After losing four straight, Northwestern is looking to rebound against Michigan State at home this weekend to wrap up its regular season. 

“We have a lot to do this week,” senior Emily Allard said after losing to DePaul on Wednesday. “It’s going to show on the field. I’m excited for the weekend.”

NU was swept by Ohio State last weekend in Columbus, Ohio, and then fell to Chicago-area rival DePaul on Wednesday. In all four games, the Cats were able to get runners on base but couldn’t get the big hit in order to capitalize. 

“We were giving up too many baserunners,” coach Kate Drohan said.

The Cats have specific goals for practice in order to improve and stop the situation from repeating.

“We have to get back to the basic fundamentals of the game,” Drohan said. “We need to make good decisions and be aggressive.”

A motto for the team all season has been to take each moment pitch by pitch and game by game, and that’s key for the Cats during a low point in their season.

“We’re not going to look negatively on this weekend,” senior Marisa Bast said after the Ohio State series. “We’re not thinking about the past or way in the future. We’re focusing on the last game and learning from it and making adjustments.”

The Cats are also sure to keep the focus on themselves rather than on their opponent and to treat all of their opponents with the same mindset.

Bast also has goals on how to improve in the batter’s box in order to get back to the offensive powerhouse NU has been over the course of the season.

“I need to focus on not swinging at the pitcher’s pitch,” she said.

In terms of pitching, Drohan is confident in the Cats’ staff, even if games didn’t go their way over the past week.

“I have a lot of confidence in Kristen (Wood), Nicole (Bond), and Sammy (Albanese),” she said. “I just ask of them to compete hard on the mound and get big pitches in big moments.”

The weekend also marks the last regular season games for several Cats, as NU will celebrate senior weekend. The Cats will graduate five seniors: Allard, Bast, Albanese, Mari Majam and Paige Tonz.

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