Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, February 20
Fayetteville, Ark.
11 am CT
Northwestern
vs
Southeast Missouri
'Cats Head to Arkansas for Razorback Invitational
2/19/2026 5:53:00 PM | Softball
Fayetteville, Ark. – Northwestern Softball is back in action this weekend with five games at the Razorback Invitational, hosted by the University of Arkansas.
The 'Cats match up twice with Southeast Missouri, first on Friday (11 am CT) and again on Saturday (11 am CT). Northwestern will play three games against the hosts, No. 8 Arkansas, as the teams match up Friday (4 pm CT), Saturday (1:30 pm CT), and Sunday (10 am CT). A stream will be available for Sunday's game against the Razorbacks, broadcast on SEC Network+, with live updates for the other four games available via the Northwestern Softball Twitter feed.
Most recently, the Wildcats traveled to the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational, picking up a 3-0 win against Missouri on Saturday, while dropping games to UCF and three ranked opponents in No. 1 Texas Tech, No. 17 Georgia, and No. 8 Texas A&M.
Grace Nieto and Kelsey Nader continued to lead the Wildcats on offense, as Nieto went 6-for-18 on the weekend and posted hits in four of the 'Cats' five games, while Nader hit .412 (7-for-17) in five games with three RBI and three runs scored. Nader recorded hits in each of Northwestern's last four games of the weekend, posting multi-hit efforts against UCF, Georgia and Texas A&M. Hitting in the top two spots of the Wildcats' lineup, Nieto (.400) and Nader (.355) rank first and second on the team, respectively, in batting average through two weekends.
Sophomore Signe Dohse continued her strong start in Clearwater, pitching 8.1 innings while allowing just four hits–good for a team-low .160 opposing batting average. Dohse is the only qualified pitcher in the Big Ten who has not allowed an earned run this season. She has thrown 16.1 innings without allowing an earned run, the longest streak to start a season for a Northwestern pitcher since Danielle Williams pitched 30.1 scoreless innings to start the 2021 season.
First-year Marina Mason also turned in a strong performance in the circle, with 9.1 innings and 13 strikeouts, headlined by her complete game shutout against Missouri, which marked the first shutout by a Wildcat pitcher since Lauren Boyd did so against Kentucky in the first game of the NCAA Tournament on May 16, 2025.
Northwestern first-year Teagan McCue turned in a strong performance at the plate over the weekend, batting .500 (3-for-6) with a two-hit game against No. 17 Georgia and another hit on Sunday vs. No. 8 Texas A&M. McCue is now hitting .556 (5-for-9) with a 1.112 OPS on the season. Fellow first-year Tru Medina also posted a multi-hit game, singling twice and stealing a base in Saturday's win over Missouri. Medina has stolen three bases so far this season, ranking third among Big Ten first-years.
Junior catcher Emma Raye reached base in all five games over the weekend for the Wildcats, extending her reached base streak to 10 games to open the 2026 season, the longest streak of her career. The junior catcher went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored on Friday vs. UCF, and added an RBI-single in Saturday's win over Missouri. Raye currently leads all Northwestern hitters with a .640 slugging percentage through two weekends.
In the middle of the Wildcats' lineup, Kansas Robinson led the team this weekend with four RBI, driving in runs in three different games. Kaylie Avvisato blasted a three-run home run for Northwestern against Texas A&M, and currently leads the team with 10 RBI through 10 games.
Northwestern holds a 1-1 all-time record against Southeast Missouri, but the teams have not matched up since they split two games in the 1998 season. Northwestern is 2-0 all-time against Arkansas, with the teams' most recent matchup being a 8-0 Wildcat win at the 2003 Pepsi Arizona Classic.
Following this weekend's games, Northwestern travels to Durham, North Carolina where it will face off with Duke, Ohio State (non-conference), and Boston University.
The 'Cats match up twice with Southeast Missouri, first on Friday (11 am CT) and again on Saturday (11 am CT). Northwestern will play three games against the hosts, No. 8 Arkansas, as the teams match up Friday (4 pm CT), Saturday (1:30 pm CT), and Sunday (10 am CT). A stream will be available for Sunday's game against the Razorbacks, broadcast on SEC Network+, with live updates for the other four games available via the Northwestern Softball Twitter feed.
Most recently, the Wildcats traveled to the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational, picking up a 3-0 win against Missouri on Saturday, while dropping games to UCF and three ranked opponents in No. 1 Texas Tech, No. 17 Georgia, and No. 8 Texas A&M.
Grace Nieto and Kelsey Nader continued to lead the Wildcats on offense, as Nieto went 6-for-18 on the weekend and posted hits in four of the 'Cats' five games, while Nader hit .412 (7-for-17) in five games with three RBI and three runs scored. Nader recorded hits in each of Northwestern's last four games of the weekend, posting multi-hit efforts against UCF, Georgia and Texas A&M. Hitting in the top two spots of the Wildcats' lineup, Nieto (.400) and Nader (.355) rank first and second on the team, respectively, in batting average through two weekends.
Sophomore Signe Dohse continued her strong start in Clearwater, pitching 8.1 innings while allowing just four hits–good for a team-low .160 opposing batting average. Dohse is the only qualified pitcher in the Big Ten who has not allowed an earned run this season. She has thrown 16.1 innings without allowing an earned run, the longest streak to start a season for a Northwestern pitcher since Danielle Williams pitched 30.1 scoreless innings to start the 2021 season.
First-year Marina Mason also turned in a strong performance in the circle, with 9.1 innings and 13 strikeouts, headlined by her complete game shutout against Missouri, which marked the first shutout by a Wildcat pitcher since Lauren Boyd did so against Kentucky in the first game of the NCAA Tournament on May 16, 2025.
Northwestern first-year Teagan McCue turned in a strong performance at the plate over the weekend, batting .500 (3-for-6) with a two-hit game against No. 17 Georgia and another hit on Sunday vs. No. 8 Texas A&M. McCue is now hitting .556 (5-for-9) with a 1.112 OPS on the season. Fellow first-year Tru Medina also posted a multi-hit game, singling twice and stealing a base in Saturday's win over Missouri. Medina has stolen three bases so far this season, ranking third among Big Ten first-years.
Junior catcher Emma Raye reached base in all five games over the weekend for the Wildcats, extending her reached base streak to 10 games to open the 2026 season, the longest streak of her career. The junior catcher went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored on Friday vs. UCF, and added an RBI-single in Saturday's win over Missouri. Raye currently leads all Northwestern hitters with a .640 slugging percentage through two weekends.
In the middle of the Wildcats' lineup, Kansas Robinson led the team this weekend with four RBI, driving in runs in three different games. Kaylie Avvisato blasted a three-run home run for Northwestern against Texas A&M, and currently leads the team with 10 RBI through 10 games.
Northwestern holds a 1-1 all-time record against Southeast Missouri, but the teams have not matched up since they split two games in the 1998 season. Northwestern is 2-0 all-time against Arkansas, with the teams' most recent matchup being a 8-0 Wildcat win at the 2003 Pepsi Arizona Classic.
Following this weekend's games, Northwestern travels to Durham, North Carolina where it will face off with Duke, Ohio State (non-conference), and Boston University.
Players Mentioned
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IF
/ SoftballSoftball - Marina Mason Tosses Complete Game Shutout, 'Cats Blank Missouri in Clearwater (2/14/26)
Saturday, February 14
She Caught That!? 🤯
Friday, February 13
Softball - Lauren Boyd Tosses Complete Game Shutout, 'Cats Blank Kentucky in NCAA Regional (5/16/25)
Friday, May 16
Softball - 'Cats Storm Back, Secure Series Victory at No. 8 UCLA (5/4/25)
Sunday, May 04
