Kate Drohan, Northwestern Reveal Wildcats 2024 Schedule

The following release information was issued by Northwestern and information and photos courtesy of Northwestern…

2024 Schedule

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern softball announced its full 2024 schedule and the Wildcats’ slate includes a total of 49 regular season games, five non-conference tournaments across the country, 23 Big Ten matchups and 16 home games at Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

Coming off its second-consecutive Big Ten championship in 2023, Northwestern will once again challenge itself with one of the nation’s toughest schedules. The Wildcats will face off against 12 different teams that qualified for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, including four that hosted an NCAA Regional and six that finished ranked in the final 2023 NFCA Coaches Poll.

Non-conference trips for the Wildcats include the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona (Feb. 9-11), one of three Big Ten representatives in ESPN’s Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational (Feb. 16-18), the prestigious Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California (Feb. 23-25), followed by trips to Auburn University (March 1-3) and the University of South Carolina (March 15-17) before returning to Sharon J. Drysdale Field.

Northwestern opens its home schedule with six-straight games at Sharon J. Drysdale Field, including matchups against Chicagoland foes DePaul (March 19), UIC (March 20) and Loyola Chicago (March 26) in addition to the Big Ten opening series vs. Michigan State (March 22-24). The Wildcats will also welcome Michigan (April 5-7), Maryland (April 12-14), Illinois (April 17) and Indiana (May 3-5) as part of their home schedule. The Wildcats have won 24-straight games at The J dating back to 2022, including going 14-0 last season.

The ‘Cats are coming off a memorable 2023 campaign that saw them finish 42-13 and capture a Big Ten regular season title for the second-consecutive season in addition to winning the Big Ten Tournament title, the second time in program history sweeping both conference titles. Northwestern earned the No. 12 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and secured its third NCAA Regional title in the last four tournaments.

Northwestern returns five starters from last season, led by graduate student Angela Zedak who led the team with 12 home runs in 2023, two-time All-Big Ten recipient Hannah Cady, and 2023 Big Ten All-Freshman team honorees Kansas Robinson and Kelsey Nader. The Wildcats also welcome eight first-year newcomers to the roster, as well as graduate transfer pitcher Ashley Miller.

Head coach Kate Drohan was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2023 for the fifth time in her career, while the Wildcats’ coaching staff was named NFCA Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year for the second year in a row. Drohan is entering her 23rd season at the helm of Northwestern softball, which matches the legendary Sharon Drysdale for the longest tenured coaching stint in program history.

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