NIU baseball had high expectations coming into the 2008 season, with most of the players that comprised the 2007 squad returning.

The Huskies returned most of their pitching staff, which was expected to be one of the team’s strengths, even with the loss of NIU career saves leader Matt German.

It was an up and down season for the Huskies, who had their first series canceled due to the Feb. 14 shootings, and got off to a 3-10 start playing all road games against some tough opponents.

However, the Huskies were able to work their way back over .500 and finish fourth in the MAC and second in the MAC West, both of which are a school best.

The Huskies also made their deepest MAC tournament run in school history, where they were two victories away from the championship game.

“I think it was a successful year, we did some pretty good things out there,” said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. “Back north I thought we played pretty good baseball, particularly in the MAC. We fought back and the kids kept battling.”

“We made a lot of strides, we started off really slow and battled back to .500,” NIU shortstop Bobby Stevens said. “I’m proud of the way we finished out the season.”

The pitching staff didn’t disappoint. NIU finished third in the MAC in team ERA led by starters Trevor Feeney and Adam Holdenrid, who had missed most of the previous two seasons recovering from elbow surgery.

Feeney inished second in the MAC in innings pitched, while Holdenrid ranked second on the Huskies in ERA. Closer Andy Deain led the MAC in saves with 10 and appearances with 35.

One of the biggest surprises of the season was reliever Dan Atkenson. The senior only had a total of 16 2/3 innings pitched entering his senior year.

Atkenson led the Huskies in ERA at 1.82 and finished second in the MAC with 31 appearances.

“All things being equal Dan Atkenson went out and had a tremendous year,” Mathey said, who became NIU’s all-time wins leader this season. “He just never stopped believing, he kept working.”

One of the biggest moments of the season came on April 16, when NIU hosted Notre Dame at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Huskies fell short with a 5-4 loss in front of a school record 4,600 fans, but Mathey said it’s a game that the players and coaches will always remember.

“The entire experience was just incredible. I know its something I’ll never forget, I think its something the kids will never forget,” Mathey said. “Four thousand, six hundred fans, what a great night it was for college baseball.”

The Huskies landed four players on the All-MAC team. Justin Behm, who spent time at designated hitter on catcher, earned first team honors.

Behm hit a team-high 11 home runs while finishing second on the team with 42 RBI’s, one behind team leader Jordin Hood.

Deain, Feeney, and left fielder Jeff Thomas all made the second team.

Thomas was the Huskies leading hitter at .352 and would have been drafted if not for an injury he suffered in the MAC tournament.

There is still a chance that the senior will sign as a free agent once he is healthy.

Next season, NIU will return key players like Behm, Hood, and first baseman Dave Reynolds, but it will have to fill a lot of holes, especially in the pitching staff.

The Huskies will lose two of their three starting outfielders in Thomas and Danny Reed, as well as shortstop Bobby Stevens, who

signed with the Baltimore Orioles.

The entire weekend rotation of Feeney, Holdenrid, and Matt Jernstad will be gone, as will Atkenson and Dave Nykiel, the team’s top two setup men.

“Three hundred plus innings gone,” Mathey said. “It’s gonna be a challenge. We’ve got some young kids coming in. We think that there are gonna be some pretty good arms in that group.”