Friday, February 14
Baton Rouge, La.
1:30 pm CT
Northwestern
vs
#18 Virginia Tech
‘Cats Head to LSU for Five-Game Slate
2/13/2025 9:32:00 PM | Softball
BATON ROUGE, La. – Northwestern continues its non-conference swing this weekend with a trip to LSU for five games at the Purple & Gold Challenge that includes three more Top-25 matchups.
The Wildcats open the weekend with a Friday doubleheader against No. 18 Virginia Tech (1:30 pm CT) and No. 7 LSU (6:30 pm CT), followed by a doubleheader against UT Arlington (11:30 am CT) and a rematch against LSU (2 pm CT) on Saturday before closing the weekend with a rematch against UT Arlington at 9 am CT on Sunday. Both games against No. 7 LSU will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.
Northwestern opened its 2025 campaign last weekend at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida, winning three of five games over the weekend headlined by a 4-1 win over No. 8 Duke on Saturday. In total, nine of Northwestern's first 14 games of the 2025 season are against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
First-year Kaylie Avvisato broke onto the scene in a big way in her first weekend of collegiate action, leading the Northwestern offense with a team-high nine hits, a .563 batting average and three multi-hit games. Avvisato's nine hits over opening weekend were tied for the most by any true first-year in a power four conference.
In addition to Avvisato, Kelsey Nader turned in a pair of multi-hit games last weekend against Kennesaw State (2-for-4 with a run scored) and No. 5 Tennessee (2-for-2 with a walk). Last season, Nader led the team with 22 multi-hit games, becoming becoming one of just five Wildcats since 2012 to finished with 20+ multi-hit games in a single season (Skyler Shellmyer, Sabrina Rabin, Emily Allard and Marisa Bast). Bridget Donahey, Emma Raye and Grace Nieto all turned in multi-hit efforts of their own in the season opener vs. Kennesaw State, with Raye driving in three of the 'Cats' five runs while Nieto tied her career high with three hits in what marked her first start in the NU lineup in 622 days.
Pitchers Lauren Boyd and Riley Grudzielanek each tossed complete games during the Wildcats' weekend in Clearwater. Boyd allowed just one run and seven hits while striking out seven in 7.0 innings against No. 8 Duke on Saturday. It marked the 10th complete game of Boyd's career, and her most strikeouts in a game since fanning nine on May 21, 2023 in the Evanston Regional Final win over Miami (OH). Meanwhile, Grudzielanek tossed a career-high 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, in the weekend finale vs. Southern Miss. Grudzielanek carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and stranded a runner on base in each of her last six innings pitched.
This marks Northwestern's first trip to Baton Rouge since 2014, when Northwestern finished with a 4-1 record at the Tiger Invitational with its lone setback coming in a 4-0 loss to LSU on February 14, 2014. Northwestern is 1-3 all-time against the Tigers, with the teams' most recent meeting coming last season at the Shriner's Children's Clearwater Invitational, a 13-12 LSU win in a back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes, seven different Wildcats combining for hits, four separate inning in which the 'Cats score multiple runs.
Northwestern is 0-3 all-time against Virginia Tech, with each setback coming by exactly one run. In their first meeting in 2008, Lauren Delaney tossed a no-hitter against the Hokies in Lakewood, California, however the 'Cats fell in eight innings, 1-0, as a result of the international tiebreak rule. Virginia Tech won another eight-inning affair on February 16, 2020, defeating Northwestern 6-5 in Clearwater. Most recently, the Hokies won a 3-2 affair on February 12, 2022 in Leesburg, Florida on opening day of the Wildcats' memorable 2022 season that saw the 'Cats win its first of three-straight Big Ten championships and earn a Women's College World Series appearance.
The 'Cats lead the all-time series against UT-Arlington, 1-0, with the programs' lone meeting resulting in a 3-1 Northwestern win on February, 20, 1994.
Following this weekend, Northwestern will head west for its annual trip to the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, where the Wildcats are slated to face Seattle, Utah, Saint Mary's and California.
The Wildcats open the weekend with a Friday doubleheader against No. 18 Virginia Tech (1:30 pm CT) and No. 7 LSU (6:30 pm CT), followed by a doubleheader against UT Arlington (11:30 am CT) and a rematch against LSU (2 pm CT) on Saturday before closing the weekend with a rematch against UT Arlington at 9 am CT on Sunday. Both games against No. 7 LSU will be broadcast live on SEC Network+.
Northwestern opened its 2025 campaign last weekend at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida, winning three of five games over the weekend headlined by a 4-1 win over No. 8 Duke on Saturday. In total, nine of Northwestern's first 14 games of the 2025 season are against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
First-year Kaylie Avvisato broke onto the scene in a big way in her first weekend of collegiate action, leading the Northwestern offense with a team-high nine hits, a .563 batting average and three multi-hit games. Avvisato's nine hits over opening weekend were tied for the most by any true first-year in a power four conference.
In addition to Avvisato, Kelsey Nader turned in a pair of multi-hit games last weekend against Kennesaw State (2-for-4 with a run scored) and No. 5 Tennessee (2-for-2 with a walk). Last season, Nader led the team with 22 multi-hit games, becoming becoming one of just five Wildcats since 2012 to finished with 20+ multi-hit games in a single season (Skyler Shellmyer, Sabrina Rabin, Emily Allard and Marisa Bast). Bridget Donahey, Emma Raye and Grace Nieto all turned in multi-hit efforts of their own in the season opener vs. Kennesaw State, with Raye driving in three of the 'Cats' five runs while Nieto tied her career high with three hits in what marked her first start in the NU lineup in 622 days.
Pitchers Lauren Boyd and Riley Grudzielanek each tossed complete games during the Wildcats' weekend in Clearwater. Boyd allowed just one run and seven hits while striking out seven in 7.0 innings against No. 8 Duke on Saturday. It marked the 10th complete game of Boyd's career, and her most strikeouts in a game since fanning nine on May 21, 2023 in the Evanston Regional Final win over Miami (OH). Meanwhile, Grudzielanek tossed a career-high 7.0 innings, allowing just two hits and one run, in the weekend finale vs. Southern Miss. Grudzielanek carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and stranded a runner on base in each of her last six innings pitched.
This marks Northwestern's first trip to Baton Rouge since 2014, when Northwestern finished with a 4-1 record at the Tiger Invitational with its lone setback coming in a 4-0 loss to LSU on February 14, 2014. Northwestern is 1-3 all-time against the Tigers, with the teams' most recent meeting coming last season at the Shriner's Children's Clearwater Invitational, a 13-12 LSU win in a back-and-forth affair that featured four lead changes, seven different Wildcats combining for hits, four separate inning in which the 'Cats score multiple runs.
Northwestern is 0-3 all-time against Virginia Tech, with each setback coming by exactly one run. In their first meeting in 2008, Lauren Delaney tossed a no-hitter against the Hokies in Lakewood, California, however the 'Cats fell in eight innings, 1-0, as a result of the international tiebreak rule. Virginia Tech won another eight-inning affair on February 16, 2020, defeating Northwestern 6-5 in Clearwater. Most recently, the Hokies won a 3-2 affair on February 12, 2022 in Leesburg, Florida on opening day of the Wildcats' memorable 2022 season that saw the 'Cats win its first of three-straight Big Ten championships and earn a Women's College World Series appearance.
The 'Cats lead the all-time series against UT-Arlington, 1-0, with the programs' lone meeting resulting in a 3-1 Northwestern win on February, 20, 1994.
Following this weekend, Northwestern will head west for its annual trip to the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, where the Wildcats are slated to face Seattle, Utah, Saint Mary's and California.
Players Mentioned
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