Northwestern won eight of its last nine games, including a weekend sweep of Illinois, to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.

The Wildcats finished the season at 27-27, but boast the No. 1 nonconference strength of schedule. They will head to Austin, Texas to play Texas in the opening round of the double-elimination Austin Regional on Friday. Auburn and Houston are playing in the other side of the regional.

“Our postseason began six games ago when we traveled to Michigan State needing to win out,” coach Kate Drohan said in a statement.”Over the last month this team has really matured and we are excited to get down to Austin and take the field again together.”

NU makes its first appearance in the NCAA Regionals since 2009 when it lost both games in Waco, Texas. The Cats finished 14-10 in the Big Ten this season and won non-conference clashes with No. 8 seed Texas A&M and No. 9 seed Missouri.

Look for more in-depth coverage Monday night with complete reaction and a recap of this weekend’s action.