Popular spring break destinations include Cancun, Jamaica and Florida.

It just so happens that the NIU softball team will be heading south to the latter of the three – except not for spring break festivities.

Instead, the Huskies will compete in the University of South Florida’s Adidas Invitational. The annual tournament will host 24 teams, including three MAC schools.

The tournament places six teams into a pool. NIU is in Pool D with the University of Massachusetts, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Tennessee Tech and University of Illinois-Chicago.

Excitement has filled NIU head coach Donna Martin and her team as it awaits the first pitch of the tournament. For the first time since Feb. 25, the Huskies have been able to practice on a real field. The recent weather in Illinois has kept the team limited to indoor practices.

“We’re really excited. We got a good two-hour practice in, mostly focusing on fielding,” Martin said Wednesday. “We’re going to play softball like it should be: On a field with grass.”

Any practice NIU can get will be crucial, as success in Pool D will require the Huskies to sharply execute the three dynamics of softball, described by Martin as offense, defense and pitching.

“UMass played in the final 16 last year,” Martin said. “We’re going to have to play consistent in all three phases.”

The Huskies will open pool play with a double-header today. The first game will take place at 10 a.m. CST against UIC, while the opening pitch for the second against Georgia Tech will be thrown at noon.

Friday will bring about another double-header, with an early game against Tennessee Tech and an afternoon match with Indiana. NIU will finish off the pool play of the tournament at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning against UMass. The second half of the tournament will begin that afternoon.

The first two teams from each pool will be placed into the gold bracket, the middle two teams into the silver, and the final two into the bronze.

But Florida isn’t the only destination for the Huskies over spring break, as they will also play three games near and in the nation’s capital.

The first game will take place Wednesday, March 14 in Towson, Maryland against the Towson Tigers. The Huskies will then move to Baltimore on Thursday to face the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. NIU will wrap up the trip Saturday in Washington, D.C. against Georgetown.