Baseball: Oregon State vs. Washington State Recap

Game 1- W 4-3: Luke Heimlich pitched good but not his best. The Beavs had over 3K fans again. The Beavs ended this on on a walkoff. Then, in the ninth, Trevor Larnach singled to open the inning. Elliott Carry, pinch running for Larnach, moved to second on a sac bunt. Andy Atwood earned the first walk of the ninth, then Nick Madrigal, with two outs, walked to load the bases. Then Jack Anderson walked and the Beavs won.

Game 2- W 5-0: Jake Thompson pitched complete game shutout. WOW! Adley Rutschman went 3-4 and Trevor Larnach had 2 RBI's. A team win for the Beavs.

Game 3- W 14-3: THE GAME HAS COME! DOUBLE-DIGIT RUNS!!!!!!!! Madrigal hit a dinger and had 5 RBI's. The Beavs won their 27th Pac-12 conference game. They have surpassed Arizona State for most Pac-12 conference wins. 

Northwestern Basketball Player Review: Gavin Skelly

Over the next few weeks, I will review each player on Northwestern's basketball team and go over what they need to improve  for next season. Up next is junior forward Gavin Skelly

Skelly always brought valuable
energy when he came off the bench

Season Review: Gavin Skelly may not be the prototypical sixth man, but he filled that role extremely well for Northwestern. He brought an instant burst of energy whenever he got into the game. When he was shooting the ball effectively, he brought a valuable dimension to the offense with the pick-and-pop. Skelly averaged 5.9 PPG and 3.7 RPG, which are fairly good numbers for someone coming off the bench. The only problem with Skelly's season was that he really struggled to shoot once Big Ten play started, and I mean REALLY STRUGGLED. He only scored double-digits twice in conference play (the opener at Penn State and at Illinois in late February). In both those games, Skelly shot 2-2 from three. Another big moment for Skelly was his two late threes against Rutgers to help save the 'Cats from a season derailing loss. Overall, Skelly was a high energy player whose season will be most remembered by his extended shooting struggles.
Off-season: Obviously, Skelly needs to work on shooting the ball consistently. He is most effective on offense when he shoots the ball well. If he can consistently hit open threes, he will become an even bigger match up problem for opposing big men. Another area where Northwestern really needs Skelly to improve in is his quickness on defense. If Skelly gets quicker, he will be able to guard more perimeter oriented players. This past season, when Scottie Lindsey was out, Skelly really struggled when he was asked to guard perimeter players because he was not quick enough. A quicker Skelly would give Northwestern more lineup options and help compensate for the loss of Sanjay Lumpkin. If Skelly can become more versatile on both offense and defense, he could become one of Northwestern's most valuable players.

Northwestern Basketball Player Review: Isiah Brown

Over the next few weeks, I will review each player on Northwestern's basketball team and go over what they need to improve  for next season. Up next is freshman guard Isiah Brown

Brown was always looking to score,
no matter the situation

Season Review: Isiah Brown's role seemed to change from game to game. For example when Maryland came to Evanston, Brown scored 19 points and almost single handedly won the game for Northwestern; then 4 games later, when Michigan came to town, he recorded a "Did Not Play- Coach's Decision." Brown has supreme confidence in his ability to score. He was never afraid to shoot or or attack the basket, no matter the situation. This often lead to him finding himself in Chris Collins' doghouse. When he was hitting his shots, he was a force; when his shots weren't falling he was a liability. Brown averaged 6.3 PPG, which is good for a true freshman coming off the bench. The most telling stat; however, was Brown averaging 1.2 APG; this is a pitiful number for a point guard. This just further shows Brown's narrow-mindedness on the offensive end. Overall, Brown's tremendous talent was marred by his tendency to shoot without any discretion.
Off-season: Brown needs to learn how to play team basketball. As I have already mentioned, he is both extremely talented and extremely confident. Because of his talent, if he can learn to play as a part of the offense, I could see him starting at shooting guard next year. Playing within the offense will also help Brown's numbers because he will get higher percentage shots and will get more opportunities to showcase his abilities. In the end, Brown is probably the most confident Northwestern basketball player I have ever seen. Most previous Northwestern players have been timid and afraid to attack, but the words timid and afraid are not in Brown's vocabulary. If Brown can play more mature basketball, the sky is the limit for his offensive numbers.

Northwestern Basketball Player Review: Dererk Pardon

Over the next few weeks, I will review each player on Northwestern's basketball team and go over what they need to improve  for next season. Up next is sophomore center Dererk Pardon

If Pardon can consistently hit his free throws, like he did against
Vanderbilt, he could be a force on the offensive end

Season Review: Dererk Pardon made the most memorable shot in Northwestern basketball history. While that is what he will be remembered for, he was one of the most important players for this team. He averaged 8.6 points and 8 rebounds per game. He consistently gave strong effort on the glass, which is why he was the 'Cats best rebounder. He seemed to always start the game off with a dunk. Most of these dunks came off the pick and roll with McIntosh, which was when he was the most effective on offense. One of Northwestern's biggest issues on offense was struggling to get Pardon involved. Especially when Northwestern got into a funk on offense, they needed to look to Pardon much more often than they did. He easily could have averaged 15 points per game, if he was more involved. Overall, Pardon was somewhat of a forgotten man in Northwestern's offense, but when he got opportunities, he was always effective.
Off-season: Pardon needs to work on two things, his strength and free throw shooting. These two go hand-in-hand. Many times Pardon would be fouled when going up for a dunk and he would loose the ball. Then he would go to the line and struggle make his free throws. If Pardon can get stronger and finish off those and-one dunks, then consistently hit his free throws, he could easily average 15+ points per game.

Northwestern Wins Two of Three at Maryland

The Terrapins were 19-1 at home heading into a weekend series with the Wildcats. After a dominant Terps' win in the opener, it appeared like Maryland would continue their home dominance. On Saturday Northwestern rolled to an easy win to even the series. Then on Sunday, Northwestern won an 11 inning thriller, capped by Alex Erro's go-ahead homer.

Northwestern baseball's improvement from last season to this season has been remarkable. Spencer Allen has done a tremendous job of infusing this program with young talent, most notably freshman Alex Erro. Ever since a series win over Iowa in early April, Northwestern has been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten. Northwestern currently sits at 10-11 in Big Ten play and with a home series beginning on Thursday against Rutgers, Northwestern has a real chance to finish with at least a .500 record in conference. More importantly though, it looks like Northwestern will finally play on the Big Ten Tournament. Only the top 8 teams qualify for the conference tournament and Northwestern is currently tied for 7th with Purdue (Northwestern also owns the tiebreaker with the Boilermakers).

With all the talk about how Pat Fitzgerald and Chris Collins have turned around their respective programs, Spencer Allen's work with the baseball program cannot be forgotten, and he now has to be considered among the best coaches Northwestern has right now.

Baseball: Beavers @ Oregon Recap

Sorry I was out of town so I couldn't write.

Game 1: W 6-1- Adley Rutschman and Michael Gretler both hit solo home run in the fourth and the Beavs were off. Nick Madrigal also stole his 14th base this season and leads the Pac-12. Lastly, Heimlich pitched another gem.

Game 2: W 5-4- Pac-12 Champions!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough said.

Game 3: W 1-0- We need more runs. This is the Beavs tenth shutout this season. The pitching this series has just been outstanding. Jake Thompson picks up his eleventh win.

MVP- Pitching.