This week in Huskie Athletics
This week in Huskie Athletics NIU will have seven teams in action this week. NIU baseball opens their week on Tuesday at EIU before a trip to Champaign for a weekend series against Illinois. Softball has a double header at Bradley before a weekend series against Toledo. Men’s tennis hosts Ball State and WMU as their regular season comes to a close. Women’s tennis takes on Toledo and Bowling Green over the weekend. Men’s golf travels to a tournament at Iowa and women’s golf will compete at the Oral Roberts Spring invite. Track and Field competes at SIUE on Saturday.
Baseball
Tuesday, April 9 at Eastern Illinois – Live Stats
Friday, April 12 at Illinois, 6 p.m. – B1G+ ($) | Live Stats
Saturday, April 13 at Illinois, 3 p.m. – B1G+ ($) | Live Stats
Sunday, April 14 at Illinois, 1 p.m. – B1G+ ($) | Live Stats
NIU Baseball is on the road this week for games at Eastern Illinois and Illinois. The Huskies look to bounce back from being swept by MAC-leading Bowling Green this past weekend at Ralph McKinzie Field at Walt and Janice Owens Park. It was the first time this season that NIU was swept in a weekend series. Senior infielder Jake Nelson hit .545 against the Falcons last weekend, with two hits in each of the three games. NIU last played Eastern Illinois in 2007, a 7-4 win for the Huskies. The Huskies and Fighting Illini will meet on the diamond for the first time in eight years this weekend. The two teams split a pair of games in 2016.
Softball
Wednesday, April 10 at Bradley DH 2 p.m./4 p.m. – Game 1: ESPN+ | Live Stats Game 2: ESPN+ | Live Stats
Friday, April 12 vs Toledo, 3 p.m. – Watch | Live Stats
Saturday, April 13 vs Toledo DH, 1 p.m., 3 p.m. – Game 1: Watch | Live Stats Game 2: Watch Live Stats
After dropping three-straight games to Ohio, the Huskies take a mid-week break from conference action as they travel to in-state foe, Bradley on April 10. The Huskies will return to conference action on April 12-13, as they host Toledo for senior weekend.
Ellis Erickson, the senior outfielder/catcher, has recorded 12 consecutive games with a hit, dating back to the first game on March 16 against Central Michigan. In the first game on April 6 against Ohio, Caitlyn Shumaker (Bellefontaine, Ohio/Bellefontaine) became the first Huskie to have two home runs in a game since Sam Mallinder vs Buffalo on May 8, 2022.
Men’s Tennis
Friday, April 12 vs Ball State, 1 p.m. – Sycamore HS
Sunday, April 14 vs Western Michigan, 10 a.m. – Sycamore HS
NIU men’s tennis hosts two duals this weekend against Ball State on Friday and WMU on Sunday. NIU is in a tie for first place in the Mid-American Conference and would clinch an outright conference championship if the Huskies won both duals this weekend. The Huskies currently sit in a tie with WMU for first place in the MAC. The Huskies will play both matches this weekend at Sycamore HS.
NIU went 1-1 last weekend. The Huskies took down Buffalo 5-2 on Friday and dropped a Sunday dual against Toledo 6-1.
Women’s Tennis
Friday, April 12: at Toledo (UT Varsity Tennis Courts), 12 p.m. (CT) | Live Scores
Sunday, April 14: vs. Bowling Green (Nelson Tennis Center OR Sycamore High School Courts), 2 p.m. | Watch* | Live Scores
After splitting a pair of matches last weekend, defeating Eastern Michigan 5-2 at home in the Nelson Tennis Center Friday before losing to Western Michigan, 6-1, in Kalamazoo Sunday, the Huskie enter the penultimate weekend of the regular season 13-9 overall and 2-4 versus Mid-American Conference foes.
The Huskies are on the road to take on league-leaders Toledo Friday as the Rockets bring a seven-match winning streak and a 13-4 overall record into the match. Sunday, NIU will play host to Bowling Green in the only meeting between the teams this year. The Falcons are 7-11 overall and 2-4 in the MAC heading into a Friday match at Miami before traveling to DeKalb.
Junior Reagan Welch led the Huskies last week with a pair of singles victories, improving her record to 13-7 on the season, while the doubles pair of Erika Dimitriev and Nataly Ninova also won both of their matches and are 6-3 in matches completed this year.
Men’s Golf
Saturday, April 13 – Sunday, April 14 at Hawkeye Invitational
NIU Men’s Golf is in action this coming Saturday and Sunday at Iowa’s Hawkeye Invitational at Finkbine Golf Course. The Huskies took on one of the toughest fields in college golf last weekend at Vanderbilt’s Mason Rudolph Championship, finishing in 11th place against a field that included three top-10 programs and seven more ranked in the top-100 nationally. Junior Ben Sluzas led the Huskies with a 33rd place finish with a six-over par 219. Sluzas tied for third at last season’s Hawkeye Invitational as NIU finished third as a team.
Women’s Golf
Monday, April 8- Tuesday, April 9 at Oral Roberts Spring Invite
The Huskie women’s golf team concludes the regular season as they compete at the Oral Roberts Spring Invite in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The Huskies will play the par-72 course at The Club at Indian Springs in the three-round tournament.
The Huskies were last in action at the Colonel Classic on April 1, finishing in a tie for fifth as a team. Two Huskies finished in the top-15 as the 54-hole tournament was reduced to 36 holes as inclement weather in the area led to the cancellation of the final round on April 2.
Track and Field
Saturday, April 13 at Cougar Classic (Edwardsville, Ill.)
NIU Track and Field will head to Edwardsville, Ill. for the Cougar Classic on Saturday.
The Huskies competed in Miami last weekend where four Huskies posted personal record. Talyssia Sanders and Roshell Rowe earned PR’s at 200 meters, while Emma Vorpagel earned a PR with a 2:14.31 in the 800 meters.
NIU women’s basketball player Tara Stauffacher joined the throws team last week and threw the shotput 39-9 ¾ feet.