With its luggage stowed, pocket Gameboy’s packed away and McDonald’s wrappers tossed in the trash, the road-weary Northwestern softball team returns to the friendly confines of Anderson Field.
But waiting in its path is No. 25 Illinois-Chicago (37-20), who dealt the Wildcats (14-15) a pair of losses last year en route to their NCAA record-tying 67-win season.
After playing 29 consecutive games on the road, NU opens its home campaign with a doubleheader Wednesday against the Flames.
“It’s always easier to get up for good teams and UIC has been one,” NU coach Sharon Drysdale said. “They’ve been to the College World Series before and it’s a local team, so it’s important for us to come out and play well.”
Although the doubleheader against Illinois-Chicago will be the final pit stop before the Big Ten schedule gets into full swing, NU is in no mood to overlook anyone.
The ominous weather forecast will not diminish the excitement of the Cats’ homecoming. NU braved the elements and donned windbreakers and long pants in its outdoor practices this week. Having swept Northern Illinois in sub-40-degree weather last week, the Cats should have no trouble acclimating to the conditions.
The Flames will be without two-time All-American pitcher Samantha Iuli, who suffered an ankle injury. The standout hurler compiled a superb mark of 39-8 last season and intimidated her opponents with 366 strikeouts.
Without Iuli, NU will likely see Illinois-Chicago sophomores Rory Gonzales-Gould and Maral Binnebose on the mound. The duo recently blitzed Butler, shutting out the Bulldogs in both games of a doubleheader.
The Cats will be playing for the first time since the frigid affair against Northern Illinois because of a last-minute cancellation of Sunday’s game against Bradley.
The Missouri Valley Conference forced the Braves to make up a doubleheader against Northern Iowa that had been rescheduled due to poor weather.
No date has been set for the NU-Bradley game and if played, the game will likely be moved to Evanston.
“I wouldn’t have scheduled it if I’d known it was a rain date because weekends are too precious to do that and we needed to play at this stage of the game,” Drysdale said.
Agreed junior outfielder Stacey Austin: “I was a little disappointed it was canceled because it would have given us the opportunity to go above .500. But we’ll have that chance again (today).”
Despite not spending the weekend in lovely Peoria, the Cats remained active, practicing Sunday afternoon at Anderson Field. The postponement was a surprise to players, who hoped to extend the Cats’ four-game winning streak against Bradley.
“We really wanted to play and the whole team was really upset when we heard because your midweek games and your non-conference games really pump you up for the conference games,” said freshman pitcher Brie Brown.
By spending the weekend in Evanston, NU was able to reacquaint itself with its home field. For the nine freshmen on the roster, Anderson Field looks like any other foreign ballpark, and becoming familiar with the ins and outs will be crucial.
The new surroundings and unseasonably cold weather will be two of the major curveballs thrown at the freshmen. With five of the nine newcomers hailing from sunny California, the chills of April in Evanston are quite an adjustment.
Drysdale emphasized the importance of keeping focus in sub-par weather.
“A team that’s half-hearted out there or is a weather weenie isn’t going to perform well and is going to get beat,” Drysdale said. “If the Cubbies can play, we can play.”
NU will have a tough time trying to recapture the drama of the Cubs first game at Wrigley, but the Cats will certainly up their intensity level at Anderson Field.
“It’ll be our home field, our home turf and something to defend,” Austin said.
