April 30, 2009

Probable Pitchers:
Fri.: NIU LHP Chuck Lukanen (5-5, 5.09, 58.1 IP, 72 H, 27 BB, 42 SO) vs. CMU LHP Steve Teno (3-5, 5.03, 62.2 IP, 83 H, 18 BB, 58 SO)
Sat.: NIU RHP Chris Wakefield (0-4, 8.01, 30.1 IP, 35 H, 21 BB, 13 SO) vs. CMU LHP Dan Taylor (3-5, 4.08, 64 IP, 82 H, 14 BB, 54 SO)
Sun.: NIU LHP Brandon Copp (0-2, 12.21, 14 IP, 24 H, 11 BB, 10 SO) vs. CMU LHP Trent Howard (3-2, 5.50, 37.2 IP, 48 H, 9 BB, 31 SO)

DeKalb, Ill. - With only two Mid-American Conference series remaining after this weekend, the Northern Illinois baseball team will look to improve upon its fifth-place position in the MAC West Division as the Huskies (15-17, 6-11 MAC) take on MAC West third-place Central Michigan (20-23, 8-10 MAC) in a three-game set this weekend with games on Friday at 2 p.m. CT, Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at 12 p.m.

"This weekend is as big a weekend as we've had this year," said Mathey in regard to MAC West standings that are separated by only five games from first-place Toledo (11-7 MAC) to sixth-place Western Michigan (6-12 MAC). "We need to go out and win this series. Otherwise, we are going to have to have other teams help us out, which is not a spot that you want to be in."

The Huskie offense that had scored at least seven runs in 10 of its last 11 games before its recent three-game slump of scoring just eight combined runs will look to get back on track against a Chippewa pitching staff that has a 5.81 ERA, which is fourth in the MAC. CMU starters Taylor (2nd) and Teno (8th) both rank in the top ten in the league in ERA, while also ranking in the top three in strikeouts with 54 (3rd) and 58 (1st), respectively.

"We need to get back to using the middle of the field and going the other way," Mathey said. "We have to go back to the basics of hitting. Hopefully we can get some things accomplished out there and get back to how we were going before the last few games. Central Michigan has always had a good pitching approach so we have to hit it where they pitch it."

The NIU offense is led by Jordin Hood (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Lake Zurich), who ranks fourth in the conference in doubles (15), fifth in on-base percentage (.495), and seventh in batting average (.392), while he leads the nation by being hit by 21 pitches. He ranks second on the squad with 33 RBI and leads the team with 45 runs, 60 hits, 10 stolen bases, and is tied with Justin Behm (Downers Grove, Ill./North) with seven homeruns.

Dave Reynolds' (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) recent RBI surge has pushed him into the team lead with 37, as he has 27 RBI in his last 14 games. Additionally, he is hitting .375 this season with 35 runs, 11 doubles, six homers and 21 walks.

Tom Zelasko (Lansing, Ill./Mt. Carmel) and Zach Oates (Wheaton, Ill./North) are the main cogs of the Huskie bullpen as they rank first (26) and third (24) in the league in appearances, respectively. Zelasko has a 3.76 ERA in 38.1 innings along with three saves and 22 strikeouts. Oates has a 6.04 ERA in 28.1 innings with 30 strikeouts, and in his last outing he fanned four in 1.1 innings.

The Chippewas are in the middle of a seven-game homestand, during which they are currently 2-2, but have won their last two. CMU leads the all-time series with NIU 38-17 and has won both series in the last two years.

The CMU offense is led by Matt Faiman, Billy Anderson, and Nate Theunissen. Anderson is tied for the team lead in average with Faiman (.347), while he leads the team with 45 runs, 61 hits and 18 steals, which rank fifth in the MAC. Theunissen is hitting .317 with 30 runs, 46 hits, seven doubles, two triples, six homers, and 38 RBI. Faiman is hitting .347 with 31 runs, 59 hits, eight doubles, three homers, 30 RBI and eight steals. The Chippewa bullpen is anchored by Harvey Martin, who has three saves and a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings with 14 strikeouts.

"We have always had pretty good battles with CMU," said Mathey. "Since I've been here, they have always been one of the premier teams in the league. They have a nice stadium and obviously have an advantage being at home with the last at-bat. We want to try to get in a position where that last at-bat doesn't matter."

The entire series can be followed on www.cmuchippewas.com with live stats, audio and video.