Considering the NIU baseball team was comprised of 25 walk-ons last season, it's no wonder Joe "Spanky" McFarland is smiling over new faces. One new visage that the second-year skipper is particularly excited about is that of second baseman Tom O'Neill,...

As the fall semester kicks into high gear, many of the students at NIU are prompted to turn their attention to football. But for head baseball coach Joe "Spanky" McFarland, it's back to business as usual. McFarland, along with assistant coach Pete Tsotsos,...

The old training adage "no pain, no gain" apparently refers to football scheduling too. In order to move into the big time of college football, the NIU athletics hierarchy decided that NIU should play big-time programs. The cost might be numbers like...

Construction crews and maintenance workers spent the summer modifying the Huskie Baseball Diamond into the gem that head coach Joe "Spanky" McFarland desires. The field adjacent to Stevenson South Towers, which was the Huskie Softball Diamond until last...

Kevin Brown was a talented but raw shortstop in the backwoods of Georgia several years ago. The lanky young player decided to try to walk on the baseball team at Georgia Tech. That's when assistant coach Joe "Spanky" McFarland stepped in. Brown was converted...

During the summertime, soccer takes a back seat to baseball in terms of popularity in the U.S. But there are interesting things happening in the soccer world and NIU head soccer coach Willy Roy has strong opinions about some of the more interesting events...

When Joe "Spanky" McFarland made the decision in 1990 to accept the position as head baseball coach at NIU, he realized that making NIU a winning team would not come easily. The root of the difficulties that McFarland would face stemmed from the fact...

For at least one Huskie baseball player, Thursday's season-ending doubleheader at Western Illinois (1 p.m.) will mark the end of a very short NIU career. Jeff Carnes fulfilled one year of NIU baseball and must call it quits after the twin bill. The only...

If it's possible to neither pass nor fail a test, the NIU baseball team might qualify after Tuesday's 10-5 loss to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to the scheduled doubleheader (only one game was played due to the soggy conditions at Wisconsin),...

Joe "Spanky" McFarland will pull out the season-long measuring stick when his gang travels to take on the University of Wisconsin-Madison Tuesday. The first-year NIU baseball coach realizes that his club has won 10 of its last 15 contests, but also rationalizes...

For NIU baseball coach Spanky McFarland, it's too bad the season doesn't go any longer, for his Huskies are just starting to hit their stride. After an 0-18 start, NIU has now won 10 of its last 15 games, including three out of four games last weekend...

As Huskies' hurler Mike Young can attest to, you're never too old to begin a serious baseball career. Considered a junior eligibility-wise, the 21-year-old is in his third semester as an NIU Marketing major and his first season as a starting pitcher for...