May 3, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - After winning four of its last five games, including three of four from Iowa over the weekend, the Northwestern baseball team is set to take on Northern Illinois in Geneva, Ill. The Wildcats and Huskies will meet at a neutral site Wednesday night, playing under the lights of Elfstrom Stadium, home of the Kane County Cougars. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. The Cougars are the Class A affiliate of the Oakland A's.
Wednesday's contest will be NU's third midweek game since the beginning of the Big Ten season four weeks ago. NU is 10-10 in league play and 2-0 during the week. The Wildcats defeated Bradley 8-6 back on April 13 and Wisconsin-Milwaukee 18-6 on April 26.
The Huskies of Northern Illinois have played six out-of-conference games since the beginning of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) season five weeks ago. NIU is 2-13 in league play, 3-2-1 during the week. Northern tied Purdue-North Central 8-8 last Tuesday in DeKalb, Ill.
The Huskies enter the game with an 11-28-1 overall record, which includes a 2-1 record in neutral site games. Northwestern is 21-18 overall, 8-5 at neutral sites.
Offensively, NIU is led by outfielder Jeremy Busch. Starting all 40 games, Busch has a .329 average in 155 at-bats. He leads the team with seven home runs and has been walked a team high 29 times. Senior Mike Santoro leads the club with 33 RBI in 166 at-bats. He has five home runs and 13 doubles.
As a team, the Huskies are hitting .275 in 40 games, with 25 home runs and 83 doubles.
On the mound for NIU, freshman Brian Smith has a team-low 3.57 ERA in 14 appearances (eight starts). He has a 3-6 record, pitching 58.0 innings. Right-hander Nick Hall, Wednesday nights probable starter, is 2-5 with a 6.86 ERA. He has thrown one complete game in 61.2 innings pitched. Left-hander Matt German has a team high 25 appearances. He is 1-2 with two saves.
Northwestern will look for shortstop Jon Mikrut (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) to keep swinging a hot bat. Fresh off Big Ten Player of the Week honors, Mikrut led the Wildcats in most offensive categories last week. In five games last week, Mikrut went 14-for-23 at the plate, which equates to a robust .609 batting average. Included in those 14 hits were three doubles, two triples and a home run. Not to mention the 10 RBI and 10 runs scored.
Not to be outdone, third baseman Mike Phelps (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township) hit .385 in NU's four game against Iowa, recording four put-outs and six assists. Phelps is fourth on the team with a .308 average.
Junior Anthony Wycklendt (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet) hit his team-leading eighth home run over the weekend, upping his team-high RBI total to 37. Wycklendt is second on the team with a .317 average. Catcher Pat McMahon (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel) leads the team with a .412 average.