Softball: Five things to know from a season-defining series win over UCLA

The most impressive weekend of the season. Bar none.

You know that GIF of The Undertaker throwing open the lid of the coffin and rising up like a man possessed?

This one?

That’s what Northwestern’s postseason chances did this weekend with a series win on the road against top-10 ranked UCLA. Two wins later, and not only is Northwestern firmly in the postseason bubble, but the Wildcats are hot heading into the Big Ten Tournament this week. Here are five things to know from Northwestern’s upset series win over the Bruins.

1. Lauren Boyd continues to be the engine of this team

I’m not going to stop talking about Lauren Boyd until someone physically makes me stop. Boyd pitched in the first and third games of the weekend and recorded two complete games and two (massive) wins. The first of the two was a six-inning gem without a single walk and just one extra-base hit, while Sunday’s match saw Boyd give up three runs, but she limited the damage and once again only allowed one extra-base hit to the team that finished second in the conference in runs scored.

Batters hit .156 against Boyd this weekend compared to a season-long mark of .352 and managed just one two-out hit across both Boyd starts. Northwestern’s ace is also the primary driver for Northwestern’s other two ranked wins over Duke and Mississippi State, and a core truth remains: this team will go as far as Lauren Boyd can take them. It’s hard to imagine where this team would be without her.

2. Izzy Cunnea takes a late lead

Much like Sovereignty in this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, Izzy Cunnea is pulling away in the final stretch for the team lead in batting average. Freshman phenom Kaylie Avvisato has nearly led the team in the category wire to wire this season, but Northwestern’s sophomore outfielder has seized the lead at the end of the regular season at a .357 mark, just ahead of Avvisato’s .355.

Not that the in-team competition matters much. Far more consequential is the hot-streak Cunnea has been on at the plate. After two hits in both Saturday and Sunday’s contests, Cunnea has multihit games in five of her last nine appearances, which marks almost half of her season total. Not to mention, she has just two strikeouts in her last 11 games and regularly hits the ball hard, even when it doesn’t yield hits. As a result, she’s climbed all the way up to the 5-spot in the lineup, and her ascendance could not have been better timed.

3. Another look at Northwestern’s postseason prospects

Heading into the weekend, I would’ve called myself a skeptic of Northwestern’s chances of making an NCAA Regional. In this column last week, I reasonably declared that the ‘Cats were on the outside looking in. I’ve never been happier to eat crow.

According to D1Softball, Northwestern jumped 12 spots in RPI into the top-50, a bigger jump than any other team in the top-75. Translation: This weekend was more impactful for Northwestern than any other team in the country. The two wins give the Wildcats four “Quad 1” victories on the season — more than Nebraska, Ohio State, Washington and California, all of whom are seen as tournament teams. This completely changes the math for Northwestern’s chances and puts the team firmly on the radar entering the Big Ten Tournament. Two wins in West Lafayette would almost certainly punch a ticket for the ‘Cats, but I’m inclined to think NU has a reasonable chance of getting in the field with just one win. So what does the path look like for the Wildcats…?

4. A Big Ten Tournament primer

Northwestern, despite the two major wins, is stuck without a first-round bye in the tournament and will be the No. 5 seed, with the hosting No. 12 Purdue Boilermakers as the ‘Cats opening opponent.

What the Boilermakers lack in power at the plate, they make up for with speed. Purdue is one of three teams with more stolen bases than Northwestern this season, headlined by Moriah Polar who has stolen 30 bags by herself in addition to a .444 batting average. The Boilermakers have two capable pitchers in Julia Gossett and Madi Elish, with Gossett possessing a stronger ability to generate strikeouts but Elish holding a better ERA. Purdue is probably better than your average 12-seed, considering the Boilermakers had to face three of the four bye teams in UCLA, Nebraska and Ohio State, but this should very well be a win with the way Northwestern played this weekend and could be a win-and-in situation for the ‘Cats.

Should the Wildcats advance, they’d take on the 4-seeded Buckeyes, who finished the season leading the Big Ten in runs (467), hits (491), home runs (a whopping 134), RBI (444) and walks (265). On the flip side of the coin, Ohio State finished below average pitching-wise and gave up plenty of home runs. It’s been about a month since the Buckeyes have really been tested by a postseason-caliber squad, and I’m inclined to say the Buckeyes look tougher on paper than in reality. A win here would almost certainly set up a semifinal date with the top-seeded Ducks of Oregon.

5. Monitoring the catcher situation

One of the biggest storylines worth tracking going into the Big Ten Tournament is the status of Northwestern’s catcher situation. Usual starter Emma Raye did not make the trip with the team to Los Angeles, presumably for cautionary injury reasons. In her absence, Lauren Sciborski filled in and was dynamite, recording a hit in every game, including a bases-clearing single in Sunday’s game that gave Northwestern a late lead. That said, the defensive drop-off without Raye behind the dish was incredibly noticeable.

Raye had been struggling on offense prior to this weekend’s hiatus with just one hit in her last 22 at-bats, but assuming Raye is healthy enough to go, her defense is imperative against a team like Purdue, which will test you on the base paths. Raye certainly needs to get the bat going, but it may make sense to shift Sciborski into the DP role depending on pitcher matchups.

Weekly Awards

Week MVP: I may have tipped my hand, but it’s going to Lauren Boyd (13.0 innings pitched, seven hits allowed, three runs allowed, seven strikeouts, 51 batters faced, 2-0 record) who gives the ‘Cats a chance against any team in the conference when she’s at her best.

Best Play: Lots of great options, but how about the effort from Kansas Robinson on the defensive end to record the out in the seventh inning. Pure effort and will power.

Big Ten Lookaround: If you’re looking for a sleeper pick in the Big Ten Tournament and potential bid stealer, look no further than Iowa, who has already quietly collected wins over UCLA and Nebraska, two teams they could face in the second and third rounds. The Hawkeyes have won 10 of their last 11 en route to earning the No. 6 seed.

What I’m watching for this week:

I will be in West Lafayette to cover all the action, so honestly, I’m just excited to see so many of the teams in person — especially the high-powered offenses of Oregon and Ohio State. But with the four games in four days format, I’m curious to see how much Northwestern rides the arm of Lauren Boyd. She is clearly NU’s best pitcher but hasn’t been able to be the innings-eater like Ashley Miller or Danielle Williams of past years. When other pitchers have been in the game, it has ranged from solid to shaky to catastrophic, and Northwestern’s lack of a steady second arm has been one of the defining storylines of the season. Can the Wildcats get enough from the non-Boyd innings to make a run?

Ethan’s favorite NU softball thing he saw this week: I don’t think this year’s awards haul will be quite as bountiful as past years, but even in a quieter weekend Kaylie Avvisato has done more than enough to earn herself honors on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, even in a year with a ton of talented first-years.

That’s all for this week. With the Big Ten Tournament kicking off Wednesday and ending Saturday, Northwestern will play anywhere from one to four games. Hopefully Sunday night’s selection show will bring good news and prevent next week from being the final column of the year, but either way, I’ll be back in a week to recap what should be a thrilling week of action.