By Patrick Z McGavin- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are Available at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/nwvmichigan **
EVANSTON—The name is alliterative and symbolic—her game is something majestic and powerful to watch under any circumstances.
As the leadoff hitter for the Northwestern softball team, sophomore infielder Kansas Robinson sets the table, and the tone for their dream season.
“We put a lot of emphasis on early runs, and just getting out there, and getting our confidence going,” Robinson said. “We had a shutdown defense during their half of the inning, and that just gave me momentum going up to the plate.
“I was aggressive, and it worked in our favor.”
Robinson blasted the first pitch for a monster home run that ignited the Wildcats’ 8-5 victory over Michigan in the first game of a doubleheader at Sharon J. Drysdale Field on Saturday, April 6th.
Robinson’s RBI double helped Northwestern complete the doubleheader sweep with the dramatic 5-4 victory in the second game. Freshman catcher Emma Raye coaxed a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the seventh inning for the game-winner.
Northwestern defeated the Wolverines 9-1 in five innings on Friday.
With the three-game sweep against the perennial power, Northwestern (22-8, 8-1 Big Ten) achieved something almost unprecedented. The Wildcats became the first softball program to win three consecutive series against Michigan since Iowa in 1990-1992.
Before the Wildcats’ sweep, Michigan held a 80-39 career-record mark in the series.
Northwestern also maintained its home mastery by extending its winning streak to 33 games, the longest consecutive games streak in the country. The Wildcats have not lost a home game in more than two years.
Robinson is the offensive catalyst, a gifted, incomparable left-handed batter who hits with power, efficiency and grace.
She showed great balance, composure, patience and the ability to extend pitchers deep into the count. The home run was the ninth of the season for Robinson.
She has a team-best 22 RBI.
Robinson leads the Big Ten with a .488 batting average, and an .578 on-base percentage. She finished 5-for-10 in the weekend series.
She was at her best in the opening game Saturday, going 3-for-4 with three RBI. A native of Indianapolis, where she was a three-sport athlete at Ben Davis High, Robinson made an instant impact in earning all-freshmen recognition last year.
She has already matched her home run total of her freshman season.
Batting first not only allows her to establish the culture of the team, she optimizes her plate appearances. Everything works out.
“I think hitting for power is just an ability I’ve had for a while now,” she said. “It has definitely gotten better since I’ve been here.
“At the same time, I don’t really think about hitting home runs when I’m up there. It’s about making good contact. When I think about it that way, it usually works out.”
Robinson ignited the attack, emboldening her teammates to follow in her path. With the early blast pushing Northwestern out to the 1-0 lead, outfielder Isabel Cunnea smashed a grand slam for the five-run opening inning uprising.
“Kansas is one of the best I’ve known at setting the tone,” said sophomore outfielder Kelsey Nader.
“She’s really aggressive, and that’s really a big key to get our team going. Any aggression that we can get early on and get those early runs is really important to how we play. It just sets up our pitchers so they can just attack them.”
If Robinson, Cunnea, and Zedak provided the timely hitting, sophomore outfielder Kelsey Nader exemplified the analytics-driven nature of the team.
Her thievery on the base paths throughout the three-game series underscored the run-generating nature of the Wildcats’ attack. She stole four bases, putting constant pressure on the Wolverines with her speed and quickness.
Northwestern’s hitting was especially impressive given the credentials of the Michigan pitching staff. Led by star thrower Lauren Derkowski, the Wolverines entered the series with the second lowest staff ERA in the conference.
“Scoring in that first inning is just something that we pride ourselves on,” Zedak said. “It’s a big focus of our team to put pressure on as early as possible.
“Putting up five in that first inning was like pressure relief for our pitchers to just be aggressive.”
The weekend belonged to the Wildcats, and all the pieces naturally fit and flowed together.
Cunnea hit her first career home run in the 9-1 rout on Friday. She stayed hot with her grand slam.
Freshman pitcher Riley Grudzielanek registered three strikeouts and pitched four scoreless innings to pick up the victory. She was aided immeasurably by another freshman, Renae Cunningham.
After Grudzielanek tired and was roughed up for five runs in the top of the fifth inning, Cunningham made a dramatic entrance with two runners on and no outs.
She worked out of the jam, and Michigan never threatened again.
Robinson put the game on ice with an RBI double in the sixth. Cunningham pitched three innings to record the save.
Northwestern has also received some crucial contributions from its Chicago-area recruits. Former Marist star Angela Zedak, a graduate outfielder, added an RBI single in the second inning for the 6-0 lead.
Former Barrington star Ainsley Muno had a breakout weekend against Ohio State last weekend.
Zedak, who is second on the team with a .597 slugging percentage, is one of the emotional leaders who brings a savvy, experience and perspective to a talented young roster.
She has made herself into an elite player.
“I think the biggest adjustment I made from high school was the mental mindset,” Zedak said. “In high school, you might see an ace pitcher once every three or four games. In college, you see a great pitcher every game.
“You’re playing against players anywhere from age 18 to 23 or 24, and you really have to up your level of competition. That’s a lot of experience you have to go through, but it has definitely helped me grow.”
She has persevered through the tumult and volatility as a pandemic generation player. Now she is experiencing joy and wonder.
“After the pandemic, you just never knew when it was going to be a thing again,” Zedak said. “It really created a new appreciation for the game, and the appreciation that you get to be on this team and get to be around these people.
“We had a really good fifth-year group last year, and I learned from them. Now we’ve had two normal seasons in a row, and it feels back to normal. It feels great to be just a competitive team, and help put Northwestern on the Big Ten softball map.”