Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, April 3
Rosemont, Ill.
7 pm CT
Northwestern
vs
Michigan
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Wildcats Host Michigan for Weekend Series in Rosemont
4/2/2026 11:09:00 PM | Softball
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Northwestern continues its homestand this weekend as the Wildcats welcome Michigan to The Ballpark at Rosemont for a three-game set between the two storied Big Ten programs.
The Wildcats and Wolverines will open the series with back-to-back 7 p.m. primetime matchups on Friday and Saturday, streaming on B1G+. The weekend finale will begin at 2 p.m. CT (a 30 minute adjustment from the previously announced 1:30 p.m. CT first pitch) and air live on Big Ten Network.
Dating back to the 2006 season, either Northwestern or Michigan have captured a Big Ten regular season championship in 17 of the last 19 seasons. The teams have also won the last three Big Ten Tournament titles, with Northwestern winning the 2023 championship while Michigan earned back-to-back tournament titles in 2024 and 2025.
Michigan leads the all-time series, 80-42, but Northwestern has won each of the last three series in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. Since the Big Ten Conference was established for softball in 1982, Michigan has never lost four-straight series to a Big Ten opponent.
In 2022, Northwestern took two of three games in Evanston, earning two come-from-behind victories on the Wildcats' path to their first of three consecutive Big Ten titles that season. The next season in 2023, Northwestern took two of three games in Ann Arbor for the Wildcats' first series win at Michigan in program history. In 2024, Northwestern earned a series sweep over Michigan at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, its first time in program history sweeping Michigan in a 3+ game series, becoming the first Big Ten program to win three-straight series over Michigan since Iowa did so from 1990-92.
In its last time out, Northwestern dropped a three-game series to No. 17 Oregon, earning an 11-3 run-rule victory over the Ducks in Thursday's series opener before falling in the Friday and Saturday meetings in what marked the first games of the season played at The Ballpark at Rosemont.
Northwestern has now played 13 games this season against ranked opponents (seven different opponents). The Wildcats rank 24th in the country in strength of schedule–fourth among Big Ten teams behind Nebraska (1st), Oregon (9th), and Ohio State (22nd)–and 9th in the nation in non-conference strength of schedule.
First-year pitcher Marina Mason has been lights out for the Wildcats over the last three weekends of action, pitching in 31.0 innings (51% of the team's innings) and tossing four complete games in five starts. Mason has posted a 1.58 ERA (7 ER/31.0 IP) and a .111 opposing batting average to go along with 29 strikeouts in those five appearances. Mason currently ranks fifth among all pitchers in the Big Ten with a 2.33 ERA on the season, fourth in WHIP (1.04), and third with an average of just 4.67 hits allowed per seven innings. Her 85 strikeouts on the season rank second among conference rookies behind only Alexis Jensen (Nebraska).
First-year Tru Medina led the offense in last weekend's series against Oregon, going 3-for-6 with a homer, a triple, a double, three RBI and five runs scored in her first home series as a 'Cat. Medina posted a double, a triple and drove in two RBI in Thursday's win and also blasted a solo home run to open the scoring in Saturday's contest.
Over the Wildcats' last 10 games entering this weekend, Emma Raye is hitting .500 (12-for-24) with 24 RBI, 10 runs scored and eight extra-base hits (including five homers). Raye currently leads the team this season in batting average (.369) along with RBI (35) and homers (8)–already surpassing her career highs in both categories. Raye's team-high .774 slugging percentage would currently rank sixth-best for a single-season mark in program history, while her .491 on-base percentage is a mark that has not been hit by a Wildcat starter since Rachel Lewis did so in 2022 (.495).
Kaylie Avvisato enters this weekend riding a 10-game reached base streak, during which she is hitting .419 (13-for-31) with 10 RBI and 15 runs scored. Avvisato's .999 OPS on the season ranks second on the team behind only Raye. Last weekend vs. Oregon, the sophomore led the team with five RBI, four of which came during Thursday's run-rule victory.
Following this weekend's series, Northwestern will head down the road for a midweek matchup against DePaul on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT before hitting the road for a three-game series at Penn State. The Wildcats and Nittany Lions will face off at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, 1 p.m. CT on Saturday and close the weekend at 10:30 a.m. CT on Sunday, with all three games airing on B1G+.
The Wildcats and Wolverines will open the series with back-to-back 7 p.m. primetime matchups on Friday and Saturday, streaming on B1G+. The weekend finale will begin at 2 p.m. CT (a 30 minute adjustment from the previously announced 1:30 p.m. CT first pitch) and air live on Big Ten Network.
Dating back to the 2006 season, either Northwestern or Michigan have captured a Big Ten regular season championship in 17 of the last 19 seasons. The teams have also won the last three Big Ten Tournament titles, with Northwestern winning the 2023 championship while Michigan earned back-to-back tournament titles in 2024 and 2025.
Michigan leads the all-time series, 80-42, but Northwestern has won each of the last three series in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. Since the Big Ten Conference was established for softball in 1982, Michigan has never lost four-straight series to a Big Ten opponent.
In 2022, Northwestern took two of three games in Evanston, earning two come-from-behind victories on the Wildcats' path to their first of three consecutive Big Ten titles that season. The next season in 2023, Northwestern took two of three games in Ann Arbor for the Wildcats' first series win at Michigan in program history. In 2024, Northwestern earned a series sweep over Michigan at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, its first time in program history sweeping Michigan in a 3+ game series, becoming the first Big Ten program to win three-straight series over Michigan since Iowa did so from 1990-92.
In its last time out, Northwestern dropped a three-game series to No. 17 Oregon, earning an 11-3 run-rule victory over the Ducks in Thursday's series opener before falling in the Friday and Saturday meetings in what marked the first games of the season played at The Ballpark at Rosemont.
Northwestern has now played 13 games this season against ranked opponents (seven different opponents). The Wildcats rank 24th in the country in strength of schedule–fourth among Big Ten teams behind Nebraska (1st), Oregon (9th), and Ohio State (22nd)–and 9th in the nation in non-conference strength of schedule.
First-year pitcher Marina Mason has been lights out for the Wildcats over the last three weekends of action, pitching in 31.0 innings (51% of the team's innings) and tossing four complete games in five starts. Mason has posted a 1.58 ERA (7 ER/31.0 IP) and a .111 opposing batting average to go along with 29 strikeouts in those five appearances. Mason currently ranks fifth among all pitchers in the Big Ten with a 2.33 ERA on the season, fourth in WHIP (1.04), and third with an average of just 4.67 hits allowed per seven innings. Her 85 strikeouts on the season rank second among conference rookies behind only Alexis Jensen (Nebraska).
First-year Tru Medina led the offense in last weekend's series against Oregon, going 3-for-6 with a homer, a triple, a double, three RBI and five runs scored in her first home series as a 'Cat. Medina posted a double, a triple and drove in two RBI in Thursday's win and also blasted a solo home run to open the scoring in Saturday's contest.
Over the Wildcats' last 10 games entering this weekend, Emma Raye is hitting .500 (12-for-24) with 24 RBI, 10 runs scored and eight extra-base hits (including five homers). Raye currently leads the team this season in batting average (.369) along with RBI (35) and homers (8)–already surpassing her career highs in both categories. Raye's team-high .774 slugging percentage would currently rank sixth-best for a single-season mark in program history, while her .491 on-base percentage is a mark that has not been hit by a Wildcat starter since Rachel Lewis did so in 2022 (.495).
Kaylie Avvisato enters this weekend riding a 10-game reached base streak, during which she is hitting .419 (13-for-31) with 10 RBI and 15 runs scored. Avvisato's .999 OPS on the season ranks second on the team behind only Raye. Last weekend vs. Oregon, the sophomore led the team with five RBI, four of which came during Thursday's run-rule victory.
Following this weekend's series, Northwestern will head down the road for a midweek matchup against DePaul on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT before hitting the road for a three-game series at Penn State. The Wildcats and Nittany Lions will face off at 4 p.m. CT on Friday, 1 p.m. CT on Saturday and close the weekend at 10:30 a.m. CT on Sunday, with all three games airing on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
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/ Softball
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Softball - Wildcats Drop Weekend Finale to No. 17 Oregon After Rally Cut Short (3/28/26)
Sunday, March 29
Softball - Wildcats Run-Rule No. 17 Oregon, 11-3, in Rosemont Home Opener (3/26/26)
Friday, March 27
Softball - Marina Mason Throws No-Hitter, 'Cats Secure Series Sweep at Illinois (3/22/26)
Sunday, March 22
Softball - Wildcats Erupt in 19-5 Run-Rule Win, Capture Series Victory at Illinois (3/21/26)
Saturday, March 21
