DEKALB, Ill. – Due to inclement weather in Oxford, Ohio, the Northern Illinois University softball team will open Mid-American Conference play for the second straight season at Mary M. Bell Field when it plays host to Miami on Friday.    
 
The Huskies and RedHawks will play a doubleheader on Friday with the first game starting at noon and the second game at approximately 2 p.m.  NIU and Miami conclude the weekend series at 1 p.m. on Sunday.  While the games will be played in DeKalb, NIU will be considered the road team this weekend.
 
This weekend's series with Miami marks the start of a seven-game homestand for the Huskies. In another scheduling change, NIU will play host to UIC Tuesday, March 27 at 3 p.m. before playing Buffalo next weekend.
 
The Huskies will face Miami for the 52nd time winning 29 of those games.  The last time both of these schools played each other was when the Huskies defeated the RedHawks, 5-4, in the first round of the MAC Tournament last season. 
 
"C [Clarisa Crowell] always does a really good job putting a quality product out on the field and they are an extremely disciplined team," said NIU head softball coach Christina Sutcliffe.  "They are struggling a little bit as well, but they are above .500 though.  I think we just have to figure out their pitching and try to keep working on driving the gaps and not do too much with their pitching and take what they give us."
 
As a team, the Huskies batted .263, and received production from up-and-down the batting lineup during the Hoosier Classic.  Juniors Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill./Lincoln- Way East) and Katie Lamich (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) led the Huskies at the plate batting .571 and .400, respectively. Van Geertry hit four doubles and drove- in three runs at the Hoosier Classic. 
 
"Anytime you can get three to four times through our top four, five, and six players, it is tough to pitch to them and they have shown that," Sutcliffe said. "One through nine, we can do some damage, when they are going."
 
As a pitching staff, the Huskies registered a 1.75 ERA and gave up seven runs at the Hoosier Classic.  Senior starting pitcher Tara Thacker (Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) led the staff with a 2-1 record with posted a 3.11 ERA.  Freshman Mackenzie Bryan (Elwood, Ind./Elwood) started two games for the Huskies and posted a 0.95 ERA in seven-and-one-thirds innings.  Bryan's best start came in the extra inning setback to UIC, on Saturday, where she pitched five scoreless innings. 
 
Junior Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) has thrived as a relief pitcher for the Huskies.  In her three appearances, Frenz pitched nine-and-two-thirds innings with an ERA of 1.45 and only surrendered one walk against 10 strikeouts. 
 
"Alex was phenomenal in relief this weekend and keeping us in the games or getting the lead for us," Sutcliffe said. "That is going to be sort of what we do with her.  She has proven that she can do it and do it well. I think Tara and Kenzie did a great job starting games.  They are a staff and they are going to work as a staff and support each other." 
 
Last season, the Huskies were 15-9 in the MAC and held the most wins since 2000 where NIU won 19 games. The Huskies ride a three game winning streak on the opening day of MAC play coming into this weekend's series with the RedHawks.
 
"We are definitely all evenly matched," Sutcliffe said.  "We are a little bit down as a conference, unfortunately, so we all have a little bit of work to do to make some improvements. We just have to figure out how to battle and outpitch some of them."
 
As a four seed, Kent State won the MAC last season, but this season Sutcliffe thinks the MAC is there for the taking. 
 
"I cannot really say one team that stands out and will run away with it," she said.  "Ohio has the best RPI, and Kent State has a nice record.
 
"Kent is always strong. Ohio is always strong. Miami is going to be great. Central [Michigan] has had its moments. Western [Michigan] has been playing really well, and Bowling Green has had some good weekends."
 
After finishing MAC play at 15-9 last season, the Huskies have certain expectations going into this year's MAC season.  
 
"We just need some consistency," Sutcliffe said. "We are showing a lot more power at the plate that we had prior to this week.  We are pitching it better and definitely fielding it better.  It is really just the consistency and the MAC brings a whole new level of competition, adrenaline, pressure."
 
Live stats will be available for all games against Miami through NIUHuskies.com.  Fans can follow the Huskies on Twitter @NIUSoftball, Facebook NIU.Softball, and Instagram niu_softball throughout the whole 2018 season. 
 
–NIU–