Suzie Rizek entered the Huskie softball program in 1997 quietly, barely uttering a word during her freshman campaign. Her teammates may not have known then but the soft-spoken Rizek would one day have a loud impact on the team. "[She] kept more to herself,"...

In the midst of a monster two-week schedule, the NIU softball team hit a roadblock at Kent State on Monday afternoon. After enduring three games against Mid-American Conference leader Central Michigan two days earlier, the Huskies may have succumbed to...

The NIU softball team's bats came to life in Game 1 of a double-header, leading the Huskies to a 4-2 victory over Central Michigan University. The Huskies ended the Chippewas 13-game winning streak after they dropped the first game of the three-game series...

Illinois teams don't face the rise pitch often. When the NIU softball team faced Central Michigan University ace Amber Puchalski, a California native and a rise pitch veteran, she used that throw to frustrate most of the Huskie batters. "In the Midwest,...

Ten straight road games have seemed to take its toll on the NIU softball team as it dropped both games of the doubleheader against University of Illinois-Chicago. In Game 1, the Huskies' pitching fell apart in a 9-1 rout, while in Game 2 the Huskies produced...

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...

Mid-American Conference teams have discovered that the NIU softball team can be beaten this spring. But they've also found that no lead against the Huskies is safe. Lacking in consistency but not in effort, the Huskies put together a come-from-behind...

Two of the best players in the Mid-American Conference will square off this weekend. Senior Courtney Witvliet, named MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week, and the NIU softball team head to Ypsilanit, Mich., to take on Christie Koester, MAC West Division...

With coach Donna Martin choosing to rest senior ace Courtney Witvliet, the Huskies found themselves in a rut at Missouri Valley-power Illinois State Wednesday night. Even though NIU headed into the second contest of the doubleheader after dropping a 4-0...

With the postseason looming, the NIU softball team displayed the offensive firepower needed for the upcoming Mid-American Conference tournament. The Huskies pounded 23 hits during three games last weekend, as NIU won two of three games at Buffalo. The...

NIU softball coach Donna Martin said her ace hurler Courtney Witvliet didn't quite pitch at the top of her game at Buffalo this past weekend. Perhaps that's just a coach being the harshest critic, because even Witvliet playing not quite at 100 percent...

With almost every facet of its game clicking Sunday, the NIU softball team finally played the game it hoped for against Ball State. But the Huskies will face a mountain of a challenge when they host NCAA powerhouse DePaul today. The Blue Demons (29-7-1...