Softball

When Kate Drohan was asked about Northwestern’s series at Nebraska this weekend after Wednesday’s victory over Loyola, the coach had one comment that stood out about the Cornhuskers: “They like playing at home.”

Specifically, Nebraska (13-19, 2-4 Big Ten) seems to enjoy hosting the Wildcats. Since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten prior to the 2012 season, NU (26-7, 6-0) is just 1-10 at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln.

The losses have ranged from blowouts to heartbreakers. The Cats’ most recent series in Lincoln, in 2017, provided the latter — NU was chasing a .500 record and a potential NCAA Tournament berth before it was swept by Nebraska, crushing those hopes. In the final game of that series, the Cats led by a run in the seventh inning, only to see the Cornhuskers tie it in the seventh and win it in the eighth.

“They’re well coached, they play hard,” Drohan said. “We know we have our work cut out for us this weekend. We’ve got to respect the work that it takes to win a Big Ten game, and our team is ready and excited about the opportunity.”

This year should represent NU’s best chance to get that elusive series win in Lincoln. The Cats have won four in a row and nine of their last 10, and have not lost consecutive games all season.

Nebraska, meanwhile, has not played up to its usual high standard. The Cornhuskers have won three of their last four, but suffered a 12-game losing streak immediately prior. However, they are coming off a series win over a solid Illinois team last weekend.

The pitching staff has been the primary reason for Nebraska’s struggles. The Cornhuskers use four pitchers regularly, but none have an ERA below 3.50 and two have a mark above 5.00, which should give NU’s talented yet inconsistent offense a chance to put up some big numbers.

Nebraska’s offense, meanwhile, has kept it in many games. Tristen Edwards is one of the best players in the conference, leading the Big Ten in home runs with 12 and also ranking in the top 10 in slugging percentage, on-base percentage, RBIs and walks. She hit three homers in a three-game series last year in Evanston.

NU’s pitching staff will likely be up to the challenge. Freshman Danielle Williams leads the Big Ten with a 1.19 ERA and is second in the conference in opponents’ batting average and strikeouts. The Cats’ other pitchers have turned in quality work as well, with junior Morgan Newport and sophomore Kenna Wilkey holding Loyola to one run on three hits Wednesday.

Despite their strong home-field advantage, the Cornhuskers are in the bottom half of the conference standings, so this is a series NU very much wants to win to have a shot at the Big Ten title. Michigan, Minnesota and the Cats are all undefeated in conference play through six games.

“It’s always a fight at Nebraska,” Newport said. “It doesn’t matter what’s happened in the past or what’s happened previously in the season. Every single Big Ten series is a battle from first pitch to last, and that’s what we’re expecting. We’re really excited to make a plan and try and execute it this weekend.”

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