Northwestern finished seventh in the Big Ten last year, missing a spot in the postseason conference tournament by three games.

In the offseason, it lost its top relief pitcher, its most experienced starter and three of its four starting infielders.

So it might come as a surprise that with eight conference games to go, the Wildcats already have put up their most conference wins ever in a single season.

“I thought we’d be pretty good, but I didn’t have any indication we’d be where we’re at,” coach Paul Stevens said.

Coming into this season, Stevens said that while he expected his team to be competitive each weekend, he didn’t think the Cats (19-28, 16-8 Big Ten) would be sitting in a tie for first place.

“There’s always thoughts that with a little bit of this and a little bit of that, we can be on top,” he said. “But I’ve been here long enough to know that a little bit of this and a little bit of that is a lot of wishing and hoping.”

The Cats have used contributions from old standbys along with unexpected sources to get that certain something this season.

“I thought this year was going to be different,” third baseman Caleb Fields said. “I thought we had the tools to put something together.”

With Andrew Smith and Ryan Myers struggling to hold down the third starter role early in the season, Stevens turned to senior Julio Siberio, who had compiled a 3-3 record and a 5.61 ERA in his first three years at NU.

All Siberio has done so far is match his win total from his first three seasons and lead the team in ERA with a 3.38 mark.

And he has three saves.

“He’s gone over and above and beyond,” Stevens said. “That may sound like a George Lucas film, but he definitely has found a way to be a lot of things in a lot of different situations.”

On a team with 14 underclassmen and only five seniors, juniors like Fields have had to shift from the students to the masters this year.

Fields said the instruction he received from upperclassmen in his first two years has shaped his leadership skills for the young team.

“I don’t feel like the guys who mentored me looked down on me, so I try not to do that,” he said. “We all have our problems, we all have our strengths.”

Underclassmen make up a good part of the Cats’ everyday lineup and have shown both the costs and benefits of being thrown into the fire early on in their college careers.

While sophomore Jake Owens and freshman Tommy Finn have combined to commit 32 errors this season, they also rank fourth and ninth in the conference in turning double plays.

Owens, who has started in 76 games since coming to NU, says that while starting immediately is difficult for younger players, it speeds up the maturation process.

“It’s put us where we are now, so it helps in the long run,” he said.

Reach David Morrison at [email protected].