The last time Northwestern advanced to the College World Series, in 1986, it did so by sweeping Massachusetts in a best-of-three series.
Twenty years later, the fourth-seeded Wildcats (45-12) stand on the brink of returning to the series but will have to go through the Minutewomen (40-14) once again. The teams will start their Super Regional at 3 p.m. today at Sharon J. Drysdale Field. The second game will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, and the third game will follow immediately after, if necessary.
Centerfielder Katie Logan said the team isn’t cocky but does feel a strong sense of optimism.
“We realize we have to take it one game at a time, but there’s no doubt we have the talent to win every game coming up in the postseason,” she said.
The Cats swept through their Regional last weekend, winning all three games by a combined score of 20-4.
“We’re loose, yet focused, and that’s key,” coach Kate Drohan said. “Last weekend, (the team) fought on every pitch … I like how they played the game of softball.”
NU last met UMass on Feb. 24 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic and cruised to a 7-2 victory behind Logan’s two hits and pitcher Courtnay Foster’s stellar performance in the circle. The Minutewomen made three errors leading to four unearned runs. Freshman pitcher Brandice Balschmiter, who sports the nation’s fourth-best ERA at 0.70, still surrendered three earned runs and seven hits in six innings.
But that contest came during UMass’ 1-6 start. Right now, the Minutewomen are riding a seven-game winning streak and have lost only three games since March 19. On the other hand, they haven’t played a single ranked team during that stretch and escaped their regional without playing 13th-seeded Texas A&M, which was knocked out by Lehigh.
Drohan, whose squad has played tough teams all season, said she considers strength of schedule a factor but believes that, “success is success, and games won are games won.”
“Any team you face in the Super Regionals presents a challenge because only the best teams have made it this far,” Foster said. “They’re scrappy and they’re a team of momentum, but we think we’ll be able to control the game. We have the pitching, and our hitters come up with timely hits. If they gain the momentum from our team, we’ll be able to get it back right away.”
However, there is reason for the Cats to proceed with caution. Last season, all that stood between them and the College World Series was an unseeded DePaul team. But the Blue Demons swept the Cats and ended their season in heartbreaking fashion.
With that experience in mind, NU is determined to prevent a repeat. According to Foster, the team knows how to handle the pressure better this time, especially after it gained experience in so many big games this season.
There are also more tangible signs of the Cats’ strength, such as the way the bottom three batters in the order – Erin Dyer, Ashley Crane and Darcy Sengewald – mashed the ball at a .435 clip during Regionals.
But Drohan sees desire as the reason this season’s Super Regional will be different for her team.
“I think the biggest thing we learned is we all need to want it,” Drohan said. “This year we have 18 players doing everything physically possible to win, and that’s a big lift … We have a lot more heart this year.”
Reach Andrew Simon at [email protected].
