NU softball just one of its spring sports success stories

It's turning into an annual rite of spring in these parts.

The snow (finally) melts, the flowers bloom and Northwestern is suddenly an athletic juggernaut.

From their tennis courts to their lacrosse and softball fields, the Wildcats boast some of the best women's teams in the country.

The women's lacrosse team is in the hunt for its fourth consecutive national championship. (You read that right. The Wildcats are three-time defending champs.)

Meanwhile, the women's tennis team, which has won a record 10 consecutive Big Ten titles, was ranked No. 1 in the country for much of the spring and is one of just eight teams left in the NCAA tournament.

And then there's the softball team. The Wildcats are fresh off of winning the Big Ten tournament last week and are aiming for their third straight trip to the Women's College World Series.

"You don't think going into college as female athletes that you'll be the highlighted teams," said Northwestern catcher Erin Dyer, a south suburban native whose fourth-inning homer was the difference in a 1-0 victory over Iowa in the Big Ten title game. "It's been really cool to be one of those teams."

The softball team, which features seven starters who are freshmen or sophomores, could be "one of those teams" for quite some time.

Youth is on NU's side, and so is pitching. Northwestern (37-13) features one of the nation's best pitchers in sophomore Lauren Delaney.

Earlier this week, Delaney was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA national player of the week and the USA Softball national player of the week after being named most valuable player at last weekend's Big Ten tourney.

Delaney, who had three consecutive shutouts to lead the NU to the crown, is the Big Ten pitcher of the year.

"I don't even think Lauren has reached her potential," said NU softball coach Kate Drohan, now in her seventh year. "She's spinning the ball well, she's hitting different locations, she's changing speeds. She's doing a lot of great things already. But she's always looking to learn more. She's in our office every day looking at video. She's just a worker."

Delaney says her work won't be done until the Wildcats win a national title. They came up short the last two years and are hungrier than ever to not only simply advance to the World Series, but to win it.

"We have a lot of girls who were on the team last year, or the year before, so they know what it's about," said Delaney, a civil engineering major who wants to build bridges someday. "It had been a dream of mine (to get to the College World Series) since I was 8-years-old. We all just want to make another run at it."

Perhaps the first bridge with Delaney's name on it will take the Wildcats from World Series qualifier to World Series champion.

Softball stuff: Northwestern was to open its own regional Friday against Western Illinois, which limped to an 8-31 record this season but then won six straight games and took the Summit League Tournament title.

That gave Western an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.

Meanwhile, DePaul and Drake were also assigned to the Evanston Regional and DePaul defeated Drake in Friday's first game of the opening round.

The NCAA tournament is double elimination.

The Evanston Regional will run through Sunday with the championship game played at Sharon J. Drysdale Field at either noon or 2:30 p.m. Tickets range from $1 to $8.

Other wild stuff: The top-seeded Northwestern women's lacrosse team (18-1) will host No. 8 Princeton (13-4) in the national quarterfinals at 1 p.m. today at Lakeside Field in Evanston.

Meanwhile, the top-seeded Northwestern tennis team will face California in the national quarterfinals at noon today in Tulsa, Okla.

Tonight's tip-off

Chicago Sky at Seattle Storm

What: Sky regular season opener

When: 9 p.m., today

Radio: WVON 1690-AM

Skinny: The Sky rolled over Seattle in its first preseason game last month, 66-46. Not that that means much. Both teams were playing without a handful of key players who were finishing up off-season obligations with their teams overseas. This time, the Sky will face a Seattle team that is at full strength and should be one of the best in the Western Conference this season. Seattle forward Lauren Jackson (WNBA-best 23.8 ppg in 2007) is widely considered the best women's player in the world at the moment, and Sue Bird is one of the WNBA's best point guards. The Storm also added some big-name veterans in the off-season in Sheryl Swoopes, Yolanda Griffith and Swin Cash.

Sky watching: The Sky also improved in the off-season, mainly through the draft. The addition of 6-foot-6 center Sylvia Fowles, who is a beast in the post but athletic enough to dunk, should pay immediate dividends. Plus, two-time all-star forward Candice Dupree (16.5 ppg) will now be freed up to do more on the perimeter after two seasons of mostly interior work. Guard Armintie Price, the 2007 WNBA rookie of the year, should be even more comfortable on the floor this season.

Last summer, the Sky was fighting for a playoff spot but came up short. One problem was poor shooting. The team had the second-lowest field goal percentage in the WNBA (41 percent) and was worst in the league in free throw percentage (68 percent).

Up next: Sky regular season home opener, 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Sacramento

Wnba winners

What teams will be the big winners in the WNBA this season? Here's my guess:

East

1. Detroit: Beast of the East just missed repeating as league champs in 2007.

2. Indiana: New addition Katie Douglas should take pressure off of banged up Tamika Catchings.

3. Connecticut: Losing Douglas hurt, but guard Lindsay Whalen is one of the best in the league.

4. New York: Every key player returning from an up-and-coming team that made the playoffs in 2007.

West

1. Los Angeles: Legendary center Lisa Leslie teams with No. 1 draft pick Candace Parker. Yikes!

2. Seattle: Newly acquired veterans like Sheryl Swoops and Yolanda Griffith could make for perfect Storm.

3. Phoenix: Defending WNBA champs feature the most exciting player in the league in Diana Taurasi.

4. San Antonio: Star guard Becky Hammon and the Silver Stars get the job done on both ends of the floor.

Scouting Candace

Some veteran WNBA players were asked recently what No. 1 draft choice and former Naperville Central and Tennessee superstar Candace Parker can expect as she begins her professional career with the Los Angeles Sparks.

Here's what WNBA great Sheryl Swoopes, a forward with the Seattle Storm said:

"I think a lot of players take her coming in as a personal challenge. Everybody's talking about the endorsements she has or will get, so they will be gunning for her. She's got a target on her back."

-- Patricia Babcock McGraw