After a 19-day layoff, the NIU baseball team will take the field Feb. 24 through 26 at the Evansville Tournament. NIU is set to play Eastern Illinois, Evansville and Wisconsin-Milwaukee for the three-day tournament.

The Huskies are currently 0-3 on the season, as nationally ranked Arizona State swept a three-game set to open the season Feb. 3 through 5.

Sophomore outfielder Jeff Thomas is 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Senior outfielder Brian Toner is 4-for-10 and has the team’s only home run. Junior infielder Scott Simon is also 4-for-10 and has two RBIs.

Instant impact

NIU women’s soccer coach Marci Miller is in search of instantaneous results from the 2006 recruiting class.

Five new players committed to NIU Feb. 7, and Miller expects five more to join the ranks later in the spring.

“The girls that we have signed today are going to help improve the program a lot,” Miller said. “We are hoping to bring in 11 new players overall for next year and all of them will step in and compete for starting positions right away.”

Four recruits are from the Chicago suburbs. Goalkeeper Audrey Holmer from York High School, Lisa Maier from Carl Sandburg, Sarah McClard of Lincoln Way East and Kelly Mullany from Neuqua Valley.

Miller went out of state to land Cara Stutler. The Wichita, Kansas native is a top-25 player in region 2 and can play any position. Stutler has trained with the Olympic Development Camp since 1999.

Home stand paying off

The NIU men’s tennis team opened a five-match home stand with its first win of the season; a 5-2 win over Illinois Chicago Sunday.

After three-straight losses to Big Ten opponents, NIU rolled to victory with wins in the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches, and by winning four of six singles matches.

NIU takes on Eastern Illinois on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Shut out in Show Me state

The NIU women’s tennis team fell 7-0 at Missouri on Sunday. NIU is 1-4 on the season and will take the court next at the Clock Tower Inn Tennis Center in Rockford on Saturday versus Drake at noon.

Record breaker

Ajahnae Hinley had a record-breaking weekend at the Iowa State Indoor Track and Field Classic.

The senior sprinter broke the school record and won the 600-yard run, ran a leg in the 4 X 400 relay, and set the NIU record in the 200 and 400-meter dashes.