It’s been a rough few weeks for first-year skipper Ben Greenspan’s team on the diamond.
Following a turbulent season with a 10-40 record under head coach Jim Foster in his sole year in Evanston, Northwestern’s baseball program appeared to have made a significant turnaround at the start of the 2024 campaign. Just 19 games into this year, first-year skipper Ben Greenspan guided the team to match last season’s win total on March 22 with a commanding 12-4 road win over McNeese, moving the Wildcats to 10-9 on the season.
Since this win, the ‘Cats have fallen into a miserable funk. The team has dropped its last 10 games, which should be a telling sign considering its losing spree started at the beginning of conference action.
While Northwestern has proven to be a far more formidable team under Greenspan than last year, the onset of conference play has revealed that its victories over weaker non-Power Five opponents may have given fans a misleading sense of optimism. The talent gap between NU and the rest of the Big Ten has become difficult to ignore.
Northwestern’s woes were first displayed in its opening conference series against No. 23 Nebraska, in which the ‘Cats struggled to keep up with the Cornhuskers on offense. It became hard to rely on anyone in the lineup outside of freshman phenom Jackson Freeman, who collected five hits, seven runs and two home runs during the series.
The Wildats’ series against the Cornhuskers also revealed flaws within their starting rotation. Right-handed pitcher Kyle Potthoff, who appeared to be Northwestern’s ace, entered his start on March 30 against Nebraska with a 2.28 ERA but was shelled on the mound. He allowed nine hits and nine runs across five innings, resulting in a 9-5 loss for Northwestern.
While Potthoff and the ‘Cats were given the benefit of the doubt after their series, considering Nebraska looks to be on track to host its first NCAA regional since 2008, Northwestern’s struggles continued to emerge with Potthoff on the mound. In his second consecutive start, he was overwhelmed by the Nittany Lions, conceding eight hits, five runs and one home run in a 12-7 loss on April 6.
While Potthoff struggled to succeed, the ‘Cats remained competitive against the Nittany Lions, as evidenced by their loss in the series’ first game, 8-4. However, Northwestern completely collapsed in the final game on April 7, suffering a seventh-inning rule rout.
The loss once again stemmed from issues on the mound. Right-handed pitcher Garrett Shearer allowed eight hits and five runs, dropping his record for the year to 1-7.
Following the ‘Cats’ blowout loss to Penn State, they experienced another disappointing performance on April 10. Northwestern again fell victim to the seventh-inning run rule, as UIC won 18-5.
The game further emphasized NU’s pitching struggles. The game’s starter, right-handed pitcher Amer Tsengeg, couldn’t even last through the first inning before Greenspan decided to pull him after he allowed four hits and five earned runs. Tsengeg’s replacement, left-handed pitcher Nolan Morr, let the game out of hand, allowing eight hits and six earned runs.
Northwestern faces a challenging task this weekend as it attempts to snap its losing streak when it hosts Maryland, a team boasting a 22-11 record.