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Blue Demons Play Six Games on the Road This Week
CHICAGO -- The No. 20/19 DePaul softball team finishes out the regular season on the road this week. The Blue Demons play at No. 11/7 Northwestern on Tuesday in Evanston before heading to the Southside for Wednesday’s battle at UIC. On Thursday, DePaul plays a doubleheader at Valparaiso before heading to Georgetown for its final BIG EAST Conference doubleheader on Sunday. With the top three teams in the BIG EAST, DePaul, Notre Dame and Louisville, separated by no more than a game-and-a-half, the final week of league games have huge implications on the regular season standings. The Blue Demons (34-10, 18-3 BIG EAST) head into their final week at the top of the BIG EAST standings and have just two conference games left. Notre Dame (34-14, 15-3 BIG EAST) is one-and-half games behind DePaul however it plays five conference games this week -- a doubleheader at Providence a single game at Georgetown and host a doubleheader with Louisville on Sunday. Louisville (43-7, 18-4) is currently a game behind DePaul and its doubleheader at Notre Dame will sort out the top three spots in the standings. DePaul is the reigning BIG EAST Tournament Champion while it won the regular season title in 2007, with a perfect 20-0 record. Before the BIG EAST standings can be sorted out, DePaul will play three local teams. The Blue Demons and Wildcats have a storied history and are meeting for the 50th time on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Last season, the two teams split their four games, but Northwestern’s final win was for the Regional Championship. In 2005, DePaul defeated Northwestern in the Super Regional to advance to the WCWS. However since 2005, the Wildcats have won six of the last eight meetings and hold a 34-16 series advantage over the Blue Demons. Northwestern (28-11, 12-4 Big 10) has lost three of its last five games including a pair of game at Illinois. DePaul defeated Illinois earlier in the season 6-2. Tuesday’s game can be heard live on WNUR 89.3 FM, while Northwestern will provide pay-per-view video streaming. GameTracker and Live Chat links can be found on www.depaulbluedemons.com. On Wednesday, DePaul heads to UIC for a 6 p.m. game under the lights. The Blue Demons and UIC series in the longest in DePaul history as Wednesday’s game mark the 72nd meeting between the two programs. DePaul owns a 44-27 series lead, while the Flames won the last meeting 5-2 on the Southside in 2008. UIC (22-22, 14-3 Horizon League) has won eight of its last 10 games. On Thursday, the Blue Demons travel to Valparaiso for a doubleheader with the Crusaders (24-19, 9-8 Horizon League) which is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. DePaul has won all 43 meetings between the two programs. The game can be heard live on the Crusaders internet radio, while fans can chat live and view live stats. The Blue Demons make their inaugural trip to Georgetown on Sunday for a doubleheader slated to begin at 11 a.m. The Hoyas (14-28, 6-13) joined the BIG EAST in softball this season and have won seven of its last 10.
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