May 11, 2008

2008 NCAA Tournament Bracket

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern has been tabbed the No. 11 overall seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and will welcome Western Illinois, Drake and DePaul to Sharon J. Drysdale Field for its first round Regional May 16-18.

The Wildcats are hosting their Regional for the third-consecutive year, facing off with the Westerwinds in their first game at 2:30 p.m. CT Friday, May 16. Drake and DePaul will kick things off at noon CT. The winner of the double elimination Regional will go on to the best two-of-three Super Regional against the winner of the No. 6 seed Arizona State bracket.

The Wildcats won their second Big Ten regular-season title in the last three years this season. The 'Cats then followed it up last weekend by hurling three-straight shutouts and outscoring its opposition 21-0 en route to earning the Big Ten Tournament championship and the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA field. The league tournament crown was NU's first since 1982.

Northwestern went 14-11 in games against this year's NCAA Tournament field, including a 4-5 record in nine games against the 15 other seeds in the event. Only two of NU's losses this year came against teams not in the field, and 18 of the Wildcats' 27 nonconference clashes came versus tournament teams.

NU run-ruled its first Regional opponent Western Illinois, 8-0 (5), on March 2 at the Coach B Classic in Carbondale, Ill. The Wildcats also faced the Blue Demons this year, dropping a five-inning, darkness-shortened 5-3 decision on April 29 at Cacciatore Stadium.

Northwestern and DePaul last met in the NCAA Tournament in the Super Regional round in 2005, when the Blue Demons swept the Wildcats in two games at UIC's Flames Field.

Northwestern has earned the tournament's No. 11 or better overall seed in all four years since the event went to its current 16 Regional format. The Wildcats were the No. 9 seed in 2005, the No. 4 seed in 2006 and a program-best No. 2 seed in 2007.

Northwestern has a 22-12 record in the NCAA Tournament in five appearances under head coach Kate Drohan, including a 15-5 mark in the last two seasons after a pair of runs to the semifinals of the Women's College World Series. NU is 10-1 in NCAA tourney games held at Sharon J. Drysdale Field during the Drohan era. Northwestern is making its 11th appearance overall in the NCAA Tournament field.