Northwestern’s up-and-down 2025 has seemed to roll into 2026.
With all of Chicagoland still under inches of snow in February, the ‘Cats (2-2, 0-0 B1G) trekked to the southeast region to begin their season,
taking part in the Kajikawa Classic, hosted by Arizona State. With Texas State, Memphis and Toledo also taking part in the weekend festivities, each team was set for a tilt-a-whirl weekend of mud-ball against each other.
NU snatched three wins in five games, alternating between wins and losses.
Grace Nieto had quite the weekend in Tempe, going 6-for-12 with three extra-base hits and six RBIs. All-Big Ten Freshman honoree Kaylie Avvisato followed up, hitting .429 in 14 at-bats, driving in a team-best seven runs.
All five pitchers appeared in the circle for Northwestern. First-year Marina Mason ate up nine innings for the ‘Cats, pitching to a 1.56 ERA and striking out nine. Signe Dohse threw seven and two-thirds innings of scoreless ball, as opponents hit only .200 off the redshirt sophomore. Returners Riley Grudzielanek and Renae Cunningham saw struggles in their first weekend of play.
The Drohans did some tinkering with the lineup card, as it looked a bit different compared to last season.
Avvisato’s athleticism was utilized in a unique way, as she started all five games in center for the ‘Cats. Kelsey Nader and Isabel Cunnea played the corner outfield, sliding Avery Garden, last year’s starting right fielder, to the designated player spot. Bridget Donahey, who played third for the majority of the 2025 season, was back at her native position of shortstop, making room for highly-touted recruit Tru Medina to make her first collegiate starts at the hot corner.
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 6 vs. Toledo
The Wildcats’ non-conference season got off to a hot start with a 9-1 run-rule rout of the Rockets, as seven of nine Northwestern starters logged hits in the contest.
Grudzielanek, getting the opening-day start, ran into early turbulence in the top of the first, surrendering the only Toledo run of the game on a two-out homer off the bat of Audrey Miller. She immediately settled back into her groove, striking out Jenna Bloomfield to end the inning.
The Rockets’ homer in the first accounted for half their hit total. Grudzielanek only allowed one more base hit over her next 4.1 innings.
Nieto provided an immediate Northwestern response with a solo shot of her own off Toledo starter Mady Yackee.
NU jumped on Rockets’ reliever Katie McDonald in the bottom of the third. With the lineup card flipped over, Nieto and Nader set the table for Avvisato, who launched another Northwestern homer to give her squad a 4-1 cushion.
Grudzielanek worked herself out of a jam in the top of the fourth, giving the ’Cats an opportunity to put the game to bed early. Back-to-back singles from Garden and Dohaney gave way to two unearned runs for the ‘Cats, courtesy of third baseman Payton Abiley’s throwing error. Avvisato mustered a career high-tying fourth RBI, driving in Nieto on a single and making the score 7-1 at the end of four.
Raye put the nail in the coffin in the fifth inning, picking off a runner on second to kill a Toledo rally and smashing a bomb to lead off the bottom half of the inning to extend the lead. Cunnea doubled to center right and Donahey ended it with an RBI single, driving in pinch runner Kate Renschen.
Game 2: Friday, Feb. 6 vs. Texas State
The 2025 Sun Belt champs forced NU into a dogfight in their first of two meetings with the ‘Cats, and ultimately came away with a gritty 4-3 win.
Avvisato carried her hot back straight into game two, roping an RBI double in the top of the first. The Bobcats came out with just as much energy as the ‘Cats, working Marina Mason into long counts in her first collegiate appearance. They loaded the bases and knotted the game up at one with an Aiyana Coleman sacrifice fly.
Contrary to game one, game two proved to be a pitcher’s duel between Mason and Emma Strood. In a battle of Big Ten youth and Sun Belt experience, the first-year didn’t blink, leaving the contest having only allowed one earned run through five innings.
The Bobcats did take a short-lived 2-1 lead after a Medina throwing error allowed Harley Vestal to score, but that was erased by Raye’s second tater in just as many games.
Renae Cunningham made her first appearance of 2025 in relief. Bobcat catcher Megan Kelnar beat Medina for an infield single, advanced to second on a groundout and came around to score on a Sydney Harvey single.
Heading into the final frame, Texas State led 3-2 after the sixth inning surge.
With Northwestern down to its final two outs, its youth once again gave it hope. Tru Medina sent her first career home run soaring out into the Tempe sky to even the game up at three.
The ‘Cats had a chance to take the lead with two outs and the speedy Avvisato on second, but Robinson grounded out to end their half of the frame. Coleman made them pay for their grave mistake, taking the fatigued Grudzielanek deep to walk it off for Texas State.
Game 3: Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Texas State
NU came roaring back the next day with revenge on its mind, and it found it in the form of a 7-1 win. Four runs in the bottom of the second created a mountain too tall for the Bobcats to climb, and Northwestern kept rolling to give Signe Dohse her first career win in a complete game performance.
Nieto, Nader, and Media all ended with multiple hits in the box score, while three others also logged hits in the contest.Nieto cleared the bases in the second, accounting for the four run cushion.
Robinson’s first hit of her senior campaign gave NU their fifth: a solo home run over the right field wall.
Dohse’s only surrendered run came unearned by an Avvisato misfire, but Nieto drove in Medina and Donahey in the bottom of the fourth to cap off the seven run performance for NU. The redshirt sophomore held firm the rest of the contest, and kept the Bobcats quiet despite two hits in the top of the seventh.
Game 4: Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Arizona State
Just as quickly as Northwestern was able to light a spark, Kenzie Brown and Arizona State were able to put it out on Saturday night. Brown threw a two-hit shutouts, with Raye and Nader being the only two Wildcats to record hits on the night.
Mason held the game together as long as she could in her second start of the weekend, allowing one run in four innings, striking out four batters. Grudzielaniek struggled in her second relief appearance of the season, giving up a two-run homer to the second batter she faced. Cunningham tried to stop the bleeding from there, but to no avail. A double, a Donahey fielding error, a fielder’s choice, and a two run bomb put an end to the game in the sixth, as the Sun Devils took an 8-0 run-rule win on their home turf in the Saturday nightcap.
Game 5: Sunday, Feb. 8 vs. Memphis
The ‘Cats refused to end on a whimper. In fact, they went out with an emphatic bang, dispatching the Tigers in five innings, 14-5.
Rylee Dugar had no clue what was to come in the first inning.
A walk, a single, and an Avvisato double broke thing wide open in the first inning, and before you could even say “Dugar”, Memphis’ starter was yanked. Her pitch count didn’t reach double digits on Sunday afternoon.
Avery Slutts didn’t fare much better, as she allowed six runs on six hits, also walking two and hitting two batters. An error from Memphis second baseman Ariel Davis and a Nieto walk brought an end to a five run first inning for NU.
Memphis went quiet for the first two innings, while Northwestern added on three in the second and five in the third. Robinson did the heavy lifting in the top of the second, doubling to right to drive in two and then scoring on a wild pitch. In the third, Donahey went deep and Renschen smoked a grand slam in her first career at bat.
The first-year followed up with another in her next at-bat in the fifth, this one of the inside-the-park variety.
The Tigers mustered a four-run rally in the bottom of the fifth in an attempt to extend the game another inning, but t’was too little, too late for Memphis. Emma Blea shut the door to join fellow sophomore Signe Dohse with her first collegiate win in the circle.
With its feet under it, Northwestern will seek to build on its positive start in Clearwater at the Shriners Children’s Invitational. The ‘Cats face five opponents in four days in Florida: Texas Tech, UCF, Mizzou, Georgia, and Texam A&M. NU starts its weekend on Thursday against the Red Raiders at 5 p.m. CT, with the game available for streaming on ESPN+.
