May 7, 2009

Probable Starters:
Fri.: NIU LHP Chuck Lukanen (6-5, 4.81, 67.1 IP, 80 H, 29 BB, 48 SO) vs. RHP Brad Piatt (4-2, 4.85, 52 IP, 65 H, 21 BB, 29 SO)
Sat.: NIU RHP Chris Wakefield (1-4, 8.15, 35.1 IP, 42 H, 21 BB, 16 SO) vs. RHP Brenden Stines (2-4, 5.88, 49 IP, 71 H, 24 BB, 27 SO)
Sun.: NIU LHP Brandon Copp (0-3, 12.86, 17 IP, 30 H, 12 BB, 13 SO) vs. RHP Kolbrin Vitek (3-2, 6.02, 46.1 IP, 51 H, 8 BB, 46 SO)

DeKalb, Ill. - The Northern Illinois baseball team will hope to move up in the Mid-American Conference standings this weekend with its last home series of the season against MAC West Division foe Ball State in the second to last weekend of league play with games on Friday at 3:05 p.m. CT, Saturday at 1:05 p.m., and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Currently, the Huskies (17-29, 8-12 MAC) sit in fifth-place in the MAC West and are 10th overall in the league, while the Cardinals (21-21, 9-10 MAC) are in second-place in the MAC West and sixth overall. Only eight teams qualify for the conference tournament on May 20-23 in Chillicothe, Ohio, but the Huskies are well within reach of getting there as they are only 1.5 games behind Ball State and are only half a game behind Akron, Central Michigan, and Eastern Michigan, who are all tied for seventh overall with 9-12 marks in conference play.

"There is a lot of movement that has gone on in the standings, and it will continue," said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. "We went into last weekend in fifth-place, won the first two games to move up, but then lost the last game and fell back to fifth. Each of the teams are fighting for their spot at the dinner table. We need to go into this weekend hungry. There is a sense of urgency this weekend because we need to win against Ball State. The good news is that it's in our control, but we need to focus this weekend."

The Huskies head into the series after taking two of three from Central Michigan last weekend and have won each of the last three Friday games. The offense has resumed its stellar production by scoring 31 runs in its last three games after scoring just eight in the previous three. Overall, the NIU offense has registered 10-plus hits 26 times this season and has scored 10-plus runs 12 times.

Matt Behren (Elmwood Park, Ill./Holy Cross) has been swinging a hot bat in his senior campaign and during last week's action he helped NIU get a series win over Central Michigan for the first time since 2006 by totaling a .385 average (5-for-13) with four runs, a homerun, three RBI, two walks, a .615 slugging percentage and a .467 on-base percentage.

Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich), Dave Reynolds (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg), and Joe Etcheverry (Bakersfield, Calif./Centennial) have also played key roles for the Huskie offense lately. Hood leads the nation in HBPs with 22, and leads the team with a .401 average, 50 runs, 67 hits, 15 doubles, 12 steals, a .641 slugging percentage and a .497 on-base percentage, while he is tied for the lead in homeruns (7) with Behren, Reynolds, and Justin Behm (Downers Grove, Ill./North). Reynolds, who is batting .373, leads the team with 41 RBI and has driven in 31 runs in his last 17 games. Etcheverry has homered in his last two games and has a career high four on the year, in addition to his career-best 26 RBI.

Tom Zelasko (Lansing, Ill./Mt. Carmel) and Zach Oates (Wheaton, Ill./North) lead the Huskie bullpen. Zelasko has four saves and a 3.51 ERA in 28 appearances and 41 innings, giving up 39 hits and 20 walks with 23 strikeouts. Oates has a 5.58 ERA in 25 appearances and 30.2 innings, giving up 31 hits and 14 walks with 32 strikeouts, while he has gone four straight appearances without out surrendering an earned run, giving up just three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Ball State comes to Ralph McKinzie Field after losing two of three to Eastern Michigan. BSU leads the all-time series against NIU 28-23-1, but the Huskies have won five of the last six games against the Cardinals, including sweeping a doubleheader last season on May 10 in Muncie, Ind. (4-1, 7-6).

The Cardinal offense has also been producing lately as it has scored 30 runs in its last three games. Jeremy Hazelbaker paces BSU with a .435 average, 65 runs, 73 hits, 16 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 33 RBI, 28 steals, a .702 slugging percentage, and a .550 on-base percentage. Kolbrin Vitek leads the team with 22 doubles, 11 homers and 54 RBI, while he is batting .382 with 44 runs, 65 hits, four triples and 13 steals.

The Ball State bullpen is led by Morgan Coombs and Tom Mueller. Coombs has five saves and a 3.41 ERA in 21 appearances and 29 innings, surrendering 28 hits and 11 walks with 23 strikeouts. Mueller has a 1.57 ERA in 24 appearances and 28.2 innings with a save, allowing 30 hits and 12 walks with 15 strikeouts.

Sunday's game will feature pregame ceremonies for the Huskie seniors (Nick Badgley, Justin Behm, Matt Behren, Brandon Copp, and Pat Minogue), NIU baseball alumni, and Adam Holdenrid (2005, 2007-08), who will receive his 2008 Rawlings Gold Glove award. Huskie alumni are encouraged to show up an hour early and sign in at the tent behind the NIU dugout.

Due to NIU graduation ceremonies this weekend, fans that attend Friday or Saturday's contests will not be able to park along Stadium Drive West, but may park in Lots 24-25 near the water tower, Lot 33, Stadium Drive South, Lot 31, Lot 31A, or Stadium Drive North.

Friday and Sunday's games will have free streaming radio available through Huskie All-Access on www.niuhuskies.com, and all three games will have live stats via GameTracker.