DeKALB | Despite getting swept by Central Michigan over the weekend, the NIU baseball team still sits in third place in the MAC West with four more division series to go.

It took NIU only 31 games to reach the 20-win plateau this season, making them the fastest squad in three decades to do so.

NIU will play six games this week, highlighted by a three-game home series versus Eastern Michigan this weekend.

Mid-season awards

Last Thursday, senior closer Matt German was named to the mid-season watch list for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award.

The award goes to the top reliever in Division 1, and German is one of two players represented by the MAC out of a total of 40 pitchers. The Aurora, Ill., native owns the NIU record for career saves with 21 and has earned the save in the last eight Huskie victories while not giving up a hit.

In Friday’s loss to CMU, German gave up his first run since Feb. 25 of this year, a span of 24.1 innings.

A member of the preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List in February, German is currently second in the MAC in saves and tied for 15th nationally. Prior to the season, he was listed as the “Projected MAC Pitcher of the Year” by Collegiate Baseball.

Senior first baseman Scott Simon is one of 30 candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which is given to college baseball’s most outstanding student-athlete.

Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, or CLASS, is an award designed to honor everything included in staying in school and being a successful athlete. A national media committee will select 10 finalists in May and the winner will be announced during the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

The Algonquin, Ill., native owns NIU records for most hits, doubles, RBI and putouts and is the lone representative from the MAC. Simon has a 3.31 cumulative GPA and will graduate in May with a sociology degree.

Still going strong

Even though the Huskies dropped all five of their games last week, junior Danny Reed improved his batting average to .375, good enough for second-best in the MAC.

The Lindstrom, Minn., native has hit safely in 28 of his last 31 starts.

Freshman Jordin Hood extended his hit streak to nine games after Sunday’s loss to CMU.

Curveballs

In last Wednesday’s loss to Iowa, a season-high five NIU batters were hit by a pitch.

Hard hits

NIU gave up a season-high 15 runs in Saturday’s loss.

On the other hand, the Huskies equaled their season-high with 13 hits in Sunday’s loss, and Jesse Seykora and Simon each recorded their 12th multi-hit game of the season on the same day. Junior Tim Kamin had his first collegiate multi-hit game.

Among the best

Junior shortstop Krista McPherson is the leader in runs scored in MAC games this season with 14 and is in second place in hits with 21.

McPherson currently has a team-high .360 batting average heading into Wednesday’s game against DePaul.