AVON, Ohio - The Northern Illinois University baseball team finished a perfect week at ForeFront Field Saturday night, defeating the Toledo Rockets 5-1 to win the 2026 Mid-American Conference Baseball Championship.
The Huskies won their program-record 35th game on the season to make the occasion even more special. This is NIU's first MAC baseball title, sending the Huskies to the NCAA Regionals next week. In four games at the MAC Tournament this week, NIU outscored its opponents 32-9 and trailed only once. The Huskies' pitching staff had a 1.80 earned run average and held teams to a .193 batting average.
"It's a group of guys that take pride in their work and strive for perfection," said head coach
Ryan Copeland after Saturday's championship victory. "Our guys really believe in each other, believe in our program. We believe in them and I can't say enough about the journey we've been on. There's a lot of people in our program, and a lot of alums, that are proud of NIU. This is for all of them. It's not for just us on the field, it's for everybody."
Seniors
Max Vaisvila (Villa Park, Ill./Wabash Valley College),
Gavin Baldwin (Nashville, Ill./SEMO), and
Cole Smith (Dubuque, Iowa/Bradley), along with
Cooper Cohn (McHenry, Ill./McHenry) and
Carter Cox (St. Peters, Mo./Fort Zumwalt South) were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team. Vaisvila was named the Tournament Most Valuable Player after throwing a seven-inning, one-hit shutout in NIU's 11-0 win over Western Michigan on Wednesday night and throwing a perfect ninth to lock up the championship.
NIU (35-17) took the lead in the top of the third.
Caden Robertson (Magnolia, Texas/Central Oklahoma) led off with a single for the first hit of the game.
Charlie Parcell (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West) then reached on a bunt single up the first base line. A sacrifice bunt from
Wyatt Wawro (Darien, Ill./Downers Grove South) moved the two runners into scoring position. Smith then hit a sacrifice fly to right center to score Robertson and put the Huskies up 1-0. Toledo starting pitcher Cole Giesige got a strikeout to end the inning and hold NIU to the one run.
Toledo (32-29) tied the game in the bottom of the third.
Blake Gaskey (Davenport, Iowa/Ohio) retired the first seven Rockets he faced before a one-out single to Luke Walton. Ryan Sudbrook followed with another single to give Toledo two runners on base. Gaskey struck out Liam Arsich but Troy Sudbrook drove in Walton with a two-out single to level the game 1-1.
The game wasn't tied for long. Baldwin led off the fourth with a home run, his third of the tournament, to put NIU up 2-1. The Rockets had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Walton led off with a walk. Cohn then came in from the bullpen and got Ryan Sudbrook to hit into a fielder's choice for the first out. Cohn then struck out Liam Arsich and got Troy Sudbrook to fly out to quell the Rockets' threat. The junior reliever retired the Toledo side in order in the sixth to keep the game 2-1.
The Huskies extended their lead in the top of the seventh. Parcell and Wawro drew back-to-back walks leading off the inning. After a strikeout
Nolan Sandee (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) hit into a fielder's choice to give NIU runners at the corners with two outs. Sandee stole second with Baldwin up to bat to put two runners in scoring position. Baldwin delivered a two run single to centerfield to put NIU up 4-1, his second and third RBI of the night.
Cohn got two more strikeouts in the seventh and stranded two more runners on base in the eighth. The junior threw eight scoreless innings of relief in the tournament, allowing four hits while striking out seven.
"We've talked about this all year, and to be able to get this done is amazing," Cohn said. "I just want to embrace the moment on the mound. It's the will to compete. I left everything I had out there this week."
The Huskies tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Wawro hit a triple to right center with one out and scored on a Smith bunt single up the first base line to make the score 5-1. Vaisvila came on in the ninth and retired the side in order, getting Walton to ground out to him on the mound to finish the tournament sweep.
"We have to find a way to win every type of game," Copeland said. "That's something we stressed in recruiting and in practice. We're so dangerous because we can win any kind of game in front of us. It just felt like today was going to be a pitching and defense game. Toledo's a heck of a team with an unbelievable pitching staff. We got ahead early and it didn't feel like we were going to put them away like we did yesterday. We had relentless at-bats, played defense and pitched really well."
"Coach came in and said 'forget what people say about NIU. We win here," added Cohn, who was one of Copeland's first recruits to NIU. "Top to bottom, we all believe in what he's done."
Baldwin and Smith combined for all five RBI for NIU on Saturday night. Smith hit .412 in the tournament with seven hits, including two home runs, and nine RBI. Baldwin also had nine RBI with three home runs and a .400 batting average.
NIU will find out where it is going for the NCAA Regionals on Monday, May 25 when the NCAA Selection Show airs on ESPN2 at 11 a.m. CT.
The Huskies are thriving in this new era of college athletics. With your continued support, our program is positioned not only to compete for championships, but to bring them home. This latest title is a testament to what is possible when commitment meets excellence. As we celebrate this achievement, we invite you to be part of what comes next by giving to the
Boneyard Competitive Excellence Fund, because the future of Huskie championships starts with you.
—NIU—
