NKU's Todd Asalon (left) has 396 victories as Norse head coach.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - The Northern Kentucky University baseball team will meet Quincy in the first round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional at 8 p.m. Thursday in Normal, Ill.
Friday's contest will be heard on “Real Talk 1160,” while Saturday's game will be broadcast on “Christian Talk 1050.” Further broadcasts in the tournament are TBD. Links to all broadcasts, as well as live stats, will be available at nkunorse.com
NKU enters the NCAA Tournament with a 34-19 record and is the No. 3 seed. The Norse finished as Great Lakes Valley Confer-ence Tournament runner-up after dropping an 8-2 decision to Quincy on Sunday in the championship game.
Quincy is 35-18 after capturing the GLVC Tournament title and is the No. 4 seed.
Grand Valley State is the top seed and will meet sixth-seeded Wayne State (Mich.) in the first round Thursday at 7 p.m. Defending national champion Southern Indiana is the No. 2 seed and takes on fifth-seeded Missouri S&T in the other first-round contest at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Midwest Regional is being played at Corn Crib Stadium, which is home to the Normal CornBelters of the Frontier League. The double-elimination event continues through Sunday, and the regional champion will advance to the NCAA Division II World Series in Cary, N.C., May 28-June 4.
NKU is making its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
HANDICAPPING THE FIELD: Host Grand Valley State is the nation's top team, sporting a 48-3 record after breezing through the GLIAC Tournament. The Norse and Lakers have met in each of the last three NCAA Tournaments, with GVSU taking the last two meetings. Grand Valley holds the all-time edge, 9-4.
Southern Indiana is the defending national champion and took three of the four regular-season meetings against the Norse. USI holds a slight edge all-time, 44-43, after winning eight of the last 10 meetings against NKU, including wins in each of the last two regional tournaments.
Quincy is the automatic qualifier from the GLVC after defeating NKU in the final, 8-2. This year marked the first since the series began in 1997 that the two teams have not met in the regular season. NKU holds a 27-20 edge all-time and has won six of the last eight games against Quincy.
NKU split a doubleheader against Missouri S&T, losing 7-5 before coming back in the nightcap, 4-2. The teams went to the wire in the GLVC Tournament, with NKU taking a 5-4 walk-off win in 10 innings. The Norse have won 16 of the 23 games against the Miners.
NKU has won six of the 10 games against No. 6 seed Wayne State in the teams' brief history. Last year, the Norse took a 2-1 win at regionals.
ONE OF THE BEST:
Andy Heston's transformation to a starting role has received the notice of the national media, as he has been named a semifinalist for the Tino Martinez Award, given to the most outstanding player in all of Division II baseball. The finalists will be named this weekend, with the winner announced on June 6. Last year, Bryan Fogle of Erskine was named the inaugural winner of the award.
COMPLETE DOMINANCE: The Norse starting rotation has stepped up in the past month to push the Norse over the edge in conference play. Over the last 18 games, NKU starters have gone the distance 10 times, going 8-2 in those games and leading NKU to a 15-3 record over the span.
MAKE 'EM EARN IT: Entering play in the GLVC Tournament last week, the NKU pitching staff has become one of the best in the nation in making opponents earn their baserunners. The Norse rank 10th nationally, surrendering just 2.6 walks per nine innings.
LOGGING INNINGS: Should
Dave Middendorf record one out in his sixth inning of work this weekend, he will surpass Josh Whaley with more career innings pitched at NKU than any other pitcher in team history. Whaley threw 295.1 innings during his four-year career from 1999-2002.
With an eight-inning outing, Middendorf will tie
Kevin Jordan for the most innings thrown in a single season. Jordan threw 108.1 innings last season. Last weekend, Middendorf tied the NKU record for most complete games in a season with his ninth. It tied a mark set by Mike Kichler (1995) and Josh Whaley (2001).
