The Big Ten title could be on the line this weekend, but that is not on No. 12 Northwestern’s mind.
Yet.
Coming off a midweek victory over Illinois-Chicago, the Wildcats (29-10, 13-1 Big Ten) travel to University Park, Pa., Today to start their weekend against Penn State. Sunday, NU continues to Ann Arbor, Mich., where No. 6 Michigan, which currently shares the Big Ten lead with the Cats, awaits.
NU heads into the weekend playing its best ball of the year. After stumbling through March and enduring a stretch where the team lost six of seven games, the Cats have rebounded, winning 16 of their 17 games since.
“You need to have the valleys to have the peaks,” coach Kate Drohan said. “Our team grew a lot, and we learned a lot about ourselves, a lot about each other. I can say without a doubt it is the strongest-willed team I’ve ever had as far as just strength and personality, and it’s fun to watch that win ballgames for us.”
The stretch has been fueled by an offense that has averaged more than nine runs per game during the team’s latest six-game winning streak. The Cats are now ranked 16th in the nation in runs per game and ninth in home runs per game. They lead the Big Ten in both those categories.
“Our offense definitely makes it a lot easier,” said freshman starter Jessica Smith, the winning pitcher in Tuesday’s game against Illinois-Chicago. “And it saves Delaney and I pitching innings. We’ve won five games in a row in five innings, so it definitely helps us.”
Standing in the way of the offense at the beginning of the weekend is Penn State (32-17, 5-7). The Nittany Lions are led by a pair of starters, senior Ashley Esparza and redshirt freshman Jackie Hill, who have shared the starting role and have ERA’s below 2.00. Esparza also leads the team with seven home runs while hitting .289. Hill is coming off a two-hit, eight-inning shutout victory over Kent State on Wednesday.
NU plays two Sunday against the Wolverines (41-4, 13-1) in a series that has major implications on the Big Ten standings. The two squads enter the weekend with identical conference records and have both suffered their single Big Ten defeat to Iowa.
Should either team sweep the doubleheader, it will have the inside track to claiming the conference crown. The Big Ten champion hosts the conference tournament, and the Cats would love the opportunity.
“Playing at ‘the J’ is always really fun, and we love our home field,” sophomore Nicole Pauly said. “So it would be awesome to have it here, and we would all love playing in front of a home crowd.”
Michigan will not be an easy opponent. The Wolverines lead the nation in ERA, allowing 0.62 earned runs per contest, and sport a lineup featuring five hitters batting at least .320. The Cats’ offense will have a difficult time maintaining its recent pace against freshman Jordan Taylor and sophomore Nikki Nemitz. Each boast lofty strikeout totals and enter the weekend with ERAs below 1.00.
“I think we’re all really excited to play on Sunday, ” Pauly said after the Illinois-Chicago game. “We’re not looking past Penn State. We’re going to practice for them the same way that we’ll practice for Michigan, but we’re just really excited.”
