Though Northwestern won just 11 of its first 28 games, the early season brought forth many pleasant surprises.
Sophomore third baseman Marisa Bast has emerged as an offensive threat, hitting .434 including a team-high 7 home runs.
After a trying junior campaign, senior first baseman Adrienne Monka has shown flashes of power hitting reminiscent of her 2009 first-team All-American season.
Perhaps the Wildcats’ most memorable surprise, however, came off the field: a visit with New York Yankees manager and former NU catcher Joe Girardi.
On March 20, during their seven-game stretch in Florida, the Cats visited the Yankees spring training facility in Tampa. Coach Kate Drohan said she asked Girardi to meet with the team for a “couple of minutes.” According to Drohan, he not only agreed but also spoke to the team for approximately half an hour.
“Mostly, he just wanted to share his values and some advice with our team,” she said. “It was amazing to hear the manager of the New York Yankees addressing our women in such a way.”
Junior shortstop Emily Allard called the visit “the coolest experience of my career,” and joked about attempting to snap photos of Girardi while he spoke in depth about his time at NU and provided guidance for the players.
“Just to see how much he loved Northwestern…it was like he never missed a beat,” she said. “He gave us so much advice. I can’t even pin it down. The biggest message that I got from him was just to cherish every single moment that you have on this campus.”
The meeting with Girardi came hours after what Allard and Drohan agreed was the team’s early-season highlight: doubleheader victories in Clearwater, Fla. First, freshman right fielder Olivia Duehr clocked a pair of home runs to carry NU past Massachusetts, 13-5. Then another freshman, pitcher Amy Letourneau, earned her first-career shutout to lead the Cats to an 8-0 win over Hartford.
Though the Cats have stepped up their game of late, their overall mediocre record can be attributed to their traditionally difficult non-conference schedule. NU has gone 2-9 against ranked opponents, but still ranks a respectable No. 45 in the Rating Percentage Index.
“The philosophy behind our schedule has been pretty consistent over the last decade,” Drohan said. “Basically, what we’re looking for is, we want to play anyone and everyone.”
Drohan identified defense- specifically giving up “too many bases”- as NU’s biggest early-season weakness.
“We’re a very hungry team,” she said. “Each day, we’re looking to get a little bit stronger and put it together.”
Allard said the upperclassmen are prepared to lead less-experienced players into the bulk of Big Ten play, knowing how much work the team continues to put in.
“I think it’s very apparent that we faced a tough schedule, and no doubt, we’re built for it,” she said. “All we can do now is learn from it and focus our attention forward.”
On Wednesday, NU opens its home slate against crosstown foe University of Illinois at Chicago (14-14). The matchup will be a homecoming for UIC pitching coach Eileen Canney, who graduated from NU in 2007 as one of the best pitchers in school history. She was a two-time All-American in her four years in Evanston.
“Eileen has done so much for our sport, and we’re so excited that she stayed with it and continued her career in coaching,” Drohan said. “It’ll be fun to have her on the field again.”
