It’s early in the season, but this weekend could have huge implications for Northwestern’s postseason aspirations.
Despite playing solid baseball all year, the Wildcats (11-18, 3-8 Big Ten) enter the four-game series tied with the Nittany Lions (13-17, 3-8) for eighth place in the Big Ten standings. The winner of this weekend’s series at Rocky Miller Park will be back in the hunt for a bid to the Big Ten tournament, as the top six teams in the league receive invitations.
“We just need to execute and win,” senior pitcher Ryan Bos said. “We can get out of the cellar, and we have a chance to take advantage of Penn State while they’re down.”
The Cats might be down in the loss column, but their record is no indication of their recent play. NU has won its last two games, putting up 22 runs in the process.
And the Cats’ defense, which has been suspect at times, was flawless in Tuesday’s 12-10 victory over Chicago State.
“We’ve been hitting the ball, but we need to find a way to get the big hit with runners in scoring position,” NU coach Paul Stevens said. “Hopefully the last game at Purdue was a turning point for us.”
Stevens and NU hope that their play will finally result in a series victory. The Cats have yet to win a series this season despite playing Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue closely.
And the Cats know that they can overcome slow starts. Last season NU started 1-7, but ended up falling just one game shy of making the conference playoffs.
“Last year we were even worse at this point in the year,” Bos said. “The tourney is definitely in reach if we win this weekend.”
Bos and the rest of the Cats’ pitching staff will get a lift against the Nittany Lions when senior Zach Schara makes his first start in conference play. Schara has a 2.22 ERA this year, but his last start was a complete-game one-hitter on March 8 against St. Louis.
Schara has gradually worked his way back from a hand injury with short relief outings in the past two weeks. He has thrown five innings in three appearances out of the bullpen.
“I feel good,” Schara said. “My velocity is coming back and I’m throwing more strikes. All of our pitchers just need to throw strikes and we’ll have a good chance to win.”
Senior Gabe Ribas will set the tone for the weekend when he takes the hill Friday. Ribas has assumed the No. 1 role in Schara’s absence and he has pitched well in his last two starts.
“Starting Gabe on Friday is extremely key because we expect to win behind Gabe,” Stevens said. “He has given us quality starts all year, and we have tremendous confidence when he is pitching.”
The Cats have plenty to be excited about besides pitching.
Freshman shortstop Jon Mikrut is coming off a 4-for-5 hitting explosion against Chicago State on Tuesday that included two home runs and three RBIs. And sophomore first baseman Jason Krynski hit his first home run of the season Tuesday against the Cougars after smacking four doubles last weekend at Purdue.
Krynski, Mikrut and the rest of the Cats are hitting the ball well, but they need to translate that into runs. Stevens said he thinks that if they can come up with key hits against Penn State this weekend, it could mark the beginning of a run to the top of the league – and into the Big Ten tournament.
“I have believed in this group all along,” Stevens said. “They’ve been on the verge and right on the edge of breaking out. They’re riding the wave but haven’t got over the crest to ride it to shore yet. I have confidence they’ll get to the top and ride it a long way.”
