NIU baseball will take on the University of Illinois at Chicago at 6:15 p.m. today at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva.

This marks the second home game for the Huskies in a venue other that Ralph McKenize Field.

NIU will look for a better outcome than its last home-away-from-home contest, which ended with a

5-4 loss against Notre Dame at U.S. Cellular Field.

The Huskies (16-19, 9-6 MAC) plan to play this game just like any other game.

“Whenever you’re playing in a bigger venue, it seems like it has more meaning,” NIU catcher Justin Behm said. “We’re trying to take it like a normal game, preparing like we’re playing at Ralph McKenzie.”

Behm, also a designated hitter, has been red-hot for the Huskies. The junior has driven in 16 runs in his last seven games.

“I’ve been seeing the ball real well lately,” Behm said. “It’s always good to come through for the team.”

The Huskies are looking to get the bats going after scoring only six runs in the final two games against the University of Toledo this past weekend.

NIU coach Ed Mathey believes more consistent situational hitting will be key for NIU.

“We’re generating baserunners. We need to do a better job of getting hits with guys on base,” Mathey said. “We need to get our performance to a consistent level.”

UIC (22-15 overall, 11-5 Horizon) is fresh off two one-sided losses against Wright State. In a doubleheader on Sunday, the Flames lost 20-0 in the first game and 6-1 in the second game.

Despite the poor showing in the doubleheader, UIC will be no easy task for the Huskies.

The Flames come into tonight’s game batting .296 as a team. UIC first baseman Brett Schaefer has produced the most offense for the Flames. The junior is hitting .323 while driving in a team-high 32 runs.