NIU baseball hopes to carry its momentum from its last series into this weekend’s home series against Toledo.

Toledo (17-19, 6-6 MAC) will come into the contest winners of its last five of six games, including two in the MAC.

NIU (11-24, 5-7 MAC) will come into the series with a 3-3 record in its last six, but most recently completing a sweep against MAC foe Miami (Ohio).

“You can tell the way these guys came out and practiced Tuesday that they felt good about themselves,” said NIU coach Ed Mathey. “That in itself helps you prepare when you’re feeling good about yourself.”

NIU senior shortstop Alex Jones agreed with Mathey about the overall attitude of the team.

“Everyone is a lot more positive,” Jones said. “It’s more or less a mentality. Everyone knows what we’re capable of doing. I feel that what we did against Miami will now be the expectation.”

Mathey also realizes how important the series against Toledo will be in terms of shaking down the standings in the MAC, with Toledo sitting ahead of NIU by two places.

“It’s about the time and the place,” Mathey said. “We have Toledo in here. We’re in a good position going into it. Toledo is one game up on us right now. If we can take the series from them, we’re at least tied and we own a tie-breaker. It’s congested in the MAC west. Our job is to win this series and move up the ladder.”

NIU senior third baseman Troy White looks at the situation a bit differently than his coach.

“Standings really don’t mean anything as long as you win,” White said. “We’re only worried about going out there and winning. If we can take care of that, we don’t have to worry about the standings.”