Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, February 13
Houston, Texas
2:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Rice
Northwestern Opens 2026 Season at Rice
2/12/2026 5:37:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern lifts the curtain on the 2026 season when it travels to Houston for a three-game series at Rice. Due to inclement weather in the forecast, the series will open with a doubleheader on Friday, scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. CT. Sunday's series finale is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CT. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
At the dish, NU returns 53.33% (900/1,688) of its at bats from 2025, 55.16% (246/446) of its hits, 56.16% (41/73) of its home runs and 51.83% (156/301) of its RBI. Northwestern returns its three leaders in hits (McElfatrick, Kucherak, Freeman) and four of its five leaders in home runs (Kucherak, McElfatrick, Lausch, Freeman). On the mound, Northwestern returns 65.38% (34/52) of its games started and 60.13% (258/429.1) of its innings pitched.
Graduate RHP Sam Hliboki, junior INF Ryan Kucherak and senior OF Jack Lausch were named 2026 Big Ten Players to Watch, the conference announced on Wednesday. All three players earn the accolade for the first time in their second season with the program.
Hliboki posted a 5.36 ERA last season and led all Wildcats, ranked eighth in the Big Ten with 82.1 innings pitched. Hliboki also ranked 10th among qualified Big Ten pitchers in BB/9 (2.3).
Junior RHP Garrett Shearer returns to the mound this weekend after missing the majority of 2025 due to injury. In his two starts last season, Shearer posted a 2.08 ERA to go with a 2-0 record in 13.0 innings pitched.
Sophomore RHP Matt Kouser tossed 61.2 innings pitched and made 14 starts in 15 appearances, recording a 7.59 ERA as a first-year in 2025. Kouser's 61.2 innings pitched are the most by a Wildcat first-year since Sean Sullivan tossed 64.2 as a rookie in 2022.
Kucherak returns for his junior year after breaking the program's single-season home run record with 18 home runs in 2025. Kucherak also led the Big Ten with 15 home runs in conference play. Starting all 52 games at shortstop, he led all 'Cats in home runs (18), RBI (41), SLG (.639), OPS (1.018) and extra-base hits (31).
Lausch debuted with the baseball program in 2025 after playing three seasons of football for the Wildcats. The Chicago native continued to break out as the season went on, posting a team-high .347 AVG and .422 OBP over NU's final 30 games. As the recipient of the 2026 Paul Stevens Life Teammate Award, Lausch will wear #13 for the 2026 season, commemorating the life of Will Trautwein, son of former Northwestern Baseball player John Trautwein and brother of former Wildcat Michael Trautwein. The Paul Stevens Life Teammate Award is presented annually to the Northwestern baseball senior who best embodies the spirit of a Life Teammate - a leader on the field, in the locker room and in the community, as voted by their teammates.
Senior INF Owen McElfatrick returns for his senior season at Northwestern after earning Third Team All-Big Ten and Second Team ABCA All-Region honors in 2025. McElfatrick ranks tied for seventh in program history with 24 career home runs.
Rice was selected to finish seventh in the 2026 American Conference Baseball Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. Friday's opener will mark the third matchup in series history between the 'Cats and Owls, with the teams splitting the previous two games.
Rice head coach David Pierce enters his first full season in the role for the Owls, previously serving as an assistant at Rice from 2003-11. Pierce previously served as head coach at Sam Houston State, Tulane and Texas.
Northwestern will travel to Spartanburg, S.C., for four games at Fifth Third Park, home of the Hub City Spartanburgers (Rangers High-A affiliate). The Wildcats will square off with Cornell on Friday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m. CT and as the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 11 a.m. CT. NU will close the doubleheader against Boston College at 3 p.m. CT and will close out the weekend with a contest against the Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. CT.
Northwestern opens the 2026 season on an upward trajectory after an improved 2025 campaign. In 2025, NU posted its highest winning percentage (.481) since 2005 (.481). The Wildcats' 25 wins in 2025 tied for NU's most in a season since 2017 (27). The 'Cats have ranked in the top 25 nationally in fielding percentage in both seasons under Sidney and Mildred LaPidus Head Coach Ben Greenspan ('24 - 10th, '25 - 23rd).SCHEDULE UPDATE ?????
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) February 12, 2026
We'll open the 2026 season with a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT. Sunday's series finale remains scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CT. pic.twitter.com/QjOMxumCpz
At the dish, NU returns 53.33% (900/1,688) of its at bats from 2025, 55.16% (246/446) of its hits, 56.16% (41/73) of its home runs and 51.83% (156/301) of its RBI. Northwestern returns its three leaders in hits (McElfatrick, Kucherak, Freeman) and four of its five leaders in home runs (Kucherak, McElfatrick, Lausch, Freeman). On the mound, Northwestern returns 65.38% (34/52) of its games started and 60.13% (258/429.1) of its innings pitched.
Graduate RHP Sam Hliboki, junior INF Ryan Kucherak and senior OF Jack Lausch were named 2026 Big Ten Players to Watch, the conference announced on Wednesday. All three players earn the accolade for the first time in their second season with the program.
Hliboki posted a 5.36 ERA last season and led all Wildcats, ranked eighth in the Big Ten with 82.1 innings pitched. Hliboki also ranked 10th among qualified Big Ten pitchers in BB/9 (2.3).
Junior RHP Garrett Shearer returns to the mound this weekend after missing the majority of 2025 due to injury. In his two starts last season, Shearer posted a 2.08 ERA to go with a 2-0 record in 13.0 innings pitched.
Sophomore RHP Matt Kouser tossed 61.2 innings pitched and made 14 starts in 15 appearances, recording a 7.59 ERA as a first-year in 2025. Kouser's 61.2 innings pitched are the most by a Wildcat first-year since Sean Sullivan tossed 64.2 as a rookie in 2022.
Kucherak returns for his junior year after breaking the program's single-season home run record with 18 home runs in 2025. Kucherak also led the Big Ten with 15 home runs in conference play. Starting all 52 games at shortstop, he led all 'Cats in home runs (18), RBI (41), SLG (.639), OPS (1.018) and extra-base hits (31).
Lausch debuted with the baseball program in 2025 after playing three seasons of football for the Wildcats. The Chicago native continued to break out as the season went on, posting a team-high .347 AVG and .422 OBP over NU's final 30 games. As the recipient of the 2026 Paul Stevens Life Teammate Award, Lausch will wear #13 for the 2026 season, commemorating the life of Will Trautwein, son of former Northwestern Baseball player John Trautwein and brother of former Wildcat Michael Trautwein. The Paul Stevens Life Teammate Award is presented annually to the Northwestern baseball senior who best embodies the spirit of a Life Teammate - a leader on the field, in the locker room and in the community, as voted by their teammates.
Senior INF Owen McElfatrick returns for his senior season at Northwestern after earning Third Team All-Big Ten and Second Team ABCA All-Region honors in 2025. McElfatrick ranks tied for seventh in program history with 24 career home runs.
Rice was selected to finish seventh in the 2026 American Conference Baseball Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. Friday's opener will mark the third matchup in series history between the 'Cats and Owls, with the teams splitting the previous two games.
Rice head coach David Pierce enters his first full season in the role for the Owls, previously serving as an assistant at Rice from 2003-11. Pierce previously served as head coach at Sam Houston State, Tulane and Texas.
Northwestern will travel to Spartanburg, S.C., for four games at Fifth Third Park, home of the Hub City Spartanburgers (Rangers High-A affiliate). The Wildcats will square off with Cornell on Friday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m. CT and as the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 11 a.m. CT. NU will close the doubleheader against Boston College at 3 p.m. CT and will close out the weekend with a contest against the Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. CT.
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