Kate Drohan

Biography

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