DeKALB | 2007 was a record-setting year for the NIU baseball team.

The Huskies matched the school record for victories with 34, won a school record 16 MAC games, participated in the longest game in MAC Tournament history and had the longest MAC Tournament run ever of any NIU squad.

The premier game of the tournament was an epic battle with Miami University on May 25.

In a win-or-go home scenario, the NIU baseball team staved off elimination with a 6-4 win in the 13th inning.

A game winning two-run double in the top of the 13th by sophomore catcher Justin Behm, who was two-for-five, made a winner out of closer Matt German (5-2).

The senior closer pitched a season high five innings and did not allow a run.

“That game was a lot of fun,” NIU coach Ed Mathey said. “Matt German was big. For us to beat Miami, a team that has been on top for so long, was special. We just scratched and clawed our way through the battle, and we took advantage of the one chance we had to pull out the win.”

Prior to the tournament, Mathey said he liked his team’s chances because of a deep pitching staff that could endure multiple games sandwiched around short rest.

However, the marathon extra-inning game with Miami, which was followed by a brief intermission, proved to be too great to recover from as NIU lost to Eastern Michigan 9-3 to finish third overall.

“That was tough. Physically, I think we were ready,” Mathey said. “But with a quick 35-minute turnaround, we had to retool, play the No. 1 seed on their home field and then get our emotional level back to where it was against Toledo.”

NIU dropped the tournament opener to eventual champion Kent State, 7-3, on May 23.

Forced into the survival-of-the-fittest elimination bracket, NIU pulled out a 11-10 victory over Toledo May 24.

“We had played Toledo so much there was nothing to hide,” Mathey said. “It was just two heavyweights standing in the middle of the ring taking swings at each other. It was a great game.”

Senior first baseman Scott Simon, already NIU’s resident hit king, became the all-time MAC hits leader. Also, Tim Kamin continued to victimize Toledo pitchers, going three-for-four.

Kamin, a junior, entered as a pinch hitter and promptly belted a game winning three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh.

A strong core of returnees has Mathey eager for the 2008 season.

“I’m excited for next year,” he said. “This year we got back to where we want to be consistently: the MAC Tournament. We have a lot of position players back, and the bulk of our pitching staff. We feel like we have built this program to a level that we want to maintain.”