Northwestern softball is preparing to open a new softball stadium on Oct. 3, prompting a guided tour.
Northwestern softball finished 29-21 overall last season, including a season-ending 11-5 loss to the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Wildcats' softball team isn't done playing in 2026, however, as coach Kate Drohan's group is scheduled to play an exhibition game against the Bradley Braves on Oct. 3, which is free and open to the public.
Big Ten Network reporter Sydney Supple, a Northwestern alum, former Wildcats softball player and marathon runner, took viewers for a guided tour of the team's new $25 million stadium on Thursday, giving fans a sneak peak of what to expect for next Sunday's festivities.
'New Opportunities' for Wildcats Players
Supple said she has never been more proud to be a Northwestern Wildcats alum. She pledged to play softball for the Wildcats at age 13 and has loved the program ever since.
"I've never been a prouder alum of @NUSBcats and @NU_Sports," she wrote on X. "$25 million dollars poured into a program that I said yes to at 13 years old and have loved (ever) since.
"To see the opportunities the women who wear the uniform will have for decades to come is overwhelming and everything they deserve. The house built by the Drohans, (former coach Sharon) Drysdale and so many others."
Supple shared photos of the dugout and outfield ahead of Oct. 3's exhibition, which will come one day after the Wildcats' new football stadium opener at the new Ryan Field.
Inside NU Softball's New $25 Million Digs
Northwestern softball's $25 million Kirkpatrick Stadium in Evanston was result of countless hours of planning and includes touches suggested by Drohan. Light-up lockers, a concrete wall for pitchers to throw against, a swanky club setting for program donors and dignitaries, and much more are included in the new layout.
The dugout has extra space and netting to protect players from errant foul balls, while the stadium includes a close and intimate setting that will ensure a loud and rocking crowd from start to finish, similar to the new Ryan Field's focus on crowd noise as a home field advantage.
Supple, who hails from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, played four seasons with the Wildcats from 2020 to 2023. She is no stranger to supporting new ballparks as she used grants received for winning Gatorade Player of the Year honors to raise funds ($110,000) for a softball complex in her hometown that was completed and opened to the public in fall 2019.
Soon, the former Wildcat will have a chance to enjoy the game from a whole new vantage point at the college level, as part of what figures to be one of the most exciting weekends in recent Northwestern collegiate sports history.
