Oh boy, what a ride it’s been.
With a week’s worth of Big Ten regular season softball left, Northwestern finds itself in an intense battle for first with Nebraska, Oregon and UCLA, the latter of which it concludes the season against. With a 12-4 record, the ‘Cats sit in third place, tied with Nebraska, and are two games behind the first-place Ducks.
How did we get to this point? A team that seemed destined for disaster turned the tides in ways ‘Cats fans haven’t been able to comprehend.
Let’s take an in-depth look at Northwestern softball: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Some of it gets really good. Other parts get really ugly.
Overall Performance: B
Coming into the season ranked 20th in the nation, many expected Northwestern to dominate from start to finish, especially considering the outlook of their schedule.
Allow me to refresh the memory of the Northwestern faithful with this image from our very own Ethan Segall, taken from his breakdown of the ‘Cats schedule at the beginning of the year:
Northwestern had a rather easy schedule compared to the rest of the conference. Or so it seemed.
The ‘Cats were two games below .500 at the end of February, and Evanston was sent into panic mode immediately.
Now I’d be remiss to ignore how front-loaded NU’s schedule was out of the gate: they faced three straight ranked opponents following their season opener vs. Kennesaw State, and another two during the Purple & Gold Challenge in Baton Rouge. However, losses to Seattle and Cal were extremely surprising, and by week three of the season, the ‘Cats were out of the top 25.
Fear not – the month of March was a different story. Northwestern started the month 5-0, sweeping Big Ten Opening Weekend, and finished March with a 10-2 record.
Off the heels of a four-game win streak, the ‘Cats now find themselves at 24-15-1 on the season overall.
But when we look at those two losses in March, we find ourselves with a problem. Both were pummeling losses to then-No. 19 Mississippi State.
The ‘Cats haven’t found success against ranked opponents at all this season, as they’ve gone 2-10 against teams in the top 25 this year. NU hasn’t managed to amass more than four runs against said opponents.
A season ago, that would be no problem when it came to conference play – Northwestern was far and away the best team in the Big Ten. In 2025? Can’t say the same, especially with the additions of No. 5 UCLA and No. 6 Oregon, while Nebraska hovers in the lower third of the rankings. The ‘Cats might have a tough time in the latter half of the Big Ten Tournament.
However, that is not to discredit how this team has bounced back from adversity so well. After a rocky first month, the ‘Cats have turned a season that was seemingly jinxed from the jump and have filled it with jubilation throughout. With that said, the final six conference games of the regular season will truly tell the tale of what kind of squad Chicago’s Big Ten Team is.
Offensive Production: B+
If you take a look at team statistics in the Big Ten, Northwestern falls in the lower half of most offensive stat categories.
There have been two consistent spark plugs for this team: Kaylie Avvisato and Grace Nieto.
Avvisato, a highly touted first-year, made an immediate impact on the squad, leading the ‘Cats in batting average at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. She’s a complete hitter from the three-spot in the order, leading the team with a .362 average, with 26 RBIs and a .535 slugging percentage. This year, she’s shown the dynamic ability to drive in runs and hit for power.
Oh yeah, she’s got legs too. 21 stolen bases. Fifth in the conference.
Nieto has been everything the ‘Cats have asked for. In her return from injury, the leadoff hitter has battled at the plate, ranking second on the team in hits while having one of the lowest strikeout percentages among qualified hitters. She’s gone perfect in all 14 of her stolen base attempts, placing her ninth in the Big Ten.
Over in power alley, Bridget Donahey and Kansas Robinson have things covered. Donahey leads the team with eight homers on the year, and ranks second to Robinson in extra base hits. Robinson, in what might be considered a “down year” when looking at her splits, has settled into the cleanup role well with a team-best 33 RBIs on the year.
During conference play, Izzy Cunnea and Avery Garden have found their footing as well. Cunnea is hitting .342 against Big Ten opponents with a .891 OPS while Garden is batting .313 with a .762 OPS.
With so many hot bats toward the end of the year, the ‘Cats look like a national powerhouse on the offensive side of things.
Talking offense without mentioning Emma Raye? Insane. Just goes to show how deep the bats are in Evanston.
Pitching Rotation: D
There is no light way to put this: pitchers not named Lauren Boyd have struggled substantially this season. Without Boyd (2.64 ERA), Northwestern is 14-11 overall, and it has no other pitcher with an ERA below 3.80.
Evidently, Boyd is far and away the number one arm on this staff. The issue begins with Northwestern finding a definitive number two, which is a toss-up between Riley Grudzielanek, Signe Dohse and Emma Blea.
Grudzielanek took the brunt of ranked opponents to start the season, particularly facing Missouri, Tennessee and LSU in February. She lost in all three of those appearances, walking four against Missouri and leaving her matchups against Tennessee and LSU with five earned runs. Grudzielanek has yet to prove herself against potential NCAA Tournament opponents this year, as she’s only had one quality start this year against ranked teams.
Dohse and Blea have shown flashes of brilliance, despite going through some expected first-year struggles. Dohse has six scoreless outings this year, most notably a scoreless 2.2 innings against LSU in her season debut. Blea has transitioned to a reliever role, joining Riley Cunningham in the ‘pen, and has taken to it well, as her last three appearances in relief have been flawless.
If the ‘Cats want to win the Big Ten Tournament and make it past the NCAA Regionals, someone other than Boyd needs to take charge of the staff. Not asking for Ashley Miller 2.0, but someone that can provide quality starts in the absence of last year’s Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.
Defense: C-
The surprises here come in abundance.
Coming into the season, the big question was how the infield would look this season. The return of Nieto and the arrival of Avvisato sent the Drohans into confusion: what happens to Ainsley Muno’s spot in the lineup? Does Robinson stay at second? And, most importantly, who replaces Hannah Cady at third?
Kate Drohan proceeded to scramble the minds of many: Avvisato claimed the starting shortstop role, sliding Donahey over to third. Nieto returned to second, moving Robinson to first, and essentially relegating Muno to the bench.
This alignment did not work out as expected. Avvisato and Donahey account for more than half of the team’s 47 errors up to this point, with Nieto ranking right behind them at 10 on the season.
So what’s going on?
First, let’s start with Donahey at third.
Donahey was sensational at short a season ago, accumulating a total of five errors on the year. However, her biggest issue at third has been decision-making. Donahey has a tendency to rush throws, especially in bunt defense. Her glove work hasn’t taken a hit at all, as she’s shown elite reaction time throughout the year. Her Achilles’ heel has been her lack of experience at the position.
As for Avvisato, I believe it’s a matter of pressure. Handing a first-year the keys to one of the best infield groups in the nation is a huge responsibility — one that I don’t think she’s ready for, and the Drohans agree. We’ve seen Avvisato being flexed out of the defensive alignment at times, as Kate Drohan has opted to try Dohse at third, Donahey at short, and Avvisato at DP. An interesting choice to say the least, but maybe one that’s for the best.
Nieto’s infield struggles were expected, Coming off an injury, it was a given that she’d have a rough year defensively. I personally don’t think this is anything ‘Cats fans should worry about, as she’s come around as the season’s progressed and should be back on par with her usual defensive performance come postseason time.
In contrast, the outfield has been sensational. The outfield has a combined five errors between Ayana Lindsey, Kelsey Nader, Izzy Cunnea and Avery Garden. Nader most recently found herself on SportsCenter for a diving grab she made in right, a play that characterizes the defensive prowess of this group up to this point.
Will Northwestern figure it out defensively? I wouldn’t doubt a coach with 800 career wins, so I say yes.
So…what?
Will the ‘Cats win the conference regular season championship for a fourth straight year? No, I don’t think so. Sweeping UCLA is probably a must to do so, which is already a big ask, and with first-place Oregon taking on struggling teams like Indiana and Michigan State to end the year, winning out might be Northwestern’s only hope at finishing on top. As for the conference tournament, and the NCAA Regionals, I’d like to draw from Ethan Segall once again, taken from the February 6th edition of Sportsnight.
This quote is quite apropos for the legacy of Northwestern softball:
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this team, it’s this: Don’t count out the Wildcats.”