NIU baseball won its first MAC series of the season as it swept Akron over the weekend in Ohio. The Huskies took game one on Friday thanks to a solid pitching performance from freshman Jordan Ruckman and two late runs in the ninth inning. Ruckman earned...
With an early win in conference playing against the Chicago State Cougars (1-16) earlier in the season, the men’s tennis team got back into its conference games Friday against Western Michigan (15-7, 1-0 MAC), losing 5-2. Heading into the matchup, the...
Over the weekend, softball got its first taste of home and MAC play as it played Western Michigan in a two-game series. The Huskies (11-18, 1-1 MAC) ended up with a draw in the two games, winning the first 12-5 over the Broncos (10-17, 1-1 MAC). They...
After a performance that landed them in 17th out of 19th place, the men’s golf team is looking to rebound this weekend in Boca Raton, Fla., at the FAU Spring Break Invitational. The competition this weekend will be stiff. The tournament features 16...
Following a 12-day respite from action, the softball team is prepared to take its home field for the first time this Friday and Saturday against Western Michigan. While a break is good for any sporting team to recoup possible injuries or just to relax,...
NIU men’s tennis will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich. Friday to open up its MAC play against Western Michigan (11-7, 1-0 MAC).
Western Michigan won the MAC Tournament from 2006 to 2010, but lost in the semifinals last season to eventual champion Ball State. NIU coach Patrick Fisher is familiar with Western Michigan’s success and knows first-hand how tough the Broncos are; he’s never beaten them in his tenure at NIU.
“Everyone in their lineup is a threat,” Fisher said. “They’ve won the league and gone to the tournament, I would say, seven or eight times out of the last 10. They are the team to beat. They are the class of the league. I think in a lot of ways they’ve been like the Akron of men’s soccer; no one really can beat them on a regular basis.”
The Huskies (14-5) have not matched the Broncos’ success over the past few seasons, but have steadily improved in each campaign.
This season has gone exceptionally well for NIU, already accumulating its most team wins since its 16-win 2002-03 showing with nine matches still scheduled.
The Huskies have made it clear they are ready to be the new breed of the MAC, and with a lineup capable of putting up 14 wins without two-time All-MAC performer Maksym Bartiuk, the once-tested depth of the lineup seems to no longer be a problem.
“We’ve had to deal with an unhealthy lineup this whole year,” Fisher said. “Regardless of where we are at, we still feel we have a good chance to win. We’ve won a lot already without having guys in the lineup at certain times this year.”
Fisher said his current roster has what it takes to avenge last season’s 6-1 loss to the Broncos.
“We’re really excited,” Fisher said. “We’re probably in the best shape going into the conference play in the last four or five years. Obviously, we’ve won a lot and our guys have some great confidence right now. Except for a couple matches, we’ve been in position to win every single match and I don’t see that changing this week.”
Baseball will continue its conference play this weekend when it travels to Ohio for a three-game series against Akron. In the Huskies’ (5-17, 1-2 MAC) previous series against Kent State, they lost two out of three games. The Huskies won game two in...
With the culmination of the gymnastics season Saturday at Western Michigan, there are factors that are good and bad for the future of the NIU squad. Obviously, the first problem is NIU losing two seniors. Marisa Liptak is one of the highest scoring members...
In its first series of conference play, baseball lost two out of three games at the hands of Kent State. The Huskies (5-17, 1-2 MAC) gave the Golden Flashes (8-12, 2-1 MAC) all they could handle in game one on Friday, as they fell 3-2. Freshman pitcher...
The women’s tennis team started off its conference play on the losing end, dropping its first two conference games to Akron and Buffalo. The Huskies (14-4, 0-2 MAC) played two-time defending champions Akron (11-6, 1-0 MAC) for their first match of conference...
The women’s gymnastics team concluded its season in Western Michigan on a high note, but missed out on opportunities to walk away on top. The Huskies (4-5, 2-5 MAC) finished in fourth place out of seven at their conference championship event. Central...
NIU baseball will face a strong test this weekend as it will do battle against Kent State in a three-game series at UIC. The Huskies (4-15) are coming off an 8-2 win over Belmont and will look to continue their strong play against Kent State. The Golden...
