NIU (4-10) vs. Buffalo (5-11)

Saturday 12 p.m. (doubleheader) and Sunday 1 p.m.

Coach’s Take

NIU

“I anticipate we’re going to see a better ballclub than what the overall record indicates,” NIU head coach Ed Mathey said. “They had a pretty good season last year where they moved up in the rankings.”

BU

Head coach Ron Torgalski could not be reached for comment.

Last Time Out

NIU

The Huskies closed out their Spring Break trip with a 10-2 win over Dallas Baptist on March 15. NIU scored five runs in the first two innings and never looked back as Adam Holdenrid pitched seven innings, giving up only two runs. The senior improved his record to 2-1 on the season.

BU

The Bulls won their last time out, a 2-1 victory over Texas-Pan American on March 15. Jeffrey Hains pitched seven innings, striking out five. Steve Geltz closed out the game for his second save of the season.

Key Players

NIU

Danny Reed is currently on a 12-game hitting streak. The senior is batting .355 on the season and leads the team in RBIs, with 15. Reed’s nine doubles are tops in the MAC.

BU

Chris Ciesla is the leading hitter for the Bulls. The designated hitter is batting .361 with nine RBIs.

“Ciesla is going to cause us some problems and we’ve got to figure out a way to handle him,” Mathey said.

Vital Stat

NIU

The Huskies hold a 9-0 series lead over the Bulls, but the two teams have not met since 2003. In their last outing, NIU defeated BU 15-2 and 6-4 in a doubleheader.

BU

BU was prepared to host its first home series of the season, but due to weather concerns, BU will host the games on the road. The series is moved to Olean, NY, which is about an hour-and-a-half from Buffalo. The Bulls went 10-10 at home last year, as opposed to 6-24 on the road.