This Week in Huskie Athletics
This Week in Huskie Athletics Northern Illinois University will have six teams in action and also host the NIU Football Spring Showcase. NIU women’s tennis will play in the MAC Championships starting on Thursday. The Huskies will take on Toledo and if they advance will face Miami or Buffalo on Friday at 11 a.m. in the final. NIU baseball will play in midweek action against Valparaiso and Illinois State before a weekend series against Western Michigan. NIU softball travels to face Illinois on Wednesday before hosting Akron in a weekend series. NIU Track and Field travels to Iowa for the Drake Relays starting on Thursday. NIU men’s golf will begin play at the MAC Championships on Sunday, April 27 and will play through Tuesday, April 29. NIU women’s golf began plat at the MAC Championships on Sunday, April 20 and will play their final two rounds Monday and Tuesday.
Football
Saturday, April 26: NIU Football Spring Showcase, 12 p.m.
On Saturday, April 26 Northern Illinois University fans, friends and families are invited to enjoy a full day of Huskie sports action, NIU gear sale shopping, games and more. Get a first look at the 2025 NIU football team at the annual Spring Showcase and catch the Huskie softball, baseball and men’s soccer teams in action at home with no charge to attend any of the events. The Spring Showcase will take place on Saturday with the tailgate opening at 10 a.m. and the showcase beginning at noon. The football action will be followed by softball starting at 1 p.m., baseball at 2 p.m. and a men’s soccer scrimmage beginning at 3 p.m.
Women’s Tennis
Thursday, April 24 at Toledo, 1 p.m. MAC Semifinal
Friday, April 25 vs Miami/Buffalo- 11 a.m. –
The MAC West Champion NIU Huskies make their first appearance in the MAC Championship Tournament since 2017 as they take on homestanding Toledo in one semifinal match on Thursday, April 24. NIU earned the No. 2 seed in the four-team tournament, the highest seed by a Huskie team in school history. The Huskies are looking for their first MAC title in women’s tennis.
The Huskies defeated Toledo, 4-3, on March 28 at the Nelson Tennis Center in the only meeting between the teams this season.
and clinched NIU’s spot in the April 24-25 MAC Tournament. The Huskies will make their first appearance in the tournament since 2017.
NIU enters the tournament with a 21-6 record overall and was 7-3 versus MAC opponents. Look for a full preview later this week on NIUHuskies.com.
Baseball
Tuesday, April 22 at Valparaiso, 3 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Wednesday, April 23 at Illinois State, 5 p.m. – ESPN+ | Live Stats
Friday, April 25 vs Western Michigan, 3 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
Saturday, April 26 vs Western Michigan, 2 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
Sunday, April 27 vs Western Michigan, 1 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
The Huskies play six games over an eight-day span, starting with midweek games at Valparaiso on Tuesday and at Illinois State on Wednesday. NIU defeated the Beacons in DeKalb last season 10-9 on a Cooper Cohn walk-off home run. Valpo head coach Brian Schmack played at NIU from 1992-95. Head Coach Ryan Copeland takes the Huskies to his alma mater Illinois State on Wednesday. Copeland pitched at Illinois State from 2007-10 and was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. The Huskies host Western Michigan this weekend at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park. NIU took one out of three games from the Broncos last season. A full preview of this weekend’s series will be available on NIUHuskies.com later this week.
Softball
Wednesday, April 23 at Illinois, 5 p.m. – Big Ten + | Live Stats
Friday, April 25 vs Akron, 3 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
Saturday, April 26 vs Akron, 1 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
Saturday, April 26 vs Akron, 3 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
The Huskies softball team will face their final non-conference opponent of the season on Wednesday as they travel to Big Ten foe, Illinois. The Huskies and Fighting Illini will have first pitch at 5 p.m. on the Illinois campus. Following the midweek game, the Huskies begin their final five-game homestand as they welcome Akron to campus April 25 and 25. April 25 is the Huskies Mental Health and Diabetes Awareness game while April 26 marks senior day for the Huskies. Seniors will be recognized prior to the game on Saturday.
The Huskies are coming from a week where they went 3-1 including a walk-off win against Bradley on April 16. Danielle Stewart, the MAC Player of the Week for the week of April 15, led the Huskies at the plate with a .467 batting average. Stewart was one of two Huskies to accumulate seven hits on the week, had a home run, and saw a win in the pitcher’s circle for NIU.
Men’s Golf
Sunday, April 27 – Tuesday, April 29 at MAC Championships
The NIU men’s golf team starts play in the 2025 MAC Men’s Golf Championship on Sunday, April 27 at 8 a.m. CT at Pinnacle Golf Club in Grove City, Ohio. The Huskies took 11th place at last weekend’s Boilermaker Invitational with senior Ben Sluzas tying for seventh individually with a 54-hole score of four-under par 209. Sluzas played his final 36 holes at Purdue at eight-under par with seven birdies and an eagle. NIU has placed in the top three in each of the last four MAC Championships, tying for third last year. A full preview will be available on NIUHuskies.com later this week.
Women’s Golf
Monday, April 21 – Tuesday, April 22 at MAC Championships
The NIU women’s golf team continues action at the MAC Championships on Monday and Tuesday. Making her debut at the MAC Championships, Mia Raines carded an even par round in the opening round as the Huskies sat in seventh after 18 holes.
Track and Field
Thursday, April 25 – Saturday, April 26 at Drake Relays – Watch
A trio of competitions await the NIU women’s track and field team this weekend, highlighted by the 115th Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. Last season at Drake, Arianna Calloway finished seventh in the championship flight of the high jump competition. Calloway, Jasmijn Raes and Kamiya Dendy are all currently tied for third in the league in the high jump this spring, each having cleared 1.74 meters.
Raes was fifth in the high jump this past weekend at Baylor’s Michael Johnson Invitational while Giorgia Fino was seventh in the javelin and Emma Vorpagel posted the third-fastest time in the MAC this spring in the 800 meters, running 2:09.19 at the Bryan Clay Invitational. Along with Drake, NIU will also compete at the Kip Janvrin Open and ONU Outdoor Open this weekend.