NIU centerfielder Noel Danielson may be a soft-spoken guy, but his play on the diamond would suggest otherwise.

With 40 games under their belt, the Huskies are 20-20 thus far, and many players have made important contributions. However, only Danielson ranks in the top three in every statistical category. He is hitting .367 with 51 hits and has driven in 27 runs. But his most impressive statistics have nothing to do with his hitting, but rather with his most valuable asset: his speed.

“Noel’s speed is his game,” said hitting/outfield coach Scott Lawler. “Defensively, right now he’s helped the whole outfield core to a whole different level because he just covers so much ground.”

Covering ground is, in fact, the junior outfielder’s specialty, as he has yet to commit an error on the season. Along with being perfect on defense, he is flawless on the basepaths as well. With a month left in the season, he is 15-of-15 in stolen bases and has even stolen second, third and home in succession. Danielson agrees with Lawler on the importance speed plays in his game.

“I’m not a big guy, so I don’t hit the ball out of the park that often,” said Danielson. “So, I have to rely on stealing bases and doing little things to make me a better player.”

With his speed, it is surprising to see Danielson batting in the third spot in the order. On most other teams, Danielson would be the ideal lead-off hitter. He has great patience at the plate, and isn’t afraid to draw a walk or take one for the team.

His on-base percentage is .468, which ranks second on the team. Also, he is tied for first in walks with 18 and hit by pitches with 11.

Danielson travels all over the outfield, the basepaths and the Midwest. Born in Minnesota, he traveled to Iowa where he attended junior college for his first two years before coming to NIU to play division 1 baseball.

“My coach in junior college is good friends with Coach Schrage,” said Danielson. “Coach Schrage had a winning program at Iowa, and I knew he was a good coach so that was the main reason I came here.”

Danielson seems to be adjusting well to the differences between junior college ball and division 1 ball, though, he claims it took a lot of work to learn those differences.

The centerfielder has come to NIU and has shown leadership on and off the field, and with the way he is flying around the baseball field, he might run the Huskies into the tournament.

“He’s a good kid,” said Lawler. “Everybody likes him on the team. He’s a leader by performance — a very soft-spoken kid — but he has been a great attribute to our team.

“He’s a blue-collar worker, and he gives 100 percent at all times: He sprints to first when he draws a walk and is the first outfielder on and off the field. He plays the same way at all times. That’s Noel Danielson.”