Although the NIU softball team has struggled for steady play this spring, its consistency troubles could work in its favor.

Last spring, after dominating Mid-American Conference play 19-3 in the regular season, NIU was eyed as the favorite in the conference tournament. Bowling Green State gave the Huskies an early exit, defeating NIU 7-2. That loss, combined with a 3-1 setback to Akron, put the Huskies out of pool play.

This year, the team enters the MAC tournament without the pressure of being expected to win.

“You don’t have to worry about everyone coming to get you,” catcher Samantha Knoll said. “In a sense, we’ll be the underdog and that will work to our advantage.”

The Huskies, who hold a 9-7 conference record, have shown they can still compete and will attempt to continue that trend in a doubleheader against Illinois-Chicago at 4 p.m. today. The Flames (32-21) are the top seed in the Mid-Continental Conference.

While underdog status might help the Huskies, their 15-25 overall mark doesn’t satisfy them. After three consecutive winning seasons — which included MAC regular season championships in the past two years — this spring’s struggle has been especially tough for the juniors and seniors. Instead of contending for the conference title, the Huskies find themselves battling for third place.

“We’re all frustrated because we know how good we can be,” Knoll said. “At times we don’t play as well as we could be, and it’s frustrating for the upperclassmen because now we’re struggling and have to fight to stay in third place.”

Recently, NIU has been closer to peak form. Knoll, senior left fielder Suzie Rizek and junior catcher/designated hitter Gretchen Szymski have typified the Huskies’ progress at the plate. After suffering a drought at bat early in the season, Rizek posted a .294 batting average in MAC play and had two runs and two hits in the Huskies’ 4-3 win Saturday.

Szymski’s bat has caught fire in recent games, and she now leads NIU in hitting at .313, drilling 30 hits in 96 at-bats. After going 0-for-3 in the first game against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Knoll came back in the series with a stellar 5-of-8.

“I think we’re really close,” Knoll said. “We’re improving and showing that never-say-die [attitude]. We’re getting to the top of our game, and I think we’ll be at the top of our game when the MAC tournament starts.”