Wrapping Up Big Ten Lacrosse & Softball Seasons with Chris Vosters

Spring championships in Big Ten Women's Lacrosse and Softball are coming to a close. Chris Vosters of BTN and FS1 joins the podcast to give his insight on both of these seasons.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Hi everybody, Pete Stoney here. Welcome to College Sports Team today. A lot's going on with the spring sports in the Big Ten. And let's bring in a guy who's doing a lot of things these days. I love talking to this next guest. He can spray to a lot of fields from Big Ten Network and FS1. Chris Foster is with us here on College Sports Team today. How are you, Chris?

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Doing great, Pete. This is one of my favorite times of year. You know, football is dominated in the fall, and winter is obviously a lot of basketball, but there's so much going on in spring this time of year. I love all the different sports that we can talk about.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

I love when I have a chance to talk to you too. It's good to see you because, as I say, you get spray to a lot of fields. Let's let's start with with lacrosse, women's lacrosse. We just got the uh Big Ten Championship again. Northwestern Wildcats, four in a row for them up there in Evanston. I'll start with just the question, Chris. How do they keep doing what they're doing up there in Northwestern? What's the key to the sustainability for the Wildcats in the women's lacrosse?

SPEAKER_00 1:01

Well, I think it certainly starts with their head coach, Kelly Amani Hiller, who was recently named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the sixth time and fourth year in a row. I mean, she's been the she's been at the helm of the Lake Show for a quarter of a century now. She won the first national championship for a program in the central time zone or outside of the eastern time zone. And and she continues to push the sport to new uh, I guess, frontiers, especially beyond just the East Coast. Northwestern is hosting the Final Four this year. Again, the first time that the Final Four has ever been hosted by a program outside the Eastern time zone. So I think it definitely starts with her. And then in in recent years, specifically, I think it's been Northwestern's ability to mine the transfer portal for some key positions, specifically goaltending. I mean, getting Jenica Cooko out of the portal this season has been such a big piece in Northwestern's success this season. And they did it last year with the goaltender Delaney Schweitzer as well. So I think those are two keys that I would really point to, in addition to just the otherworldly talent that they seem to have at the attacking positions. When you look at a player like Madison Taylor, um, you know, one of the best Northwestern Wildcats to ever do it, challenging all of these program records, again, on a program that has had some of the best college lacrosse players ever. So there's no short way to answer that question, but I definitely think it starts up top with its with Northwestern's head coach.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Yeah, I agree. So so they they beat Maryland in overtime. So it certainly wasn't easy for it by any means. Uh when you look at that match, and then you kind of look at Maryland, and we'll talk about Mike Hoover's gonna go on when we get to the NCAA lacrosse uh championships in the tournament here. Give me a little take on the opponent, the Maryland Terrapins, who Northwestern beat last week.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Well, again, women's lacrosse is a is a small world. I mean, Kathy Reese, Maryland's head coach, and Kelly Amani Hiller were were teammates once upon a time at Maryland, and it is a it is a tight-knit group among lacrosse coaches. Uh the coaching tree is is very intertwined. So it's a it's a great rivalry, and the two teams have dominated the top of the Big Ten, it seems like, for a long time now. And you would certainly put a program like Johns Hopkins in the middle as well. But I think this year specifically, both teams are obviously very good. I think there's a just a little bit more star power on on Northwestern side. Uh, you know, Maryland, two seasons ago now in 2025, underwent a lot of roster turnover. They were largely a new team in 2025, brought back that same core, especially from a leadership perspective back in 2026. So I think that's why you've seen Maryland really have a great season this year. They did hit a bit of a late season lull, uh, lost on the road to a very good Michigan team, but that was the first time that Michigan has ever beaten Maryland in program history. And then uh that was coming off, of course, the Northwestern game. And then in the regular season finale, they were down after the first quarter break on the road to Ohio State. So seemed like Maryland was able to work through some of their kinks. Uh they have amazing players. I think you start with with Corey Edmondson in the in the midfield. Um, they also have great goaltending as well. JJ Suriano was named Big Ten goaltender of the year. So they're really, really strong on the back end. But I think in terms of just the scoring ability that Northwestern has, that that is why I would give Northwestern a slight advantage, I think. But look, it it's going to be a close game, an exciting game whenever those two teams play. And you could tell that Maryland had revenge on its mind from the regular season meeting in which Northwestern won. But two good teams, I would, I would not be surprised to see both of them in the in the final four.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Yeah, I do agree with you, Chris. I think they're on a collision course. The last point is since you mentioned Johns Hopkins. Let's give a little thumbnail on them of what you've seen about that squad there and what they might do going into the NCAAs.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

Well, a team I think that is that is pretty good on the back end. Uh Lacey Downey became the first midfielder of the year in the Big Ten for the Blue Jays. Uh, Reagan O'Brien was named defender of the year for the second year in a row. Uh 103 caused turnovers last year, set an NCAA record. She now has 241 caused turnovers for her career. So uh Johns Hopkins, a team that is it tries to take away what you do best and pressure you in your offensive side of the field uh and use that to start their transition game. So I think Johns Hopkins is a is a team that you have to keep an eye on as well. Uh, and you have to be fundamentally sound against a team like that that really wants to and excels at uh creating turnovers and putting the ball on the ground and and scooping up those ground balls.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

Chris, I want to end our lacrosse discussion. I'll go double back to what you said about the final four being in the Big Ten and at Northwestern. I mean, you know, we're getting greedy here in the Big Ten, right? We got a football championship in Indiana, Michigan with basketball, Penn State and wrestling. What's it mean to the conference to have the final four part and being hosted by a Big Ten team?

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Well, I think it's huge. And I'm definitely guilty of getting a little bit greedy as well on the on the Big Ten championship hall as of late. I think it's also just huge for the sport. And again, this goes back to I think the the work that head coach Kelly Amani Hiller does just off the field in trying to grow the game, also at the college level. But I just think of what this is going to do for lacrosse, especially on the women's side at the youth level. You know, the program hosted a lacrosse day in Chicago earlier this season where they had a double header. The Northwestern women's team played shortly after the Notre Dame men's team played at Martin Stadium up in Evanston. So again, I think this is going to be uh huge for the growth of the game and the exposure in the Midwest. You talk to teams in other sports that host regionals or host Final Fours, and they they all talk about uh the impact that it has on a program from uh simply an exposure standpoint. So I think it's it's really great for the sport for the Big Ten that Lacrosse hosts the final four on the women's side this year. And I also think it has the chance to really be just a storybook season for Northwestern in particular. You know, coming off the loss in the in the national championship game last year, they looked okay at the start of the season. Again, they they were picked to repeat as Big Ten champs, but it wasn't necessarily a linear route from the start of the season to get there. They suffered a really surprising loss at home to Ohio State early in conference play, really seemed to turn their season around with an overtime win on the road against North Carolina. And since then, it seems like they've been on this upward trajectory, really living up to their potential. So now hosting the Final Four, again, a lot of big games to get through before then. But having won the Big Ten tournament, having won the Big Ten regular season, hosting a Final Four now, this seems like it could be a real poetic way to wrap up the 2026 season for the Northwestern Wildcats and add another championship to the Big Ten's Hall.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

Yeah, I think it's gonna be cool. You know, I'm a Chicago guy. I know you're here in Chicago, so that's gonna be kind of cool. Let's not forget, listen, I'll see you at Wrigley in the fall. We're gonna have volleyball at Wrigley Field, Chris. How cool is that?

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Uh oh, I I cannot, I cannot wait. I think it's uh, you know, and especially with with teams like Nebraska and Penn State adding to the mix, uh, you know, Nebraska's fans travel anywhere uh to see Go Big Red play volleyball. And Penn State's head coach Katie Schumacher Crawley is uh a Chicago native as well. So she's she's got ties to the South Side specifically. So uh I think those two storylines are gonna are gonna make for some for some big, big crowds. And actually, just the final thing I'll say about lacrosse is that with Martin Stadium expanding its seating for the football team to play there the last couple of years, while the new football stadium was built, I think you're going to see some record-setting crowds for the Final Four this year on the lacrosse side. So that'll be something to watch out for.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Cannot wait. All right, let's transition to softball. And again, I was uh remiss in saying about the championships, UCLA winning the women's basketball championship, and a player from that team that has been spectacular on the softball side from UCLA. What can you tell us in terms of your uh take on seeing what Megan Grant's been doing?

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Well, I I think I think Megan Grant is one of the best stories in college sports right now. And I would certainly uh pair her with Jordan Woolery, her teammate, who is doing equally historic things at the plate offensively for the UCLA Bruins. Grant and Woolery are the first tandem in NCAA Division I softball history to each hit 30 plus home runs in the same season. So this is not out of nowhere either. They're both seniors. They both have put up some amazing offensive numbers over the first three seasons in their respective college careers, but they are truly going out with a bang this season. And with Megan Grant specifically, yes, playing 14 games for the women's basketball team uh during the regular season of their championship run. Really, really interesting. You know, Megan Grant grew up in the Bay Area, huge college, a huge basketball fan, I should say, specifically uh the Golden State Warriors dynasty with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. So softball is is in a sense her profession, but I think basketball is really her passion. And we were talking to her head coach on the softball side, Kelly Innoe Perez last week going into their series against Washington, and she was sharing with us how you know Megan told her going into the basketball season, look, coach, I think I'm going to, you know, really make an impact on the basketball team this season. You know, I'm really gonna show this team a thing or two. And then after a certain amount of time practicing and playing with the women's basketball team, she she went back to her head coach on the softball side and said, Look, coach, I gotta say, I'm working my butt off in practice, and I am the worst player on this team. And Coach Anoe Perez said it was really an eye-opening experience for Megan because it was probably the first time in her athletic career where she had been the worst player on the team. And she saw what it was like to work really hard at something and still be just a bench player. And so, in kind of a full circle moment, she said it really helped her realize, hey, I'm actually a really, really good softball player, probably a better softball player than I've given myself credit for. So, really, really interesting. Uh, you know, the lessons that she learned by playing two sports. And then you talk to coaches and players on both teams. They talk about the impact that she's had positively, uh, bringing a good locker room presence, of course, to softball. But on the basketball side as well, I think you deal with failure so much in the game of softball. Um, and you also play so many more games than you do in basketball that you can't take every win or loss too seriously in softball because there's always a game the next day or a few days after that. And bringing that mentality from softball into a basketball locker room, I think really helped the basketball team relax and take some of the pressure off of what they were trying to do during the regular season. So it's it's one of my favorite stories to talk about in college sports this season, Megan Grant of the UCLA Bruins.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

It's a great story, and it's a really good point about the difference between the two sports. So let's wrap up the conversation. Let's talk about the big picture with UCLA going into the weekend. Nebraska all of a sudden knocked them off of the perch in terms of conference standings. Size up those two squads. Give me the rest of the Bruins from your perspective, Chris, and then give us a little cornhusker insight going into the weekend.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

Gosh, I mean, uh, two really exciting teams as a Big Ten fan, two bona fide national championship contending teams on the softball side. And again, you know, not just saying that, but it it would not be beyond the realm of possibility for the Big Ten to add a national championship in softball as well. What UCLA is doing at the plate is truly historic. Uh, the home runs that they're hitting, the runs that they're scoring, uh, they have seven players in their lineup that have hit double-digit home runs. There's only nine in a starting lineup. So just about everybody can hit for pop on the UCLA Bruins makes them really, really fun to watch. UCLA has a great ace pitcher in Taylor Tinsley as well, who's thrown over half of their innings. But that that's the biggest question I think that people have for UCLA is do they have enough depth pitching to sustain a deep NCAA tournament run? And as great as their bats are, can they continue to hit at their current clip or even close to it when they're going up against quality pitching night in and night out in the NCAA tournament? So that takes me to Nebraska. Nebraska's a team compared to UCLA that might not be putting up the prodigious offensive numbers no one is as UCLA, but it's still a very, very good offense in Nebraska. And it's a team that has probably, in fact, definitely has much more pitching depth than UCLA does. And Nebraska's pitching depth is probably the best in the country. Uh, they have a quality starter that they can throw Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which is pretty unique for softball, where typically, you know, a typical softball team might ride with one or two arms over the course of a three-day weekend series. Nebraska has the benefit of saving their arms during the regular season like this because they have so many options that they can throw in the circle. So, of course, it starts with Geordie Fromm, a formerly Jordy Ball. She got married last summer. She is, I'll I'll borrow the uh phrase that my broadcast partner Sidney Supley has used. Jordy Fromm is this is the show heotani of women's college softball. She is every bit as dynamic of a hitter as she is as a pitcher, a true unicorn type player. But on the pitching side, there's this really good freshman for Nebraska named Alexis Jensen, who's uh going to be on the shortlist for National Freshman of the Year this season, who has been able to spell a lot of the workload uh from Jordy From in the circle this season. So to me, Nebraska is just a little bit more dangerous in an NCAA tournament setting because they just are so deep across the board. But if you look at that series where where Nebraska and UCLA played in the regular season, I mean the games were very close and it went to a rubber match game three, and Nebraska won barely over UCLA to take the series. So both teams, very fun to watch, very dynamic. I think both teams could very well be hosting super regionals this year, all the way up to the doorstep of the women's college world series. So another great story developing in in spring sports, uh the strength of Big Ten softball this season.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

Love it. Spring sports get into the month of May here. We'll see women's lacrosse get to the NCAA tournament. We'll see how things play out on the softball side. Chris, appreciate the time. Always good to see you. We'll catch up with you soon and uh enjoy what's coming up here. I know you're gonna be a busy guy, but thanks for giving us some time here on the show. Thanks, Pete. Always a pleasure. Keep up the great work and talk to you soon. Thanks so much. That's Chris Boster from Big Ten Network and from FS1. And Pete Bistoni, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time right here on College Sports Scene Today.