In 2021, Northwestern squared off with two ranked teams all season: Michigan and Kentucky. This weekend, the Wildcats are going to face three such opponents in less than 48 hours.

Following a largely successful campaign at the Northern Lights Invitational, NU (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) is headed back to Florida to make its mark among college softball’s very best. Coach Kate Drohan’s squad will face a slate of four opponents at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational, three of whom made the top 15 in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll.

“Our training, September 15, starts with us preparing for this level of play,” Drohan said. “As we’ve layered in our training and our skill sets, we’re excited about the opportunity.”

The Cats nearly made the Top 25 themselves, falling one spot short after an impressive showing last weekend. Graduate student outfielder Rachel Lewis led the way for NU, recording a hit in all five games and batting .462 with three extra-base hits, including a grand slam against Connecticut.

Lewis, who played at second base last year, earned her third career Big Ten Player of the Week award for her stellar performance.

“If you ask any person on our team, they’ll say Rachel Lewis is our leader,” Drohan said. “She’s just tremendous in terms of how she sets the tone for us in the weight room (and) on the field … she’s definitely taking it to another level.”

A handful of freshmen debuted for the Cats last weekend, but only one, infielder Grace Nieto, started all five games of the season so far. Nieto was the most notable alteration to a largely unchanged lineup from 2021, and her 3-for-3 batting performance against Eastern Kentucky highlighted her weekend. 

“Nieto’s a ballplayer; she’s a really dynamic offensive threat, along with being really solid defensively,” Drohan said. “She’s worked really hard to learn our system. Second base, especially, is really challenging within our system.”

NU’s schedule for the upcoming weekend begins with a showdown against Texas Tech (3-3, 0-0 Big 12). The Cats own a 3-2 record in the all-time series. The last time they played the Red Raiders was almost exactly a decade ago, a 14-6 win for NU in its 2012 season opener.

No. 3 UCLA (4-1, 0-0 Pac-12) is next for the Cats. NU also won their last matchup with the Bruins, a 7-2 victory in 2018, but this team is different. UCLA reached the Women’s College World Series in 2021, and coach Kelly Inouye-Perez looks capable of doing it again.

“There’s a real energy and excitement about going out and playing schools in other conferences,” Drohan said. “Kind of like a back to normal.”

On Saturday, the Cats will return to the field to take on No. 15 Clemson (4-1, 0-0 ACC). The Tigers are an entirely new opponent for NU, and a threatening one as well, finishing with a 44-8 record last season and a runner-up showing in the ACC Tournament.

Drohan’s squad will close out the four-game stretch with a battle against No. 7 Oklahoma State (4-1, 0-0 Big 12). Another team coming off a 2021 WCWS appearance, the Cowgirls are a historically common opponent for NU, with the teams last seeing each other in the 2016 NCAA Regional in Athens. Oklahoma State came out on top 3-2.

“This is how we typically schedule, with a really challenging slate,” Drohan said. “It’ll serve our team really well.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @nathanjansell

Related Stories

— Softball: Ranked win highlights Northwestern’s 4-1 tournament performance

— Softball: Northwestern’s 2022 campaign to start at Northern Lights Invitational

— Softball: Northwestern hopes to capitalize on strong returning presence