DeKalb: NIU Baseball Heads to NCAA Tournament for First Time in 54 Years
Northern Illinois University baseball has qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1972, ending a 54-year drought after winning the MAC Championship.
The Northern Illinois University baseball team is headed to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in 54 years.
The Huskies earned their spot by winning the Mid-American Conference Championship on Saturday, May 23. They will now travel to Tallahassee, Florida, to compete in the Tallahassee Regional.
According to WREX, NIU will face last season's national runner-up, Coastal Carolina, on Friday, May 29, at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
A Historic Season for DeKalb
This marks only the second time in program history that NIU has reached the NCAA Baseball Tournament. The first appearance was in 1972, when the team lost in the regionals to Bowling Green and Iowa.
Head Coach Ryan Copeland is in his third season leading the Huskies. He took over a program that won just 10 games in 2023. The team improved to 21 wins in 2024 and 21 wins in 2025. This season, the Huskies finished with a 35-17 record.
"We just continue to get better and better," Copeland said after the MAC semifinal win. "These guys play for each other and are as tough as it gets."
The Road to the Championship
NIU's path to the championship was not easy. In the quarterfinals, the Huskies defeated the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes in a 15-inning marathon, winning 6-5.
According to the Mid-American Conference, Gavin Baldwin hit a home run and drove in two runs in that game. Pitcher Carter Cox struck out 12 batters over 5.1 innings, a career high for a single game.
In the semifinal against Toledo, NIU won 10-3. A six-run seventh inning broke the game open.
"The big blow there was the grand slam," Copeland said. "It felt like it was going to be one of those close games where we were going to have to make plays late. We showed our depth tonight."
Cole Smith went 2-for-5 at the plate with a season-high five RBI, including the grand slam. Wyatt Wawro was 3-for-3 and scored four runs.
What Comes Next
The Tallahassee Regional is hosted by the No. 10 seed Florida State, which will play St. John's in the opening game. The regional uses a double-elimination format.
The winner of the Tallahassee Regional will advance to the Super Regionals, scheduled for June 5 to June 8. The Super Regional winners will move on to the Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 12 to June 22.
This is also NIU's final season as a member of the Mid-American Conference. Beginning in July 2026, all non-football sports will join the Horizon League. Football will join the Mountain West Conference.
For DeKalb residents and Huskie fans, the next chapter starts Friday night in Florida.