A battle against cancer will begin with the opening pitch of the DeKalb Challenge softball tournament Nov. 7 and 8.

The tournament is sponsored by Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and local proprietors.

Phi Sig Philanthropy Chairman Peter Zaikowski said he would like to get the “residents of DeKalb, along with the students of NIU, to fight against cancer.”

The money raised from the tournament will be going to Wilm’s Tumor Cancer Research with proceeds going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., Zaikowski said.

The organization was chosen by the fraternity last year in honor of Tom Lisinski, a Phi Sig alumni who died of a form of cancer researched there.

About 24 local businesses have contributed to the cause by giving coupons and gifts averaging $20-$25 which supplied prizes for a raffle held last Thursday and Friday. Tickets were sold for $1 each.

First, second and third place winners of the raffle will receive prizes worth $185, $135 and $90 respectively. Some of the prizes will include record albums, a record cleaner and floppy disks and holders.

Zaikowski said he is planning on a total of 32 teams competing in the tournament with a $50 entrance fee per team.

That money, along with the remainder of the raffle money earned, will go to the research fund and to the first-, second- and third-place winning teams in the tournament, he said.

The tournament will be held behind the Stevenson Towers, and games will be scheduled before and after the Huskie football game against Western Illinois University.

Phi Sig Doug Sheehan said, “I think it’s a good chance for the independents and greeks to compete together along with the community.”