Some big questions in the circle for the Wildcats.
Just weeks away from softball being played, we continue our season preview series by turning our attention to the roster. For analysis of Northwestern’s schedule, click here.
A season ago, Northwestern’s pitching was the propeller for the team’s regular season title and run to the NCAA Tournament. The team posted a 2.57 ERA, good for the best in the conference, and only Maryland posted a better batting average against.
However, the primary reason for this success was grad transfer Ashley Miller, who graduated after the season and is not eligible to return in 2025. Miller’s 1.58 ERA was a Big Ten best, and even though she cooled off a little down the stretch, Miller’s efforts won her Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. How Northwestern replaces Miller (along with Cami Henry, who threw 118 innings over the past two seasons for the Wildcats) is one of the team’s biggest questions. Based on the current roster composition, I think it’s unlikely Northwestern runs back the same workhorse approach that we saw with Miller in 2024 and Danielle Williams before that, but here are the names to familiarize yourself with should Northwestern shift to a committee approach.
Lauren Boyd, Graduate Student
One of the biggest storylines in 2025 is what type of play Lauren Boyd can give the Wildcats. After posting a stellar season in 2023 (8-4, 2.24 ERA), Boyd missed all of 2024 with an injury. In her last healthy season, Boyd proved to be a capable innings eater and superb defender from the circle.
With a full offseason to recover, I’m assuming Boyd is fully healthy, but I still expect Northwestern to be cautious with her pitch totals early in the season. As the most experienced pitcher on the staff with the best track record, it’s reasonable to expect Boyd to throw out the first pitch when Northwestern takes the field for the first time in a few weekends. If she can build on the promise she showed two seasons ago, Boyd is the player who could elevate this team from a Big Ten contender to a national contender.
Riley Grudzielanek, Sophomore
Down the stretch in 2024, no pitcher was more important for the ‘Cats than Riley Grudzielanek, who appeared in all four of Northwestern’s postseason games. The dual-threat looked the part in two matchups against St. Francis and held her own against a Texas squad that sported what may have been the best lineup in the sport.
Grudzielanek gained more and more trust as the season went on, finishing with a 3.46 ERA across over 60 innings. Other than Miller, no Wildcat started more games. If Grudzielanek can limit her tendency to walk batters, a major year-two leap could be in store.
Renae Cunningham, Sophomore
The second member of Northwestern’s freshman pitching tandem from a season ago, Renae Cunningham boasts a wildly different profile from Grudzielanek. While 12 of Grudzielanek’s 18 appearances were starts, Northwestern found more use for Cunningham out of the bullpen. Cunningham made 21 total appearances (with a 3.39 ERA) but amassed just three starts. Where Grudzielanek struggled with walking batters, Cunningham excelled, allowing just eight walks all season long.
Cunningham is another name who may be primed for a bigger role in 2025. Despite being a pitcher who excels at pounding the strike zone, forcing batters behind in counts, Cunningham posted surprisingly low strikeout totals a season ago. If she can develop a lethal two-strike offering, she has a chance to be either an elite bullpen option or could be turned to for a weekly start.
Emma Blea, First-Year
The first-year from Fresno, California, is the biggest unknown on the pitching staff, but due to her prospect pedigree and profile, she has a real chance to contribute early. The No. 21 player in last year’s class according to Extra Innings, Blea is a right-handed pitcher with a fastball that sits around 70 miles per hour and an off-speed alternative that she uses to flummox hitters to get strikeouts.
Based on the way Northwestern treated Grudzielanek and Cunningham’s first seasons in Evanston, it would be a bit of a surprise to see Blea shoulder a major workload from the get-go. But Blea has all the tools to be a future starter in the Big Ten, and her innings rank high on my personal list of most-anticipated things to watch early in the season.
Signe Dohse, Sophomore and Lauren Curry, Senior
Neither Dohse nor Curry made any appearances in the circle for Northwestern last season although both made limited appearances at the plate. Curry threw innings in both 2022 and 2023, but she struggled in her appearances against Clemson and Michigan and did not see any action this past year.
Dohse’s high school accolades jump off the page (a 1.83 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 2022), and her versatility as a middle infielder could allow her to see the field in 2025. But without any appearances in 2024, it’s hard to project what her role might be, especially with a crowded pitching staff. That said, if the Wildcats lean in to the pitcher-by-committee approach, either Dohse or Curry could be relied upon in short spurts.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more Northwestern position previews and preseason analysis as we count down to the 2025 season.