Despite a season that saw Northwestern win its most regular season games since 2006 with 25 victories, it managed to fall just one win short of extending its season.
After taking game one with an upset win, the Wildcats (25-27, 13-17 Big Ten) dropped consecutive games to No. 14 UCLA over the weekend. NU finished in 13th place in the Big Ten, missing the Big Ten Tournament and ending its season.
The ’Cats dominated the Bruins (39-15, 22-8 Big Ten) in the series’ opening game by way of the long ball. The first runs of the game came off the bat of sophomore infielder Ryan Kucherak, who hit home runs in the first and third innings, giving NU a 3-0 lead.
Kucherak’s second home run of the day was his 17th of the season, the most in a single season in program history. Junior infielder Trent Liolios previously broke the NU single-season home run record earlier this season.
Senior catcher Bennett Markinson and junior outfielder Jack Lausch also hit home runs, and the ’Cats held a 6-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning.
Graduate student right-hander Sam Hliboki controlled the defense until the seventh inning. At that juncture, UCLA’s Golden Spikes Award semifinalist Roch Cholowsky hit a home run to score three runs, which pushed NU to turn to graduate student left-hander Crawford Wade.
Wade shut out the Bruins in 2.2 innings of work, and three runs from the ’Cats’ offense in the ninth inning secured a 9-4 game one victory for the visitors. The win marked NU’s first ranked win since 2022 and first top 15 win since 2015.
With a share of the Big Ten regular season championship on the line in the series, the Bruins came out swinging in game two, jumping out to a five run lead after two innings.
Graduate student utility player Tyler Ganus and graduate student infielder Jacob Hand knocked in two runs in the fifth inning, but UCLA bested them with three more, evening the series with an 8-2 victory.
Kucherak got Saturday’s rubber match going early, hitting his 18th home run of the season to left center field in the top of the first inning.
NU’s first and only lead of the game did not last long. A two-run double from AJ Salgado in the bottom of the frame gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead. A four-run fourth inning further ignited UCLA, taking a five-run lead.
The ’Cats’ bats struggled to make an appearance. The visitors only notched four hits on the day, while the hosts continued to pile on.
Up by nine runs in the seventh inning, Mulivai Levu singled to right field to score Phoenix Call, resulting in an 11-1 walk-off victory. UCLA’s win helped it secure a share of the Big Ten regular season title, which they split with Oregon.
NU’s program saw major improvements in coach Ben Greenspan’s second season at the helm, winning 25 total games and 13 conference games this year. In 2023, the ’Cats won just 18 total games and four conference games.
The ’Cats hit a program record 73 home runs this season and earned their highest winning percentage since 2005. Kucherak and Liolios both sit atop the program’s single-season home run list after this season with 18 and 16 home runs, respectively.
NU tied Michigan State for 12th in the Big Ten, but the Spartans held the tiebreaker after winning the series against the ’Cats in April. With 12 teams qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament, NU was the first team out. The ’Cats will return to action next season in the third year of Greenspan’s tenure.
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