Kate & Caryl Drohan Reach 800 Career Wins as Northwestern Beats Illinois
Head coach Kate Drohan was drenched after Northwestern's 8-2 win over Illinois on Sunday. Kansas Robinson nailed her square in the back with what appeared to be water, but you never know what's in those Gatorade coolers.
The surprise attack came after Drohan and her twin sister, Caryl, won their 800th game together as coaches at NU. Caryl has been on Kate's staff since they were both hired before the 2002 season.
The sisters have created a consistent winner in Evanston, and their legacy continues to grow. Entering their 24th season this year, they sat just 20 wins shy of this historic milestone.
Northwestern has had some hiccups in non-conference competition this year, but it's been a dominant team in Big Ten play. The Wildcats are 9-1 in conference, and that success has quickly propelled the Drohans towards this monumental win. But they still needed one more victory entering Sunday's doubleheader against the Illini.
Game one was a pitcher's duel. Riley Grudzielanek threw a gem in the circle for the Wildcats, but a Bridget Donahey throwing error in the sixth allowed two unearned runs to cross the plate. That was enough for Illinois to win 2-1, thanks to a one-run start from Karley Yergler.
The bats woke up for Northwestern in the second game of the day with No. 800 on the line. Robinson drove in four runs, two of them via a homer she crushed out to left-center in the third. Grace Nieto tacked on another two-run shot for the Wildcats in the sixth to extend the lead to 7-2.
Once Northwestern had a commanding lead, Illinois never got back into the game. Wildcat pitchers Emma Blea and Signe Dohse combined to allow just two runs in seven innings and secure the 8-2 victory.
It was celebration time for the Drohan sisters, and their team was more than ready.
CAREER WIN NO. 8️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ FOR KATE AND CARYL DROHAN ‼️ @NUSBcats#B1GSoftball pic.twitter.com/6MkzOGRZPm
— Big Ten Softball (@B1Gsoftball) April 6, 2025
Northwestern will be back in action on the road next weekend for a series against Nebraska. The Wildcats will look to continue dominating Big Ten opponents and improve on their 20-12-1 overall record.
Read More Northwestern Wildcats Coverage
Ryan Cole is a writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI covering every team on campus. He’s currently a junior at NU where he’s studying journalism and previously wrote and edited for Inside NU. He also studies business with an eye towards eventually helping develop business models to revive local news. In his free time, Cole enjoys watching sports, playing sports, reading the news and singing.