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.