Unpacking Northwestern baseball’s struggles in the Big Ten

Last weekend, the Minnesota Golden Gophers swept the ‘Cats, handing them their ninth straight Big Ten loss, the latest falter in a long line of disappointments for Northwestern baseball.

Before they arrived in St. Paul, the Wildcats still had a chance to make the Big Ten tournament despite their ugly record. The top 12 teams make the tournament, a recent increase from when only eight qualified prior to the conference’s expansion last year. The three teams standing in Northwestern’s way were Michigan State — who Northwestern took the series against in early April — as well as Minnesota and Indiana — both of whom the Wildcats had yet to play.

By taking two of three games against Minnesota and Indiana, while finding a little luck through a few Spartans losses, Northwestern’s path to the tournament had become reasonably clear. By no means was it guaranteed, but the fans back in Evanston certainly had some hope to hold onto.

Entering the series, Minnesota and Northwestern had matching 4-13 records in the Big Ten. Rather than taking advantage of another weaker Big Ten opponent, the ‘Cats dropped every game and accumulated a -21 run differential over the weekend, including a 12-run loss in the series opener. With three more in-conference series left this season, Northwestern sits at second-to-last in the Big Ten, and the Golden Gophers and Terrapins both jumped the Wildcats in the standings. So what’s wrong?

Inconsistent Pitching

First and foremost, the pitching. Northwestern can’t find a consistent closer to finish off games. The ‘Cats don’t have the luxury of sitting back and lazily tossing seeds into their mouth with three outs remaining. When the ‘pen is in a state like this, it’s tense until the 27th out.

Drew Dickson leads the squad in saves with only two. Coach Ben Greenspan has thrown a plethora of guys on the bump down the stretch, none of whom have shone particularly bright. The five relievers who have recorded a save sport a combined 6.88 ERA, a mark that would rank eighth on the team, while those with at least a dozen appearances and fewer than two starts combine for an ERA of 6.79.

Granted, it’s hard to define who exactly the Wildcats’ closer, setup and mid-relief guys are. But that’s the problem. “Closer” isn’t simply a title. Pitchers are notorious for their meticulous and extravagant warmup routines (if you ever get the chance, look up Trevor Bauer’s ridiculous pre-game routine). One should never interrupt a pitcher during their routine. That is, if you prefer your head attached to your body (see the madness of Max Scherzer and how his teammates are terrified to get near him before his starts.)

However, the preparation is mental as well as physical. When a pitcher isn’t given a consistent role, that spontaneity makes preparation difficult. Yes, relievers are expected to be able to get warm at a moment’s notice, but part of a closer’s efficacy is that every day they know when they’re going to be called upon. They know when to start their warm up and have confidence that it won’t get cut short. The uncertainty of a pitcher’s role can throw everything off.

Alex Grant has established himself as one of the more trustworthy guys in the late innings. He’s come in relief in all but one of his 13 appearances this year. After a rocky start to the season, he’s pitched his way to a 4.15 ERA in the last month. His 1.62 WHIP on the season puts him third on the Wildcats, his .253 batting average against (BAA) is good for second among guys with at least 10 innings pitched, and his four home runs surrendered is tied for first with pitchers that have logged at least 20 innings. He’s got good velocity with a fastball coming in at 92 mph topping 94, in addition to a cutter, changeup and curveball. If he keeps up this pace, the former #1 lefty out of Connecticut could be the centerpiece to Northwestern’s bullpen they so need.

While the bullpen may be inconsistent, the starters aren’t putting them in good positions to begin with. The guys in the rotation with at least five starts combine for a 7.17 ERA and a 5-17 record. The ‘Cats don’t have anyone with an ERA below five. Matt Kouser currently leads the squad with a 5.11, and he only has a 1-5 record to show for it. Sam Hliboki, the former Vandy Boy, had a career sub-five ERA during his time in Nashville across 46 appearances. This season, he’s struggled, putting up an 8.85 ERA with a .317 BAA. For a guy that tossed over 100 innings in the SEC (including a 5.1-inning, one run outing in the NCAA Tournament), it’s fair to assume that Northwestern hoped for more out of the graduate student.

Last year, Garrett Shearer broke out, putting up a 2.08 ERA with a .167 BAA. Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, he needed Tommy John surgery and was shut down after just 13 innings of work. Fully healthy for the 2026 season, he seemed set to anchor the Northwestern rotation. But with an ERA approaching eight, he hasn’t been the reliable arm that it’s been looking for either.

As a whole, the pitching staff is allowing their opponents to bat over .300 with an OPS of .937. Those are stellar numbers for any individual, let alone an entire team.

The offense can only do so much

On the positive side, the offensive production has been there. Although the Wildcats are putting up 6.5 runs per game, they’re finding themselves in holes too deep to climb out of. Across Northwestern’s five Big Ten wins, it’s scored at least eight runs in four of them, and at least ten runs in three. They have the firepower, but they can’t win every shootout. At the plate, the biggest hole is discipline, as the team is striking out over twice the amount of times they walk. Yet, it hasn’t been too detrimental. Jack Lausch leads the ‘Cats in strikeouts with 54. One third of his at-bats end in a punch out, yet his OBP is only a couple points shy of .400. Good enough to lead the team and be the only Wildcat with an OPS north of 1.000.

There is one Wildcat that sits atop the leaderboard with a 1.000 OBP. Alex Grant. Yes, the same Alex Grant. One plate appearance. One walk. So before Northwestern baseball officially falls out of Big Ten tournament contention, they have one last option to turn to. Alex Grant, the Shohei Ohtani of Evanston.

Looking Ahead

The “‘Cats Classic” returns this weekend, the first game of three against Indiana. On Friday at 7 p.m. Northwestern will take the field in front of the iconic ivy-clad brick wall at Wrigley Field. The Hoosiers currently sit one game above the Wildcats in the Big Ten standings and are also within striking distance for a spot in the Big Ten tournament. Northwestern is 3-1 when playing at Wrigley, most recently, stomping Ohio State 12-2 in seven innings on May 9, 2025. Their most memorable outing, an 11th inning walk-off win against Notre Dame in 2023.

If the ‘Cats want to continue their hot streak in front of the ivy, the starters simply need to be better, and Coach Greenspan is going to have to find an arm who can hold down the fort in the late innings. And maybe swap out the seeds for some Wrigley chewing gum for a bit of extra luck.