Last year the Northwestern softball team cruised to a 5-0 startagainst Big Ten opponents, then slowed its pace and finished in atie for fifth with a 10-9 conference record.
This year the Wildcats have gotten off to a much slower start –they are 0-4 in the Big Ten — and are hoping to gain momentum asthey go.
The quest to get back on track with a conference win starts thisweekend when NU (18-10, 0-4 Big Ten) hosts No. 20 Ohio State(18-10, 2-0) today and Saturday at Drysdale Field. Penn State(17-12, 1-1) visits NU Sunday for a doubleheader.
“I don’t think there was a sense of urgency like there is now,”senior pitcher Brie Brown said. “(The senior class) is the onlyclass that has been to a Big Ten tournament or NCAA Regionals. Wehave been trying to tell (the underclassmen) how important thesegames are and sometimes you lose that importance after playinggames in the preseason.”
NU holds series leads over Penn State and Ohio State, but theBuckeyes have beaten the Cats the last four times the teams havemet.
“(The Buckeyes) have got an edge,” coach Kate Drohan said. “Weare going to look to shut them down early. We have to take themdown right away and take them out of their rhythm.”
The Buckeyes’ bats have come alive early in games this season.They have scored 76 of their 117 runs in the first three innings,including 60 in the second and third innings.
Drohan said NU needs solid outings from its pitching staff thisweekend.
Freshman Courtnay Foster earned the win againstIllinois-Chicago, when the Cats won 5-4 in their home opener.Foster recorded 13 strikeouts, but it was late-game defensiveheroics that preserved the victory. The win on Wednesday snappedNU’s four-game losing streak.
Senior pitchers Brown and Lauren Schwendimann will see actionfor the first time at home this season. Both pitchers are comingoff almost a week’s rest.
“I need them to stand in the circle and say, ‘Give me the ball.We are going to take care of business,'” Drohan said.
Sophomore Erin Mobley leads NU offensively with a .378 battingaverage, followed closely by senior Brett Nakabayashi who ishitting .366.
The Cats have struggled in Big Ten games with clutch hitting,but had better success at the plate with runners in scoringposition against Illinois-Chicago.
“I need to know who wants to be up with a runner on secondbase,” Drohan said. “They are starting to get a little tougher andsay, ‘Ok, that’s got to be me.'”
With a month left in the regular season, Drohan said it’s timefor the Cats to show some consistency.
“They have to find that killer instinct even when they are up byfour,” she said. “We definitely aren’t in a panic situation rightnow, but it’s time to show up and play.”
