DEKALB, Ill. – After an off weekend, the Northern Illinois University softball team returns to the diamond when it travels to Carbondale, Ill. to compete in the Coach B Classic.
 
The Huskies (2-8) open the Coach B Classic, on Friday, playing in-state foe Illinois at 10 a.m. and Murray State at 12 p.m. On Saturday, NIU faces tournament host Southern Illinois at 12 p.m. and a team to be determined at either 2:00 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. On Sunday, the Huskies will either play at 12 p.m. or 2 p.m. depending on seeding. 
 
"I am excited to go down there and get back on the field," said NIU head softball coach Christina Sutcliffe. "Being able to get outside this week is definitely a plus for us.  The competition we will be playing down there is going to be a continuation to see exactly we are and get us in preparation for the MAC."
 
NIU is led at the plate by outfielders Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) and Kayla Scaperotta (Margate, Fla./Coral Gables Garden). The Huskie duo combined for two home runs, seven RBI, and 10 hits at the Cougar Classic. Infielder Anne Allen (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) batted .417, with a team-high seven hits, at the Cougar Classic. The Huskies also limited their strikeout count from 35 at the FAU Tournament to 20 at the College of Charleston.
 
"We were able to cut down on some of the strikeouts from the first weekend at FAU," said Sutcliffe. "They put the ball in play a little bit more and have continued to put runners in scoring position. Now we have to figure out how to push them through and not leave them stranded.  I think we are getting there and getting confidence as they go."
 
Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) leads the way for the Huskies in the circle.  Thacker owns a 1-4 record with a 5.62 ERA and the Huskie senior has tallied 15 strikeouts in 23.2 innings and has recorded one complete game in the win versus Iona at the Cougar Classic. The rest of the three pitchers have appeared in five or more games for the Huskies this season. Freshman Mackenzie Bryan (Elwood, Ind./Elwood) leads the Huskies with a 3.65 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. 
 
"This week we really tried to focus on differences between a 0-2 pitch and a 2-0 pitch," said Sutcliffe. "We are really working on river pitches and being able to throw those consistently with the pitches we have high confidence in. The pitch by committee is going to be definitely what we have been looking forward to do and try to put it together."
 
Coach Sutcliffe likes how her team has prepared and practiced on the diamond defensively. 
 
"It is nice to work on different hops that you are not going to get inside," said Sutcliffe. "It was good to see the outfield with the fence behind them, obviously makes a difference, the lighting makes a huge difference.  It was a nice sunny day so they could practice some sun balls."  
 
Live stats for each of the Huskie's games will be available through StatBroadcast.  Live radio broadcasts will be available for all the NIU versus Murray State games.  Fans can also follow the Huskie softball team on Twitter @NIUSoftball, Facebook NIU Softball, and Instagram niu_softball. 
 
–NIU–