One outcome is guaranteed when the 6-22 NIU mounders head to the north side of Chicago for a 3:30 p.m. showdown Thursday.

“No matter what happens,” NIU skipper Joe “Spanky” McFarland said. “NIU will win.”

Good call by the rookie coach because it will be the NIU Huskies versus the Northeastern Illinois University (NIU) Golden Eagles.

The Huskies travel to Northeastern with plenty of rest and a three-game winning streak under their belts. NIU swept a doubleheader from Northern Iowa on Sunday.

Due to Mother Nature’s lack of cooperation, a twin bill with Lewis University was cancelled on Tuesday, but McFarland views the washout optimistically.

“It really doesn’t hurt us at all,” McFarland said. “We have a lot of games coming up, so it actually might’ve helped us as far as pitching is concerned.”

Northeastern is a first year Division I competitor, so the two clubs should match up well.

“They’re trying to play at a level higher than they’re used to,” McFarland said. “We’re probably at the level that they’ve been playing at, so it’ll be a good game for us.”

After the Northeastern contest, the Huskies prepare for six games in three days. The University of Chicago invades DeKalb on Saturday, then Olivet Nazerene University comes to Huskie Diamond on Monday. Tuesday, NIU travels to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.