DEKALB, Ill. ­– The Northern Illinois University softball team begins its quest for a Mid-American Conference championship when it travels to Akron, Ohio to face MAC West Co-Champions No. 2-seed Ball State at Firestone Stadium. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. Central Time. on Wednesday, May 9.   
 
"We are happy we are playing somebody we have played during the regular season, so we kind of know what to expect," said NIU head softball coach Christina Sutcliffe. "We have seen every team in the tournament expect for Kent State, so that helps us feel prepared."    
 
The Huskies (21-30, 11-11) finished in fourth place in the MAC West and is the seventh seed. This is the third time that the Huskies have played the Cardinals (34-17, 16-7) this season.  In the first two meetings, the Cardinals won a couple of one run games, 1-0 and 6-5.
 
The Huskies are 45-30 all-time versus Ball State and have not met the Cardinals in the MAC Tournament since 2014, where the Huskies won 3-2.  The Huskies are 5-2 all-time against Ball State in the MAC Tournament. 
 
NIU is 27-36 in 18 MAC Tournament appearances, including winning three of five games in last season's tournament.   Under the tutelage of Sutcliffe, NIU has reached the MAC Tournament in its sixth straight year. 
 
"Obviously we are excited to make the MAC tournament," said Sutcliffe.  "We had to struggle to get to .500 and to crawl our way in.  Now that we are in, it is anybody's game.  I think we all evenly matched so I am not sure there is a true favorite."
 
The Huskies enter the tournament winners of three out of their last five games, including taking two out of three to the sixth seed Central Michigan.  Junior standout Jenny Van Geertry (Mokena, Ill. /Lincoln-Way East) has been a huge part of that success batting .400 with two home runs, three RBIs, and two doubles, last week.  Overall, Van Geertry leads the Huskies with a .399 batting average with six home runs and 25 RBIs. 
 
Junior infielder Sam Schmidt (Lombard, Ill. /Willowbrook) has been having a spectacular season, especially in MAC play.  Schmidt batted .419 with five home runs and 19 RBI against league foes. Infielder Alaynie Woollard (New Castle, Ind. /New Castle) has been consistent all season long.  The Huskie senior posted a .316 batting average with seven home runs and 34 RBIs.  Last weekend against Central Michigan, Woollard broke the triples season school record recording her ninth triple of the season and is currently second in the NCAA. 
 
"Offensively, they have been consistent throughout the year," said Sutcliffe.  "We have got a couple players riding hot right now and a couple not so much but we are prepared."
 
In the circle, junior Alex Frenz (Oakville, Mo. /Oakville) has dominated MAC opponents posting a 5-1 record with a 1.44 ERA in 17 appearances.  Frenz, overall, leads the Huskies with a 9-6 record with a 2.58 ERA in 35 appearances.  The Huskie right hander leads the MAC in home runs allowed, giving up four this season. 
 
Freshman Mackenzie Bryan (Elwood, Ind. /Elwood) has had a fine first season for the Huskies.  Bryan is second on the team and 10th in the MAC with a 2.80 ERA in 27 appearances.  During MAC play, Bryan has a 1.81 ERA, which is sixth in the MAC. 
 
"Our pitching staff just has to figure out  to take care of the inning they are currently in and start worrying about the next one after that," said Sutcliffe.  "I think if we get ahead of ourselves to much that is when we get in trouble."
 
Should NIU beat Ball State, the Huskies will face the winner of the Toledo and Central Michigan matchup at 2:30 p.m. Central Time. Live streaming will be available on the Tournament Central page and live stats will be available on niuhuskies.com.   Fans can follow inning-by-inning updates on the NIU Huskies Gameday Twitter @NIUscores.  Fans can also follow the Huskies' quest for a MAC Championship on Twitter @NIUSoftball, Facebook NIU.Softball, and Instagram @niu_softball. 
 
­-NIU-