The 2023 season has been one to forget for Northwestern.

Even during their contests when all is going well, the Wildcats (8-35, 3-15 Big Ten) have mostly come out on the losing end of things. In this past weekend’s series versus Indiana, NU strung together spurts of excellent offensive and pitching performances but lacked the consistency to put it all on display for a complete game.

Now, after dropping a one-run contest to Milwaukee on Tuesday, the team travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to play its final road series of the season in hopes of snapping a 12-game Big Ten losing streak.

The Cats will take on a Michigan team that is situated right in the heart of the conference standings, only one game out of third place. Both at a crossroads, the Wolverines (23-22, 10-8 Big Ten) and NU have a lot to play for this weekend.

Here are three storylines to watch as the Cats hope to break their lengthy conference losing streak.

1. Can NU’s hitters find consistency toward the end of the season?

In recent losses, NU has struggled at the plate. Entering the eighth inning on Tuesday, the lineup had recorded just one run on three hits. Though Milwaukee committed four errors in the contest, the Cats couldn’t capitalize in the batter’s box.

Entering this weekend’s series, NU hitters rank last in hits (366) and second-to-last in batting average (.248) and home runs (31) in the Big Ten. However, against Indiana, the Cats combined for four runs in the first two games of the series before exploding for nine runs in the finale. Notably, in that nine-run offensive performance, seven Cats players registered a hit.

Squaring off against a Michigan pitching staff that ranks in the middle of the conference in ERA (5.68), Cats hitters will have their work cut out for them, but they will also have opportunities to flip the script. In their most recent series, the Wolverines allowed a total of nine runs, and they are one of only three Big Ten teams to not record a complete-game shutout this season.

If NU remains patient at the plate and strings together multiple hits, there won’t be anything stopping the Cats from catching fire.

2. Will NU’s pitchers be able to limit Michigan’s offense?

A key contributor to the Cats’ struggles this season has been their inability to restrict opposing offenses from putting up crooked-number innings. While Tuesday’s loss was a much better showing for the pitching staff, its performances have generally been underwhelming.

This season, NU has allowed double-digit runs in 14 different contests — ranking at the bottom of the Big Ten in that category. Sporting a 8.50 team ERA, the Cats are giving up nearly 2.50 more runs per game than the next-worst pitching unit in the conference. To put the cherry on top, the Cats also allow the second-most home runs in the conference.

Michigan hitters rank toward the bottom of the Big Ten in batting average as well, sporting the third-worst in the conference at .253 — making this weekend the perfect opportunity for the Cats to mitigate their pitching struggles. The Wolverines also sit third-worst in the conference in walks (185).

If NU’s pitchers are able to find early consistency on the mound, they can limit Michigan’s damage on the scoreboard.

3. Which team will break out of its slump first?

While the Cats’ and Wolverines’ journeys throughout this season have each been different, both teams have struggled over the past month.

While Michigan sits in the middle of the Big Ten standings, it’s sandwiched between six teams that are only a game apart from each other. A successful weekend series in Ann Arbor could help elevate the Wolverines to as high as second in the conference standings or drop them as low as ninth. Michigan is coming off a conference series loss to Minnesota and will need a strong showing against the Cats to ensure it can comfortably make the Big Ten Tournament.

On the other hand, NU has been swept in each of its past four Big Ten series. A victory, let alone a series win, would help the Cats break out of their seasonlong struggles. The Cats currently sit three conference wins behind the next-worst team, Ohio State. While a series win likely won’t change the team’s fate as the season winds down, it would build some much-needed momentum and confidence entering what appears to be an offseason full of questions and regrets.

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