BTD Program
BE THE DIFFERENCE PROGRAM
Be The Difference is a program intended for collegiate student-athletes who aspire to Be The Difference in their communities.
We at SAF created this experience specific to the collegiate student-athletes to participate in youth athletics that helps them to have an impact off the field. Collegiate athletes will have the opportunity to engage in creative marketing, programming, and assist SAF in the growth of its events and sports organization.
We aim to be the bridge between youth athletics and collegiate athletics, while creating world-class experiences for all student-athletes.
AMBASSADORS
Ashley Roberts
Clarke University Softball
Ashley Roberts
Clarke University Softball
Bio
Danielle Williams
Northwestern University Softball
Danielle Williams
Northwestern University Softball
Career Highlights
Northwestern's all-time wins leader (106)
Posted a career 2.10 ERA in 174 appearances (most in program history)
1,123 strikeouts, fourth-most in program history
4x First Team All-Big Ten
866.0 innings pitched
2022 NFCA First Team All-American
2022 Unanimous Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, first in NU history
2019 NFCA National Freshman of the Year, first in Big Ten history
2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
2023: Went 23-3 with a team-low 2.22 ERA in 164.0 innings ... Earned her fourth First Team All-Big Ten award, becoming the 11th player in Big Ten history and third Wildcat to do so ... Led NU with 196 strikeouts, fourth most in the Big Ten ... Tallied seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings in the season-opener against South Alabama (2/10) ... Allowed one run in a complete game win over No. 19 Kentucky (2/25) ... Struck out six and allowed zero earned runs in a complete game win over Louisville (3/5) ... Allowed one run and struck out seven in a complete game victory against No. 19 Auburn (3/17) ... Notched 10 strikeouts in 5.2 shutout innings against Weber State (3/18) ... Struck out nine in five innings of one-run ball against Iowa (4/1) ... Allowed two baserunners and struck out 11 in a five-inning shutout win against Illinois (4/5) ... Tallied 11 strikeouts in a complete game victory over Penn State (4/7) ... Struck out 17 in 10.2 scoreless innings in a four-game week against Illinois and Wisconsin (4/12-15) ... Held Michigan to two runs over six innings in an extra-innings win (4/21) ... Recorded five strikeouts over 3.2 scoreless innings of relief against Michigan (4/23) ... Became Northwestern's all-time winningest pitcher after securing her 98th career win against Nebraska (4/30) ... Tossed a seven-inning shutout in the regular season finale against Rutgers (5/7) ... Named Most Outstanding Player of the Big Ten Tournament after allowing no earned runs in 14 innings ... Earned a complete game victory against Indiana to win the Big Ten Tournament (5/13) ... Fired a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts to beat Eastern Illinois in the opening game of the Evanston Regional (5/19) ... Tossed six strong innings to earn the victory against Kentucky in game two of the Regional (5/20) ... Escaped a bases-loaded, no out jam to preserve a one-run lead in the seventh inning against Miami (OH) and clinch the Evanston Regional title (5/21).
2022: NFCA First Team All-American ... First unanimous Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in program history ... Tallied career highs in innings pitched (251.0) and strikeouts (333) while posting a 2.09 ERA ... Won the pitching triple crown in the Big Ten, leading the conference in ERA (1.49), strikeouts (270), and wins (25), in 187.2 innings pitched in the regular season ... Struck out eight in five scoreless innings to beat UConn in the season-opener (2/11) ... Recorded 12 strikeouts in a complete game victory over Liberty (2/12) ... Struck out all five batters faced in relief against Texas Tech (2/18) ... Earned a complete game win, allowing only two earned runs in eight innings against No. 3 UCLA (2/18) ... Struck out 11 batters and allowed only three hits in a complete game shutout against No. 15 Clemson (2/19) ... Named NFCA National Pitcher of the Week after a dominant showing at the Mary Nutter Classic (2/25-27) ... Allowed one run and struck out 23 in 20.0 innings pitched over five games ... Tossed complete-game shutouts against No. 9 Oregon (2/25) and No. 5 Washington (2/26) ... Held opponents to a .100 batting average over the weekend ... Tossed a 10 strikeout, complete-game shutout against Southern Illinois (3/5) ... Struck out 11 in a complete-game victory over Northern Kentucky (3/6) ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after posting a 0.86 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 16.1 innings at the Missouri Tournament, including her second-career no-hitter in a dominant performance against Stanford, issuing just two walks and striking out 11 (3/20) ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the second-consecutive week after allowing no runs and striking out 28 in 13 innings against Michigan State (3/25-27) ... Struck out a career-high 17 batters in a complete game shutout, allowing just one hit and one walk against Michigan State (3/25) ... Struck out 16 batters in a nine-inning performance against No. 23 Michigan, allowing just two earned runs in the win (4/1) ... Allowed one run in a complete game victory against Ohio State (4/10) ... Struck out 12 in a three-hit shutout of Illinois (4/20) ... Allowed three earned runs (1.16 ERA) and struck out 23 in 18 innings in a series sweep of Indiana (4/22-24) ... Allowed one earned run across 10.1 IP and struck out 12 in a sweep of Iowa (4/29-5/1) ... Earned a complete-game victory in the regular season finale against Minnesota (5/8) ... Struck out 12 and allowed two runs in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against Wisconsin (5/13) ... Earned the win in all three games in the Evanston Regional, posting a 3.06 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings (5/20-22) ... Started all three games of the Tempe Super Regional against Arizona State, recording two wins and 19 strikeouts across 23.1 innings to help send the 'Cats to the Women's College World Series (5/27-29) ... Threw a career-high 11 innings in game one, allowing just three runs and tallying nine strikeouts in the win (5/27) ... Earned the complete-game victory in the pivotal game three, allowing just one hit over the final four innings of the game (5/29) ... Tossed a complete game against UCLA in game two of the WCWS (6/3).
2021: Made 24 starts and five relief appearances ... First-team All-Big Ten ... Led the team in ERA (2.21), wins (17), WHIP (0.94), innings pitched (158.1), and strikeouts (191) ... Threw a perfect game against Iowa on April 16, striking out six ... It was the first seven-inning perfect game for Northwestern since 1984 ... Named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List for a second-straight season ... Tossed seven shutouts and four seven-inning shutouts ... Opened the season with a 30.0 inning scoreless streak ... Threw seven shutout innings in the season opener, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out eight against Michigan State. Added her first-career triple on the offensive end (2/26) ... Struck out five in three scoreless innings and hit her second-career RBI triple against Rutgers (2/27) ... Tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out six and allowing three baserunners, to defeat Indiana (3/12) ... Struck out 10 batters in a complete game, allowing her first two runs of the season, in a win over Ohio State (3/14) ... Tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out eight to help defeat Maryland (4/2) ... Tallied a single, double, two runs, and a stolen base in a win over Maryland (4/3) ... Struck out 10 and allowed three hits and two runs against Minnesota (4/9) ... Allowed one earned run and struck out seven in 7.2 IP against Minnesota (4/11) ... Allowed two hits and one run in a complete-game victory over Michigan (4/23) ... Struck out ten batters in back-to-back complete games against Illinois (4/30-5/2) ... Tossed a complete-game shutout to pick up the win over Purdue (5/8) ... Struck out 13 batters and allowed one run in a complete-game victory over Nebraska (5/14) ... Earned a regional victory over Miami (OH), allowing one run and collecting nine strikeouts in a complete game victory (5/22).
2020: Made nine starts and 15 appearances as a pitcher … Started 18 games in the lineup and made 21 appearances as a batter … Led the team in innings pitched (62.2), strikeouts (86) and walks per nine innings (2.44) … Tied for the team lead in wins (4) and finished second in WHIP (1.16) … As a hitter, led the team with a .286 batting average (14-for-48) and finished second with a .531 slugging percentage … Tallied three home runs, five RBI, eight runs scored and a .895 OPS overall in 54 plate appearances … Started for the Wildcats in their season opener vs. Utah and allowed three runs in 7.0 innings while striking out six (2/7) … Collected two hits, including a double, in a win against Seattle (2/7) … Collected a single against both Tennessee and Arizona State (2/8) … Struck out one batter in 0.2 innings of scoreless relief to secure a win against Portland State (2/9) ... Threw a complete game, allowing two hits, two runs, and striking out 11 to take down No. 5 Florida State (2/15) ... Collected a season high 12 strikeouts and allowed only one run in a in the circle and went 2-for-3 with a home run against North Texas (2/28) … In a double-header against Abilene Christian, allowed no earned runs and only two hits in five strong innings, and hit a home run in game two (2/29) ... Threw a complete game, allowing five hits, three runs and striking out nine on the mound and hit a home run at the plate against Louisville (3/7) ... Tossed three innings, allowing one run and two hits while striking out six to pick up the win; also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a RBI against Oakland (3/8).
2019: Made 44 pitching appearances as a first-year in one of the most successful debut seasons in Northwestern Softball history … Named the Schutt Sports /NFCA National Freshman of the Year, the first Big Ten player to ever win the award … Also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned NFCA All-American honors ... Finished the regular season ranked first in the Big Ten in complete games (26), shutouts (13), and batting average against (.163), tied for first in wins (31) … Ranked second in the conference in innings pitched (230.2), strikeouts (317), and games started (36) … Became one of just four pitchers in program history to win at least 30 games in a season while posting over 300 strikeouts …Went 14-2 in Big Ten play with a 1.53 ERA while limiting Big Ten batters to a .152 combined average, the lowest mark in the conference ... Accumulated a 34.0-consecutive scoreless inning streak in conference matchups from March 23-April 12 … Recorded a one-hit shutout in her collegiate debut vs. Pacific and was one out away from pitching a no-hitter (2/8) … Threw a complete game shutout with nine strikeouts while allowing just one hit against BYU (2/22) … Recorded a win and notched her first-career walk-off single in the eighth inning vs. Duke at the Mary Nutter Classic (2/22) … Pitched all 8.0 innings of a walk-off victory over Drake striking out 12 while allowing just one run (3/8) … Tossed a complete game shutout while striking out 10 in a win over Indiana (3/16) ... Notched a pair of complete-game shutouts in a series at Iowa, including a 15-strikeout spectacle in the first game of the series, the most by a Wildcat pitcher since 2013 (3/29) … Tossed a career-high 10.0 innings and struck out 12 in a win against Wisconsin (4/13) ... Threw a complete game one-hit shutout and struck out 13 in a 1-0 win at No. 8 Minnesota (5/3) … Faced just 21 batters in a 7.0-inning one-hit shutout at Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament (5/10) … Went 3-1 with a 1.22 ERA (4 ER/23.0 IP) and 32 strikeouts during the NCAA Evanston Regionals … Pitched 13 of 14 total innings with the Wildcats facing two elimination games vs. Louisville (5/19), earned two victories while striking out 16 on the way to Northwestern's first NCAA Regional title since 2008.
Career Highs: At-Bats............................................4 (3x), vs. Arizona State (2/8/20)
Hits.........................................................2 (6x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
Runs.......................................................2 (4x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
RBI.......................................................3, vs. Detroit Mercy (5/17/19)
Doubles..................................................1 (7x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
Triples.................................................1 (3x), vs. Wisconsin (3/28/21)
Home Runs............................................1 (6x), vs. Louisville (3/7/20)
Total Bases......................................5 (2x), vs. North Texas (2/28/20)
Walks......................................................2 (2x), vs. Maryland (4/4/21)
Stolen Bases...........................................1 (2x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
Innings Pitched.................................11.0, vs. Arizona State (5/27/22)
Strikeouts..............................................17, vs. Michigan St. (3/25/22)
Fewest Hits Allowed (min. 5 IP)..............0 (2x), vs. Stanford (3/20/22)
Fewest Runs Allowed (min. 5 IP)............0 (34x), vs. Indiana (5/13/23)
High School: A four-time FloSoftball All-American including first-team nods in 2017 and 2018, Williams is a dual threat in the circle and at the plate … A top-20 national prospect and one of the top pitchers in the class before an injury in the fall, she still is ranked 44th in the national recruit rankings by FloSoftball and is expected to be full strength when she arrives on campus … Prep2Prep Sports 2018 North Coast Section Player of the Year and first-team All-NCS ... Led high school to the NCS Division I title in 2018, pitching 28 scoreless innings and giving up just eight hits with six walks and 58 strikeouts across four games ... Struck out 20 and was an error away from a perfect game in the NCS opener versus Mt. Eden ... Threw a four-hit shutout and smashed the game-winning home run in the title game against Foothill ... Overall as a senior, compiled a 21-4 record with 363 Ks in 178 innings pitched, while allowing just 74 hits all year ... Named the Cal Hi Sports California Freshman of the Year in 2015 … Three-time Cal Hi Sports North Coast Section Player of the Year and All-State first team … Also a three-time East Bay Athletic League MVP … The left-hander has compiled 890 strikeouts and a 68-11 record in her three years of high school competition … Has never had a single-season ERA over 0.79 in her career, including a 0.47 mark in 2017 as a junior … At the plate, she batted .519 with 20 RBIs as a first-year before hitting .415 and knocking in 20 more as a sophomore … She raised her RBI total to 24 as a junior … The versatile athlete also is a strong outfielder when not in the circle … Plays club with the Sorcerer organization … Team placed seventh at the 2016 18U PGF Nationals … Led the 16U Sorcerers to a third-place result at the 2015 Independence Day Tournament … Named a scholar-athlete in all of her high school seasons.
Personal: Born Danielle Lauren Williams … Daughter of Mike and Jenny Williams … Sister, Krista (Williams) Bommarito, was a four-year letterwinner in softball for the Wildcats from 2014-17 … Anticipated major is undeclared.
Northwestern's all-time wins leader (106)
Posted a career 2.10 ERA in 174 appearances (most in program history)
1,123 strikeouts, fourth-most in program history
4x First Team All-Big Ten
866.0 innings pitched
2022 NFCA First Team All-American
2022 Unanimous Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, first in NU history
2019 NFCA National Freshman of the Year, first in Big Ten history
2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
2023: Went 23-3 with a team-low 2.22 ERA in 164.0 innings ... Earned her fourth First Team All-Big Ten award, becoming the 11th player in Big Ten history and third Wildcat to do so ... Led NU with 196 strikeouts, fourth most in the Big Ten ... Tallied seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings in the season-opener against South Alabama (2/10) ... Allowed one run in a complete game win over No. 19 Kentucky (2/25) ... Struck out six and allowed zero earned runs in a complete game win over Louisville (3/5) ... Allowed one run and struck out seven in a complete game victory against No. 19 Auburn (3/17) ... Notched 10 strikeouts in 5.2 shutout innings against Weber State (3/18) ... Struck out nine in five innings of one-run ball against Iowa (4/1) ... Allowed two baserunners and struck out 11 in a five-inning shutout win against Illinois (4/5) ... Tallied 11 strikeouts in a complete game victory over Penn State (4/7) ... Struck out 17 in 10.2 scoreless innings in a four-game week against Illinois and Wisconsin (4/12-15) ... Held Michigan to two runs over six innings in an extra-innings win (4/21) ... Recorded five strikeouts over 3.2 scoreless innings of relief against Michigan (4/23) ... Became Northwestern's all-time winningest pitcher after securing her 98th career win against Nebraska (4/30) ... Tossed a seven-inning shutout in the regular season finale against Rutgers (5/7) ... Named Most Outstanding Player of the Big Ten Tournament after allowing no earned runs in 14 innings ... Earned a complete game victory against Indiana to win the Big Ten Tournament (5/13) ... Fired a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts to beat Eastern Illinois in the opening game of the Evanston Regional (5/19) ... Tossed six strong innings to earn the victory against Kentucky in game two of the Regional (5/20) ... Escaped a bases-loaded, no out jam to preserve a one-run lead in the seventh inning against Miami (OH) and clinch the Evanston Regional title (5/21).
2022: NFCA First Team All-American ... First unanimous Big Ten Pitcher of the Year in program history ... Tallied career highs in innings pitched (251.0) and strikeouts (333) while posting a 2.09 ERA ... Won the pitching triple crown in the Big Ten, leading the conference in ERA (1.49), strikeouts (270), and wins (25), in 187.2 innings pitched in the regular season ... Struck out eight in five scoreless innings to beat UConn in the season-opener (2/11) ... Recorded 12 strikeouts in a complete game victory over Liberty (2/12) ... Struck out all five batters faced in relief against Texas Tech (2/18) ... Earned a complete game win, allowing only two earned runs in eight innings against No. 3 UCLA (2/18) ... Struck out 11 batters and allowed only three hits in a complete game shutout against No. 15 Clemson (2/19) ... Named NFCA National Pitcher of the Week after a dominant showing at the Mary Nutter Classic (2/25-27) ... Allowed one run and struck out 23 in 20.0 innings pitched over five games ... Tossed complete-game shutouts against No. 9 Oregon (2/25) and No. 5 Washington (2/26) ... Held opponents to a .100 batting average over the weekend ... Tossed a 10 strikeout, complete-game shutout against Southern Illinois (3/5) ... Struck out 11 in a complete-game victory over Northern Kentucky (3/6) ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after posting a 0.86 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 16.1 innings at the Missouri Tournament, including her second-career no-hitter in a dominant performance against Stanford, issuing just two walks and striking out 11 (3/20) ... Named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the second-consecutive week after allowing no runs and striking out 28 in 13 innings against Michigan State (3/25-27) ... Struck out a career-high 17 batters in a complete game shutout, allowing just one hit and one walk against Michigan State (3/25) ... Struck out 16 batters in a nine-inning performance against No. 23 Michigan, allowing just two earned runs in the win (4/1) ... Allowed one run in a complete game victory against Ohio State (4/10) ... Struck out 12 in a three-hit shutout of Illinois (4/20) ... Allowed three earned runs (1.16 ERA) and struck out 23 in 18 innings in a series sweep of Indiana (4/22-24) ... Allowed one earned run across 10.1 IP and struck out 12 in a sweep of Iowa (4/29-5/1) ... Earned a complete-game victory in the regular season finale against Minnesota (5/8) ... Struck out 12 and allowed two runs in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals against Wisconsin (5/13) ... Earned the win in all three games in the Evanston Regional, posting a 3.06 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings (5/20-22) ... Started all three games of the Tempe Super Regional against Arizona State, recording two wins and 19 strikeouts across 23.1 innings to help send the 'Cats to the Women's College World Series (5/27-29) ... Threw a career-high 11 innings in game one, allowing just three runs and tallying nine strikeouts in the win (5/27) ... Earned the complete-game victory in the pivotal game three, allowing just one hit over the final four innings of the game (5/29) ... Tossed a complete game against UCLA in game two of the WCWS (6/3).
2021: Made 24 starts and five relief appearances ... First-team All-Big Ten ... Led the team in ERA (2.21), wins (17), WHIP (0.94), innings pitched (158.1), and strikeouts (191) ... Threw a perfect game against Iowa on April 16, striking out six ... It was the first seven-inning perfect game for Northwestern since 1984 ... Named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List for a second-straight season ... Tossed seven shutouts and four seven-inning shutouts ... Opened the season with a 30.0 inning scoreless streak ... Threw seven shutout innings in the season opener, allowing one hit, no walks and striking out eight against Michigan State. Added her first-career triple on the offensive end (2/26) ... Struck out five in three scoreless innings and hit her second-career RBI triple against Rutgers (2/27) ... Tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out six and allowing three baserunners, to defeat Indiana (3/12) ... Struck out 10 batters in a complete game, allowing her first two runs of the season, in a win over Ohio State (3/14) ... Tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out eight to help defeat Maryland (4/2) ... Tallied a single, double, two runs, and a stolen base in a win over Maryland (4/3) ... Struck out 10 and allowed three hits and two runs against Minnesota (4/9) ... Allowed one earned run and struck out seven in 7.2 IP against Minnesota (4/11) ... Allowed two hits and one run in a complete-game victory over Michigan (4/23) ... Struck out ten batters in back-to-back complete games against Illinois (4/30-5/2) ... Tossed a complete-game shutout to pick up the win over Purdue (5/8) ... Struck out 13 batters and allowed one run in a complete-game victory over Nebraska (5/14) ... Earned a regional victory over Miami (OH), allowing one run and collecting nine strikeouts in a complete game victory (5/22).
2020: Made nine starts and 15 appearances as a pitcher … Started 18 games in the lineup and made 21 appearances as a batter … Led the team in innings pitched (62.2), strikeouts (86) and walks per nine innings (2.44) … Tied for the team lead in wins (4) and finished second in WHIP (1.16) … As a hitter, led the team with a .286 batting average (14-for-48) and finished second with a .531 slugging percentage … Tallied three home runs, five RBI, eight runs scored and a .895 OPS overall in 54 plate appearances … Started for the Wildcats in their season opener vs. Utah and allowed three runs in 7.0 innings while striking out six (2/7) … Collected two hits, including a double, in a win against Seattle (2/7) … Collected a single against both Tennessee and Arizona State (2/8) … Struck out one batter in 0.2 innings of scoreless relief to secure a win against Portland State (2/9) ... Threw a complete game, allowing two hits, two runs, and striking out 11 to take down No. 5 Florida State (2/15) ... Collected a season high 12 strikeouts and allowed only one run in a in the circle and went 2-for-3 with a home run against North Texas (2/28) … In a double-header against Abilene Christian, allowed no earned runs and only two hits in five strong innings, and hit a home run in game two (2/29) ... Threw a complete game, allowing five hits, three runs and striking out nine on the mound and hit a home run at the plate against Louisville (3/7) ... Tossed three innings, allowing one run and two hits while striking out six to pick up the win; also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and a RBI against Oakland (3/8).
2019: Made 44 pitching appearances as a first-year in one of the most successful debut seasons in Northwestern Softball history … Named the Schutt Sports /NFCA National Freshman of the Year, the first Big Ten player to ever win the award … Also named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Freshman Team and earned NFCA All-American honors ... Finished the regular season ranked first in the Big Ten in complete games (26), shutouts (13), and batting average against (.163), tied for first in wins (31) … Ranked second in the conference in innings pitched (230.2), strikeouts (317), and games started (36) … Became one of just four pitchers in program history to win at least 30 games in a season while posting over 300 strikeouts …Went 14-2 in Big Ten play with a 1.53 ERA while limiting Big Ten batters to a .152 combined average, the lowest mark in the conference ... Accumulated a 34.0-consecutive scoreless inning streak in conference matchups from March 23-April 12 … Recorded a one-hit shutout in her collegiate debut vs. Pacific and was one out away from pitching a no-hitter (2/8) … Threw a complete game shutout with nine strikeouts while allowing just one hit against BYU (2/22) … Recorded a win and notched her first-career walk-off single in the eighth inning vs. Duke at the Mary Nutter Classic (2/22) … Pitched all 8.0 innings of a walk-off victory over Drake striking out 12 while allowing just one run (3/8) … Tossed a complete game shutout while striking out 10 in a win over Indiana (3/16) ... Notched a pair of complete-game shutouts in a series at Iowa, including a 15-strikeout spectacle in the first game of the series, the most by a Wildcat pitcher since 2013 (3/29) … Tossed a career-high 10.0 innings and struck out 12 in a win against Wisconsin (4/13) ... Threw a complete game one-hit shutout and struck out 13 in a 1-0 win at No. 8 Minnesota (5/3) … Faced just 21 batters in a 7.0-inning one-hit shutout at Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament (5/10) … Went 3-1 with a 1.22 ERA (4 ER/23.0 IP) and 32 strikeouts during the NCAA Evanston Regionals … Pitched 13 of 14 total innings with the Wildcats facing two elimination games vs. Louisville (5/19), earned two victories while striking out 16 on the way to Northwestern's first NCAA Regional title since 2008.
Career Highs: At-Bats............................................4 (3x), vs. Arizona State (2/8/20)
Hits.........................................................2 (6x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
Runs.......................................................2 (4x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
RBI.......................................................3, vs. Detroit Mercy (5/17/19)
Doubles..................................................1 (7x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
Triples.................................................1 (3x), vs. Wisconsin (3/28/21)
Home Runs............................................1 (6x), vs. Louisville (3/7/20)
Total Bases......................................5 (2x), vs. North Texas (2/28/20)
Walks......................................................2 (2x), vs. Maryland (4/4/21)
Stolen Bases...........................................1 (2x), vs. Maryland (4/3/21)
Innings Pitched.................................11.0, vs. Arizona State (5/27/22)
Strikeouts..............................................17, vs. Michigan St. (3/25/22)
Fewest Hits Allowed (min. 5 IP)..............0 (2x), vs. Stanford (3/20/22)
Fewest Runs Allowed (min. 5 IP)............0 (34x), vs. Indiana (5/13/23)
High School: A four-time FloSoftball All-American including first-team nods in 2017 and 2018, Williams is a dual threat in the circle and at the plate … A top-20 national prospect and one of the top pitchers in the class before an injury in the fall, she still is ranked 44th in the national recruit rankings by FloSoftball and is expected to be full strength when she arrives on campus … Prep2Prep Sports 2018 North Coast Section Player of the Year and first-team All-NCS ... Led high school to the NCS Division I title in 2018, pitching 28 scoreless innings and giving up just eight hits with six walks and 58 strikeouts across four games ... Struck out 20 and was an error away from a perfect game in the NCS opener versus Mt. Eden ... Threw a four-hit shutout and smashed the game-winning home run in the title game against Foothill ... Overall as a senior, compiled a 21-4 record with 363 Ks in 178 innings pitched, while allowing just 74 hits all year ... Named the Cal Hi Sports California Freshman of the Year in 2015 … Three-time Cal Hi Sports North Coast Section Player of the Year and All-State first team … Also a three-time East Bay Athletic League MVP … The left-hander has compiled 890 strikeouts and a 68-11 record in her three years of high school competition … Has never had a single-season ERA over 0.79 in her career, including a 0.47 mark in 2017 as a junior … At the plate, she batted .519 with 20 RBIs as a first-year before hitting .415 and knocking in 20 more as a sophomore … She raised her RBI total to 24 as a junior … The versatile athlete also is a strong outfielder when not in the circle … Plays club with the Sorcerer organization … Team placed seventh at the 2016 18U PGF Nationals … Led the 16U Sorcerers to a third-place result at the 2015 Independence Day Tournament … Named a scholar-athlete in all of her high school seasons.
Personal: Born Danielle Lauren Williams … Daughter of Mike and Jenny Williams … Sister, Krista (Williams) Bommarito, was a four-year letterwinner in softball for the Wildcats from 2014-17 … Anticipated major is undeclared.
Maeve Nelson
Northwestern University Softball
Maeve Nelson
Northwestern University Softball
Career Highlights
Program leader with 243 games played at shortstop
2x Second Team All-Big Ten
40 home runs, ninth most in team history
123 walks, ninth most in program history
2023: Started all 55 games at shortstop ... Hit .242 with a .404 on-base percentage ... Posted a .372 batting average and 1.165 OPS over her final 16 games ... Tallied a single, walk, run scored, and RBI in the season-opener against South Alabama (2/10) ... Went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base to help beat Notre Dame (2/19) ... Drove in three runs in a win over No. 19 Kentucky (2/25) ... Tripled and walked twice against Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Went 2-for-3 with a double against No. 19 Auburn (3/18) ... Walked three times and scored twice in a win over Iowa (4/1) ... Blasted her first homer of the season against Illinois (4/5) ... Went 2-for-4 with a RBI-double and stolen base to help beat Penn State (4/7) ... Hit .500 (4-for-8) with four walks, three runs scored, and a double in a three-game sweep of Nebraska (4/28-30) ... Went 2-for-3 with a walk and stolen base against Rutgers (5/6) ... Homered in the regular season finale against Rutgers (5/7) ... Launched a homer to help beat Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament semi-finals (5/12) ... Hit a walk-off single to win the Big Ten Tournament against Indiana (5/13) ... Went 4-for-8 with a home run in the Evanston Regional (5/19-21) ... Homered in the final at bat of her career in the seventh inning of game 3 of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional (5/28).
2022: Started all 58 games at shortstop ... Second Team All-Big Ten ... Hit .279 with 12 home runs, second most on the team, and a .992 OPS, third highest on the team ... Blasted her first home run of the season in a win over Eastern Kentucky (2/13) ... Reached base three times and stole a base against Texas Tech (2/18) ... Launched a three-run walk-off homer with two outs in the eighth inning to knock off No. 3 UCLA (2/18) ... Walked seven times in five games at the Mary Nutter Classic (2/25-27) ... Ripped a two-run double against Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Singled, doubled, and homered against Murray State (3/5) ... Homered against Ball State (3/6) ... Scored three runs against Ball State (3/19) ... Roped a RBI-double against Stanford (3/20) ... Crushed a home run onto the roof of Welsh-Ryan Arena and doubled to help beat Michigan (4/1) ... Tripled and walked against Michigan (4/3) ... Blasted a grand slam and walked twice to help beat Ohio State (4/10) ... Tallied two hits and two RBI against Ohio State (4/10) ... Tied the program record with eight RBI in a two-homer day against Purdue (4/17) ... Went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in a win over Iowa (4/29) ... Went 3-for-3 with a double and home run to help beat Minnesota in the regular season finale (5/8) ... Crushed two home runs to help beat Oakland in the first round of the Evanston Regional (5/20) ... Singled, walked, and scored the winning run in the 11th inning of the game one win in the Tempe Super Regional against Arizona State (5/27) ... Roped a RBI-single and walked in game two of the Super Regional (5/28) ... Went 3-for-4 and drove in the go-ahead run in game three to help the 'Cats win the Tempe Super Regional (5/29) ... Went 1-for-2 with an RBI in game one of the WCWS against Oklahoma (6/2).
2021: Started all 47 games at shortstop ... Posted a .268 average (38-for-142) and .835 OPS ... HIt .328 (22-for-67) in her final 22 games ... Finished the regular season with 11 doubles, seventh-most in the Big Ten ... Hit a bases-clearing triple, the first of her career, to help defeat Michigan State (2/26) ... Recorded a two-run single in a win over Rutgers (2/27) ... Doubled twice and collected a RBI against Penn State (2/28) ... Crushed RBI-doubles in back-to-back days against Indiana (3/11-3/12) ... Reached base four times, three walks and a single, against Maryland (4/3) ... Tallied three RBI, two runs, and a double in a win over Maryland (4/4) ... Crushed a two-run home run, her first of the year, against Minnesota (4/10) ... Had a career-high four hits in a game one win over Iowa, then went 2-for-4 and blasted a home run in a game two win (4/17) ... Blasted a two-run homer against Michigan (4/24) ... Reached base in seven-straight plate appearances over three games against Illinois, collecting a home run, triple, double, three singles and a walk (5/1-5/2) ... Ripped an RBI-double against Purdue (5/7) ... Went 3-for-4 with a triple to help down Nebraska (5/15).
2020: Started all 23 games of the truncated season at shortstop … Tied for second in the Big Ten with seven home runs … Led the Wildcats with a .615 slugging percentage, 40 total bases, a 1.015 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) and 17 RBI … Hit .262 (17-for-65) with a .400 on-base percentage overall … Walked and scored a run versus Tennessee (2/8) … Tallied her first RBI of the season with a two-out single against Arizona State (2/8) … Hit her first home run of the season in a win against Portland State (2/9) ... Hit a game tying double to help defeat Kansas (2/15) ... Smashed a three-run homer against No. 15 Oregon (2/22) … Hit three home runs in five at bats and collected four runs and four RBI in a double-header against Abilene Christian (2/29) ... Crushed a grand slam as a part of a five RBI day in the season finale against Oakland (3/8).
2019: Started all 60 games for the Wildcats at shortstop ... Earned second team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors along with an NFCA All-Region (Great Lakes) Third Team selection ... Led the team during Big Ten play with 24 hits, a .329 batting average and 18 RBI and did not commit a single error in 23 conference games ... Recorded an RBI-single and a run scored in her Northwestern debut, a 12-0 win over Utah State (2/8) … Reached base twice with a walk and a single in a 1-0 victory vs. Louisville (2/9) … Hit a game-tying RBI double in the sixth inning against Loyola Marymount (2/9) ... Hit the eventual game-winning home run in the top of the ninth inning to help defeat Louisville (2/15) ... Went 1-for-3 with two walks against North Carolina (2/15) ... Hit one double and reached base twice in victory vs. BYI (2/22) ... Hit one double and recorded two RBI in a victory over Duke (2/22) ... Went 1-for-3 and hit a three-run homer in a 10-0 shutout vs. Utah (2/23) ... Scored in the second inning against Long Beach State (2/23) ... Scored two runs and hit a solo home run, in a win over Cal Poly (3/1) ... Reached base in two of her three plate appearances against Stanford (3/1) ... Knocked in the eventual game-winning RBI with a single in the first inning against Montana (3/3) ... Doubled and walked and came around to score both times in a victory over Tulsa (3/9) ... Scored three times, each of them coming after drawing a walk, to help defeat Grand Canyon (3/9) ... Homered in back-to-back games against Indiana (3/16) and Rutgers (3/22), scoring four runs over the two-game stretch ... Doubled and scored the eventual game-winning run in the first inning versus Rutgers (3/23) ... Went 5-for-10 over the course of a series against Iowa (3/29-3/31) while adding 4 RBIs, 3 runs scored and a home run ... Homered to extend the lead in a win over Nebraska (4/5) ... Went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored against Wisconsin (4/13) ... Went 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored against Purdue (4/19) ... Hit a two-run homer to help defeat Illinois (4/23) ... Went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored against Michigan State (4/26) ... Homered twice and hit an RBI single to rack up a career-high four RBIs in a win over Michigan State (4/27).
Career Highs:
At-Bats....................................5 (7x), vs. Indiana (4/23/22)
Hits.....................................................4, vs. Iowa (4/17/21)
Runs...................................3 (2x), vs. Ball State (3/19/22)
RBI.................................................8, vs. Purdue (4/17/22)
Doubles....................................2, vs. Penn State (2/28/21)
Triples......................1 (5x), vs. Northern Kentucky (3/4/23)
Home Runs........................... 2 (4x), vs. Oakland (5/20/22)
Total Bases......................................9, vs. Purdue (4/17/22)
Walks.............................................3 (5x), vs. Iowa (4/1/23)
Stolen Bases......................1 (12x), vs. Penn State (4/7/23)
High School: An all-state, all-conference and Chicago Tribune all-area selection in each of her high school seasons, she is ranked as a top-200 national recruit by FloSoftball … Named an All-American as a sophomore, junior and senior … First-Team FloSoftball All-American infielder in 2018 ... Career high school batting average is over .500 with 165 runs scored and 149 RBIs in three seasons … Broke the OPRF single-season home run record with 10 in 2016 before breaking it again with 13 in 2017 … Hit a two-strike, two-out, seventh-inning game-tying triple in the 2016 Illinois state title game … Team won the state title in both 2016 and 2017 while finishing third in 2015 … OPRF team was ranked third in the nation … Played eight years of club ball with the Oak Park Windmills and two years with the Beverly Bandits … Bandits won the 2017 Boulder Independence Day Tournament, were second at the 2017 PGF Shootout and finished third at the 2017 PGF Nationals … Also lettered in basketball and volleyball in high school, serving as captain of the two-time conference champion basketball squad … Class valedictorian and cum laude … Has made the dean's list and the honor roll in every semester … Won the Pascal Math Award … Illinois State Scholar.
Personal: Born Maeve Mullarkey Nelson … Daughter of Ellen and Scott Nelson … Mom played volleyball at Iowa … Sister, Allie Nelson, plays volleyball at Kansas … Father played minor league baseball … Knows how to sing opera and competitively rode horses in barrel racing … High school has produced such diverse talents as Olympic softball gold medalist Dani Tyler, rap artist and actor Ludacris, NBA guard Iman Shumpert, celebrated American novelist and journalist Ernest Hemingway, and former NUSB student-athletes Aly Euler and Jessica Rigas … Majoring in industrial engineering.
Program leader with 243 games played at shortstop
2x Second Team All-Big Ten
40 home runs, ninth most in team history
123 walks, ninth most in program history
2023: Started all 55 games at shortstop ... Hit .242 with a .404 on-base percentage ... Posted a .372 batting average and 1.165 OPS over her final 16 games ... Tallied a single, walk, run scored, and RBI in the season-opener against South Alabama (2/10) ... Went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base to help beat Notre Dame (2/19) ... Drove in three runs in a win over No. 19 Kentucky (2/25) ... Tripled and walked twice against Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Went 2-for-3 with a double against No. 19 Auburn (3/18) ... Walked three times and scored twice in a win over Iowa (4/1) ... Blasted her first homer of the season against Illinois (4/5) ... Went 2-for-4 with a RBI-double and stolen base to help beat Penn State (4/7) ... Hit .500 (4-for-8) with four walks, three runs scored, and a double in a three-game sweep of Nebraska (4/28-30) ... Went 2-for-3 with a walk and stolen base against Rutgers (5/6) ... Homered in the regular season finale against Rutgers (5/7) ... Launched a homer to help beat Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament semi-finals (5/12) ... Hit a walk-off single to win the Big Ten Tournament against Indiana (5/13) ... Went 4-for-8 with a home run in the Evanston Regional (5/19-21) ... Homered in the final at bat of her career in the seventh inning of game 3 of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional (5/28).
2022: Started all 58 games at shortstop ... Second Team All-Big Ten ... Hit .279 with 12 home runs, second most on the team, and a .992 OPS, third highest on the team ... Blasted her first home run of the season in a win over Eastern Kentucky (2/13) ... Reached base three times and stole a base against Texas Tech (2/18) ... Launched a three-run walk-off homer with two outs in the eighth inning to knock off No. 3 UCLA (2/18) ... Walked seven times in five games at the Mary Nutter Classic (2/25-27) ... Ripped a two-run double against Northern Kentucky (3/4) ... Singled, doubled, and homered against Murray State (3/5) ... Homered against Ball State (3/6) ... Scored three runs against Ball State (3/19) ... Roped a RBI-double against Stanford (3/20) ... Crushed a home run onto the roof of Welsh-Ryan Arena and doubled to help beat Michigan (4/1) ... Tripled and walked against Michigan (4/3) ... Blasted a grand slam and walked twice to help beat Ohio State (4/10) ... Tallied two hits and two RBI against Ohio State (4/10) ... Tied the program record with eight RBI in a two-homer day against Purdue (4/17) ... Went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in a win over Iowa (4/29) ... Went 3-for-3 with a double and home run to help beat Minnesota in the regular season finale (5/8) ... Crushed two home runs to help beat Oakland in the first round of the Evanston Regional (5/20) ... Singled, walked, and scored the winning run in the 11th inning of the game one win in the Tempe Super Regional against Arizona State (5/27) ... Roped a RBI-single and walked in game two of the Super Regional (5/28) ... Went 3-for-4 and drove in the go-ahead run in game three to help the 'Cats win the Tempe Super Regional (5/29) ... Went 1-for-2 with an RBI in game one of the WCWS against Oklahoma (6/2).
2021: Started all 47 games at shortstop ... Posted a .268 average (38-for-142) and .835 OPS ... HIt .328 (22-for-67) in her final 22 games ... Finished the regular season with 11 doubles, seventh-most in the Big Ten ... Hit a bases-clearing triple, the first of her career, to help defeat Michigan State (2/26) ... Recorded a two-run single in a win over Rutgers (2/27) ... Doubled twice and collected a RBI against Penn State (2/28) ... Crushed RBI-doubles in back-to-back days against Indiana (3/11-3/12) ... Reached base four times, three walks and a single, against Maryland (4/3) ... Tallied three RBI, two runs, and a double in a win over Maryland (4/4) ... Crushed a two-run home run, her first of the year, against Minnesota (4/10) ... Had a career-high four hits in a game one win over Iowa, then went 2-for-4 and blasted a home run in a game two win (4/17) ... Blasted a two-run homer against Michigan (4/24) ... Reached base in seven-straight plate appearances over three games against Illinois, collecting a home run, triple, double, three singles and a walk (5/1-5/2) ... Ripped an RBI-double against Purdue (5/7) ... Went 3-for-4 with a triple to help down Nebraska (5/15).
2020: Started all 23 games of the truncated season at shortstop … Tied for second in the Big Ten with seven home runs … Led the Wildcats with a .615 slugging percentage, 40 total bases, a 1.015 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) and 17 RBI … Hit .262 (17-for-65) with a .400 on-base percentage overall … Walked and scored a run versus Tennessee (2/8) … Tallied her first RBI of the season with a two-out single against Arizona State (2/8) … Hit her first home run of the season in a win against Portland State (2/9) ... Hit a game tying double to help defeat Kansas (2/15) ... Smashed a three-run homer against No. 15 Oregon (2/22) … Hit three home runs in five at bats and collected four runs and four RBI in a double-header against Abilene Christian (2/29) ... Crushed a grand slam as a part of a five RBI day in the season finale against Oakland (3/8).
2019: Started all 60 games for the Wildcats at shortstop ... Earned second team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors along with an NFCA All-Region (Great Lakes) Third Team selection ... Led the team during Big Ten play with 24 hits, a .329 batting average and 18 RBI and did not commit a single error in 23 conference games ... Recorded an RBI-single and a run scored in her Northwestern debut, a 12-0 win over Utah State (2/8) … Reached base twice with a walk and a single in a 1-0 victory vs. Louisville (2/9) … Hit a game-tying RBI double in the sixth inning against Loyola Marymount (2/9) ... Hit the eventual game-winning home run in the top of the ninth inning to help defeat Louisville (2/15) ... Went 1-for-3 with two walks against North Carolina (2/15) ... Hit one double and reached base twice in victory vs. BYI (2/22) ... Hit one double and recorded two RBI in a victory over Duke (2/22) ... Went 1-for-3 and hit a three-run homer in a 10-0 shutout vs. Utah (2/23) ... Scored in the second inning against Long Beach State (2/23) ... Scored two runs and hit a solo home run, in a win over Cal Poly (3/1) ... Reached base in two of her three plate appearances against Stanford (3/1) ... Knocked in the eventual game-winning RBI with a single in the first inning against Montana (3/3) ... Doubled and walked and came around to score both times in a victory over Tulsa (3/9) ... Scored three times, each of them coming after drawing a walk, to help defeat Grand Canyon (3/9) ... Homered in back-to-back games against Indiana (3/16) and Rutgers (3/22), scoring four runs over the two-game stretch ... Doubled and scored the eventual game-winning run in the first inning versus Rutgers (3/23) ... Went 5-for-10 over the course of a series against Iowa (3/29-3/31) while adding 4 RBIs, 3 runs scored and a home run ... Homered to extend the lead in a win over Nebraska (4/5) ... Went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored against Wisconsin (4/13) ... Went 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored against Purdue (4/19) ... Hit a two-run homer to help defeat Illinois (4/23) ... Went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored against Michigan State (4/26) ... Homered twice and hit an RBI single to rack up a career-high four RBIs in a win over Michigan State (4/27).
Career Highs:
At-Bats....................................5 (7x), vs. Indiana (4/23/22)
Hits.....................................................4, vs. Iowa (4/17/21)
Runs...................................3 (2x), vs. Ball State (3/19/22)
RBI.................................................8, vs. Purdue (4/17/22)
Doubles....................................2, vs. Penn State (2/28/21)
Triples......................1 (5x), vs. Northern Kentucky (3/4/23)
Home Runs........................... 2 (4x), vs. Oakland (5/20/22)
Total Bases......................................9, vs. Purdue (4/17/22)
Walks.............................................3 (5x), vs. Iowa (4/1/23)
Stolen Bases......................1 (12x), vs. Penn State (4/7/23)
High School: An all-state, all-conference and Chicago Tribune all-area selection in each of her high school seasons, she is ranked as a top-200 national recruit by FloSoftball … Named an All-American as a sophomore, junior and senior … First-Team FloSoftball All-American infielder in 2018 ... Career high school batting average is over .500 with 165 runs scored and 149 RBIs in three seasons … Broke the OPRF single-season home run record with 10 in 2016 before breaking it again with 13 in 2017 … Hit a two-strike, two-out, seventh-inning game-tying triple in the 2016 Illinois state title game … Team won the state title in both 2016 and 2017 while finishing third in 2015 … OPRF team was ranked third in the nation … Played eight years of club ball with the Oak Park Windmills and two years with the Beverly Bandits … Bandits won the 2017 Boulder Independence Day Tournament, were second at the 2017 PGF Shootout and finished third at the 2017 PGF Nationals … Also lettered in basketball and volleyball in high school, serving as captain of the two-time conference champion basketball squad … Class valedictorian and cum laude … Has made the dean's list and the honor roll in every semester … Won the Pascal Math Award … Illinois State Scholar.
Personal: Born Maeve Mullarkey Nelson … Daughter of Ellen and Scott Nelson … Mom played volleyball at Iowa … Sister, Allie Nelson, plays volleyball at Kansas … Father played minor league baseball … Knows how to sing opera and competitively rode horses in barrel racing … High school has produced such diverse talents as Olympic softball gold medalist Dani Tyler, rap artist and actor Ludacris, NBA guard Iman Shumpert, celebrated American novelist and journalist Ernest Hemingway, and former NUSB student-athletes Aly Euler and Jessica Rigas … Majoring in industrial engineering.
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