Tonight’s home baseball game will be a change of pace for the Huskies.

That’s because instead of playing at Ralph McKinzie Field on the west side of campus, NIU will play at U.S. Cellular Field on Chicago’s South Side, where the team will take on Notre Dame at 7 p.m.

“I’ve been thinking if I should imitate any of my favorite White Sox players,” NIU first baseman Dave Reynolds said jokingly. “Ozzie Guillen being my favorite player, I’m thinking about batting like him.”

The Huskies (15-16, 8-4 MAC) will also face a quality opponent in Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish (21-9-1, 10-2 Big East), are currently on an eight-game winning streak.

Notre Dame is one of the premier college baseball programs in the Midwest, as it ranks No. 29 in the nation. It made the NCAA Tournament eight out of the last nine years and the College World Series in 2002.

“Notre Dame’s a good club,” NIU head coach Ed Mathey said. “I think our guys are looking forward to the opportunity to play Notre Dame at one of the best venues you can play at for a college team.”

Matt Jernstad will make the start for the Huskies. Jernstad has struggled so far this season, going 0-4 with a 7.89 ERA. The senior also has 27 walks in 29 2-3 innings.

“I’ve got some control problems right now; I’ve been working on that pretty hard,” Jernstad said. “I just have to throw strikes, let the hitters hit it and let the fielders do their job.”

Ryan Sharpley will take the mound for Notre Dame. The freshman is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA this season.

Ironically, Sharpley was drafted in the 34th round by the White Sox in the 2007 MLB draft. He is also the brother of teammate and Notre Dame quarterback Evan Sharpley.

“It’s just another game; you can’t look at the pitcher,” Reynolds said. “Just play the game of baseball. That’s pretty much it.”

Tickets are $10 and can still be purchased through Ticketmaster at the NIU campus box office or the U.S. Cellular Field box office. A crowd of about 4,000 to 6,000 is expected. All proceeds will go to the Feb. 14 Scholarship Fund.