The shortstop behind Northwestern’s trip to the College World Series

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in Oak Park’s Wednesday Journal and is reprinted with permission from its editor Dan Haley. Thank you Mr. Haley. We walk this walk together as nonprofit organizations working to produce interesting and compelling community news.

The Northwestern University womens softball team had a remarkable season this year, winning the Big 10 Conference championship with a 45-13 record and advancing to the College World Series in Oklahoma City for the first time since 2007.

A key figure in the Wildcats’ performance was shortstop Maeve Nelson, a 2018 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School. Nelson batted .279 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI, with an on-base percentage of .422 and a slugging percentage of .570.

In a phone interview, Nelson said she believed Northwestern’s cohesive chemistry was vital to the team’s success.

“The biggest thing about our team was that we enjoyed being around each other and playing together,” she said. “With a lot of teams, the biggest thing that keeps them back is a lack of camaraderie. I don’t think I realized that until this year because of how special this team was. We were all truly best friends, and we played as a unit.”

This was manifested in perhaps one of Northwestern’s biggest wins this spring. The Wildcats rallied in mid-February in Clearwater, Fla., for a dramatic 6-4 extra-inning victory against UCLA, a perennial Top 10 program.

Nelson ended things with a walk-off three-run homer against UCLA ace Megan Faraimo, one of the nation’s top pitchers. 

“What made it great was coming to home plate and seeing how happy my teammates were for me,” she said. “Everyone wanted everyone to do well, and the UCLA game was a team effort. It was important because it showed us we can hang with anyone if we work at it, and it set the standard and expectations for the season.”

Nelson had a few other highlights this spring. She hit two homers and drove in eight runs in a 10-2 Northwestern victory over visiting Purdue on April 17. And she went 3-for-4 with a go-ahead RBI single at Arizona State on May 29 as the Wildcats rallied from a 5-0 deficit to defeat the Sun Devils 8-6 in an NCAA super regional, allowing Northwestern to advance to the College World Series.

Retired Oak Park and River Forest coach Mel Kolbusz attended Nelson’s game against Notre Dame this spring. “I learned a lot of leadership skills from Mel and I appreciate how much he valued my opinion,” Nelson said. “It gave me a good stepping stone to come into Northwestern and become part of the leadership. Mel and I had a mutual respect and understanding of each other and for the game.”

This season was the third time in program history Northwestern qualified for the College World Series (2006 and 2007 were the others). Although the Wildcats were eliminated early, losing to eventual national champion Oklahoma and UCLA, Nelson enjoyed living out an experience she had dreamed of.

“It was surreal,” she said. “You dream about that growing up, and it’s really weird seeing it come to fruition. As a kid, it’s something that’s so far-fetched and you never really think you’re going to get there. But then you’re there as a 22-year-old and you’re like, ‘I belong here, I deserve to be here.’ It shows the growth you make as a player and a person, and it was really cool sharing it with my best friends. It’s what you work for in your career; you’re seeing your work come full circle.”

The NCAA granted student-athletes an extra year of eligibility after the 2020 season was canceled. Nelson plans to come back next year for a fifth season and says Northwestern has one thing in mind – a return to Oklahoma City with a different outcome in mind.

“Now that we’ve been there, it’s going to be hard not to expect a return,” she said. “Myself and four other seniors are returning, and I think that’s cool because we’re not returning just to be returning; we’re returning because we want to go back to the World Series and win it.”