DeKALB – The NIU baseball team announced its 2016 schedule Monday comprised of four 2015 NCAA Regional opponents – including 2014 College World Series Champion, Vanderbilt – and a season-opening series at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Ariz., the spring training home of the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Huskies will face Boston College in a four-game set, the teams first ever meetings and NIU’s second series at Camelback Ranch in the past three seasons. Northern Illinois University took on Minnesota in the opening series of 2014.
Second-year Head Coach Mike Kunigonis is excited about the team’s opening weekend trip.
“We’re excited to open our season up in Arizona at the White Sox training facility. This will be a great opportunity for our players to play in a big league park and play a top-notch ACC opponent in Boston College,” said Kunigonis.
Northern Illinois University will follow up with a pair of four-game series at Murray State and Evansville before beginning its spring break trip March 11 in Nashville, Tenn., at Belmont. The Huskies will play three games versus the Bruins before playing midweek games at Vanderbilt and Austin Peay March 15 and 16, respectively.
The Commodores have reached the College World Series Championship the last two seasons, winning it all in 2014 over Virginia before falling to the Cavaliers last season in three games.
NIU will close the nine game, nine-day swing in Carbondale where the Huskies will play two games against Illinois and Southern Illinois. This will be NIU’s first meeting with Illinois since 2012 and the 14th-straight season the Huskies will face-off against the Salukis. The Illini lost to Vanderbilt in last season’s Super Regional series in Champaign, 2-0.
NIU will begin its Mid-American Conference season after spring break as it hits the road to take on reigning MAC Tournament Champion Ohio in Athens March 25-27.
The Huskies will host five home series at Ralph McKinzie Field in 2016, opening their home schedule Friday, April 1 versus Miami in the first of 18 scheduled home games at The Ralph. They will also host MAC series versus Central Michigan (April 8-10), Buffalo (April 22-24), Toledo (May 6-8) and Ball State (May 19-21).
The Huskies will make two trips to Big Ten country in midweek play, heading to Iowa on March 30 and to Minnesota on April 6. NIU has defeated a team from the Big Ten in each of the past six seasons, recording wins over Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern.
The Huskies will make one trip to Chicago and Milwaukee in midweek action, taking on UIC in a night game on April 12 and closing non-conference at Henry Aaron Field against UWM May 17.
In its final series of the regular season, NIU will host Ball State May 19-21 before the start of the Mid-American Tournament in Avon, Ohio May 25-28 at All Pro Freight Stadium.
The addition of more home games on this year’s schedule is a positive in Kunigonis’ eyes for the upcoming season. He’s also looking forward to a competitive season in 2016.
“I look forward to the addition of a few more home games to the schedule as we play 18 games at the Ralph this year. Our conference schedule will be a grind as it always is. Every program in the MAC continues to get better each year, making the margin for error during the season smaller and smaller.
“Overall, I’m excited to see our team compete against some great opponents this year and fight for a MAC title,” closed Kunigonis.
NIU closed the 2015 campaign with a 22-33 record in Kunigonis’ first season, finishing conference with a 10-17 record. Northern Illinois University returns eight starters in the field, seven pitchers from the bullpen and 17 letter winners from a year ago.
