The ‘Cats attempt an ascension in this year’s Big Ten.
While Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow this year, those six more weeks of winter will not delay the start of baseball season. Northwestern’s season will kick off this Friday at Long Beach State. But what can fans expect to see out of this season’s baseball team? Here are five bold predictions that just might come true.
The ‘Cats finish above .500 in conference play
It’s been a rough go for Northwestern in recent years, and their last winning season was back in 2017. That said, if there’s a year for drastic improvements, it’s 2025. Head Coach Ben Greenspan has been tearing up the recruiting trail with notable acquisitions through the transfer portal. He brought in Ryan Kucherak, an LSU transfer who’s just a year removed from being ranked just outside of the Top 100 nationally by Perfect Game, as well as several other transfers, many from perennial powerhouses in college baseball.
Perhaps the most notable of these is Vanderbilt Graduate Transfer Sam Hliboki. The righty pitcher already has five years of experience under his belt at one of the most historic schools in the baseball world. While he showed significant regression last year, as shown by a 9.64 ERA in 23.1 innings out of the ‘pen, he’s certainly had his highs, including a sub-3 ERA over 20 innings during his sophomore campaign. If he can recapture that magic of old, especially in a conference with fewer power threats than the SEC, he could be a reliable arm for Greenspan.
In addition, Northwestern added Jack Lausch, a former elite high school outfielder who will return to the diamond after spending the fall as Northwestern’s quarterback. The junior was targeted as a Top 250 prospect by Baseball America in high school, with some hypothesizing that he may not need college at all to jump straight into minor league ball. Though there might be some rust to shake off after missing out on the last two baseball seasons, Lausch could be one of the Wildcats’ strongest hitters, catapulting them into a legitimate Big Ten threat.
Owen McElfatrick makes the All-Big Ten First Team
The Big Ten saw an exodus of second base talent after the end of last season, with the first, second, and third-team All-Big Ten honorees moving onto new opportunities from the Frontier League to the country music scene. That leaves an opening for a guy like O-Mack to make a big statement in 2025. While Indiana’s Jasen Oliver is certainly the preseason favorite, the two are very comparable. Oliver slashed .285/.362/.529 to McElfatrick’s .286/.359/.524. In fact, the two are practically identical in every stat from strikeout rate to home runs.
However, McElfatrick is a year older and has an extra year of college experience under his belt. Additionally, Oliver will be in the middle of a stacked Indiana lineup on a team that’s projected third in the Big Ten Preseason Poll. As a result, McElfatrick will have more pressure on him and less lineup protection. While that may not translate to a surplus of RBIs, it will be up to him to carry this Northwestern offense through key spots. Pressure creates diamonds, and I think McElfatrick has the potential to be a star in the making.
Garrett Shearer becomes an ace and posts a top-10 ERA in the Big Ten
Despite a first-year season that was a bit rocky at times, it was clear by season’s end that Shearer had improved. Through his last six outings of the year, he posted a 2.43 ERA. While some of these were non-conference games, he showed serious improvement from some of his early-season woes. For reference, the 10th-best ERA in the Big Ten last season was Michigan State’s Joseph Dzierwa, who posted a 4.07. If Shearer can keep up the level of production he showed in the closing moments of last season, he could break out in a big way.
This isn’t some blip, either, but rather a conscious effort by Shearer to pound the strike zone at a higher clip. If you split his 2024 campaign roughly in half (21 outings), he averaged over six walks per nine innings in his first 11 appearances. In the final 10, however, he cut this walk rate to a manageable four per nine. There is still clear room for improvement, but it’s evidence that Shearer can adapt well midseason. He was also recently listed as a potential 2026 Big Ten draft prospect by D1Baseball, showing that some believe he has the stuff to succeed at the next level.
Jack Lausch gets drafted by the conclusion of this season
Ok, I get it, he hasn’t played baseball at the college level. While baseball isn’t quite like riding a bike, I think Lausch can pick up fairly close to where he left off, and many of the tools he possessed in high school may even be improved from his years at quarterback. Outfield arm strength is an example, where he may be more effective at throwing runners out on the basepath.
That being said, there is an elephant in the room: will Lausch be able to hit like he did in high school when he was a legitimate draft prospect? Players struggle in college all the time. Due to their increased age, college players are often held to a higher standard than high schoolers, knowing that they have the potential to make an impact in the major leagues much sooner. Lausch won’t be able to coast on having the same production as he did years ago. That said, I think he can recapture some of his old form and cement himself as having legitimate MLB prospects.
Two first-year pitchers begin throwing in the upper 90s
The velocity increases were apparent very early under Pitching Coach Ben Keizer in his first season at Northwestern. Garrett Shearer was clocked at 87 mph on his fastball back in 2022. By mid-February of his first season with the ‘Cats, he was already topping out at 95 against Tulane.
This season, Greenspan brought in a crew of dangerous first-year arms. The first is Alex Grant, a top-50 LHP in his class who was initially committed to a powerhouse Vanderbilt Commodores team. Now, here he stands with Northwestern preparing for the start of his first season in purple. He topped out at 91 mph in July 2023, a five mph improvement from one year prior. At 20 years old, he is one of the older first-years in the class, but with the help of Keizer and perhaps some action out of the bullpen, where there is less of a need for stamina in any given game, he could push the limit. Don’t be surprised to see 97 or 98 on the radar gun by season’s end.
The same can be said for Luke Burden, who comes in a year younger than Grant. The righty may not be as highly touted of a prospect, but he can bring some heat on the mound. His fastball was clocked at 92 over two years ago in the summer after his sophomore year of high school. He could be an arm used down the stretch to provide the ‘Cats with some heat late in games.