March 1, 2007
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NORTHERN ILLINOIS (1-2) AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (7-3)
Friday: 2 p.m. CST
Saturday: 1 p.m. CST
Sunday: 1 p.m. CST
Location: Abe Martin Field, Carbondale, Ill.
Live Coverage: CSTV GameTracker on www.niuhuskies.com
SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time Record: Southern Illinois leads 20-7
Last Meeting: 2006 (SIU 7-4, NIU 8-0, NIU 8-6)
Ed Mathey against SIU: 6-4
Notes: Scott Simon has 11 career RBI against SIU, including seven in 2006 when he hit .462 (6-for-13) during the three-game series ... Pat Minogue hit .500 (6-12) and Jeff Thomas hit .417 (5-12) against the Salukis in 2006 ... Trevor Feeney (`06) and Brian Smith (`05) are the only current Huskies pitchers with wins against the Salukis ... NIU swept the three-game series in 2004.
SHORT HOPS
-Mark Badgley earned his first MAC West Pitcher of the Week accolade following his two outings last weekend at Texas Tech.
-NIU enters 2007 as the only Illinois school represented on both the NCBWA Stopper of the Year (Matt German) and Brooks Wallace Award (Scott Simon) watch lists.
-Not only does closer Matt German's name appear on the preseason Stopper of the Year watch list, but Collegiate Baseball Newspaper listed him as its "Projected MAC Pitcher of the Year" in the preseason preview issue.
-Under Ed Mathey, NIU is 31-14 (.689) against intrastate schools. The Huskies have won 12 of their last 14 games against Land of Lincoln opposition, including an 11-2 mark and wins against each of the seven schools faced in 2006.
-The Huskies have won 9 of their last 11 and 12 of their last 15 non-conference games dating back to April 2006.
THE ARMS RACE
Probable Starting Pitchers
Friday: LHP Matt Jernstad
Saturday: RHP Trevor Feeney (0-0, 6.00)
Sunday: LHP Brandon Copp (0-0, 5.06) OR RHP Mark Badgley (0-1, 2.57)
LEADING THE LAND OF LINCOLN: With Matt German and Scott Simon entering the season on national watch lists for Stopper of the Year and the Wallace Award (player of the year), NIU now has accumulated three nominees over the past two seasons for those awards.
The duo makes NIU the ONLY Illinois school with a player on each of the two preseason lists. During the past two years, the Huskies have combined for the most nominees on the those watch lists of any school in the state.
Northern Illinois 3
Southern Illinois 2
Northwestern 2
Illinois 1
Illinois-Chicago 1
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY: The Huskies total of three Stopper of the Year and Wallace Award Watch List nominees over the past two seasons compares favorably with the "elite" programs in college baseball.
Cal State Fullerton 5
Miami (Fla.) 5
Rice 5
Texas 4
Clemson 4
Northern Illinois 3
Stanford 3
Southern California 3
Florida State 3
South Carolina 2
BADGE OF HONOR: Senior Mark Badgley was named MAC West Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 27 following his two outings last weekend at Texas Tech. The award was the first for the hurler and the league's initial weekly honor for 2007. Badgley made his second career start last Sunday at Texas Tech, 15 hours after pitching an inning in relief, and set career highs with eight strikeouts and 6.1 innings despite taking the loss in a pitching duel. He is NIU's career leader in appearances (98) and saves (19).
SIMON SAYS: First Baseman Scott Simon was named by Collegiate Baseball as one of the "Top Players to Watch" in the MAC and listed as the league's No. 3 Player of the Year candidate by Perfect Game Crosschecker. The NIU career hit king with 249, Simon ranks second on the school's career RBI list with 159, needing to drive in just 13 to surpass all-time leader Rob Marconi. Simon also ranks second on the school's career doubles list (56) and will take over first with four two-baggers. He owns the NIU single-season records for hits (89), doubles (24), and RBI (71), all set in 2004.
SPEAKING GERMAN: Closer Matt German enters 2007 as the "Projected Pitcher of the Year" in the MAC according to Collegiate Baseball. Thus far in 2007, German earned the win relief last Saturday at Texas Tech and made two appearances in the series, fanning four in three innings of work. Over the past two seasons, German has posted a 0.68 ERA and struck out 49 in 39.2 innings. In 2006, he became the first Huskie to earn ABCA first-team All-Mideast Region honors and was a first-team All-MAC selection. German's 73 career appearances rank second behind only current teammate Mark Badgley's 98 on the all-time Huskie list.
TO AIR IS HUMAN: The duo of Scott Simon and Matt German are not only flying high on the field, but both are pursuing pilot's licenses with the hopes of becoming commerical pilots.
EVEN STEVENS: Shortstop Bobby Stevens begins his sophomore campaign with a pair of preseason accolades. Baseball America tabbed the Chicago native as a first-team All-MAC selection and Perfect Game Crosschecker listed him as the MAC's No. 4 projected pick for the 2008 Draft. At the end of the summer season, Stevens earned mention from Baseball America as the No. 3 pro prospect in the Central Illinois Collegiate League. The sophomore has not disappointed in 2007, running his team-high hit streak to seven games, dating back to last season. Stevens leads the team with five hits, four runs scored and one stolen base through the first weekend of the new campaign.
MATHEY MILESTONES: Head coach Ed Mathey reached a pair of milestones during the 2006 season, notching his 100th victory at NIU on April 12 and his 300th career victory on April 23. Mathey became only the fourth coach in school history to reach the 100-win plateau and ascended three places up the victory total list during the year.
NIU Career Coaching Victories
1. Spanky McFarland 143
2. Walt Owens 133
3. George Evans 126
4. Ed Mathey 106
SEYKORA STUFF: Third baseman Jesse Seykora earned mention by Collegiate Baseball as one of the "Top Players to Watch" in the MAC for 2007. The senior equaled career highs with three hits and four RBI, including a ninth-inning game-winning double, last Saturday at Texas Tech. Seykora leads NIU with four RBI and is hitting .500 (3-for-6) with runners in scoring position in 2007. His 25 career extra-base hits, including 18 doubles, account for 45 percent of his 56 hits as a Huskie.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: NIU has four senior captains for the 2007 season: P Mark Badgley, P Matt German, 3B Jesse Seykora, and 1B Scott Simon. The quartet was selected by the coaching staff during fall practice.
HEAVY METAL BASEBALL: NIU put up 25 hits in its first two games of the 2007 season last weekend at Texas Tech and had 32 in three games. Saturday's 8-5 victory over the Red Raiders was keyed by a 15-hit outburst, the highest total since March 26, 2006 at Ohio, a 36-game span. The Huskies pounded out seven doubles on Feb. 24 in Lubbock, equaling the second-highest game total in school history.
FRESH FACES: The Huskies welcome six new members to the program in 2007, led by junior college All-America Danny Reed, who comes to NIU with junior eligibility. Reed wasted no time in making his mark, delivering two RBI on a single in his Huskie debut. Freshman Jordin Hood had a RBI single in his collegiate debut Feb. 24 at Texas Tech and followed with two hits the next day. The remaining four newcomers are all freshmen: P Cody Beck, IF Joe Buonavolanto, OF/P Anthony Maziur, and IF/P Dave Reynolds.
THE BOYS OF SUMMER: A number of Huskies made their mark during the 2006 summer league season, including a heavy NIU representation among the Central Illinois Collegiate League postseason awards. Matt German was named the CICL Fireman of the Year, Scott Simon collected the Mike Schmidt MVP Award, Bobby Stevens was the league's Tournament MVP, and Trevor Feeney claimed the top pitcher award for the second-half of the season. Overall, four NIU players played in their summer league all-star games and four Huskies earned player of the week honors during the season.
HUSKIES IN PRO BASEBALL: A total of 14 Huskies have signed professional baseball contacts since 2003. Joining that group after the 2006 season was the trio of P Nick Hall (Philadelphia Phillies), OF Brian Toner (Frontier League) and P Brandon Hodge (Frontier League). Left-hander Joe Piekarz paced the former NIU contingent last season by posting eight wins and a 3.26 ERA for the Oakland Athletics' Class A Midwest League affiliate Kane County Cougars.
2006 - A "CLIFF'S NOTES" REVIEW: A few top highlights from last season ...
-Matt German became the first Huskie to earn first-team All-Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association.
-German and Brian Toner made history by becoming the first NIU duo to earn first-team All-MAC honors in the same season.
-Scott Simon became the school's career hit leader (245) and was the first Huskie to win two MAC Player of the Week awards in the same month (March).
-NIU posted an 11-2 (.846) record against intrastate opposition, defeating all seven Illinois opponents faced during the year to claim the "state championship."
-The Huskies went 7-2 (.778) against the Missouri Valley Conference, posting at least one win against each of the five teams they faced.
