NIU Baseball Round-Up

Where did we leave off...oh yeah

Postseason Game 2: NIU 6, Kent State 10
L / Box

Mathey-Speak:

"Our hitters did a good job against a first team all-MAC pitcher and we battled back and had some chances in this game," said head coach Ed Mathey. "We didn't capitalize on our opportunity in the sixth inning. Kent State is a good hitting team and they were up for the challenge tonight."

Top Performers:

1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 3, HR, RBI, R, BB, E
LF Anthony Maziur - 2 for 4, RBI, R, 2 SB
CF Pat Minogue - 2 for 3, HR, RBI, R, BB
LHP Brandon Copp - 1.1 IP, 4 K's

Postseason Game 3: Ball State 5, NIU 6
W / Box

Mathey-Speak:

"It was a great finish and keeps us playing," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Our goal entering the ninth was to bring the tying run to the plate. Anthony [Maziur] and Bobby [Stevens] did a nice job getting on and we had a big at-bat from Jordin [Hood]. Then Danny [Reed] had a nice piece of hitting that brought home the winning run."

Top Performers:

3B Jordin Hood - 2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB, SB
SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 4, R, SO, HBP, SB
RF Danny Reed - 2 for 5, GW RBI, 2 SO
1B Dave Reynolds - 1 for 4, HR, RBI, R, BB, SO

Postseason Game 4: Kent State 10, NIU 3
L / Box

Summary:

I don't know how Kent State didn't win the MAC, because their offense is absolutely dominant, while their pitching is good enough to keep them in games especially against us. One of these years we'll have a good enough team to match up with the best in the MAC, except this year wasn't the one.

Top Performers:

DH Justin Behm - 1 for 3, HR, 3 RBI, R
1B Dave Reynolds - 1 for 2, BB
RHP Dan Atkenson - 5.1 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 3 K's

Milestones Met

RF Danny Reed was named All-MAC Tournament after hitting .462, while slugging for 1.077. Ridiculous stats. Surprisingly, he didn't lead in either of those categories but was 3rd and 2nd respectively.

SS Bobby Stevens was hit by a record 27th pitch of the season, while setting the career record with 45 HBPs in his time at NIU.

NIU set a single-season record with a .963 fielding percentage surpassing the '59 and '07 seasons.

C/DH Justin Behm moved in to the 10th place on NIU's all-time HR list with his 17th dinger

MAC Tournament Game 2: #4 NIU vs #1 Kent State

Coming up today:

Kent State 34-20 (17-8)
vs.
Northern Illinois 27-24 (17-10)

Game Time 6:30 Central

How they got here: KSU beat CMU 4-2. NIU beat Ball State 13-7.

Head to head results this season. All games played at NIU. 11-6W, 3-2W, 9-5L. Holdenrid won the middle game of the series against the 2 teams.

Pitching Matchup:
NIU Adam Holdenrid (5-4 4.17ERA 73.1IP 92H 24BB 50K .308BA)

VS
KSU Brad Stillings (3-7 5.58 ERA 71.0IP 89H 27BB 54K .307BA)
or
KSU Kyle Smith (8-1 5.43ERA 69.2IP 71H 34BB 61K .266BA)

Yesterday's Recap

Postseason Game 1: Ball State 7, NIU 13
W / Box

Last night was an excellent game with the Huskies coming back from a 0-6 deficit to storm back and win the game with a barrage of power. Big props to the bullpen (Copp & Atkenson) for pitching 3 scoreless innings at the end of the game. Starting pitcher RHP Trevor Feeney had a tough 3rd inning giving up 5 runs, but brought it especially in the 4th and 5th.

Top Performers:

DH Justin Behm - 3 for 4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB
LF Jeff Thomas - 1 for 3, HR, 2 HBP, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, CS
1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB, SO

No Losers @ US Cellular Field

Game 32: Notre Dame 5 (23-9-1), NIU 4 (15-17)

L Recap/Photos

In front of a school-record 4,600 fans, Northern Illinois took on the Fighting Irish of Notre dame under the lights @ US Cellular Field which is the home of the Chicago White Sox. The proceeds from the $10 tickets for this game all went to the Feb. 14th scholarship to honor the victims of the horrible tragedy that happened that day.

Top Performers:

SS Bobby Stevens - 0 for 2, HBP, 2 BB, SB
LF Jeff Thomas - 0 for 3, HBP, BB, 2 R, SB, SO

LHP Brandon Copp - 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's

Summary:

Just judging by the top performers in this game, we needed to hit a little bit more. But heck, losing by 1-run to a top-30 team isn't anything to shake a stick at. Starting pitchers Matt Jernstad went 3.1 IP and Brandon Copp went 2.2 IP later in the game. I'm so thankful we were able to schedule this game with ND moving their schedule around to make it happen. It provides tremendous experience for both squads playing in a major league stadium.

Notre Dame HC Dave Schrage:

"I would like to thank the Chicago White Sox for this opportunity; it really is a great experience for our team. It was a hard fought game and I think the fans got their money's worth. There really were no losers tonight."

NIU HC Ed Mathey:

"I thought it was a real spirited contest out there tonight, with great fan support. I thought both team came out and played some pretty good baseball. We had some opportunities out there; with a few more key hits you may have seen a different result out there. They got a kid at the back of their bull pen who is pretty tough and that is a good luxury to have."

Pre-ND @ The Cell Baseball Roundup

If you haven't already, go pick up free tickets from the Convo for tonight's baseball game at US Cellular field on the south side against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame!

Game 28: NIU 4 (12-16), Valpo 5 (9-21)
L

Top Performer:

SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 4, 2B, HBP, 2 R, SB

Mathey-Speak/Summary:

"We just did not play well enough to win today," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Defensively, we didn't execute defensively very well and that will cost you in a close ballgame. We didn't make the plays we needed to make."

Reynolds, Hood & Copp all had errors in this game. Hood's error was the only unearned run scored in this game in the 5th inning, while Hood didn't help him in that same inning.

Game 29: Akron 4 (14-11, 1-3), NIU 5 (13-16, 6-4)
W

Top Performers:

SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 4, HBP, 2 R, SB
DH Justin Behm - 1 for 3, RBI, R, 2 BB
3B Jordin Hood - 2 for 5, 3 RBI, 2 E

RHP Trevor Feeney - 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K's
RHP Dan Atkenson - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K's

Mathey-Speak/Summary:

"We got a big run in the seventh and finally got our bats going in the ninth," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Jordin [Hood] got a couple of big hits for us today and it is nice to see him coming around. The weather was not conducive but it was a fun ballgame and a good win for us. Our pitchers did a nice job today as well with a good start from Trevor [Feeney] and Dan [Atkenson] out of the bullpen."

It's a good thing that Hood is producing on offense (3 RBIs), because that's the 2nd unearned run he's given up by an error in 2 close games in a row.

Game 30: Akron 11 (14-12, 1-4), NIU 14 (14-16, 7-4)
W

Top Performers:

C Justin Behm - 3 for 5, 2 HR, GS, 8 RBI, 2 R
LF Jeff Thomas - 2 for 5, HBP, 3 RBI, 3 R, SB
SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 3, 2B, 2 HBP, 3 R, SO
2B Joe Buonavolanto - 3 for 4, 2B, RBI, 2 R
3B Jordin Hood - 2 for 3, HBP, RBI, BB, SB, E
RF Danny Reed - 2 for 4, 2B, R, BB, 2 SO

RHP Andy Deain - 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K's

Summary:

Behm's 8 RBI's ties the school record set by Joe Milroy @ Creighton on March 20, 1999. Behm has both patience and power, while it seems his ceiling is limitless. Now that our other catcher Matt Behren is back (who ironically had the pre-season honors), I'm sure both players will switch back and forth from the DH spot to help out the health of both players. Behren was out with a hand injury, which kept him out of the first 22 games. He came back to start the April 2nd game against UW-Milwaukee. Both corner infielders had errors in this game, in which both men came in to score unearned runs.

Game 31: Akron 10 (14-13, 1-5), NIU 14 (15-16, 8-4)
W

Top Performers:

SS Bobby Stevens - 3 for 3, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB
C Matt Behren - 2 for 4, 3B, 3 RBI, R, E
CF Pat Minogue - 2 for 3, 2B, R, BB
LF Jeff Thomas - 1 for 3, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB
DH Justin Behm - 1 for 3, RBI, 2 R, BB
3B Jordin Hood - 1 for 3, 3 RBI, R, BB, E

Summary:

1B Joe "Etch" Etcheverry made his first start in conference play and hit a solo HR. 3B Hood has about an error a game and it's also a good thing that our offense is making up for the lack of pitching and defense in these games. Pretty much everybody got in to this game toward the end including freshmen RHP Zach Oates, C Kevin Smith and 3B Brad Allen.

Super Baseball Round-Up

It's been a while. Classes get hard when you are a Junior. Can't wait for next year...

It was a freezing weekend in Bowling Green, OH which hampered our offensive production. Our defense didn't help much in these close games either though. Taking the game from UW-Milwaukee and taking 2 out of 3 from Pre-Season MAC favorite Kent State were essential wins for this team. Nice to see the offense come alive with this nice weather we've been having in Dekalb. Except not right now. I hate rain!

Game 21: NIU 2 (9-12, 3-1), Bowling Green 3 (9-7, 1-0)

Top Performances:

3B Jordin Hood - 1 for 3, BB, RBI
RF Danny Reed - 1 for 4, HR, RBI, R

RHP Trevor Feeney - 7 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K's
RHP Dan Atkenson - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 K's

Quotage:

"They put the leadoff man on through the first six innings and we were only able to get our leadoff hitter on once and that is a tough way to play," said head coach Ed Mathey. "To have a 3-2 game is a testament to how well Trevor Feeney pitched for us today. He battled and even though he was saddled with the loss, he didn't deserve that fate. Offensively it is difficult to get anything going when you only get four hits. You've got to give credit to their pitcher because he threw well and was around the strike zone all game."

Game 22: NIU 3 (9-3, 3-2), Bowling Green 4 (10-7, 2-0)

Top Performances:

RF Danny Reed - 2 for 4, 2B, R
C Justin Behm - 1 for 2, 2 BB, SB
1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 4, RBI, R

LHP Adam Holdenrid - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's

Quotage:

"Today's game was similar to yesterday in that it came down to a matter of execution and we are just not doing that well enough right now," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Mistakes on the defensive side are haunting us and we are not generating enough offensively. I thought Adam [Holdenrid] threw well enough to win, but they threw better and got the win. We gave up too many free bases today and that ended up hurting us."

Game 23: NIU 1 (9-14, 3-3), Bowling Green 4 (11-7, 3-0)

Top Performers:

LHP Matt Jernstad - 5.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's

Quotage:

"Offensively, we simply could not get anything going this weekend," said head coach Ed Mathey. "We had runners at second and third and no one out in the fifth and couldn't get a run home and you just can't have that. That was a big momentum swing and they came right back in their at bat and got three runs. Their pitchers did a nice job against us today and throughout the series and I thought our pitchers threw well enough to win, we just didn't generate any offensive support."

Game 24: UW-Milwaukee 2 (5-17), NIU 3 (10-14)

Top Performers:

SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 4, BB, SO, SB, CS
1B Dave Reynolds - 2 for 4, RBI, R, HBP, SO
3B Jordin Hood - 2 for 5, GW RBI

LHP Brandon Copp - 5 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K's

Quotage:

"It is good to be back on the winning side and you always feel better about yourself after a victory," said head coach Ed Mathey. "It was great to see Jordin come through with the winning hit and hopefully that gets him going after struggled a bit early in the season."

Game 25: Kent State 6 (10-14, 0-4), NIU 11 (11-14, 4-3)

Top Performers:

DH Justin Behm - 3 for 4, 2 HR, 3B, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB, SO
3B Jordin Hood - 4 for 5, HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, SO
LF Jeff Thomas - 3 for 4, R, 2 SB
RF Danny Reed - 1 for 3, 2 RBI, R, BB

Quotage:

"Our hitters did an outstanding job and we swung the bats well today," said head coach Ed Mathey, who earned the 150th win of his NIU career. "The success in the first inning was a direct result of executing our approach of waiting and hitting to the mid or opposite field. Getting back over the .500 mark in the MAC is key as so is starting off a series with a victory, especially at home. Hopefully this win will carry over to tomorrow."

Game 26: Kent State 2 (10-15, 0-5), NIU 3 (12-14, 5-3)

Top Performers:


RF Danny Reed - 2 for 4, 2B, RBI, R, 2 SO
DH Brian Smith - 1 for 2, 2 BB

LHP Adam Holdenrid - 6.2 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K's

Quotage:

"We took advantage of a couple of not-so-hard hit ground balls in the ninth that probably didn't go 140 feet between the two of them, but it was enough to get a run," said head coach Ed Mathey. "Maziur made a good read on the ball and broke for the plate and earlier in the inning Marvin Sanchez placed a good bunt against a hard-charging infield. It was a game that featured good pitching and defense on both sides and you hate to see either team lose."

Game 27: Kent State 9 (11-15, 1-5), NIU 5 (12-15, 5-4)

Top Performers:

3B Jordin Hood - 3 for 5
CF Pat Minogue - 2 for 4, RBI
SS Bobby Stevens - 2 for 4, SO
RF Danny Reed - 2 for 5, 2 R, 2 SO

Summary:

Huskies had hits abound with 13, but the Red and Black lacked power and pitching in this rubber match against defending MAC Champs Kent State.

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

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

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 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!!!

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.

NIU Baseball drops doubleheader to open season

There was a time.

There was a time last year I would read box scores like they were a well-written piece of literature. Baseball season is back. Being the Cubs fan that I am, I started to follow the minor league teams as well. I expect the transition from following minor leagues will be smooth looking towards the collegiate baseball game, something I have never followed before. Few press, hardcore fans. I can't wait.

Looking at last Thursday's marathon of 25 innings of baseball in one day...that's right:

The 16 inning loss against Portland was the longest game in NIU's history!!! Also in duration with the game going 4 hours and 22 minutes. Portland is a respectable WCC team and I have tremendous respect for them. Our undoing could have been blamed on the 3 errors we had in the 9-6 loss.

Here was the opening lineup for the Portland game:

SS Bobby Stevens
LF Jeff Thomas
3B Jordin Hood
RF Danny Reed
DH Justin Behm
C Matt Behren
1B Dave Reynolds
2B Dave Buonavolanto
CF Pat Minogue

P Trevor Feeney

#1 RF Danny Reed went 4 for 7 with one run, a double and an RBI. He also had 3 strikeouts, which was unfortunate. #13 1B/P Dave Reynolds was 3 for 7 with 2 RBI's and zero strikeouts. He also came in to the game to finish off the last 2 outs of the game in relief of Nick Badgley. Reynolds got caught stealing one time as well. Reynolds also did leave 3 guys on base during the course of the game. #11 SS Bobby Stevens went 2 for 8 with 2 doubles as well.

For pitching performances, starting #32 RHP Trevor Feeney was impressive as always, going 7.1 innings and only giving up 2 ER! He gave up 7 hits, struck out 2 batters and walked only 1 guy.

In the bullpen, #18 RHP Dan Atkenson destroyed the competition, striking out 5 in only 2 innings of work during the 14th and 15th innings. Unbelievable! He must have been on a pitch count, because we wouldn't have lost in my opinion if we had kept him in there for the 16th inning.

Players who made their debut yesterday include:

#23 LHP Nick Badgley - walked 2 and gave up 3 ER in the 16th inning to record the loss. Not the way I'd want to start a career! 3rd Badgley to pitch for NIU.
#2 2B Marvin Sanchez - went 1 for 3 with a run, a sacrifice and a strikeout.
#28 P/IF Brad Allen - pinch hit
#5 1B Joe Etcheverry - saw some fielding time

Now for the Hawaii game in which we lost 7-3. I wonder what these guys must have felt like having to play so much baseball in one day!

Changes to the lineup to give the catcher a break:

SS Stevens
LF Thomas
3B Hood
RF Reed
C Behm
DH Kamin
1B Reynolds
2B Buonavolanto
CF Minogue

P Jernstad

My favorite performance against Hawaii was by #14 3B Jordin Hood. He went 2 for 3 with an RBI, a triple and 2 BBs! Nice to see that performance from him. #4 LF Jeff Thomas had a nice game as well going 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs and 2 BBs. Thomas was also caught stealing in this game.

#25 LHP Matt Jernstad went 5.2 innings, giving up 7 hits, 2 ER, while striking out 7 and walking 5 guys.

Debuts in this game:

#10 C Sam Kapacinsakas played a little behind the plate
1B #5 Joe Etcheverry - debuted in the first game, but got his first hit pinch-hitting in the 9th inning
#26 LHP Tom Zelasko - relieved Jernstad in the 5th and gave up 2 hits and 2 ER
#29 RHP Zach Oates - retired the last two batters in the 8th inning. Oates is 6'7", the tallest Huskie baseball player since 1980.

I love baseball. Back in action today @ 3 against SIU.