Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, March 6
U.S. Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, Minn.
11 a.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
South Dakota State
'Cats Set for Cambria Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium
3/5/2026 5:26:00 PM | Baseball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern baseball closes out its non-conference road swing with three games at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., as part of the 2026 Cambria College Classic.
The Wildcats open the weekend with South Dakota State on Friday at 11 a.m. CT. NU will square off with Omaha at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday. Northwestern then rounds out the weekend against UNLV on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
Friday, March 6: NU – LHP Ryan Weaver vs. SDSU – RHP Ty Madison
Saturday, March 7: NU – RHP Garrett Shearer vs. Omaha – RHP Tanner Foertsch
Sunday, March 8: NU – RHP Matt Kouser vs. UNLV – RHP Felix Ong
Last time out, Northwestern was unable to keep up with the nation's top offense in a sweep at No. 5 Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Northwestern is 4-0 at neutral sites in 2026 and 7-1 at neutral sites under Head Coach Ben Greenspan. Northwestern is scheduled to face three right-handed starting pitchers this weekend. The Wildcats are 4-2 against right-handed starters this season, after posting a 19-16 record against right-handed starters last season.
Junior OF Jackson Freeman leads all Wildcats with a .442 batting average, sixth-best in the Big Ten through three weekends of play. Freeman also leads the team in home runs (3), runs (12), total bases (31), and slugging percentage (.721). Against Georgia Tech, Freeman hit .455 (5-for-11) with a double as well as two walks, including his second four-hit game of the season on Sunday, March 1.
Graduate INF Noah Ruiz leads the 'Cats with 14 RBI so far this season, and is tied for the team lead in on-base percentage with Freeman (.500). Ruiz's 14 RBI rank 11th in the Big Ten and 137th nationally.
Senior INF Owen McElfatrick ranks seventh in Northwestern's record book with 25 career home runs. In 2025, McElfatrick led all 'Cats in batting average (.303), hits (59), SBs (5), and multi-hit games (16), earning Third Team All-Big Ten and Second Team ABCA All-Region honors.
Friday's meeting will be the first matchup between Northwestern and South Dakota State in program history.
The 'Cats hold a 4-4 all-time mark against Omaha, with the teams' most recent meeting being a 7-2 Northwestern win in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 16, 2020.
UNLV holds an 11-4 advantage in the all-time series against Northwestern. The two teams most recently squared off in Las Vegas in 2015, with the Rebels taking three games of a four-game series.
Northwestern returns home to Rocky and Berenice Miller Park for a four-game homestand to open its home slate. The 'Cats will host UIC on Tuesday, March 10, at 3 p.m. CT before hosting USC for a three-game series from March 13-15.
The Wildcats open the weekend with South Dakota State on Friday at 11 a.m. CT. NU will square off with Omaha at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday. Northwestern then rounds out the weekend against UNLV on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT. All three games will be streamed on B1G+.
Probable PitchersAirplane Mode ?? pic.twitter.com/FjO2zVVgDS
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) March 5, 2026
Friday, March 6: NU – LHP Ryan Weaver vs. SDSU – RHP Ty Madison
Saturday, March 7: NU – RHP Garrett Shearer vs. Omaha – RHP Tanner Foertsch
Sunday, March 8: NU – RHP Matt Kouser vs. UNLV – RHP Felix Ong
Last time out, Northwestern was unable to keep up with the nation's top offense in a sweep at No. 5 Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Northwestern is 4-0 at neutral sites in 2026 and 7-1 at neutral sites under Head Coach Ben Greenspan. Northwestern is scheduled to face three right-handed starting pitchers this weekend. The Wildcats are 4-2 against right-handed starters this season, after posting a 19-16 record against right-handed starters last season.
Junior OF Jackson Freeman leads all Wildcats with a .442 batting average, sixth-best in the Big Ten through three weekends of play. Freeman also leads the team in home runs (3), runs (12), total bases (31), and slugging percentage (.721). Against Georgia Tech, Freeman hit .455 (5-for-11) with a double as well as two walks, including his second four-hit game of the season on Sunday, March 1.
Graduate INF Noah Ruiz leads the 'Cats with 14 RBI so far this season, and is tied for the team lead in on-base percentage with Freeman (.500). Ruiz's 14 RBI rank 11th in the Big Ten and 137th nationally.
Senior INF Owen McElfatrick ranks seventh in Northwestern's record book with 25 career home runs. In 2025, McElfatrick led all 'Cats in batting average (.303), hits (59), SBs (5), and multi-hit games (16), earning Third Team All-Big Ten and Second Team ABCA All-Region honors.
Friday's meeting will be the first matchup between Northwestern and South Dakota State in program history.
The 'Cats hold a 4-4 all-time mark against Omaha, with the teams' most recent meeting being a 7-2 Northwestern win in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 16, 2020.
UNLV holds an 11-4 advantage in the all-time series against Northwestern. The two teams most recently squared off in Las Vegas in 2015, with the Rebels taking three games of a four-game series.
Northwestern returns home to Rocky and Berenice Miller Park for a four-game homestand to open its home slate. The 'Cats will host UIC on Tuesday, March 10, at 3 p.m. CT before hosting USC for a three-game series from March 13-15.
In honor of this weekend's games at @usbankstadium:
— Northwestern Baseball (@NUCatsBaseball) March 5, 2026
If you played football, which position would you play? ?????? pic.twitter.com/yL4wdDxFwT
Players Mentioned
OF
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RHP
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INF
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RHP
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LHP
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