have won 13 of their last 17 games, including a 25-2 shellacking of Concordia on April 3.

NU first baseman Pat Thompson said Wisconsin-Milwaukee always comes to Evanston with a respectable team.

The Panthers are yet another mid-week hurdle for the Cats. NU has struggled this season with the games in between its Big Ten contests on the weekends.

The Cats dropped their home opener on Mar. 29, losing 6-4 to Division II Lewis University. NU then lost 11-8 the following Tuesday to Chicago State.

And Thompson said today’s game will be just as competitive.

“They’re coming in here gunning because this is a Big Ten team,” he said. “With a lot of these smaller teams, coming to Northwestern is a big game for them. You can’t take any of these teams lightly.”

But the Cats are coming off of a weekend split on the road that Thompson said put the team back on track.

NU won twice in a pair of doubleheaders against Indiana. Sophomore Gabe Ribas’ pitching paced the team to a 4-0 win Saturday and the Cats’ offense sparked an 8-7 win Sunday.

After a series in which the Cats lost three one-run decisions to Illinois, Stevens said the wins at Indiana boosted the team’s confidence.

“It was vital for us this past weekend to come out and at least get a split,” said Thompson, who went 2-for-4 with two runs in Sunday’s win.

Bos said NU needs wins today and Wednesday against visiting Wisconsin-Parkside heading into a weekend series against Minnesota, the top team in the conference.

“We just want to roll through these mid-week games to go into the Big Ten season,” Bos said. “It’s all about momentum.”

Thompson hopes NU wins will become as regular as the spring’s bizarre weather.

“Starting with (Tuesday), winning is contagious,” he said.