Huskies Who Signed Professionally Under Ed Mathey:

JOE MAZZUCA, 2003: Drafted in 12th round by Florida Marlins
MARK SKRUKRUD, 2003: Signed with Chillicothe of Frontier League
DAN URBAN, 2003: Signed with Rockford of Frontier League
ROB MARCONI, 2004: Drafted in 22nd round by Baltimore Orioles
ZACH MINOR, 2004: Drafted in 25th round by Baltimore Orioles
TREVOR WOHLGEMUTH, 2004: Drafted in 26th round by San Francisco Giants
JOE PIEKARZ, 2004: Signed as free agent by Oakland Athletics
MIKE SANTORO, 2005: Signed with San Francisco Giants (drafted in 49th round in 2004)
JEREMY BUSCH, 2005: Signed with Rockford of Frontier League
ERIC SANSOUCI, 2005: Signed with Gateway of Frontier League
TUG GILLINGHAM, 2005: Signed with Windy City of Frontier League
NICK HALL, 2006: Signed as free agent by Philadelphia Phillies
BRIAN TONER, 2006: Signed with River City of Frontier League
BRANDON HODGE, 2006: Signed with River City of Frontier League
MATT GERMAN, 2007: Signed with Philadelphia Phillies, 2007 Stats
MARK BADGLEY, 2007: Signed with Florida Marlins, 2007 Stats
SCOTT SIMON, 2007: Signed with Southern Illinois of Frontier League, 2007 Stats

Recent Huskies in Pro Baseball:

There are several former Huskies who have been drafted and played professional baseball. Chris Burt became the earliest draftee in NIU history when he was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in round seven of the 1994 MLB Amateur Draft. In 1997, the Cincinnati Reds drafted Eric Welsh, NIU's career home run king at the time, in the 22nd round.

Over the past three years, NIU has seen its number of players signing professional contracts grow exponentially. In 2003, infielder Joe Mazzuca was the highest NIU draftee in nearly a decade when he was selected by the Florida Marlins in Round 12 of the MLB Amateur Draft. In addition, Mark Skrukrud (Chillicothe) and Dan Urban (Rockford) each signed with Frontier League teams.

In 2004, a school-record four Huskies were drafted by MLB teams, and another inked a free agent contract. Rob Marconi's name was called in the 22nd round by the Baltimore Orioles and teammate Zach Minor was also selected by Baltimore three rounds later. In the 26th round, Trevor Wohlgemuth was selected by the San Francisco Giants while Mike Santoro had his name called by the same team in round 49. Joe Piekarz signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics.

Santoro signed with the Giants following the 2005 season after playing for NIU as a fifth-year senior. Also signing after the season were a trio of seniors, all with Frontier League teams, Jeremy Busch with Rockford, Eric Sansouci with Gateway, and Tug Gillingham with Windy City.

Following completion of the 2006 campaign, Nick Hall became the latest Huskie to ink a professional contract when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies organization as a free agent. Former Huskies Brian Toner and Brandon Hodge both signed with River City of the Frontier League after completing their eligibility following the 2006 NIU season.

In 2007, Matt German and Mark Badgley each signed as fifth-year seniors, inking deals with the Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins, respectively. Joining the pitching duo in the pro ranks was Scott Simon, who inked a contract with Southern Illinois of the Frontier League.

Huskies in Major League Baseball:

Eight former Northern Illinois Huskies have suited up for Major League Baseball teams, dating back to Davy Jones in the early 1900's. Jones played in 1,090 career games and was a backup to Ty Cobb while with the Detroit Tigers. Amazingly, Jones struck out only 16 times against 478 walks in 3,774 career at-bats.

More notably, Friz Peterson pitched 11 seasons in the Majors, mostly with the New York Yankees. He was a 20-game winner in 1970 and added a pair of 17-victory seasons on the way to totalling133 career victories with a 3.30 ERA and 20 shutouts.

Brian Schmack became the latest former Huskie to reach the Majors, appearing in 11 games and earning a victory while logging a 3.46 ERA for the Detroit Tigers in 2003.

Below is a list of former Huskies who played Major League Baseball along with their professional career statistics (from baseball-reference.com):

HERB ADAMS, 1948-50: MLB Stats
CHRIS BOURJOS, 1980: MLB Stats
DAVY JONES, 1901-18: MLB Stats
WARD MILLER, 1909-17: MLB Stats
FRITZ PETERTSON, 1966-76: MLB Stats
BRIAN SCHMACK, 2003: MLB Stats
TOM TENNANT, 1912: MLB Stats
BRUCE VON HOFF, 1965-67: MLB Stats