Northwestern softball pitcher Lauren Schwendimann was flawless last year against Michigan, firing a perfect game in a 12-0 win. The Wildcats also tacked on a 1-0 victory against the Wolverines during the same weekend.
But picking up a pair of victories in Ann Arbor, Mich., will be no cakewalk for NU this year.
“We are going to have to play well in all facets of the game,” NU coach Sharon Drysdale said.
The Cats (18-19, 6-8 Big Ten) head to the state of Michigan this weekend to face the No. 24 Wolverines (30-12, 13-1) today and Michigan State (20-43, 4-10) on Saturday and Sunday.
With Michigan atop the Big Ten standings this year – its lone loss coming against Ohio State – Drysdale said she wants her team to bring its complete game. She is once again looking for strong pitching from Schwendimann and Brie Brown, NU’s other pitcher. The Cats must also keep Michigan off the bases, Drysdale added.
She said the task will be anything but easy because of Michigan’s “good mix of slappers and power hitters.” Drysdale also pointed to the Wolverines’ trustworthy defense and pitching, along with their experience as factors that make them dangerous.
Michigan’s Melissa Taylor leads the Big Ten in batting with .462 and the team’s .300 average was the conference’s best as of last week.
“They’re just a good, solid team,” Drysdale said. “We’re going to have to bring our best.”
Drysdale said Michigan has superior talent, but that alone isn’t enough to beat the Cats.
“We’re going to have to do it with our head and our hearts,” Drysdale said, “and every bit of skill we have.”
Although the Spartans’ record is a far cry from the Wolverines’, Drysdale warns against underestimating any team – especially in Big Ten play.
With both NU and Michigan State battling to capture the final spot in the conference tournament, Drysdale said she expects a pair of hard-fought contests.
“It’s going to come down to our pitching and whether we hit their pitching,” Drysdale said. “It’s how you match up on a given day.”
The Cats must be wary of Michigan State’s varying pitchers’ styles. The Spartans also have freshmen that the Cats have not yet seen, and NU will need to make the necessary adjustments come game time.
But Drysdale said her team must first look to itself to keep mistakes to a minimum before worrying about its opponents.
The Cats have had to endure injuries all season long, losing star Brooke Siebel for the entire season and top hitter Erin Jancic more recently to a temporary shoulder injury. Schwendimann also missed many games early in the season after shoulder surgery. Luckily for NU, its key reserves have stepped up.
Sophomore leftfielder Jessie Wellnitz, who came in for Jancic last weekend, had an RBI single against Illinois-Chicago Tuesday. And Brown has tallied a 2.63 ERA after being the lone pitcher in the Cats’ early-season contests.
“A lot of people have gotten more experience this year than was anticipated,” Drysdale said. “They stayed positive and were ready to play. It takes a lot of character to do that.”
With Jancic’s return to the diamond – she went 2-for-2 with an RBI on Tuesday in her first game back – NU hopes the added firepower will help the team stay in the hunt to make the Big Ten tournament. Drysdale said the Cats need to win at least four of their final six games to have a shot – a formidable task with four of these contests against the conference’s leading teams, Michigan and Iowa.
Still, Drysdale said her squad can beat any team on any given day.
“If you put a bat in any of our kid’s hands, they can be dangerous,” she said. “No matter what has happened, they go out with their gloves on and throw and hit the ball. This team has confidence, and that makes us dangerous.”
