Three games, three shutouts; 21 innings, 41 strikeouts.
Northwestern pitcher Courtnay Foster’s numbers spoke for themselves last week — and the rest of the country took notice.
The freshman’s phenomenal week earned her National Player of the Week and Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors.
With four games remaining in the regular season, Foster may face one of her most challenging tasks yet when the Wildcats (30-15) host No. 6 DePaul (35-9-1) in a doubleheader Wednesday at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. In the season’s second to last weekend, Foster’s dominance in the pitching circle helped the Cats win two contests against Iowa that were crucial to their Big Ten tournament hopes.
“We have to worry about beating other teams, so you try not to worry what individuals accomplished but make sure our team accomplishes what it needs to,” Foster said.
Foster, who has a 14-8 record and 1.44 ERA, stifled batters at the beginning of the season, but was inconsistent when the Big Ten season started in April. But over her last 31 2/3 innings, Foster has not allowed an earned run and has yielded only 10 hits.
NU coach Kate Drohan said a varied pitch selection helped Foster regain her early-season form.
“Now she can throw three to four pitches for a strike with a full count and that really changes her game,” Drohan said.
In a complete game at Loyola, Foster struck out the first 10 batters she faced. She tallied 18 strikeouts and led the Cats to a 1-0 win, marking the most strikeouts by an NU pitcher since Lisa Ishikawa struck out 18 DePaul batters on May 5, 1987.
“Courtnay is a stud. She’s just a gamer and has done so well for this year,” said senior second baseman Carri Leto. “Having her as a rise-ball pitcher is a huge asset because Lauren (Schwendimann) and Brie (Brown) spin the ball down, and she spins the ball up. It’s a huge contrast in our pitching staff.”
The Cats hope to ride their hot pitching staff to wins over an agressive and fundamentally strong DePaul team.
Blue Demons coach Eugene Lenti said Drohan’s team is peaking at the right time.
“They’re probably one of the most underrated teams in the country,” said Lenti, who is part of the committee that votes for the national rankings.
The Cats received news Monday that could change their postseason chances. NU learned that the NCAA Rules Committee denied its appeal of a 4-2 loss to Wisconsin on April 18.
Drohan contested a play where a Badgers baserunner appeared to shove NU first baseman Jamie Dotson as she tried to make a play on a ground ball. The runner reached first base safely.
In her protest to the NCAA committe, Drohan argued the umpire misinterpreted an NCAA rule and should have ruled the ball dead.
“I knew it was a long shot, but I thought we had a pretty good protest because they reviewed the video,” Drohan said.
The Cats had hoped the league would scratch the game from both team’s Big Ten records.
“Taking one loss away would have helped in our race to get to the Big Ten tournament,” catcher J.C. Kira said. “It surprised me because it took so long to say no. I thought if they took a long time then they would be saying yes.”
———
Foster named National Player of the Week; Cats lose protest
