DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University baseball team wraps up the 2021 home slate this weekend, hosting the Toledo Rockets for a four-game Mid-American Conference series at Ralph McKinzie Field beginning Friday at 2 p.m.
On Saturday, the Huskies and Rockets will play a seven-inning doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. Sunday's series finale will have a 12 p.m. first pitch.
Prior to Sunday's game, NIU will honor its seniors from the 2020 and 2021 classes. This group has won 78 games in its time in DeKalb and was instrumental in the Huskies' run to the 2019 MAC Tournament. Outfielder
Brendan Joyce (South Elgin, Ill./Parkland College) led the team with a .298 batting average that season. Pitcher
Ryan Anderson (Palatine, Ill./McHenry C.C.) was second on the team in earned run average at 4.18.
Nate Thomas (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) had four wins and five saves out of the bullpen that year.
Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) led the Huskies with four home runs in 2019 and was second on the team in RBI with 43. The senior catcher has made an indelible mark on the NIU baseball record book in his five seasons in DeKalb. Dunham is the Huskies' all-time leader in walks with 135 entering the weekend, including a single-season record 43 in 2019. He is second all-time in games started with 216 and third all-time in games played with 220. Dunham also has a record 84 caught stealing from behind the plate.
NIU (14-32, 13-19 MAC) comes into the final home series on a two-game winning streak, taking the final two games of last weekend's series at Eastern Michigan by scores of 5-3 and 8-5. Senior first baseman
Jordan Larson (Dodgeville, Wis./College of DuPage) drove in two runs in both of the Huskies' wins over the Eagles, hitting .357 in the four games.
The Huskies are 7-5 over their last 12 games, taking three out of four games against Akron and splitting series against Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan. Dunham is hitting .450 over this current stretch with three home runs and nine RBI. Larson, along with
Kam Smith (Colonial Beach, Va./The Steward School) and
Dylan Lonteen (Peoria, Ill./Illinois Central College) also have driven in nine runs over the last 12 games.
This weekend's series features the top-two home run hitters in the MAC this season. Smith is second in the league with nine home runs, behind only Toledo's Chris Meyers who is tops in the MAC with 15. Meyers also leads the conference with 53 RBI and 16 doubles. The Rockets are in fourth place in the league at 18-14, having won four of their last five games. Toledo won three out of four games over Bowling Green last weekend and defeated Eastern Michigan 16-10 on Tuesday night.
Due to COVID restrictions, attendance at Ralph McKinzie Field at this time is limited to 165 fans. Entrance will be allowed on a first to come general admission process through the North gate on the first base side of the field. The North gate will open 30 minutes prior to first pitch each day. NIU Athletics reserves the right to reserve some attendee spots for parents of NIU Baseball student-athletes if necessary on gameday. Masks must be worn while inside Ralph McKinzie Field and self-monitored general admission social distancing will be required.
Each game this weekend will be shown on NIUTube on NIUHuskies.com, the Huskie all-access channel. Subscriptions are available for purchase on a daily ($6.95), monthly ($10.95) or annual basis and provides access to all home NIU Athletics events streamed on the website for the purchase period. Live stats of each game will also be available on NIUHuskies.com.
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