Toni Del Toro is from Las Vegas, and she did what anyone from Vegas would do when considering NIU – she gambled.

Del Toro, like many out-of-state athletes, hadn’t heard of NIU before deciding to pack her bags and head east to DeKalb.

But this weekend, Del Toro gets to see something she left behind in Vegas.

“My family is coming,” she said. “I’m really excited because I haven’t seen them since the tourney we played in at Vegas. It’s going to be good to see them.”

Del Toro and the Huskies will host Kent State for a doubleheader at 2 p.m. today and at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Del Toro came to NIU because of a tournament she played in at Colorado.

NIU coach Donna Martin said the Huskies had signed a pitcher to come to NIU, but she suffered a career-ending injury after her freshman year. Martin then went to a tournament looking for a replacement.

Del Toro played for the Las Vegas Gamblers and caught Martin’s eye.

“It was a good place for us to go to see seniors play that weren’t signed,” Martin said. “You can see them play and follow their team throughout the tournament. Toni really impressed us.”

Del Toro, who was used to living in a big city, hadn’t lived in a town like DeKalb before.

The small-town atmosphere has been a good influence on Del Toro, who said she has learned to be more independent but misses the bright lights.

“There is a limit of things to do out here,” Del Toro said. “I miss being able to do anything I want at any time of the night like it is in Vegas.”

Del Toro compared moving across the country to starting over because you don’t know anyone and need to make new friends.

“When I came out here, I needed to get used to a new life and meet new friends,” Del Toro said. “When I met the team, it was like I had a bunch of new best friends.”