NIU’s new athletics director Jim Phillips grew up as one of 10 kids on Chicago’s north-west side. A former University of Illinois student, he is happy to return to Illinois from South Bend, Ind. where he served as the associate athletics director...

The NIU women’s tennis team was knocked out in the second round of the MAC championship after falling to No. 3 seed Eastern Michigan on Friday. The No. 6 seed Huskies had a first-round bye but were beaten in their first match 4-0 by Eastern Michigan....

Untimely hitting has led to the poor run production the NIU softball team has experienced this season, NIU coach Donna Martin said. The Huskies (12-32 overall, 4-10 MAC) are hitting .204 as a team this year. Last season, they hit .265 with seven players...

The NIU softball team’s 14-game losing streak officially ended Wednesday as the Huskies swept a double header against Ball State at Mary M. Bell Field. Behind two complete games by pitcher Kathy Dearborn, and five RBIs from Lauren von Holst, NIU (12-32...

NIU softball pitcher Kathy Dearborn finally got the run support she needed, and NIU scored the necessary runs to snap its 14-game losing streak. Dearborn, who is now 5-15 on the season, threw two complete games in wins over Ball State. In Game 1, she...

Ball State’s Kris Burdine is still a little sour about last year’s season-sweep at the hands of the NIU softball team. "We need a much better showing from the whole team this year," Burdine said. "It’s usually a competitive series, but we need to...

Three more games resulted in three more losses for the NIU softball team this weekend at Central Michigan. The Huskies lost by scores of 1-0 and 5-4 in Saturday’s doubleheader before being dropped 12-1 Sunday to extend their losing streak to 14 games....

Editor’s note: "The burning question" will examine issues in baseball and softball that have stood the test of time, but confusion still exists about a sure answer. The series will be run in place of road-game previews. Why do baseball managers wear...

The NIU softball team will look to break an 11-game losing streak when it travels to Central Michigan for a three-game series. The Huskies (10-29 overall, 2-7 MAC) will make the trek to Mount Pleasant to take on a Chippewas team that is undefeated at...

Two more losses were tacked on to the NIU softball team’s record Wednesday at DePaul when the Huskies lost both games of a doubleheader 10-0 and 4-1. The Blue Demons (16-19-1 overall) won Game 1 in 4 1/2 innings because of NCAA rules that state if a...

Editor’s note: "The burning question" will examine issues in baseball and softball that have stood the test of time, but confusion still exists about a sure answer. The series will be run in place of road-game previews. Why is it called the foul pole...

With the NIU softball team’s batting average at .205, Huskies hitting coach Kevin Welch finally let the frustration of NIU’s 10-27 season get to him. During the third game of a three-game sweep by Kent State over NIU, Welch lost his cool with umpire...