After weather cut the NIU softball team’s last weekend short, the Huskies are ready to return to the field against Notre Dame (16-6 overall) in South Bend, Ind.

The Huskies (10-11 overall) have been showing signs of improvement lately. One reason attributed to the better play is the turnaround of the Huskies offense.

The Huskies batting average for the first 11 games was only above .300 once. In the last 10 games, their batting average has been above .300 every game.

The increase in hits has directly affected the number of runs that they score.

In the first 11 games of the season, the Huskies only scored 36 total runs. In the last 10 games, the Huskies have put up 83 total runs.

Softball head coach Lindsay Chouinard agrees that the better results are due to the offense.

“The offense has gotten a lot better since the beginning of the year,” Chouinard said. “It seems like just about every game recently we have put up five runs or more. We are really hitting the ball well lately.”

Since March 4, the Huskies have scored five runs or more in seven out of those 10 games.

In order for the Huskies to remain successful and be competitive against Notre Dame, the offense will have to remain hot.

“We have to come out strong and the offense needs to set the tone for us right away,” Chouinard said. “When the offense sets the tone, that allows our defense to relax a little bit and that takes some pressure off our pitcher.”

The Huskies are sitting in the best position that they have been in four years, Chouinard said, and they are excited to play a solid Notre Dame team.

“Notre Dame is a really good team,” Chouinard said. “But we are excited to play them and see what we can do against them. It will be a challenge for us but it will be a great opportunity for us as well to see where we are as a team.”