On the surface, the NIU baseball program is really struggling right now—one measly victory in 20 tries.

Scratch it a little bit and reality pops up. The program is making strides.

Last August, Joe “Spanky” McFarland took the NIU job well aware that the revival of a program which has been defunct for seven years would be quite arduous.

Over seven years, alumni ties were broken, recruiting was virtually killed, interest flew out the window, even the dog-gone field was taken over.

Thus, rebuilding the program involves a very time-consuming process. Top-25 programs don’t appear over night.

Yet people around this campus fail to realize that this inaugural season is a stepping stone. Simply meaning that wins aren’t a required by-product.

Besides, 25 walk-ons comprise this team. That means no collegiate experience and less raw talent than all of the opponents.

With that knowledge, 1-19 isn’t indicative of the program whatsoever. These guys are out there, working their tails off, with full knowledge that they are sacrificing themselves for the future of the program.

That, in itself, deserves some applause—not mockery and criticism.

As for the progress, McFarland and his staff are doing their jobs. McFarland will be able to give seven full scholarships next season. Right now, the rookie coach confirmed that three out of the four best lefties in the Chicagoland area have verbally committed to NIU, not to mention a quality catcher and a couple of shortstops.

Combine that talent with the experience of some junior college transfers and all of a sudden the Huskies’ future isn’t so dim.

Like McFarland said, “This whole year is trying to get the machine started. Once we get it started, we have to get it running smoothly. Then, we have to rev it up to win the race.”

Success does not hinge on wins or losses in this primary campaign, rather NIU’s ability to get its foot in the door.