There are certain things someone couldn’t possibly know about Northwestern’s softball program unless they are a part of it.
Coach Kate Drohan finds that it’s the cultural continuity, the idea that the same things that defined the team decades ago are still true today, which she attributes to the extensive and committed team alumni network.
Senior infielder Kansas Robinson, a player who’s carried one of the team’s hottest bats for three seasons, thinks it’s about how individual personalities work toward a collective purpose. To her, the Wildcats wouldn’t be the same without graduate student infielder Grace Nieto’s understated sense of humor or the fact that senior infielder Bridget Donahey “loves the rain” because she never saw enough of it growing up in Arizona.
And for senior infielder Kelsey Nader, the program’s secret ingredient is simple: striking the balance between enjoying child-like fun and working hard when it matters most. If you ask her, it’s a skill she believes NU has artfully mastered.
“The ‘six-seven’ jokes never stop with us, and neither (do) the ‘your mom’ jokes,” Nader said. “Any opportunity to find a crack and laugh is a really good opportunity for us.”
Quips aside, the four players embarking on their final seasons after spending their entire collegiate careers in Evanston have been integral to the team’s success. Robinson, Nader, Donahey and Nieto have a combined 480 hits, 284 RBIs and 65 home runs in a little more than three seasons.
Since 2023, they have helped NU rack up 110 wins, along with an NCAA Tournament appearance each year.
Nieto, who missed the entire 2024 season with an injury, is the only remaining player from the ’Cats 2022 Women’s College World Series team, something Drohan said is “impactful,” particularly for the freshman who look up to her.
Despite their already illustrious accomplishments on the field, the veteran group knew they still had a lot to work on and wanted to do whatever it took to make the 2026 season their best yet.
Over the summer, the four players — along with fifth-year transfer Abby Harvey, who joined the team in July —- participated in 10 weeks of Zoom calls with the coaching staff to hone their leadership skills. Together, they read “The Team Captain’s Leadership Manual” by Jeff Janssen and discussed their own strengths and weaknesses as leaders.
Robinson said spending intentional time with players she already knew intimately as friends helped them connect in a new way.
“We were already very close, but sometimes being that close prevents you from being vulnerable,” Robinson said. “So I think we were just able to connect on a deeper level.”
Drohan mentioned these types of calls have been rare during her 24 years as head coach, but after seeing how productive they were, she plans to host them every offseason moving forward. She added this group of seniors was uniquely poised to take on the extra summer commitment because “their investment is really high” in the program’s success both before and after they graduate.
For the seniors, ensuring NU’s continued growth also meant advocating for the construction of a new field, which is now underway but will not be complete until next season.
In September, most of the team gathered at Lorraine H. Morton City Hall for a City Council meeting that considered plans for the new stadium. During the public comment session, Robinson offered an impassioned plea for the importance of uplifting women’s sports on behalf of the athletes.
“I would give that speech 100 times over,” Robinson said. I think it’s just really important for not only Northwestern softball, but obviously, women’s sports in general, for us to get the facilities we deserve.”
Drohan said Robinson was the perfect person to advocate on behalf of the program because she is “so much more than a ball player,” adding that she — like many of her other veteran teammates — “has strong ideas and is willing to fight for them.”
Both Robinson and Nader admitted that it will be weird to play their final home games at The Ballpark at Rosemont instead of their own stadium, but said they are glad their legacy will outlast them after they graduate.
“Northwestern Softball has been a top program for some time now, so we deserve that field,” Robinson said. “The girls coming in deserve that field.”
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