Friday, February 10
Tucson, Ariz.
2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT
Northwestern
vs
Tulsa
IT'S OPENING DAY! NU Begins 2017 at Hillenbrand Invitational
2/8/2017 9:53:00 AM | Softball
| NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL: Hillenbrand Invitational | ||||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | STREAM | LIVE STATS | |
| Friday, Feb. 10 | Tulsa | 2 p.m. CT/ 1 p.m. MT |
Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium | Pac-12 | Live Stats | |
| Friday, Feb. 10 | #21 Baylor | 8 p.m. CT/ 7 p.m. MT |
Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium | Baylor Audio ($) | Live Stats | |
| Saturday, Feb. 11 | #10 Arizona | 6 p.m. CT/ 5 p.m. MT |
Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium | Pac-12 | Live Stats | |
| Sunday, Feb. 11 | Fordham | 8 p.m. CT/ 7 p.m. MT |
Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium | No Stream | Live Stats | |
| Sunday, Feb. 12 | Cal State Northridge |
11 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. MT |
Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium | Pac-12 | Live Stats | |
| Social: Twitter (@NUSBCats and @NU_SportsLive) | Instagram (nusbcats) | Facebook Game Notes: Northwestern | Official Tournament Website |
||||||
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Softball season is here!
Northwestern kicks off the 2017 campaign Feb. 10-12 at Arizona's Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz.—the Wildcats first visit to Hillenbrand Stadium since opening the 2005 season at the Pepsi Arizona Softball Classic.
Northwestern's season-opener is at 2 p.m. CT/1 p.m. MT Friday, Feb. 10, against Tulsa before taking on No. 21 Baylor Friday night. No. 10 Arizona and Fordham are NU's opponents in a 6 p.m. CT/5 p.m. MT Saturday night doubleheader before Northwestern concludes the tournament at 11 a.m. CT/10 a.m. MT Sunday morning against Cal State Northridge.
The Wildcats are coming off their 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in head coach Kate Drohan's 15-year tenure; NU won its opening contest at the Athens Regional to give Kate and her twin sister Caryl Drohan 30-career NCAA Tournament victories.
The 2017 team is vastly different than last year's, however, due in large part to the graduation of seven seniors—NU's largest class since the 2003 group also was seven strong. The roster number falling from 22 to 17 has fostered a much closer team dynamic, preparing the Wildcats to launch into yet another difficult schedule ahead. Of Northwestern's 52 games on the slate, 41 (79 percent) are against teams that finished in the NCAA RPI top-100 a year ago. This strength of schedule has long been a calling card of the 'Cats, and it makes for excitement and intrigue from the first pitch each season.
Two All-Big Ten Wildcats, 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Sabrina Rabin and sophomore Morgan Nelson, return to lead a Northwestern lineup with its most speed in recent memory. In the circle, sophomores Kenzie Ellis and Kaley Winegarner step into the void left by a pair of graduated seniors who threw 68 percent of NU's innings last year. They are joined by senior Nicole Bond—finally healthy after a tumultuous last two seasons—looking to recapture the magic of an undefeated freshman campaign and by first-year left-hander Morgan Newport to again comprise a diverse four-member staff.
Following the opening weekend of the year, Northwestern's nonconference odyssey to face the best of the best takes it to Tallahassee, Florida, for the B1G/ACC Challenge, familiar stops at the Mary Nutter Classic and Judi Garman Classic in California, and a spring break trip to Santa Clara in the Bay Area. NU opens at home March 24 with Wisconsin.
NORTHWESTERN SOFTBALL HOME TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!
Full season passes, single game tickets and group tickets to all 14 Northwestern home games are available NOW at NUsports.com. NU welcomes Big Ten foes Wisconsin, Illinois, Maryland and Purdue to The J this year while also hosting nonconference games against UIC, Notre Dame and DePaul. Don't miss the FUN! Get yours today!
PROGRAMMING NOTE
In 2017, NU communications contact Doug Meffley will be on the road less, but the Wildcats will still be streamed multiple times at every tournament of the year. Below is a *tentative coverage schedule that should help in planning how you follow the 'Cats. All streams are free unless otherwise noted; subscription information for pay-per-view streams will be disseminated the week before those events. Also, EVERY GAME this year will have live stats and live tweets at NUsports.com and @NUSBCats.
A full home stream and television schedule will be finalized and available in the coming weeks.
HILLENBRAND INVITE: Four of the five games will feature some type of live streaming coverage:
vs. Tulsa: Single-camera, no audio
vs. Baylor: Baylor live audio broadcast ($)
at Arizona: Full video stream production
vs. Cal State Northridge: Single-camera, no audio
B1G/ACC INVITATIONAL: NU's two games against Florida State will feature full live stream productions.
MARY NUTTER CLASSIC: All games will be covered live by FloSoftball ($)
JUDI GARMAN CLASSIC: All games will be covered live by FloSoftball ($)
SANTA CLARA TOURNAMENT: Doug Meffley will return to the road to have an audio broadcast of all six games in Santa Clara ($)
PLAY BALL!
For a complete season preview and notes on this weekend's Hillenbrand Invitational, download our Game Notes available here and in the chart at the top of this page.
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Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
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Sunday, April 27
