Pitching is key in baseball and NIU’s opponent, Illinois, has been throwing the ball exceptionally well.

At 3:05 p.m. today the Huskies (6-7) will travel to Champaign to take on an Illini team that has an earned run average of 2.21 and has allowed only two runs in their last four games.

NIU will send staff ace Mark Skrukrud to the mound looking for his first win of the year (0-1). Voted to have the best control in the conference, the senior lefty has walked just five batters in 28 innings, while striking out 30.

“Mark’s been outstanding,” NIU coach Ed Mathey said. “He’s earned the right to be our No. 1 pitcher. We just haven’t been able to get a win for him yet. The thing about being the No. 1 is that you’re going to face their best, or the best teams.”

Illinois (6-1) is coming off two straight shutouts against Texas-Pan American 4-0 and Prairie View 13-0.

The Huskies are also on a two-game winning streak, but have won their games in slugfests beating Michigan 12-8 and Winthrop 11-10.

“Our pitching has been the most consistent part of our game, but our defense has struggled,” Mathey said. “Pitching is going to need to continue to be there for us to have a shot.”

As for offense, junior transfer Joe Mazzuca is leading the team in home runs (three) and RBI’s (12), while hitting .283.

The game is the first of the season at Illinois Field for the Illini who are 101-18-1 all time in home openers. They have won their last three home openers.

“From our standpoint we treat the game as close to a conference game as you can,” Mathey said. “They feel they have a pretty good club and it should be a great test for our guys.”