Northwestern has proven throughout the season that they have been able to compete with the top teams in the nation, but they have failed to find much success.
The Wildcats are 1-9 against ranked opponents this season but are 13-0 against unranked foes. NU’s lone win against ranked opposition came in walk-off fashion against No. 11 California at the DeMarini Invitational in Fullerton, Calif. Despite the struggles against ranked teams, coach Kate Drohan is confident that the schedule adequately prepares the team to make a run at a Big Ten title and a spot in the College World Series in Oklahoma City.
“We believe in playing a competitive schedule,” Drohan said. “It helps us play at a high level early in the season.”
NU has historically started their season with strong teams due to the relative weakness of the Big Ten. The strong nonconference schedule to begin the season has many advantages for the Cats. Michelle Batts said one of the biggest things the tough schedule gave the Cats was a strong sense of confidence and motivation.
“It helps with our competitive drive,” the senior infielder said. “It gives us the confidence that we can hang with these teams.”
The NU players have also garnered some national attention with their early season performance. Junior infielder Adrienne Monka leads the country in on-base percentage, while sophomore Emily Allard is second in stolen bases with 23, just 14 off her total from last year.
Allard led the team last season with her .367 batting average and is batting .500 so far this season, which again leads the team. She says she has really matured physically and mentally which has helped her get better this season.
Freshman pitcher Sammy Albanese threw a no-hitter against St. Mary’s on March 22. It was the 44th in program history and the first of Albanese’s young career. She had three walks and seven strikeouts in the 8-0 victory that was shortened to five innings due to the run-rule. Albanese is one of several freshmen on the roster who have made an impact from day one. The impact the freshmen have made in this young season has not gone unnoticed by Drohan.
“In our sport and in our program historically freshmen have played a humongous role,” she said. “We recruit with the knowledge that they need to make an impact.”
NU started their Big Ten slate against No. 7 Michigan on March 26 and 27. Despite holding leads in both games, the Cats faltered in the late innings and let the victories slip away. In the first game, the Cats took a 1-0 lead on a hustle play by Allard in the third inning. The Wolverines responded with a run in the top of the fifth and a home run in the seventh to edge the Cats 2-1. The following day, NU cruised out to a 3-0 lead, before stumbling and giving up seven runs in the last four innings to lose 7-4.
“We learned we need to finish games,” Monka said. “Playing tough isn’t good enough. We know we can win these games. We know we’re good enough to play with the good teams. We just need to finish strong in those games and finish our season strong.”
The Cats, who are two wins away from 1000 in their history, will next hit the field when they host a doubleheader against Loyola (Chicago) on Saturday.
