First week of spring practice in the books

Injury Updates:

RB Justin Anderson - Non-contact throughout the spring (Torn PCL from last year)
RB Montell Clanton - Out for at least a month (Torn R ACL last year)
LB Tim McCarthy - Close to 100% (Torn MCL & PCL last year)

List of players limited to running from Friday night's practice:

QB Dan Nicholson (shoulder surgery)
RB Montell Clanton (ACL)
RB Ricky Crider (broken leg)
FB Anthony Antonacci (ACL)
WR Britt Davis (shoulder surgery)
WR Matt Simon (shoulder surgery)
TE Dave Koronkiewicz (dislocated elbow still?)
DT Craig Rusch (ACL)
DE Jake Coffman (foot injury)
DL John Hopkins (compartment syndrome still?)
DL DJ Pirkle
LB Jason Cruikshank
LB Tim McCarthy (MCL & PCL)
DB Chase Carter (dislocated shoulder)

Practice Highlights:

Wide receiver Marcus Perez had the catch of the day on Wednesday at Northern Illinois spring practice with a one-handed grab on a 40-yard pass from quarterback Chandler Harnish with a defensive back draped on Perez.

Perez must be getting a ton of playing time with both starting WRs Matt Simon and Britt Davis sitting out. Even though Marcus didn't shine in Novak's system, hopefully he has come far enough in his career to have a breakout season with all the reps he's getting this spring.

Hungry? Get an interception

Now here's some motivation:

Linebackers coach Tom Matukewicz is already by far my favorite assistant coach because of this article in the Daily Chronicle from Thursday.

"Tuke" says that any player that causes a turnover "Gets Candy"

Any fumble or interception, Tuke is gonna hook you up with a nice (hopefully right out of the freezer) Snickers bar. The toughest defensive player is going to get a huge crunch bar at the end of spring ball.

More Tuke goodness:

It's not the only phrase Matukewicz sticks with. A technique drill at Monday's practice that involved defenders moving and picking up a towel had Matukewicz repeating “Shake and bake” to his players.

“He just comes up with stuff off the top of the head,” Schiller said. “Him and (wide receivers) coach (P.J.) Fleck are probably the craziest guys out there.”

“A lot of humor, I can say that,” said linebacker Phil Brown. “They're making it fun around here. It's serious, but (Matukewicz) helps us understand that it's really a game.”

“As a defense, we've got to get that mentality that each play ends with a takeaway,” Matukewicz said. “Not a tackle, not an incomplete pass. It ends with an interception. It ends with a strip attempt. It ends with a fumble recovery. That's the mentality we've got to have.”

That's what we have lacked since before I even went to school here in '05: TURNOVERS


Could the 6'6" 244 basketball player Bristan Kelley play TE for the Huskies?

Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin and Miami (FL) were all interested in Bristan while he was playing football at Lee Summit North in Missouri.

I think this is a GREAT idea. We're lacking in TEs this year and I think Kelley would be a great addition to this team. He gets 2 weeks to try out. If it works out, fine. If it doesn't then no harm, no foul. He's gonna be fighting to get any minutes at all next year in the fast-paced, guard-oriented offense that Kelley is just not built for, so perhaps he can make the complete transition and be a star.

Huskie Baseball notches 2 key mid-week victories

Game 18: Bradley 5 (9-9), NIU 4 (7-11)

Box

Summary:

Jr. LHP Brandon Copp went 7 innings and had a pretty good stat line of 6 hits, 4 ER, 2 BBs and 4 Ks. The 2 errors in the 2nd inning by Stevens and Kamin didn't help the Huskies secure this victory. Ironic how they were the top 2 offensive performers. The wind was blowing out in this game and there should have been more offensive production by the rest of the Huskies.

Top Performers:

2B Tim Kamin - 2 for 3 with a double, a triple, an RBI and a run
SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 3 with a HR, a walk, an RBI, 2 runs and a stolen base

Game 19: Bradley 6 (9-10), NIU 11 (8-11)
Box

Summary:

Freshman righty Tom Zelasko made his first career start, but couldn't manage to retire one batter, giving up 5 hits, 5 ER, while walking one guy. RHP Dan Atkenson (my favorite player) came in as the hero and threw a complete game, while he is usually the closer. Nice all around offensive game from the Huskies. 1B Dave Reynolds and RF Danny Reed had a collective 5 RBIs off of their 2 home runs. Everybody on the team got on base except for freshman catcher Sam Kapacinskas, who struck out 3 times.

Top Performers:

2B Joe Buonavolanto - 2 for 3 with 2 HRs, 3 RBIs and 2 runs
RHP Dan Atkenson - 7 IP, 5 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 8 Ks
SS Bobby Stevens - 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run

Game 20: NIU 5 (9-11), Iowa 4 (7-9)
Box

Summary:

In an excellent matchup against a big 10 team, NIU managed to get up early 5-2 lead against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Dave Reynolds was the do-it-all man pitching a great game and scoring 2 RBIs. This game did end Danny Reed's 17-game hitting streak, which is the 2nd longest in NIU history.

HC Ed Mathey says it best:

"To beat a Big 10 team is a good feather in our cap"

Top Performers:

LHP Dave Reynolds on the mound - 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BBs and 6 Ks
Dave Reynolds in the batters box - 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 RBIs

RHP Andy Deain - 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 BB and 3 K's

CF Pat Minogue - 3 for 3 with a double, a sac hit and a run
SS Bobby Stevens - 1 for 4 with a double, a walk and 3 runs

Ah, Spring is in the air

Spring practice started Monday for the Huskies and things are a little different this year. Practices are M-W-F @ 7:50 AM. That's 15 practices until the Spring Game on April 26th. Why only 3 practices a week?

“We have to do a good job of evaluating every practice," Kill said. "We're practicing Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so that gives us a day in between to spend a lot of time on the film evaluating our players.”

During the Novak era they were getting up early to lift and also going to afternoon practices several times per week. Another good thing this year is that the practices are open to the public, which was not the case starting the last couple years or so.

A Daily Chronicle article Saturday proclaimed that 4 reasons why NIU will succeed include:

1. Dan Nicholson
2. The defense
3. Matt Simon
4. Justin Anderson

Um...what?

Dan Nicholson as the #1 reason why we will succeed? The QB who's career stats are 458 passes for 20 TDs and 22 INTs? The QB who won't throw until May because of off-season shoulder surgery? The player that had 2 concussions knock him out of games last year? Not a way to start a list for success in the 2008 season. Danny N isn't the end-all be-all for this team. Especially not if one of the redshirt freshmen Chandler Harnish or DeMarcus Grady can step up to the plate.

Here's a blurb about Matt Simon:

The senior wide receiver will once again be looked at as the main target for Nicholson. Coupled with a healthy Britt Davis - who also had surgery on his shoulder like Simon and Nicholson - and an emerging 6-foot-3 Landon Cox, who reminds me a little bit like Sam Hurd, Simon will have a good core of wide receivers built around him.

An emerging Landon Cox? The WR who had 2 catches LY for 19 yds, which places him 12th on the team in yards? I don't think so. And the comparison to Sam Hurd is a little ridiculous. The only comparison I see is that Cox is 6'3 and Hurd is 6'2".

Also, Nick's season predictions are ridiculous as well, having us winning our first 4 road games and then losing 3 home games.


More random spring notes:

Jerry Kill has a request:

"It's been different for us being indoors (for winter conditioning)," Kill said of his staff, most of which followed him from Carbondale. "We never went indoors, but they had nine inches of rain and flood warnings down there not too long ago, so their weather has been miserable, too.

"It's why we need that indoor (practice) facility)."

The 13 players from last year that had major surgeries will not be cleared to practice until June 1st, setting the team back a bit.

The base defense will still be a 4-3.

Illinois transfer QB/ATH Paul Blalock is getting some looks at fullback.

QB Chandler Harnish speaks out about the offense:

“Offensively speaking we're going to be in shotgun a lot more compared to last year when we were rarely in shotgun,” Chandler Harnish said. “QB's will be a lot more involved in our offense, which I'm real excited about. It'll be a lot more explosive on offense.”

"There's a lot of running, lot of sprint-out type passes," said Harnish

"Some of those QB runs we have designed, really helps spreading out the defense."

QB DeMarcus Grady:

“We're running a little zone read and trying to open up the offense a little more,” Grady said. “We're trying to have the quarterbacks be a threat and try and give the offense a new dimension.”

How Kill makes every day a competition:

"Everything we do in the offseason is competition. Winners or losers," he said. "You don't miss class. If you do, you lose points. There's competition in the classroom, too. If you get A's and B's, you get a certain amount of points. If you get C's and D's, you don't get as many. We make everything we do competition."

And those who aren't accountable, can find themselves attired like one offensive lineman Monday, in the yellow 'I let my team down,' jersey.

"If you don't do the right things, you pay the piper," said Kill. "Then I don't have to scream and yell at 'em. Just put 'em in the yellow shirt and I save my voice and I'll be able to coach longer.

"That (jersey) is something they don't want to be in."

I sure wouldn't want to be wearing that yellow jersey! Good idea coach.

Huskie Baseball 3-0 to start conference play!

What a great start to conference in sweeping the Buffalo Bulls at their place. Well actually at St. Bonnies because of the weather, but it was still a trek for us.

Game 1: NIU 10, Buffalo 3
Box

Game Summary:

Congrats Head Coach Ed Mathey passes Spanky McFarland on the all-time career win list with his 144th win!!! All around power shown from Behm and Reynolds, while Feeney had the complete game pitching. It was also great to see Hood have some patience at the plate after struggling most of the year. Stevens had some goofy stats, scoring twice and stealing 3 bags without even getting a hit.

Top Performers:

30 Jr. C Justin Behm - 4 for 5 with a double, HR, 2 RBIs and a run
13 So. 1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 5 with a double, Grand Slam HR, 5 RBIs and 2 runs
14 So. 3B Jordin Hood - 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an RBI and a run
11 Jr. SS Bobby Stevens - 0 for 3, HBP, 1 walk, 1 RBI, 2 runs and 3 stolen bases!

32 Sr. RHP Trevor Feeney - 9 IP, 9 hits, 3 ER, 2 BBs and 7 Ks

Game 2: NIU 17, Buffalo 1
Box

Game Summary:

On a day in which offense solely would win the game, Holdnerid comes out and pitches a complete game gem, holding buffalo to 3 hits and only 1 run. Reynolds went yard, but still struck out 3 times in this game. Surprising offensive output in a game right around 30 degrees!

Top Performers:

30 Jr. C Justin Behm - 2 for 4 with a HR, 3 RBIs and a R
14 So. 3B Jordin Hood - 3 for 4 with a double, 3 RBIs and 2 runs
4 Sr. LF Jeff Thomas - 1 for 2 with 2 walks, 2 sac flies, 4 RBIs and 2 runs
11 Jr. SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 4 with a triple, a walk, 1 RBI, 4 runs and a stolen base
15 Jr. CF Pat Minogue - 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, 1 RBI and 3 runs
1 Sr. RF Danny Reed - 1 for 3 with a walk, a sac fly, 3 RBIs and a run

22 Sr. LHP Adam Holdenrid - 9 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 9 K's

Game 3: NIU 6, Buffalo 4
Box

Game Summary:

3 of the runs to win the game were scored in the 1st part of the 9th inning. Bobby Stevens made a critical error early giving up a run, but managed to draw a walk and score a run there in the 9th. This is Ed Mathey's first ever sweep of a MAC team on the road in his career.

Top Performers:

13 So. 1B Dave Reynolds - 4 for 5 with a double, an RBI and a run
31 Sr. DH Tim Kamin - 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run
15 Jr. CF Pat Minogue - 3 for 4

25 Sr. LHP Matt Jernstad - 5.1 IP, 3 hits, 2 ER
20 Jr. RHP Andy Deain - 2.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 ER, 4 BB and 4 Ks

Wraslin' Round-Up

The Grappling Huskies made a great showing at the the NCAA Championships which took place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis Thursday & Friday. Pat Castillo, Duke Burk, and Pat McLemore made this university proud on a national scale. I really need to learn more about college wrestling, so I can increase the coverage for next year.

The most amazing thing about both Castillo and Burk in these championships, is that they were 1 point each shy of All-American Status!!! While Castillo was a 5th year senior, both Burk and McLemore were underclassmen. This is tremendous experience for the future of both wrestlers. Congrats to Pat Castillo for finishing a great career with exactly 100 wins!

Day 1 Results:

Preliminary Round
133: Castillo (NIU) dec. Novachkov (Cal Poly) 9-2

Round One
133: Castillo (NIU) maj. dec. Smith (Liberty) 12-4
141: Morgan (OSU) tech. fall McLemore (NIU) 15-0 (5:04)
174: Burk (NIU) dec. #12 Hayes (NU) 7-3

Round Two (Championship Bracket)
133: #7 Grey (Cornell) dec. #10 Castillo (NIU) 4-1
174: #4 Sinnott (CMU) dec. Burk (NIU) 4-3 (2OT)

Round Two (Consolation Bracket)
141: McLemore (NIU) dec. Ettelson (UNI) 3-1


Day 2 results:

Round Three (Consolation Bracket)
133: #10 Castillo (NIU) dec. Ciasulli (Lehigh) 9-6
141: McLemore (NIU) fall Jones (Boise State) 1:10
174: Burk (NIU) maj. dec. Kelly (Liberty) 11-0

Round Four (Consolation Bracket)
133: #10 Castillo (NIU) dec. Bell (Maryland) 7-4
141: Headlee (Pittsburgh) dec. McLemore (NIU) 2-1
174: Burk (NIU) dec. Dergo (Illinois) 3-1 (OT)

Round Five (Consolation Bracket)
133: #8 Reiter (Minnesota) dec. #10 Castillo (NIU) 6-5
174: #7 Stolpinski (Navy) dec. Burk (NIU) 4-3

2008 NIU Baseball Pre-Conference Depth Chart

This is what the depth chart looks currently for the Huskies before conference play starts on Friday @ Buffalo. I will make changes as the season progresses.

Also here are the Huskie starters in order of their OPS (on-base + slugging)

1. Brian Smith - .368/.400/.579/.979
2. Danny Reed - .355/.369/.532/.901
3. Jeff Thomas - .393/.470/.429/.899
4. Bobby Stevens - .290/.371/.500/.871
5. Dave Reynolds - .320/.417/.360/.777
6. Justin Behm - .283/.433/.326/.759
7. Jordin Hood - .210/.300/.387/.687
8. Pat Minogue - .235/.278/.333/.611
9. Joe Buonavolanto - .212/.263/.242/.505

AVG/OBP/SLG/OPS

Position players without any errors so far this season:

1B Dave Reynolds
RF Danny Reed
CF Pat Minogue
1B Joe Etcheverry
OF Anthony Maziur

Tues Baseball @ Chicago State Cancelled

Wow. It must be horrible weather tomorrow all day, since the game against Chicago State is cancelled.

Chicago State plays Gwendolyn Brooks High School downtown.

NIU's Ralph McKinzie field is also forecasted to have heavy rain.

The next upcoming series for the baseball team starts Friday afternoon @ Buffalo. The home opener will take place Tuesday against Bradley.

NIU Baseball goes 2-3 to end Texas trip

NIU 6, UTSA 1
Box

Game Summary:

It was all pitching with Sophomore LHP Dave Reynolds making his first collegiate start and performed well. Nykiel, Atkenson and Deain all didn't give up a hit in the final 2.1 innings. Fr. 1B Joe Etcheverry made his first start. SS Stevens, 3B Hood and RF Reed all had stolen bases. Great win against a 9-5 Texas-San Antonio Team.

Top Performers:

Jr. C Justin Behm - 3 for 4 scoring 2 runs

So. LHP Dave Reynolds - 6.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 1 BB and 1 K

NIU 5, Oklahoma 11
Box

Game Summary:

We threw Sr. RHP Trevor Feeney out there, but the OU guys got to him pretty bad, giving up 8 ER through 5 IP. He did manage to strikeout 5 while walking only 1. SS Stevens and 2B Sanchez both had errors which won't cut it against a top-25 team. 1B Pat Minogue led off the game and also got his first steal of the season.

Top Performers:

Jr. CF Pat Minogue - 3 for 5 with a double, 2 RBI's and 1 run
Jr. SS Bobby Stevens - 3 for 5 with double and a run
Jr. C Justin Behm - 1 for 3 with 2 walks

Sr. RHP Dan Atkenson - 2 IP, 2 hits, 3 K's and 1 BB

NIU 8, Dallas Baptist 11
Box

Game Summary:

This was the first game in a series against a tough DBU team that received votes in the College Baseball Writer's Poll while having a 10-4 record. It was a hit-fest and Matt Jernstad gave up 8 hits and 6 ER, while the bullpen of Atkenson and Nykiel couldn't hold off the Patriots. The offense was truly a team effort with consistent hitting all around which was nice to see.

Top Performers:

Sr. RF Danny Reed - 2 for 5 with 2 doubles and 2 runs
Jr. 2B Bobby Stevens - 2 for 5 with a double and a run
Sr. LF Jeff Thomas - 2 for 5 with an RBI and a stolen base and no strikeouts
Jr. DH Brian Smith - 1 for 4 with a HR, a run and an RBI
Jr. C Justin Behm - 1 for 3 with 2 RBIs and a walk
Jr. CF Pat Minogue - 1 for 3 with a run, a walk and a stolen base

Fr. RHP Zach Oates - Pitched 1 scoreless inning to end the game

NIU 2, Dallas Baptist 13
Box

Game Summary:

Starting pitcher Jr. LHP Brandon Copp actually didn't do that bad going 6 innings while giving up only 5 hits and 4 ER. The bullpen just collapsed and a too many walks were issued in this game. SS Bobby Stevens just exploded in this game doing a little of everything on offense, while nobody else really stepped up to help him. I really like C Justin Behm's patience, as he gets on base in almost every game he plays in, drawing a ton of walks.

Top Performers:

Jr. SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 3, 2B, HR, R, RBI, 1 walk, no strikeouts and a SB
Jr. C Justin Behm - 0 for 1, 2 walks, 1 HBP, 1 R and no strikeouts

NIU 10, Dallas Baptist 2
Box

Game Summary:

This was probably the best combination of offense, pitching and defense I've seen in a while from the Huskies. Head Coach Ed Mathey managed to tie Spanky McFarland on the all-time win list with 143 victories in his 6 seasons coaching here. This road trip was tough, but I think the team learned a lot about themselves and how to play against the top competition in the country.

Top Performers:

So. 1B Dave Reynolds - 3 for 4 with a walk and a run and no strikeouts. He also pitched a scoreless 8th inning.
Sr. LF Jeff Thomas - 2 for 4 with a double, 1 RBI, 2 runs, 1 walk and no strikeouts
Sr. RF Danny Reed - 2 for 5 with a triple, 3 RBIs and 1 run
Jr. DH Brian Smith - 2 for 4 with a run

Sr. LHP Adam Holdnerid - 7 IP, 8 hits, 2 ER, 4 BBs and 3 K's
Jr. RHP Andy Deain - 1 IP, 0 ER and 2 K's

NIU B-Ball falls in first round of MAC tourney

Recaps of NIU basketball games are becoming all too similar:

MAC Freshman of the Year Jake Anderson scores 22 pts
Shaun Logan and Sean Smith score 12.

We continue to not match up offensively. Or defensively against Central Michigan who shot over 53% for the game and even better than that in the 2nd half.

Preach it Patton

"I am extremely proud of our young men the way we battled today. We ran into an extremely hot basketball team and we weren't able to return fire. I told the team that our record is not a good indication of the winners we have in this program. We have laid the foundation for this team and we're looking forward to the future.

"We had some miscommunication on defense and at times they made some tough shots. They hit some contested shots. You can't totally fault our defense on that. Good players are going to make plays and hit shots.

"Experience is the best teacher. The only way to learn how to do it is to be involved in it. If you watch the games on TV at this time of year, you can see that players have elevated their level of intensity and taken the game up another notch at this time of year."

Thank you Shaun Logan

You were a solid, hard-working player for the 2 years that you were here. No matter what the circumstances were, you always kept your cool and were a leader on the team.

Thank you Egan Grafel

Congrats on improving your playing time from under 20% of the minutes to playing over 55% of the time this year. You were the first player on the team to solidify a starting spot with Ricardo Patton as head coach, which is a tough thing to do.

Thank you Michael Hart

Thanks for continuing to follow your dream and eventually play for a D-I school in Northern Illinois under Patton. Though you didn't receive much playing time, you were definitely a fan favorite for the time that you were here.

Thank you Ben Rand and Ryan Paradise

Throughout your injury plagued careers, you fought hard through rehabilitation and played through as much as you could through the pain. And Paradise is a name nobody will ever forget.

2008 Football Schedule Released

8/30: @ Minnesota
9/6: @ WMU
9/13: Bye
9/20: vs. Indiana State
9/27: @ EMU
10/4: @ Tennessee
10/11: vs. Miami
10/18: vs. Toledo
10/25: vs. Bowling Green
11/5 (Wed): @ Ball State - ESPN2/ESPNU
11/12 (Wed): vs. Central Michigan - ESPN2/ESPN360
11/18 (Tues): @ Kent State
11/25 (Tues): vs. Navy - ESPN2
12/5 (Fri): MAC Championship game


4 out of the first 5 games on the road is brutal although there is a nice little break with a bye and getting Indiana State at home. This team will have to come out strong.

The Navy game is the night right before spring break, so we better have a great record coming in or nobody's going to show up in what should be a stellar game. Navy should bring a lot of fans to the game, especially from around the Chicago area.

Going back to the weekday games for TV exposure. 3 confirmed TV games and I'm expecting more. You have to assume the Minnesota game will be on the Big 10 network and Tennessee on ESPN if we are undefeated at the time. Hopefully Kill will have his team ready, because this schedule is extremely front-loaded.

A lot of cold tail-gating in October and November that's for sure. Let's go Huskies!!!

NIU to face CMU in first round of MAC Tourney

NIU will be extremely pumped up for this game, whether it will be from unruly CMU players from NIU's senior night or the fact that HC Ricardo Patton had to be escorted out of EMU Convocation Center last Sunday.

#11 NIU vs. #6 CMU - 2 PM @ Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena

Anything and everything about the tourney can be found on the MAC Website

All the games will be televised online through All-MACces. This year it will cost you $8! I believe last year it was free. Oh well.

You can also listen online here: http://www.wups.com/index.html

It's a shame the women lost their tourney game today 75-67 against Kent State. They have a young team and should be improved next year, but lose top scorer (and my favorite player) Whitney Lowe.

I'll be in Los Angeles for the next few days FYI...

More Preferred Walk-Ons

If you were disappointed with the size of any our scholarship guys, check out the measurables for these players coming to NIU with a chance to earn a scholarship with hard work and dedication:



Jason Schepler, DE/DL
6'2"+ 240 lbs
Sycamore (IL)

Teammate of scholarship recruit LB Kevin Sabock
Went 42-7 wrestling Heavyweight (285) his senior year
Throws discus in track (set school record)
Conference Defensive MVP
Sun-Times HM All-State

Schepler decides Huskies the right fit
Hitting Bullseye: Schepler overcomes obstacles
Schepler splits at state



Travis Bond, OLB/WR
6'4" 205 lbs
Byron (IL)

Had 120 tackles last fall.
Plans to redshirt freshman season and earn scholarship as a sophomore.

Byron's Travis Bond to walk-on at Northern Ill.




Gerald Rigo, OL
6'6" 283+ lbs
LaGrange, IL (Lyons Township HS)

Had some D-II offers

NIU Baseball: 0-4 Weekend in the Lonestar State

Not a great doubleheader Sunday

Game 3: NIU 5, Texas Tech 8

Box

Summary

It's Jeff Thomas' world and everybody's living in it. Keep going strong, my man. Sure we had 13 hits, but we also had 13 strikeouts and no walks. The pitching performances were fine by Holdenrid, Atkenson and Deain, except 3B Jordin Hood committed 3 errors in this game, costing 2 unearned runs to score.

Top Performers

Sr. LF Jeff Thomas - 4 for 5 with an RBI and no strikeouts
Jr. DH Brian Smith - 3 for 5 with a double and no strikeouts
So. 1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 5 with a double, an RBI, 2 runs and 1 strikeout

Sr. RHP Dan Atkenson - 2.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 ER, 4 K's and 0 BBs

Game 4: NIU 5, Texas State 15
Box

Summary

Obviously Hood was upset about his performance from his first game and belted 2 out of the park for good measure. Copp didn't have a great start giving up 10 ER in 4.2 innings.

Top Performers

So. 3B Jordin Hood - 2 for 5 with 2 HR, 3 RBIs and 3 runs and no strikeouts
Sr. RF Danny Reed - 2 for 4 with a double and 2 strikouts

Series MVP

Sr. LF Jeff Thomas: 10 for 17 (.588) with a double and a stolen base

NIU Baseball: Day 1 & 2 in Texas

Nykiel Pitching

C Behm with a hit

Yes I was at the game today in San Marcos. I got there a little late (flight delay), and only watched from the 5th or 6th inning on, but that was fine with me. My family now lives in Austin, TX which is only about 45 min north of where Texas State is located.

Recaps coming...

Game 1: NIU 1, Texas State 3
Box

Summary

RHP Trevor Feeney only gave up 2 ER in 7 innings pitched and that right there should win you the game, but the Huskies failed to do so. Our 4-5-6 guys left a combined 7 guys on base, which shows a lack of timely hitting. Freshman Marvin Sanchez got the start at 2B, but committed 2 errors, which may have cost the Huskies this game. Sanchez did manage to get a walk and score the only run. Not a very good 6th inning for the young man, but I hope he continues to improve.

Texas State 6th - Randell grounded out to ss. Farrow flied out to lf.
Goldschmidt singled through the right side. Theriot reached on an error by 2b;
Goldschmidt advanced to third. Cervantes doubled to right field, 2 RBI; Theriot
scored, unearned; Goldschmidt scored. Cervantes advanced to third on a throwing
error by 2b. Loftin struck out swinging. 2 runs, 2 hits, 2 errors, 1
LOB.

Top Performers

Sr. LF Jeff Thomas - 3 for 5 with 2 stolen bases, 1 strikeout
So. 1B Dave Reynolds - 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a strikeout
Jr. C Justin Behm - 0 for 1 with 3 walks

Sr. RHP Trevor Feeney - 7 IP, 2 ER, 6 hits, 4 K's and 4 walks

Game 2: Texas Tech 11, NIU 5
Box

Summary

This is the game I was at. Sr. LHP Matt Jernstad struggled with control against Texas Tech giving up 7 ER on 4 hits, while walking 8 and striking out 4. Sr. RHP Dave Nykiel came in and didn't do much better giving up a towering home run to TT's Roger Kieschnick (maybe related?) in the 8th. The double hit by Jeff Thomas was feet away from being a home run in dead center. Tech must not like Jordin Hood for some reason, beaming him 3 times in the game. Stevens and Behm also got hit by wild pitches. Thomas also now has a 7-game hitting streak. Not to mention we were facing Texas Tech's ace pitcher, AJ Ramos in this game.

Top Performers

Sr. RF Danny Reed - 1 for 4 with a double, 4 RBIs and 2 strikeouts
Sr. LF Jeff Thomas - 2 for 4 with a double, 2 runs and a walk
So. 1B Dave Reynolds - 1 for 2 with 2 walks
So. 3B Jordin Hood - 1 for 2 with a double and got hit by 3 pitches!!!

MAC Wrestling Championships Results

Congrats to Pat Castillo and Pat McLemore for winning their respected weight classes!!!

Both wrestlers along with Duke Burk will wrestle in the NCAA Championships. All 3 are on the All-MAC team as well.

Castillo was named most outstanding wrestler for the 2nd straight year.

Final Team Standings
Central Michigan 110
Kent State 75.5
Northern Illinois 60.5
Ohio 26.5
Eastern Michigan 25.5
Buffalo 25.5

Championship Match Results

133: Pat Castillo (NIU) dec. Dan Mitcheff (KSU) 5-4
Castillo wins second-straight MAC Championship.

141: Patrick McLemore (NIU) dec. Larry Lashaway (KSU) 8-6
McLemore wins MAC Championship as a redshirt freshman.

157: Steve Brown (CMU) dec. Bryan O'Connor (NIU) 7-3

174: Brandon Sinnott (CMU) dec. Duke Burk (NIU) 8-2

Consolation Match Results

125: Luke Smith (CMU) fall TJ Wunnicke (NIU) 2:12

149: Kalen Knull (NIU) dec. Clint Sponseller (KSU) 5-2
Knull earns third-place finish at MAC Tournament.

165: Bryan Deutsch (NIU) dec. John Cummings (UB) 7-2
Deutsch earns third-place finish at MAC Tournament.

157: Pat Lloyd (UB) dec. Bryan O'Connor (NIU) 2-0
O'Connor earns third-place at MAC Championships.

174: Duke Burk (NIU) dec. Jacob Ison (Ohio) 3-2
O'Burk wins second-place at MAC Championships.

NIUtrav Texas State/Texas Tech Series Preview

This is the first of many (hopefully) baseball previews by NIU Dog Pound member and close friend NIUtrav09.

Gametracker: via http://www.niuhuskies.com

Radio: via http://www.txstatebobcats.com

Tonight marks the first game of NIU's spring Texas trip. This trip consists of 10 games in 9 days against top notch competition. There's 4 with Texas St, 2 with Texas - San Antonio, 1 with Oklahoma, and 3 with Dallas Baptist. If NIU can finish this trip at or above .500, it would be a great accomplishment. They will be forced to use several pitchers who have limited collegiate experience so the key will be to get wins early in the trip when the big guns are on the mound.

Texas State Schedule
Vs. SFA W 8-7
Vs. Illinois W 2-1
Vs. Sam Houston St. W 5-4
@ Houston L 1-8
Vs. New Mexico L 1-11
Vs. New Mexico L 10-11
Vs. New Mexico W 8-7
@ TCU L 3-4 in 11 innings

Pitching Matchup
Sr. RHP Trevor Feeney (0-0, 2.45) vs. Jr. RHP Mike Hart (0-1, 7.36)*
-Don't let his numbers fool you. Hart ran into a power hitting New Mexico team that inflated his numbers a bit. Last year he was the #2 pitcher (behind a senior that is now playing professionally) and finished the year 8-5 with a 3.25 ERA.

-Hart has good control and strikes out nearly 9 batters per 9 innings.

*Texas St has not released their pitching matchups for the weekend so this is only speculation on my part.

Analysis
Don't let Texas State's mediocre record fool you. This is a team that won 37 games last year in the tough Southland Conference. Last year they had wins over then ranked #27 Oklahoma and #1 Rice.

Jonathon Farrow and Laurn Randell are their top hitters, batting .400 and .367 repectively. Goldschmidt leads the team in HR's with 3.

Misc.
-For those who missed it, Sr. LHP Adam Holdenrid was named the MAC West Pitcher of the Week for outdueling SIU's ace and projected top 5 round draft pick Cody Adams. Holdenrid is going to be a crucial part of the Huskie rotation this year.

-Jr. Matt Behren was named one of 36 finalists for the Johnny Bench Award, which goes to the nation's top catcher.

-Andy Deain was named one of 36 finalists for the Roger Clemens Award Watch List, which goes to the nation's top pitcher. Earlier in the season he was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List, which is for the national player of the year. He was also listed as a MAC "Player to Watch" by scouting magazine Collegiate Baseball.

UPDATED WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Due to University of Illinois having to cancel their trip down to Lubbock, TX to play Texas Tech, we will invite them to play 2 games in San Marcos along with the Texas State games. NICE!

Friday, March 7 at Texas State, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 8 vs. Texas Tech, 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 9 vs. Texas Tech, Noon
Sunday, March 9 at Texas State, 4 p.m.
All games at Bobcat Field in San Marcos, Texas

MAC Wraslin' Championships this weekend

Here's the schedule of events @ Kent State:

2008 Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships
March 7-8 -- Kent State University
M.A.C. Center

Friday March 7, 2008

Weigh-In – 10 AM
Session I: First Round – 12-2 PM
Doors open to the public at 10:30 AM

Session II: Semi-Finals & Wrestle-Backs- 7 PM
Doors open to the public at 5:30 PM

Saturday March 8, 2008

Weigh-In – 11 AM
Session III: Finals & Consolation Finals – 12-2 PM
Doors open to the public at 10:30 AM

Final Round for True Second Place (If Necessary) – 2 PM

Here's how the most recent MAC rankings pan out for the Huskies:

^{125 lbs.}

^{1. Luke Smith, Central Michigan}

^{2. Nic Bedelyon, Kent State}

^{3. T.J. Wunnicke, Northern Illinois}

4. Andrew Novak, Eastern Michigan

^{133 lbs.}

^{1. Pat Castillo, Northern Illinois}

^{2. Dan Mitcheff, Kent State}

^{3. Sean Clair, Eastern Michigan}

4. Conor Beebe, Central Michigan

^{141 lbs.}

^{1. Drew Lashaway, Kent State}

^{2. Eric Kruger, Central Michigan}

^{3. Pat McLemore, Northern Illinois}

4. Germane Lindsey, Ohio

^{149 lbs.}

^{1. Brandon Carter, Central Michigan}

^{2. Clint Sponseller, Kent State}

^{3. Kalen Knull, Northern Illinois}

^{4. David Pienaar, Eastern Michigan}

^{157 lbs.}

^{1. Corey Mancuso, Eastern Michigan}

^{2. Clay Tucker, Ohio}

^{3. Steve Brown, Central Michigan}

^{4. Bryan O’Connor, Northern Illinois}

^{165 lbs.}

^{1. Kurt Gross, Kent State}

^{2. Trevor Stewart, Central Michigan}

^{3. Justin Brandel, Eastern Michigan}

^{4. Jesse Linczmaier, Northern Illinois}

^{174 lbs.}

^{1. Brandon Sinnott, Central Michigan}

^{2. Duke Burk, Northern Illinois}

^{3. Mike Ragusa, Buffalo}

^{4. Jacob Ison, Ohio}

About Red and Black Attack

It's been a while since I started this thing and just wanted to let everybody know who I am and where this thing came from. Kind of late for an "About Me", but better late than never!

This blog was started right after the Iowa game to begin the 2007 Football season. I was inspired to write one by reading The Hawkeye Compulsion, an Iowa Hawkeye blog which has since turned in to Black Heart Gold Pants. I liked the dedication to their team and the great sense of humor that the guys over there have. I just try to emulate the success that they are having right now at BHGP, while being a tad bit more journalistic and professional. Haha, I love those guys.

Another reason why I started this up, is because the MAC gets a bad wrap in not having enough media exposure. Sure, there are the local newspapers, but sometimes they don't fill you in with the entire story. I just try to get the story of NIU Athletics out there in to the mainstream.

We have such a dedicated fan-base that is constantly growing nationally. We have a great niche of fans that enjoy the small schools and people who enjoy an old-school consistent running game. We've sent great running backs to the NFL in Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) and Garrett Wolfe (Chicago Bears).

The only a few MAC blogs out there, and they are listed under the links on the right. A few are fan-run, while certain journalists write through their respected newspaper websites. Just like I said, there is a big lack of media following the Mid-American Conference. The Big 11 teams may have 3, 4 or 5 blogs just dedicated to them, while the MAC is just slowly growing fans.

Personally, I am currently a Junior here at Northern Illinois and am part of the great Business program we have here. I enjoy any possible feedback on this site and you can leave me a comment or e-mail me at coolbreez@gmail.com.

It just makes me feel great when a fan or a player's parent likes the blog, and motivates me work that hard to bring valuable information and writing to the community of NIU fans all over.

-Mad Mike

P.S. I am always looking for people to dedicate anything to making this blog better, and will always consider people to help add writing or analysis.

Cole Hall's future

I try and stay away from politics on this blog, but there is a ridiculous hot button topic going on right now and I would just like to say my piece.

As most of you know, there was a press conference a little bit ago by Illinois Governor Blagojevich and NIU President John Peters announcing plans to demolish Cole Hall and build up a new building. The place is supposed to be called Memorial Hall and will cost $40 million to build.

But wait, none of this was approved beforehand? That's right. You can read the numerous articles in the news feed or with a Google search.

The NIU Board of Trustees never met about this topic. The money was never approved beforehand by anybody, and there may not be enough funds for the new building. Even Chicago Mayor Daley's opinion is that you can't tear down every building that somebody has been killed in, to avoid a terrible precedent. What he doesn't realize is that this isn't just some run-of-the mill place and we provide so many opportunities to young people that come here from the Chicago area.

Barsema Hall, NIU's Business college was built with a $23 million donation by NIU Alum Dennis Barsema. I have to wonder what Blago and John Peters were thinking before this announcement. In my opinion, Blagojevich is just trying to sound like a hero and it completely blew up in his face. $40 mil to build a state-of-the-art study building? You have to put some classes in there too. Isn't the price a little too steep? Who thought this out?

What disappoints me the most, is that most people talking about either keeping Cole Hall or getting rid of it have never taken class there or had to use it for a test or something. It is the place on campus where the most people can fit in to the same place and take tests.

I've been going to school here for 3 years and Cole Hall is the most disgusting building on this campus I have ever been in. First of all, you feel like you are in a jail when you sit down in those uncomfortable desks they have in there which are entirely too close together. The classrooms themselves are the opposite of aesthetic, with terribly unappealing colors and everything in that building being terribly out of date. It's always freezing in that building or way too hot, just adding to how bad it is.

Now you have to add in that there has been a shooting there and the school wants to get rid of the building, or do they. Who is "the school" in this context? This all sounds like a grand idea the day it was announced, and everybody I talked to was really excited about it. I just can't see enough of good reason to tear that horrible building down. The college of business in Barsema Hall is a marvel of an academic building. More majors at Northern Illinois really need to experience a great learning facility like Barsema Hall. Most of the general education and communications classes take place in run-down buildings like Dusable.

We need more lecture halls on campus, with better security. We need more computer labs with faster printers.

We need more places to study, with lobbies and computer labs always crowded.

I'm sick of waiting in a line for 10 minutes just to print out one piece of paper that I need for my next class.

Just the fact and thought that anybody would want to keep this monstrosity of a building puzzles me on end. Now John Peters is backtracking saying he now wants the opinions of students and faculty on this topic. I just feel this is a great opportunity to make the center of our campus look not just better aesthetically, but give us another place to study and think positively about the future of this University. Keeping Cole Hall isn't going to solve anything in my opinion. It felt like a jail sitting in there before, and now it will feel like a cemetery. I just want Peters and the University to give something great back to the students in terms of a great facility and now he has the chance to do it.

Please, if anybody is reading this: Get rid of Cole Hall. It was a piece of junk before the shootings, and should have been replaced years ago. If this place doesn't get completely re-done or even a face-lift, students like myself will refuse to take class there. I would seriously even think about taking a gun in to Cole Hall just to protect myself, even though that's completely illegal. I wouldn't even be able to learn, because I would be so nervous in that building looking around non-stop for anything suspicious.

Please help me out and e-mail colehall@niu.edu with your opinion.

Oh, there was a basketball game last night

In a battle to get out of the cellar of the MAC Conference, the Huskies struggled losing 69-63 to Ball State in Muncie.

The glaring stat in this game again was the turnovers, which have been the achilles heel of NIU for quite some time now. We turned the ball over 16 times to the Cardinals 3. NIU also only shot 7 free throws, making 6 while BSU made 11 of 17.



Do-it-all guard #32 Jake Anderson was the star yet again, scoring 24 points for the game. He also had 7 rebounds, only to be bested by Shaun Logan's 10 in this game.

Here's a nice tidbit on Jake Anderson from the Chronicle yesterday:

Patton also took time to make a point about one of the things he's learned while coaching his first year in the MAC. “It's a guard-driven league,” Patton said. “Those teams that have good guards and a good post player are good teams and can win games.”

One of those guards that has certainly stood out this season is NIU's Jake Anderson. Anderson could become the first player in school history since assists were recorded to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists. He leads the team in scoring and assists but is behind forward Egan Grafel by one rebound.

Patton said Anderson's ability to rebound has been one of the things that impressed him the most about the freshman guard's development.

“I think he's only scratched the surface of how good he's got to become to continue to grow and get better,” Patton said. “I'm not sure I quite believe he's a true point guard. And there's some things missing for that piece to be solidified in my mind. He's done a nice job and the fact that he's been allowed to play major minutes has really helped his progress.”

This Patton quote in the Northern Star sure looks like a knock on Anderson:

“Unfortunately, some of our best offensive guys are not good defenders,” Patton said. “Turnovers are just empty possessions. We didn’t do a good job forcing enough turnovers.”

It sure looks like Patton has a plan for the future. The season isn't over yet though. The Huskies travel to Eastern Michigan on Sunday. The MAC tourney starts next Wednesday in Cleveland and will likely be the #11 seed.

NIU Baseball takes 2 out of 3 from SIU

Going down to SIU, I think the team was expecting to at least take 2 out of 3 from the Salukis, and that is exactly what happened. SIU did enter the season ranked #33 by Collegiate baseball and we faced their ace Cody Adams in the first game. It was a strong pitching performance for us, winning 3-1. Adams for Southern Illinois had 10 K's without any walks and still lost! Good job Huskies.

Game 1 Top performers:

Hitting

#11 SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 4, with a (leadoff) HR, a double, 2 runs and an RBI
#4 DH Jeff Thomas - 2 for 4 (both doubles) and a run
#1 RF Danny Reed - 2 for 4 with an RBI

Pitching

#22 LHP Adam Holdenrid - 6 IP, 6 hits, 1 ER, 6 K's and only 1 BB.
#18 RHP Dan Atkenson - 2 IP, 1 hit, 1 K and 1 BB and 0 ER
#20 RHP Andy Deain - 1 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER.

#2 2B Marvin Sanchez also stole the first base of the season for the Huskies

The 2nd game was definitely more about the offense than pitching, as the Huskies pulled it out, winning 9-4 to sweep the double-header.

Game 2 Top Performers:

Hitting

#11 SS Bobby Stevens - 3 for 5 with a triple and 3 runs scored
#30 C Justin Behm - 3 for 4 with a double and a walk
#13 1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run and a walk
#1 RF Danny Reed - 1 for 3 with a 3 RBIs and a walk

Pitching

#50 LHP Brandon Copp - 5.1 IP, 6 hits, 4 ER with 4 K's and 5 BBs
#21 RHP Dave Nykiel - 3.2 IP, only 2 hits, 3 K's and 1 BB

The third game on Sunday wasn't great offensively or defensively. 6'7" RHP Zach Oates made his pitching debut and threw OK, giving up 2 ER and 3 walks while not striking anybody out yet. We were down 5-0 early and failed to comeback with a 5-3 final.

Game 3 Top Performers:

Hitting

#13 1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 4 with a run and a walk and no strikeouts
#11 SS Bobby Stevens - 1 for 2 with an RBI and 2 walks and 1 strikeout

Stevens, Thomas and Reed all had stolen bases.

Pitching

#33 LHP Cody Beck - 1 IP in relief of rookie starter #29 RHP Zach Oates, 1 hit and 1 K. 0 ER.
#20 RHP Andy Deain - 2 IP, 2 hits, 3 K's and 3 BBs. 0 ER.

SERIES MVP:

Leadoff man Bobby Stevens: 6 for 11, 2B, 3B, HR, 5 runs scored, 2 RBI and a walk

HM:

Adam Holdenrid, for his pitching performance in the 1st game.

RB Michael Turner signs with the Atlanta Falcons

The former STUD running back for NIU is going to be making $34.5 million over 6 years with $15 million up front. Falcons wear Red and Black too. Now that he's in the south, that Michael "The Burner" Turner Hot Sauce should make a comeback for sure. Anybody have an extra bottle around? Hopefully The Burner will help out Jerry Kill and staff when they travel down south to recruit in the GA/FL area.

I'm thinking...

The Michael Turner Indoor Practice Facility? Has a nice ring to it.

NIU Seniors show class on their night...

...because CMU definitely didn't show any.

First lets talk about the game, in which seniors Shaun Logan, Egan Grafel, Mike Hart, Ben Rand and Ryan Paradise were honored. Those players will be missed. An odd mix of players, in which Paradise was the only freshman who played here. Logan and Grafel are from JUCOs, while Hart is from D-3 and Rand transferred from Iowa. The Daily Chronicle said it best:

Without a steady, consistent core of players that mature through the course of their career in a basketball system at the Division I level, NIU has struggled.

We lost 80-73 in a tough fought game. The greatest part about this year's team is that they never gave up. Game in and game out they would fight hard at home, even if they were seriously outmatched talent wise.

Future STUD Jake Anderson had 23 pts and 11 boards. I have no idea how he's been out-rebounding our big men all year! Nichols filled in with 17 and Patton with 14. Jarvis Nichols was also 11 for 11 shooting free throws.

Central Michigan is the dirtiest team in the MAC Conference without a doubt. In the nation? Arguably.

This guy is the NIU's public enemy #1:



Nate Minnoy. All 6'3" 270 of him. Senior F Shaun Logan reaches in for the basketball and is called with the foul. Then Big Nate goes ahead an gives Shaun a straight elbow to the face. It was so blatantly obvious and there was almost a bench-clearing brawl. Clearer heads availed, and everything got back to normal until the next play when Logan got pummeled again by a CMU player going after the ball. Unbelievable. Can't wait to play these guys again next year. I'll be in the front of the student section yelling at Minnoy the entire game. Absolute garbage. He's from Chicago and I'm glad we didn't recruit this guy.