Northwestern University Softball

Head coach Kate Drohan has built the Wildcats into a perennial power, winning five Big Ten Championships while qualifying for three Women's College World Series appearances alongside her twin sister and associate head coach, Caryl Drohan. Kate Drohan took over the program in 2002 after serving as an assistant under legendary head coach Sharon Drysdale for four seasons. Drohan has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year six times (2005, 2006, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024) at the helm of Northwestern Softball, the second-most among any coach in conference history behind only Carol Hutchins. Drohan became the longest tenured coach in program history in 2025, concluding her 24th season with the program, and became Northwestern Softball’s all-time wins leaders on March 27, 2021 in what marked the Drohan’s 641st career win. Postseason success is a trademark of Drohan's teams. The Wildcats have qualified for the NCAA Tournament 18 times in the Drohan era, making 11 regional final appearances, capturing seven regional titles and making three trips to the Women’s College World Series in 2006, 2007 and 2022. Big Ten dominance is also one of Drohan's hallmarks. The Wildcats have captured five Big Ten Championships in 2006, 2008, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in addition to two Big Ten Tournament titles in 2008 and 2023. Northwestern clinched back-to-back-to-back Big Ten regular season championships from 2022-24, marking just the second time “three-peating” in program history (also 1984-87). Since 2004, t

Ben Jaeger returned to Northwestern University in October 2025 as a Director of Olympic Sports Performance. Jaeger returns to Evanston after also serving on the Wildcats' Sports Performance staff from 2021-2023. Prior to that, he came to Evanston after three years at Texas A&M University as an Assistant Sports Performance Coach. He led the annual training plans for swimming and diving, men's tennis, and temporary oversight of the women's soccer, women's tennis, and men's golf performance programs. Prior to arriving in College Station, Jaeger spent four years at Boise State University as the Associate Director of Olympic Sports Performance. He also brings previous experience from Southern Illinois University, Oral Roberts University, and Oregon State University working with numerous sports including football, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis, golf, swimming, diving, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, and track & field programs. Jaeger completed his Master of Science in Education-Kinesiology degree from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science-Health and Wellness degree from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (CSCS) in addition to being USA-Weightlifting certified.

Caryl Drohan has been a vital part of the Northwestern staff since she was hired as an assistant coach in 2002, and has spearheaded the Wildcats’ offensive attack since she was promoted to associate head coach in 2005 by her twin sister, head coach Kate Drohan. She came from Hofstra University after spending five years on the coaching staff there­ -- four as an assistant coach and the 2001 season as the associate head coach. On March 27, 2021, Caryl and Kate became Northwestern softball's all-time wins leaders with a 15-7 win over Wisconsin for their 641st career win with the Wildcats. Primarily responsible for hitting, Drohan has led the Wildcats into the offensive upper echelon of the nation, breaking and re-breaking school records in the process. In 2014, the squad's top-to-bottom plate presence resulted in a new school-record .332 team batting average and a program-best 6.55 runs per game. During her tenure, Wildcat batters have earned 12 All-America accolades, and Garland Cooper and Tammy Williams both earned U.S. National Team selection camp invitations. Williams became the first NU hitter to ever make the U.S. National Team in 2010, and she is the only four-time NFCA All-American in school history. Most recently in 2025, Drohan coached first-year Kaylie Avvisato to All-Big Ten Freshman Team honors after leading the team in hits (55), and posting a .355 batting average, highest for a Northwestern rookie since Sabrina Rabin (.394) in 2015. In 2019, Drohan helped first-ye

Christine Christopoulos joined the Northwestern Softball staff ahead of the 2022 season. Her softball resumé includes three seasons at the collegiate ...

Michelle Gascoigne, a 2013 NCAA champion and former ace of National Pro Fastpitch's Chicago Bandits, joined the Wildcats' staff as pitching coach in September of 2015. Under Gascoigne, Northwestern has landed a pitcher on the All-Big Ten team in nine of Gascoigne’s first 10 seasons as the program’s pitching coach. The Wildcats have earned nine NFCA All-Region selections among six different pitchers under Gascoigne, as well as two Big Ten Pitcher of the Year award winners in a span of three years from 2022-2024. Northwestern has qualified for eight NCAA Tournaments under Gascoigne while posting a Top 4 finish in the Big Ten in all but one season with the program. The Wildcats secured back-to-back-to-back Big Ten regular season championships in 2022, 2023 and 2024, marking just the second time “three-peating” in program history (also 1984-87). Northwestern has claimed three NCAA Regional titles since Gascoigne arrived in Evanston, and made its return to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series in 2022. A Capital One Academic All-American in 2013, Gascoigne graduated from Oklahoma with a degree in education. She combined with classmate Keilani Ricketts to form the best pitching duo in the nation that season, leading the Sooners to the Women's College World Series championship game, where Gascoigne threw a three-hit shutout to secure the national title for OU. Over her collegiate career, Gascoigne compiled a 49-7 record with a 1.65 ERA and 507 strikeouts in 378.0 inning

Tony Smith joined the Northwestern staff before the 2023 season as a Volunteer Assistant. In the Fall of 2023, he was promoted to Assistant Coach following the staff's recognition as the 2023 ATEC/NFCA Division I Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Since Smith’s arrival in 2023, Northwestern has earned berths to three straight NCAA tournaments and captured two Big Ten regular season titles, as well as a Big Ten tournament title. Most recently in 2025, the Wildcats finished with a 29-17-1 record and a 16-6 record in conference play, leading to a seventh-straight NCAA tournament berth. Northwestern earned four wins over RPI Top 25 teams, defeating No. 11 Duke, No. 22 Mississippi State, and No. 6 UCLA twice, in the final series of the regular season. In 2024, with a lineup that replaced six of its nine defensive starters from the previous year, the Wildcats finished with a 35-13 record and a 19-3 record in conference play en route to a third-straight Big Ten regular season title and sixth-consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament. In 2023, the Wildcats posted a 42-13 record and captured both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles, before reaching the NCAA Super Regional round for the seventh time since 2005. Smith enjoyed a long career in baseball before joining the Northwestern softball staff. He pitched four seasons in Independent League Baseball before spending four years as Director of Pitching, Arm Care, and Overhand Throwing at Athletes HQ. Smith spent