April 23, 2007
Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game 37: NORTHERN ILLINOIS (20-16) AT ILLINOIS-CHICAGO (20-14)
Tuesday, April 14: 7:30 p.m. CDT
Location: Les Miller Field, Chicago, Ill.
Live Coverage: GameTracker
SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time Record: NIU leads 24-23
Last Meeting: 2006, NIU 8-7 at DeKalb
Ed Mathey against UIC: 2-1
Games 38-39: NORTHERN ILLINOIS (20-16) vs. UW-MILWAUKEE (9-22)
Wednesday, April 25: 2 p.m. CDT (Doubleheader of 7-inning games)
Location: Ralph McKinzie Field, DeKalb
Live Coverage: GameTracker
SERIES INFORMATION
All-Time Record: NIU leads 27-18
Last Meeting: 2006, (UWM 9-8, NIU 8-7)
Ed Mathey against UWM: 2-2
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Tuesday: Brandon Copp (2-2)
Wednesday: Adam Holdenrid (0-2) and TBA
SHORT HOPS
-Closer Matt German became the NIU career saves leader on April 14 and has saved each of the last six Huskie victories while not allowing a hit during that stretch. The lefthander also went 24.1 innings without allowing an earned run from Feb. 25-April 20.
-Danny Reed enters the week as the MAC's second-leading hitter with a .375 average.
-NIU enters the week as one of four 20-win Division I teams in the Land of Lincoln (SIU, WIU and UIC) so far this season.
-The Huskies won 20 of their first 31 games this season, becoming the fastest NIU baseball team to reach the 20-win mark in three decades.
-Scott Simon is among 30 national candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, presented to college baseball's outstanding senior student athlete.
-NIU entered 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.
-Matt German is listed on the Stopper of the Year watch list and was the "Projected MAC Pitcher of the Year" by Collegiate Baseball in the preseason preview issue.
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
BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: NIU won its first four MAC games of the season for the first time ever and started conference play at 9-3, its best MAC start in history. With 20 wins in their first 31 games, the Huskies were the 2007 squad was the fastest NIU baseball team to reach the 20-win plateau in three decades. From March 17-28, NIU notched six consecutive wins for the longest win streak under Ed Mathey.
MATHEY MILESTONES: Head coach Ed Mathey is within striking distance of second place and his next win will move him into third on the NIU career victory list. In 2006, he reached a pair of milestones, notching his 100th victory at NIU on April 12 and his 300th career victory on April 23. Mathey is the fourth coach in school history to reach the 100-win plateau and ascended three places up the victory list during the year.
NIU Career Coaching Victories
1. Spanky McFarland 143
2. Walt Owens 133
3. George Evans 126
4. Ed Mathey 125
SPEAKING GERMAN: The reigning MAC West Pitcher of the Week, closer Matt German recently became NIU's career saves leader, currently with 21. He has saved each of the last six Huskie victories without allowing a hit, running his season saves total to eight to go along with a career-high three wins. Of the past 44 NIU victories, German has factored into 24 of them (55%) either by win or save. During the 11-inning win at Akron on April 1, German batted after a substitution eliminated the DH spot for the Huskies and delivered a RBI single in his first collegiate plate appearance.
SIMON SAYS: Prior to the season, Scott Simon was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List (National Player of the Year) and listed by Collegiate Baseball as one of the "Top Players to Watch" in the MAC and as the league's No. 3 Player of the Year candidate by Perfect Game Crosschecker. Simon owns several NIU record, including career marks for hits (284), RBI (184), doubles (63) and at-bats (822) while ranking in a tie for fourth in runs (137) and seventh in home runs (19). He also owns the single season records for hits (89), doubles (24), and RBI (71), all set in 2004.
SIMON UP FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD: Scott Simon was named to a list of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for baseball, an honor that goes to the nation's outstanding student athlete. A media committee will narrow the candidate pool to 10 in May before a nationwide vote will help to select the honoree. Simon is the lone MAC representative on the initial candidates list and one of only five players from midwest schools. The award's website can be found at www.seniorclassaward.com.
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.
PITCHING PLAUDITS: NIU's second-quarter pitching stock rose significantly, as the staff posted a 2.88 team ERA in the 14 games since returning from its spring trip. During that stretch, Huskie hurlers improved across the board, allowing 102 hits and 39 earned runs in 122.0 innings. As a result, the Huskies' team ERA dropped over a full run and a half by the end of that span.
HOT HITTING HOOD: Freshman Jordin Hood enters the week on a nine-game hitting streak. On April 9, Hood became the first Huskie freshman since 2001 to earn MAC West Player of the Week honors. During a 10-game stretch from April 3-18, he hit .390 and slugged .659 with two home runs, 11 RBI and 16 hits while posting five multi-hit games, setting and matching career-highs with three RBI and equaling the school-record with two triples on April 7 at Kent State.
BADGE OF HONOR: Mark Badgley has taken on the role of pitching staff "swing man" by making eight relief appearances and starting six games. Less than 15 hours after pitching an inning in relief, Badgley set career highs with eight strikeouts and 6.1 innings on Feb. 27 at Texas Tech and was named MAC West Pitcher of the Week. In his most recent start April 3 vs. Illinois State, Badgley had a career-best nine strikeouts in a six-inning victory. In his next appearance, he tossed a career-high 6.2 innings of relief and earned the win April 7 at Kent State.
SEYKORA STUFF: Listed as one of the "Top Players to Watch" in the MAC by Collegiate Baseball, Jesse Seykora is currently among the MAC's top-five leaders in five offensive categories. He put up video game-like numbers during NIU's eight-game spring trip, hitting .500 (16-for-32), slugging 1.031, and belting five home runs with 15 RBI and 17 runs scored to earn MAC West Player of the Week accolades and mention on the College Baseball Foundation's national honor roll. In addition to posting a 12-game hit streak (March 2-20), Seykora surpassed his 2006 home run total (6) in just 17 games.
FORMIDABLE FEENEY: Trevor Feeney came within two outs from a third consecutive complete game victory on April 6 at Kent State, setting a career-high with 12 strikeouts while matching the second-highest NIU game output. Feeney owns a 27:4 strikeout to walk ratio in MAC games and ranks among the league's overall leaders in wins, complete games and innings pitched.
A GOOD REED: Danny Reed posted a 15-game hit streak from March 2-28, tying him for the highest NIU mark on record with Chuck Laird (1997), Rob Marconi and Joe Mazzuca (both in 2003). He also owns a separate streak of seven games and has hit safely in 28 of 31 games started this season. Currently the MAC's second-leading hitter at .375, Reed collected five RBI, including the bases clearing game-winning double, on March 4 at SIU.
EVEN STEVENS: Shortstop Bobby Stevens began the year with a pair of preseason accolades as Baseball America tabbed him 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 2006 summer season, Stevens earned mention from Baseball America as the No. 3 pro prospect in the Central Illinois Collegiate League. The sophomore currently leads the team with 35 runs scored and 14 stolen bases, ranking second in the MAC in both categories. On April 8 vs. Miami, Stevens lifted the Huskies to victory with a three-run seventh inning home run, part of his two homer, four-RBI outburst.
STATE SUCCESS: Under head coach Ed Mathey, NIU has a 36-18 (.667) record against intrastate opposition. Over the past two seasons, NIU has defeated each Land of Lincoln opponent faced, including victories season sweep of Illinois State in 2007. Last season, the Huskies went 11-2 (.846) with wins over all seven Land of Lincoln opponents for the highest winning percentage of any Illinois school against intrastate foes.
GRAND THEFT OF THE BASES: The Huskies have made a habit of successful base stealing by converting 56 of 73 attempts (77 percent) in 36 games this season. NIU's total of 56 thefts ranks second in the MAC and the Huskies have swiped a base in 15 of the last 16 games overall and 13 of 15 league contests, including a high of three at Kent State on April 7. The team's overall high is five stolen bases, came three times, most recently at Illinois State on April 10 when Daniel Jewett led the way with a team-best three steals. Two Huskies rank among the MAC's top five in steals led by Bobby Stevens (2nd) and followed by Jewett (4th).
STREAKERS: Four Huskies have put together hit streaks of at least 10 games this season led by Danny Reed's 15-game mark. Jesse Seykora (12) and Daniel Jewett (10) added long streaks and Scott Simon carried over an eight-game streak from 2006 and raised it to 10 by hitting safely in the first two contests this season.Reed, Seykora and Jewett were just one game from having concurrent double-digit streaks on March 23.
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.
SENIOR MOMENTS: The Huskies have 17 upperclassmen on their roster, including eight seniors: P Mark Badgley, 2B Marc Besteman, P Matt German, OF Daniel Jewett, OF/P Brett Kellam, C/OF Tim Ryan, 3B Jesse Seykora, and 1B Scott Simon.
