Today marks the second day the NIU baseball team will go to the White Sox Training Academy in Lisle in preparation for its first game of the season on Feb. 21 against Louisville.

This marks the second of four times NIU will be at the west suburban complex. It has been open since October 2001 and is a 57,000-square foot facility with 13 fully turfed, retractable hitting and pitching tunnels along with sports performance training equipment and weights.

The Huskies, who finished last season with an 11-14 MAC record and 23-32 overall mark, are also training in the Student Recreation Center.

While Chick Evans Field House undergoes renovations, the baseball team begins its practices at the close of the Rec Center – 11 p.m. The workouts go until 12:45 a.m.

“We’ve been practicing for four weeks now, and we’re just looking forward to getting out there for the season,” sophomore pitcher Jeff Hall said.

At the Rec Center, the team is without batting cages, which have been ordered and are on their way according to NIU administrators, but the players prefer the Rec to Chick Evans.

“Working out at the Rec is probably better than the fieldhouse,” NIU junior pitcher Zach Minor said. “There’s more room to throw for outfielders and just to play catch.”

First-year coach Ed Mathey is excited to get the season started for the team’s first four games of the season, all against Louisville, on the road.

Against the Cardinals, the Huskies will face Steve Ayers, who transferred from NIU this past year. Ayers did not play for NIU last year because of a surgery.

Minor (see left) returns as a player Mathey said will be one of the team’s main cogs. The Huskie pitching staff also got a boost from Kishwaukee transfer Jim Kaine.

Hall predicted that Kaine will be one of the main starters this year for the Huskies. Hall also pointed to the 6-foot-2 junior’s confidence and ability as reasons why he thinks Kaine will be successful in Huskie Black and Cardinal.