Softball | April 28

DeKALB, Ill.—Ending the home portion of their schedule, the Northern Illinois University Huskies softball team (18-26, 12-11 MAC) will host the Western Michigan University Broncos (13-34, 7-15 MAC) in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 29. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Mary M. Bell Field.
 
Leading the Huskies at the plate, Jenna Turner (Marengo, Ill./Marengo) and Madison Mathews (Yuma, Ariz./Cibola) are averaging about .390. Turner leads the team with 61 hits and 30 runs this season while Mathews leads the team with 12 doubles and seven home runs. Turner is tied for first in the MAC for hits and is third in the MAC for batting average while Mathews is fifth in batting averages.
 
Danielle Stewart (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) is tenth in the conference for ERA sitting at 4.10 and is eighth for strikeouts. Lily Cassell (LaGrange, Ohio/Keystone) leads the NIU pitchers with eight wins, eight complete games, and two shutouts.
 
The Broncos are led at the plate by Tristen Head and Riley Dittmar with batting averages of .367 and .361 respectively. Dittmar leads the team with 53 hits this season and adds 12 stolen bases to her resume. Head is in the top ten in the MAC for batting averages while Dittmar is in the top ten for hits.
 
In the pitcher's circle, Casey Fazzini leads the team with a 4.83 ERA and 19 strikeouts. Kaylee Sayler leads the team with 38 strikeouts, has pitched four complete games, and two saves on the season.  
 
The Huskies were most recently in action last weekend (April 25-26) as they hosted Akron at home. Mathews hit her seventh home run of the season as NIU shutout Akron 3-0 in the first game of a doubleheader on April 26 while Alana Powell (Chicago, Ill./Kenwood Academy) recorded her first home run of the season on April 25.
 
Looking Ahead
 
Looking at the conference standings, the Huskies sit in sixth in the MAC standings. The top six teams will advance to the MAC Tournament, May 7-10 in Akron, Ohio.
 
The Huskies will conclude the regular season, May 3-4 as they travel to Toledo for a three-game series. First pitch is set for 12 p.m. CT on May 3 in Toledo, Ohio.