Technically, today’s game for the NIU softball team will be played on the road.

However, many NIU students would call it a homecoming as the Huskies (13-13) will face Northwestern (27-7) at 4 p.m. in Evanston, Ill.

The Wildcats are ranked No. 8 in the nation. In the past weekend, Northwestern went 3-1 in the Big Ten.

The Big Ten powerhouse is led by two ace pitchers. Lauren Delaney is 13-0 with a 1.24 ERA for the season. The freshman has pitched 11 complete games and five shutouts.

The Wildcats also have the returning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year on staff: Eileen Canney. The senior is 14-7 with a 1.91 ERA. In 23 appearances, she has recorded 165 strikeouts.

“We’re going to take our shot at upsetting one of the 10 best teams in the nation,” NIU head coach Donna Martin said. “It’s a great rivalry.”

The Huskies, like the Wildcats, are coming off a weekend in which they went 3-1 in conference play.

NIU started by splitting a double header with Eastern Michigan on Friday. It then swept a two-game series against Central Michigan over the weekend.

Martin is proud of her team’s ability to focus during the weekend. Both the Saturday and Sunday games against CMU were delayed due to rain.

“We put some things together this weekend, especially offensively,” the head coach said. “We’ve had some pretty good defense, and have pitched consistently so far. It was our offensive side that needed improvement.”