Rain Expected as Huskies Visit Zips in MAC Series Opener

AKRON, Ohio (Interstat) — The Northern Illinois Huskies bring the Mid-American Conference’s best record into a three-game series against the struggling Akron Zips, beginning Friday at InfoCision Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for the evening, with rain forecast and a temperature near 74 degrees.

The Huskies (20-11, 4-2 MAC) are led by ace Carter Cox, who is expected to start on the mound. The right-hander is coming off a complete-game victory last Sunday, allowing two runs over seven innings in a 5-2 win over Kent State. On April 4, he threw eight no-hit innings with 12 strikeouts in a shutout win at Massachusetts.

Akron (15-21, 2-7 MAC) looks to rebound from a 13-2 midweek loss at Pittsburgh. Reliever Taylor Bednar, a player to watch for the Zips, pitched a scoreless inning in that contest. However, Bednar has struggled in recent conference appearances, allowing two earned runs in each of his last two outings against Ball State and Bowling Green without recording more than one out.

Northern Illinois has won five of its last seven games. In their most recent series, they took two of three from Kent State. Akron has lost eight of its last ten games and was swept in its last MAC series at Bowling Green.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-3 victory for Northern Illinois, giving the Huskies a 56.9% probability to win according to its ELO rating system.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday afternoons in Akron.