Friday, April 25
Evanston, Ill.
3:45 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
Washington
Wildcats Host Washington for Three-Game Series at Miller Park
4/24/2025 3:49:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern will continue its homestand when it hosts Washington this weekend at Rocky and Berenice Miller Park. Friday's series opener will start at 3 p.m. CT. Saturday's first pitch is at 1 p.m. CT and Sunday's series finale is also set for 1 p.m. CT. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
INF Jacob Hand blasted a walk-off home run to beat UIC, 7-6 on Tuesday. It was Northwestern's third walk-off win of the season and eighth one-run win, most since 2017.
INF Ryan Kucherak hit his 10th home run of the season against UIC, becoming the second Wildcat to reach the double-digit home run plateau this season. Kucherak ranks second on the team in home runs behind Trent Liolios and his eight home runs in conference play are tied for fourth in the Big Ten. In conference play, he is slashing .264/.321/.639 with eight HRs and 16 RBI. Kucherak became the second Wildcat this season with multiple multi-homer games, joining Trent Liolios.
C Bennett Markinson came through with a clutch hit in the win over Nebraska last Friday, knocking a two-run single in the ninth inning of a 9-7 win to give Northwestern the lead for good. Markinson went 5-for-11 on the weekend with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.
INF Owen McElfatrick continued his hot streak with his fourth long ball in his last five games against UIC. In the midweek before that, the third baseman logged his second career multi-homer game with a pair of solo homers. McElfatrick became the fifth different Wildcat to log a multi-homer game this season, joining Trent Liolios (2/15 at Long Beach State, 3/15 G2 vs. Penn State, and 3/28 at Maryland), Bennett Markinson (2/23 G2 at Fordham), Ryan Kucherak (3/21 G2 vs Illinois, 4/18 at Nebraska), and Jack Lausch (3/30 at Maryland). NU is the only Big Ten team with five different players with a multi-homer game this season.
INF Trent Liolios leads all Wildcats in slugging percentage (.711), home runs (15), runs batted in (34), and runs scored (30). In Big Ten play, Liolios is slugging .739 with nine HRs and 18 RBI.
Liolios' 15 home runs rank tied for most in a single-season in program history with Bob Brucato (1988). Six of Liolios' 15 home runs have come in the eighth inning or later. When Liolios homers, Northwestern is 8-3 and has won five straight.
Northwestern (18-20, 8-10 Big Ten) leads the Big Ten and ranks 19th nationally in fielding percentage (.979). In 2024, NU led the Big Ten and ranked 10th nationally in fielding percentage (.980).
The Huskies lead the all-time series 3-1, with the last meeting in 2001. Northwestern's lone win in the series came in 2000, a 2-1 win. This weekend will mark the first time the two schools have met in Evanston.
Washington (22-20, 11-7 Big Ten) ranks fourth in the Big Ten in earned-run average (4.90). RHP Max Banks has started eight games and currently holds a 2.98 ERA, third-best in the Big Ten. He has 43 strikeouts across 45.1 frames. Offensively, INF/OF Casen Taggart leads the way with a .330 AVG and a .491 OBP.
Following the weekend, Northwestern will continue its homestand with a pair of midweek games against Butler and Purdue-Fort Wayne, before traveling to Purdue for a three-game series next weekend.
INF Jacob Hand blasted a walk-off home run to beat UIC, 7-6 on Tuesday. It was Northwestern's third walk-off win of the season and eighth one-run win, most since 2017.
INF Ryan Kucherak hit his 10th home run of the season against UIC, becoming the second Wildcat to reach the double-digit home run plateau this season. Kucherak ranks second on the team in home runs behind Trent Liolios and his eight home runs in conference play are tied for fourth in the Big Ten. In conference play, he is slashing .264/.321/.639 with eight HRs and 16 RBI. Kucherak became the second Wildcat this season with multiple multi-homer games, joining Trent Liolios.
C Bennett Markinson came through with a clutch hit in the win over Nebraska last Friday, knocking a two-run single in the ninth inning of a 9-7 win to give Northwestern the lead for good. Markinson went 5-for-11 on the weekend with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored.
INF Owen McElfatrick continued his hot streak with his fourth long ball in his last five games against UIC. In the midweek before that, the third baseman logged his second career multi-homer game with a pair of solo homers. McElfatrick became the fifth different Wildcat to log a multi-homer game this season, joining Trent Liolios (2/15 at Long Beach State, 3/15 G2 vs. Penn State, and 3/28 at Maryland), Bennett Markinson (2/23 G2 at Fordham), Ryan Kucherak (3/21 G2 vs Illinois, 4/18 at Nebraska), and Jack Lausch (3/30 at Maryland). NU is the only Big Ten team with five different players with a multi-homer game this season.
INF Trent Liolios leads all Wildcats in slugging percentage (.711), home runs (15), runs batted in (34), and runs scored (30). In Big Ten play, Liolios is slugging .739 with nine HRs and 18 RBI.
Liolios' 15 home runs rank tied for most in a single-season in program history with Bob Brucato (1988). Six of Liolios' 15 home runs have come in the eighth inning or later. When Liolios homers, Northwestern is 8-3 and has won five straight.
Northwestern (18-20, 8-10 Big Ten) leads the Big Ten and ranks 19th nationally in fielding percentage (.979). In 2024, NU led the Big Ten and ranked 10th nationally in fielding percentage (.980).
The Huskies lead the all-time series 3-1, with the last meeting in 2001. Northwestern's lone win in the series came in 2000, a 2-1 win. This weekend will mark the first time the two schools have met in Evanston.
Washington (22-20, 11-7 Big Ten) ranks fourth in the Big Ten in earned-run average (4.90). RHP Max Banks has started eight games and currently holds a 2.98 ERA, third-best in the Big Ten. He has 43 strikeouts across 45.1 frames. Offensively, INF/OF Casen Taggart leads the way with a .330 AVG and a .491 OBP.
Following the weekend, Northwestern will continue its homestand with a pair of midweek games against Butler and Purdue-Fort Wayne, before traveling to Purdue for a three-game series next weekend.
Players Mentioned
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