May 11, 2009

Probable Pitchers:
NIU LHP Jake Hermsen (1-1, 11.08, 13 IP, 16 H, 13 BB, 12 SO) vs. UW-M RHP Nate Caldwell (0-4, 13.50, 13.1 IP, 20 H, 17 BB, 11 SO)

DeKALB, Ill. - In its last non-conference game of the season, the Northern Illinois baseball team will host the UW-Milwaukee Panthers in Rockford, Ill. at Road Ranger Stadium at 7:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, May 12 to mark the program's first game in Rockford and the first Division I contest at the home of the Frontier League's Rockford RiverHawks.

"To play a night game at a professional stadium that is relatively in our backyard is a great opportunity for us," said NIU head coach Ed Mathey. "Rockford is a great area for NIU. We look forward to this opportunity and hope it is a springboard to do this on a regular basis. The RiverHawks' General Manager Josh Olerud and the rest of the front office did a great job in helping to make this event happen. We hope to go in there, show an appreciation, and play good baseball for them."

The Huskies (17-32, 8-15 Mid-American Conference) and Panthers (22-25, 11-9 Horizon League) have already faced each other three times in 2009 with UW-M holding a 2-1 advantage, but NIU holds the all-time series lead 31-21. The Huskies took the first meeting of the year 5-3 on April 1 in DeKalb behind Tom Barry's (Orland Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) strong five-innings of one-run baseball with three strikeouts and Alex Jones' (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) two hits, two runs, and two RBI. The Panthers then swept a doubleheader in Milwaukee on April 28. Their 5-2 win in game one came on a Tim Patzman three-run homerun in the sixth inning and their 6-4 victory in the second game came on another sixth inning three-run homer by Paul Hoenecke.

"This will be the fourth time we have played each other so it will be about which team is making the better adjustments," Mathey said. "We've seen their starting pitcher and they've seen our starting pitcher."

NIU will look to gain momentum for its last MAC series of the season in Kalamazoo, Mich. against Western Michigan with postseason hopes at stake, while the Panthers will be doing the same to prepare for their upcoming conference tournament as they have lost five of their last six games.

"Both teams are trying to get some traction," said Mathey. "For us, we need to do a better job on the defensive side of the ball from both a pitching and defense standpoint. "We need to keep them from getting any big innings. If we can do that, it gives our offense a chance to come out and not have to try to come from behind.

"We are playing in a nice facility so we don't anticipate field conditions or weather to be a problem at all. "We have shown the ability to field and pitch this year at times, but just haven't been consistent enough with it."

The Huskie offense, which faced UW-M probable starter Nate Caldwell on April 1 and tagged him for three runs on two hits and three walks in 1.1 innings for an early exit, is led by Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich) and Dave Reynolds (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg). Hood is hitting .378 with 52 runs (tied for eighth in MAC), 68 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, seven homeruns, 35 RBI, 13 steals, a .600 slugging percentage, a .474 on-base percentage (ranks sixth in MAC), and leads the nation with 22 HBPs. Reynolds is hitting .367 with 40 runs, 65 hits, 11 doubles, a triple, eight homeruns, 44 RBI, a .576 slugging percentage, and a .444 on-base percentage. As a team, NIU is hitting .288 with 320 runs, 40 homers and 44 stolen bases in 49 games.

Tom Zelasko (Lansing, Ill./Mt. Carmel) leads the NIU bullpen with 30 appearances (ranks first in MAC) and a 3.50 ERA with four saves (tied for seventh in MAC). In 43.2 innings, he has allowed 17 earned runs on 42 hits and 22 walks with 27 strikeouts. The Huskie team ERA is 7.43 in 408.1 innings with 284 strikeouts.

The Panther offense faced NIU probable starter Jake Hermsen (New London, Wis./New London) in game one of the doubleheader on April 28 and managed to get five earned runs off him in 5.2 innings on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts, despite not getting a runner past second base until the sixth frame. UW-M is led by Patzman and Doug Dekoning. Patzman is hitting .350 with 31 runs, 57 hits, 13 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, and 38 RBI. Dekoning has a .344 average with 39 runs, 56 hits, 12 doubles, a triple, five homers, and 25 RBI. As a team, the Panthers are hitting .302 with 306 runs, 41 homers and 49 steals in 47 games.

The UW-M bullpen is anchored by Craig Meier, who has 20 appearances and a 4.05 ERA with seven saves. In his 20 innings of work, he has given up nine earned runs on 20 hits and 12 walks with 17 strikeouts. The Panthers have a team ERA of 6.10 in 392.2 innings with 296 strikeouts.

Tickets for Tuesday's historic contest at Road Ranger Stadium will be available for $5 on a walk-up basis only. The game can also be followed live on www.niuhuskies.com with free streaming radio through Huskie All-Access and will have live stats via GameTracker.

The three-year-old stadium hosts the most highly attended minor-league baseball team in the Stateline. The RiverHawks, who signed former NIU standout and all-time MAC hits leader Scott Simon (2003-04, 2006-07) during the winter, are members of the Frontier League, a 12-team independent professional baseball league that will play its 17th season this summer. The RiverHawks will begin their eighth season at 7:05 p.m. Thursday, May 21 at Windy City and play their home opener at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 26 against the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti. Rockford will also host the 2009 Frontier League All-Star Game at 7:05 p.m. on July 15.

Tuesday's game will also mark the fifth straight year that NIU has hosted a contest in a professional stadium. The Huskies hosted their first game in Geneva, Ill. at Elfstrom Stadium, home of the Oakland Athletics' Low-A affiliate Kane County Cougars, in 2005 when the Huskies defeated Northwestern 10-5 on May 4. The Huskies and Wildcats then played again in Geneva on May 3, 2006, and NIU came out on top 8-6. In 2007 at Elfstrom Stadium, NIU defeated Eastern Illinois 7-4 on May 16. In last season's matchup in Geneva, the Huskies beat Illinois Chicago 4-3 on April 22, just six days after NIU fell 5-4 to Notre Dame at U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox.

Directions to the stadium that is located at 4503 Interstate Blvd., Loves Park, Ill. are as follows:

From the West: Take Riverside Dr. east until approximately 1/4 mile east of the I-90/I-39 (Jane Adams/Northwest Tollway) interchange. Turn left at Interstate Blvd. Continue approximately 1/2 mile north to stadium parking lot at end of street.

From the South and East: Take I-90/I-39 (Northwest Tollway) west/north to Riverside interchange. Turn right (east) on Riverside Dr. approximately 1/4 mile. Turn left at Interstate Blvd. Continue approximately 1/2 mile north to stadium parking lot at end of street. Tollway travelers, please note: there is an automated 60-cent toll for traffic exiting and an automated 60-cent toll for entering the tollway if you make your round trip in this direction. For local traffic from the east, take Riverside west to Interstate Blvd.

From the North: Take I-90/I-39 Northwest Tollway east/south to the Riverside interchange. Turn left at the off-ramp. Continue east about 1/2 mile and turn left at Interstate Blvd. Continue approximately 1/2 mile north to stadium parking lot at end of street.

Skipping the Tollway: If you are coming from the Chicago suburbs, you may take US-20 into Rockford or exit the Jane Adams Tollway at the Belvidere interchange, located immediately before a $1.60 toll. Take a right at the exit (Belvidere-Genoa Rd.) and continue north as the road becomes Business Route 20. Continue on BR-20 approximately eight miles, through the outskirts of Belvidere, to Shaw Road and take a right. Continue north on Shaw approximately three miles until road ends at Riverside. Turn left at Riverside and continue west two miles. Turn right at Riverside Blvd.