Dillo Day has many traditions associated with it – the gigantic outdoor concert that brings the whole campus together, students acting like they go to a public school and, well, things that probably should not be publicized in a newspaper.
But one tradition that might escape some students is Dillo Day softball.
In 2005 and 2006, as Northwestern rode the Purple Cow to the Women’s College World Series, the team punched its ticket to softball’s big dance with Super Regional wins on Dillo Day.
Those two Saturday afternoons at Sharon J. Drysdale Field were probably two of the most important ones in the program’s history. They brought the Cats to a national stage. Do not discount what having home field meant.
This year, the No. 12-seeded Cats were shipped out of Evanston, losing the advantage they enjoyed to the tune of 10 wins in 12 home games this season. That home-field advantage was used by NU last year to capture the Big Ten Tournament title and hold off DePaul in the NCAA Regional round.
The practice of shipping a seeded team away from home is a fairly common one in the NCAA Tournament. The governing body of collegiate sports likes to spread out where the regional rounds take place and does not like having too many in one area. With Michigan and Ohio State receiving higher seeds and hosting regionals, NU was very likely to lose out on hosting its regional.
But another thing kept the Cats from enjoying some home cooking – lights.
Sharon J. Drysdale Field was the winner of the 2008 Stabilizer Solutions/NFCA Field Maintenance Award for having the nation’s best playing surface. Renovations during the last two years have increased seating and given it more amenities for fans and media to enjoy.
But it still lacks lights, and the NCAA decided no team could host in the NCAA Tournament without them.
Tournament softball at Sharon J. Drysdale Field is in jeopardy. Building lights there and at adjacent Ryan Field runs the school into problems with the neighborhood surrounding the athletic complex. Simply, the neighborhood does not want any lights.
NU does not want to hurt its relationship with Evanston based on something as simple as sports. It is something that probably will not change any time soon.
With that barrier, rules that limit when games can be played or who can host are harmful. Those time constraints are not just limiting on NU, but on multiple schools and sports.
The Big Ten recently confirmed the conference has implemented a rule preventing football teams from playing night games past Nov. 1.
With the weather in the Midwest, it may not be the best idea to be playing football that late at night. But it is hard to argue against the advertising the Big 12 received from being featured on ABC’s night game three weeks in a row last November.
The Cats do not play night games. But their game against the Wolverines in 2005 was a special game. I was an applicant that fall (not yet an accepted student!), and I made sure to set off time to watch Ryan Field beneath the lights.
In the same vein, the NCAA is potentially killing one of its rising softball programs by implementing and enforcing this new rule.
Believe it: Exposure on television is a huge recruiting boost. To get national exposure in a sport like softball, you have to reach the Super Regionals and the Women’s College World Series.
This year’s squad had its problems. But if NU were allowed to play at home, it is hard to imagine the team being eliminated in two straight games.
Maybe the season’s final outcome would have been different.
Assistant sports editor Philip Rossman-Reich is a Medill junior. He can be reached at [email protected].
