Northern Illinois pitcher Eli Anderson and second baseman Alex Klonowski have been named first-team All-Mid-American Conference selections. First baseman Jeff Zimmerman was named to the second team.
Anderson is the first starting pitcher since 2004 to be named to the conference's first team, while Klonowski is the first second baseman in program history to earn the honor.
Anderson finished the season with a 9-4 record, six complete games and 2.01 ERA in 107 1/3 innings. He struck out 70 hitters and walked 25. Klonowski hit .297 (.325 in MAC play) with 30 RBIs and struck out just 15 times. Zimmerman finished with a .333 average, 17 doubles and 30 RBIs.
The Huskies opened MAC tournament play with a 6-4 loss to Bowling Green. NIU will play an elimination game Thursday at 8 a.m. CT.
We're more than three months away from the start of the college football season, but some sportsbooks have already released betting lines for Week 1.
Northern Illinois travels to Iowa for its first game of the 2013 season and the oddsmakers don't seem to be giving NIU much respect. NIU is listed as a 6.5-point underdog on the road, according to betonline.com.
NIU lost to Iowa, 18-17, at Soldier Field in Week 1 of the 2012 college football season. The Huskies rolled off 12 consecutive victories and earned a berth in the Orange Bowl. Iowa struggled to a 4-8 record.
What are your thoughts on the initial line?
The San Francisco 49ers announced they have signed fullback Jason Schepler to a three-year deal.
Schepler, a 2008 graduate of Sycamore High School, played in 49 games (26 starts) for Northern Illinois, catching 14 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns in his career. A second-team Academic All-American as a senior, the team captain caught three passes for 65 yards and one touchdown, helping the Huskies earn a berth in the Orange Bowl.
He served as a key blocker for Northern Illinois, which ranked 12th in the NCAA in rushing in 2012 (238.2 yards per game). Prior to taking a medical redshirt year in 2011, Schepler caught a career-high eight passes for 93 yards in 2010.
Schepler earned first-team all-conference honors, as a junior at Sycamore and was the 2008 Daily Chronicle Male Athlete of the Year.
Northern Illinois announced a national search for its next athletics director in a press release Tuesday.
Doug Baker, who begins his tenure as NIU president July 1, will oversee the process and ultimately make the selection for this important position. The university noted that a search firm will be utilized.
“The next athletics director needs to be someone who continues to build upon this foundation of athletics and academic success and take it to the next level as we grow the NIU brand and grow our fan base,” Baker said. “The pieces are in place - NIU has a strong donor base, excellent facilities, outstanding resources for student academic success and a tradition of excellence in competition and in the classroom. I believe this is one of the best AD jobs in the country.”
The press release said NIU would like to have a new AD in place by the start of the fall sports season.
CBSsports.com is reporting that Iowa and Northern Illinois are close to an agreement that would see the two teams play at Kinnick Stadium in 2018 and 2020.
According to the report there is also an option to play in 2019.
The two teams will meet for the fourth time since 2006 in NIU's season opener at Kinnick on Aug. 31. Iowa defeated NIU, 18-17, in the 2012 season opener before the Huskies reeled off 12 consecutive wins on their way to a Mid-American Conference title and a berth in the Orange Bowl.
Iowa was 4-8 last season.
