Wildcats Head to Hub City Invitational for Four Games

Friday, February 20

Fifth Third Park | Spartanburg, S.C.

11 a.m. CT

Northwestern

Cornell

Wildcats Head to Hub City Invitational for Four Games

2/19/2026 4:48:00 PM | Baseball

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern heads to Spartanburg, S.C., for four games against Boston College and Cornell as part of the Hub City Invitational at Fifth Third Park. The Wildcats will open the weekend on Friday at 11 a.m. CT against Cornell, will play a Saturday doubleheader, facing Cornell again at 11 a.m. CT, before squaring off with Boston College at 3 p.m. CT and will close out the weekend against the Eagles at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday.

Probable Pitchers
Friday, Feb. 20: NU – RHP Sam Hliboki vs. Cornell – RHP Carson Mayfield
Saturday, Feb. 21: NU – RHP Garrett Shearer vs. Cornell – RHP Ethan Van Sice
Saturday, Feb. 21: NU – LHP Ryan Weaver vs. BC – RHP Sean Hard
Sunday, Feb. 22: NU – RHP Matt Kouser vs. BC – TBA

Last time out, Northwestern posted its most runs in a season-opening series (25) since 2008 (25) in a three-game series at Rice. After dropping a pair of one-run contests in a Friday doubleheader, the Wildcats responded with a 17-6 run-rule victory over Rice in Sunday's series finale. NU's 17 runs in Sunday's victory are its most in a game since defeating Ohio State 17-2 on May 11, 2025.

After breaking its single-season program home run record with 73 in 2025, Northwestern ranks second in the Big Ten and 15th nationally with nine home runs early in 2026. The 'Cats are the only Big Ten team to have three different players with multiple home runs.

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 Feb. 12. All three players earned the accolade for the first time in their second season with the program.

Junior OF Jackson Freeman earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors, posting a Big Ten-best 1.417 slugging percentage over three games. In Friday's season opener, Freeman posted his first multi-homer game of the season and second of his career, going 3-for-4 with two homers, two RBI and three runs scored. In Sunday's 17-6 run-rule victory, the Ladera Ranch, Calif., native went 4-for-4 with a home run and a walk, scoring four runs and driving in three.

In Sunday's victory, graduate INF Noah Ruiz slugged a pair of homers, his first two in a Wildcat uniform, to tally seven RBI. Ruiz's seven RBI are the most by a Wildcat in a single game since Freeman recorded eight in an 18-8 win at Maryland on March 29, 2025.

LHP Ryan Weaver tossed 7.0 shutout innings in his Northwestern debut in the second game of NU's Opening Day doubleheader, striking out three and allowing just three hits and three walks. Weaver is the first Northwestern starting pitcher to toss 7.0 scoreless innings since Crawford Wade worked 7.0 scoreless in a 5-1 win over Harvard on Feb. 22, 2025.

In his first weekend of collegiate baseball, first-year INF Nick Barron made a strong first impression, going 4-for-10 at the plate with two walks, two RBI and four runs. Barron is one of four first-years (Barron, INF Noah Brocklebank, LHP Justin Fryer and LHP Jake Rifenburg) to make their collegiate debut at Rice.

After ending the 2025 season on a high note, Jack Lausch homered for the fourth time in eight games, spanning two seasons. The Chicago native continued to break out as the 2025 season went on, posting a team-high .347 AVG and .422 OBP over NU's final 30 games last season.

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.

Northwestern is 1-3 all-time against Cornell, with all four meetings previously taking place in Florida. Cornell won the most recent meeting, defeating the Wildcats, 8-7, on March 22, 2010. The Wildcats are 3-1 all-time against Boston College, with all four meetings taking place at neutral sites. The two teams last met on March 5, 2016, with the Eagles winning 6-3 in Port Charlotte, Fla.

Cornell will play its first game of the 2026 season in Friday's opener after posting a 12-22 record in 2025. RHP Carson Mayfield leads a Big Red staff that returns much of its production from 2025, including 81.8 percent of its innings pitched, seventh-most in Division I. Cornell was tabbed to finish sixth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll.

Boston College opened the season in Ponce, Puerto Rico, picking up wins over Seton Hall (6-4) and Washington (10-0), while falling to Houston (5-1). Graduate INF Nick Wang paced the Eagles' offense on the weekend, slugging .778 with five RBI in three games.

Up next, Northwestern will travel to No. 5 Georgia Tech for a three-game set from Friday, Feb. 27 - Sunday, March 1, on ACCNX.