Runners left on base is a misleading statistic for NIU baseball coach Ed Mathey. But the statistic has become quite a familiar one for the Huskies – they’ve totalled 45 in the last four games.

“That to me is a double-edge number,” Mathey said. “Our guys are getting hits and getting on base, but we also need to knock them in.”

The Huskies (10-23 overall, 1-8 MAC) will need some of those runners to score this weekend as they kickoff a three-game homestand against Central Michigan (21-14, 3-6).

Junior right-hander Nick Hall (1-4) will make the start for NIU at 3 p.m. today at Ralph McKinzie Field, with the final two games occurring at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Scoring runs against the defending MAC-champion Chippewas has not been an easy task this year; CMU boasts a league-best 3.20 ERA.

“I haven’t seen their main pitchers yet because they’ve done a lot of retooling since last year,” Mathey said. “To have success this weekend, we need to hit the ball the opposite way and cut down on our strikeouts.”

Lineup solidarity is one aspect that has eluded the Huskies in the first half of the season. A wrist injury has limited junior Scott Simon to 44 at-bats a season after leading the Huskies with 89 hits and 71 RBIs last season.

While nagging injuries are keeping the lineup in constant flux, senior outfielder Mike Santoro is optimistic about the rest of the season.

“With the amount of injuries this year, we’ve been going with 11 and 12 guys in our lineup,” Santoro said. “But the same guys are playing more regularly now. I think coach knows what he wants to do with the lineup. The second half should be better for us.”