Northwestern baseball lost its top four home run hitters and its ace pitcher this offseason, leaving coach Ben Greenspan to rebuild a roster gutted of 67.7% of its 2026 RBI production.

The departures come after a third consecutive season without a Big Ten Tournament appearance, according to The Daily Northwestern, which reported Sunday, Aug. 23, that the five key departures are Owen McElfatrick, Jack Lausch, Noah Ruiz, Ryan Weaver and Sam Hliboki.

The numbers tell the story. McElfatrick finished his career with 32 home runs, second all-time in program history. Lausch, who originally came to Northwestern as a football quarterback recruit and started 10 games at quarterback in 2024-25, led the team in batting average (.312), home runs (16) and RBIs (41) in his final season. The Chicago Tribune reported the Cincinnati Reds drafted Lausch in the 17th round (512th overall) of the 2026 MLB Draft on July 12.

"It's a dream come true. It's awesome to have a shot. That's all you can ask for is to have a shot to keep getting better and hopefully one day be a big leaguer," Lausch told the Tribune on July 20 after his selection.

Beyond the five named departures, the Wildcats also lost shortstop Ryan Kucherak and first baseman Nick Barron through the transfer portal. Kucherak, an MLB Draft Combine standout who recorded a 106 MPH exit velocity, led the team with 27 walks and slugged .521. Barron led the team with 15 doubles and added nine home runs and 33 RBIs, according to Inside NU.

The 2026 season ended at 21-30-1 overall and 8-22 in Big Ten play. A road sweep by Illinois in May eliminated the Wildcats from tournament contention. Northwestern last appeared in the Big Ten Tournament championship game in 2017.

Greenspan has moved to rebuild. He added four transfers for 2027: infielders Jeff Lougee and Andrew Bell from Duke, graduate transfer Jonathan Kim from Michigan and pitcher Eddie Albert from Dartmouth. The program also hired former Washington and Texas A&M pitching coach Jason Kelly, who won D1Baseball's Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2018.

The key returner is Jackson Freeman, who earned all-conference freshman team honors in his first season. Inside NU described Freeman as the backbone of next year's roster.