DeKALB, IL – Senior catcher Jake Dunham (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and redshirt-junior outfielder Kam Smith were named Second Team All-MAC on Wednesday morning as the Mid-American Conference announced its postseason honors.
 
"I'm extremely excited for both Kam and Jake to earn postseason recognition," said head coach Mike Kunigonis. "Both of these players are well-deserving and have worked extremely hard all year."
 
Smith started all 54 games in the 2021 season, leading the league with 72 hits and finishing tied for second with 10 home runs. He is the first Huskie since Jeff Zimmerman in 2011 to have double-digit home runs in a single season. Smith led NIU, and was fourth in the MAC, with a .360 batting average and a .560 slugging percentage.
 
The redshirt-junior had a hit in 24 of the first 26 games of the season, including a 15-game hitting streak from March 20-April 17. Smith drove in a season-high four runs in NIU's 11-2 win over Akron on May 1 to sweep a doubleheader. He tied a career-high with four hits at Ball State on April 24, going 4-for-4 against the Cardinals.
 
"Kam is a team leader both on and off the field and has been a very versatile player for us," Kunigonis said. "He has seen time both in the outfield and infield, as well as at designated hitter. He could have been named an All-League player at multiple positions."
 
Dunham also started all 54 games this season, with 47 starts behind the plate. He was among the top 10 players in the MAC in both batting average and slugging percentage. The senior catcher was seventh in slugging at .530 and eighth with a .333 batting average. He was second in the league with 16 doubles on the year and led NIU with 36 RBI. Dunham hit a walk-off double in NIU's 7-6 win over Akron on April 30, capping a 3-for-5 day at the plate. He had a 13-game hitting streak from April 23-May 15.
 
On May 10, Dunham was named MAC Player of the Week after hitting .600 in the Huskies' series against Western Michigan. He was 9-for-15 at the plate with a double and two home runs. Dunham drove in a career-high five runs in a game twice this season, against Central Michigan on April 4 and at Bowling Green this past Saturday. Behind the plate, Dunham threw out 24 would-be base stealers. Dunham finishes his NIU career as the program's all-time leader in walks with 140 and second in career games played with 228.
 
"Jake has been a five-year starter for us behind the plate," said Kunigonis. "He has been one of the best catchers in the MAC from the first day he stepped on campus."
 
Smith and Dunham are the first Huskies to earn All-MAC accolades since Joe Hawks was named Second Team All-MAC in 2017.
 
--NIU--