If the Northwestern softball team can sprint through the state of Indiana this weekend, it could easily end up on the inside track for a berth in the Big Ten tournament.
The Hoosier State will receive a heavy dose of NU (15-16, 3-1 Big Ten) as the Cats travel to Purdue for a doubleheader today and to Indiana for a two-game set Saturday and Sunday.
Today’s games will be NU’s first Big Ten action in two weeks. And although the Cats’ overall record hasn’t been what they hoped, strong showings against Wisconsin and Minnesota have put the squad in position to claim a berth in the Big Ten tournament — an honor reserved for the six best teams in the conference.
“We have to play well behind all our pitchers,” coach Sharon Drysdale said. “We have to hit consistently well all throughout the year; we can’t afford to make mistakes against good teams. The key is to be able to do it when it counts and to be able to do it day in and day out.
“We have to hope that it all adds up to getting into the tournament and then anything can happen when you get into the tournament.”
The Boilermakers (25-20, 2-4) are the more menacing foe of this trip. They feature two young aces that are sure to give the Cats’ recently awakened bats plenty of trouble. Sophomore Meagan Dooley and freshman Leighann Burke are both 8-7 on the season, and Dooley’s ERA has shrunk to a microscopic 0.63.
NU, however, has been on a hitting rampage as of late, scoring 15 runs in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday against No. 25 Illinois-Chicago. That outburst, as well as a relaxed Thursday practice, has the team in good spirits.
“We realize we play a lot better when we’re loose,” freshman third baseman Alyson Schulz said. “We want to go in there and we want to take all four.”
The Cats’ Thursday practice was much shorter than usual to allow for the bus ride to Purdue, and the coaches decided to let the team have a little bit of fun. They paired players into mini-teams and let them square off against one another in a hitting contest.
“I think that it was really smart for our coaches to get us out here and keep us loose because this weekend is going to be pretty pivotal for us,” shortstop Tami Jones said. “Going back into the Big Ten — we haven’t played in the Big Ten for a couple of weeks now — it’s good.”
Said Drysdale: “We’ve been working hard and pressure doesn’t help you play this game better unless you’re not motivated. You’ve got to enjoy what you’re doing.”
And if the Cats can get a pair of victories today, they could likely return from Bloomington, Ind., a very happy team because Indiana sits firmly in the cellar in most Big Ten statistical categories.
The Hoosiers (12-25, 2-6) are hitting only .224 as a team, while their pitching staff has allowed the opposition an average of .309. Teresa Martinez, the team’s workhorse, has a 5-12 record on the year, having allowed almost two hits for every inning she has pitched.
Even though Indiana has struggled, the Cats are still approaching the series as carefully as they can.
“We’ve had problems in the past beating the teams that we should, so it’s still the same as any other game,” Schulz said. “I think we’re going in looser because we know we have to go into it more focused and even more ready to play. The intensity is a lot greater — plus we want to win all these games this weekend.”
The season’s outcome may depend on a good road trip, both because of the important wins to be had and the morale boost that a 3-1 or 4-0 weekend could provide.
“(A good weekend) will prove that we should not lose to anybody in the Big Ten,” Jones said.
Drysdale and her players are brimming with confidence right now, and a few convincing victories could justify that faith. The team believes it is closer now than it has ever been, and that may mean good things are to come as the team enters the heart of its schedule.
“I think we’re just coming together, too,” Schulz said. “As players we’re all starting to gel together. We’re kind of like a family now.”
