Last season, NIU baseball coach Ed Mathey led the Huskies to a record 34 wins. It was his first season of coaching at NIU.

On Wednesday, Mathey and the Huskies picked up their 12th win of the season. After the game, Mathey spent time to chat about coaching.

Northern Star: It rained today, but your team still managed to play. How do you deal with the unpredictable spring weather?

Ed Mathey: The Weather Channel is my favorite station this time of year. That’s something we sort of get used to.

NS: So you’re pretty much watching it all day?

EM: Oh yeah. I try to get the extended forecast and search around online until I find a forecast I like.

NS: Would you say baseball has a tougher time than most sports due to weather?

EM: I’ve joked that I picked the wrong part of the country to fall in love with this sport. Obviously, being an outdoor sport, we have to deal with things other sports don’t, and it’s going to be easier for a team that can play outside and has warmer weather than us in the north.

NS: What’s your favorite Major League Baseball team?

EM: I’m a [White] Sox and Reds fan, and I’ve gotten to wear both colors coaching here. I’m a Sox fan, but the other coaches are Cubs fans.

NS: Does that lead to some clubhouse arguments?

EM: Oh yeah, that’s part of the fun of it.

NS: If you could coach a player from the Major League, who would it be?

EM: I love the way Cal Ripken and George Brett played the game. They were hard-nosed players. The term [the coaches] like to use is “blue-collar guys.”

NS: You do the third-base coaching for NIU. Have you ever kicked yourself for sending someone home?

EM: Absolutely. I’ll be the first to say, “I shouldn’t have sent you home.” I’ve had some guys thrown out by 30 feet.

NS: Are your signs pretty complicated?

EM: I don’t think they’re complicated because I’ve been using the same ones for 10 years, but our players struggle.

NS: How often do the players misread the signs?

EM: It happens a lot. What we don’t like to do is show the other team what it is we’re doing. It’s like a game of poker.