PALM BEACH, Fla. | What a difference a year makes.

A 5-3 spring break trip to Florida is the polar opposite to what a grueling 2006 West Coast trip forced the NIU baseball team to endure.

“This is a fun group to be around,” NIU head coach Ed Mathey said. “They are very enthusiastic, and come every day with a synergy and cohesiveness that is contagious.”

A high-octane offense proved to be the star of the trip; in four of their five wins, NIU posted double-digit run totals.

Perhaps even more vital to NIU is the emergence of Jesse Seykora. The senior third baseman has filled the role of protecting Scott Simon, and at the same time became a one-man wrecking machine to the ERA of opposing pitchers.

Seykora leads the team in all major categories with a .453 average, 24 hits, six doubles, six home runs and 19 RBI. Led by the Minnesota native, the NIU offense has eight of its regular players hitting .300 or better.

“I feel a lot more comfortable this year,” Seykora said. “I tweaked a few things in my swing and it has allowed me to see the ball a whole lot better.”

Despite its offensive prowess, NIU continues to employ a pressure-style offense, swiping 19 of 23 bases.

NIU hitters have benefited from the aggressiveness on the base paths as they have been force-fed fast balls by pitchers.

“The whole team is swinging the bats well,” Jewett said. “We feel like our offense can put up eight runs a game. We’ve played some good defense and our pitchers have thrown well, just knowing you can score gives you confidence to take some chances to make plays in the field.”

Sophomore Andy Deain has yet to allow an earned run in six appearances out of the bullpen, and senior closer Matt German has a 0.96 ERA to go along with a 2-1 record and two saves.

NIU defeated Manhattan 14-10 on St. Patrick’s Day. A seventh inning rally capped by a Seykora grand slam downed the 2006 NCAA tournament participant.