High winds make a baseball game tougher than normal for defenses.

In NIU’s series win against Eastern Michigan, winds of more than 20 miles per hour caused adventures for both teams’ defenses.

“Anything in the air is carrying,” Huskies’ third baseman Jordin Hood said. “The outfielders and infielders had a tough time.”

It was clear EMU had a tougher time dealing with the elements than the NIU did.

While EMU didn’t commit many errors, several wind-blown balls that would normally be outs fell as hits.

Huskies’ designated hitter Justin Behm ended up with a double that landed just in the grass between the shortstop and center fielder due to the swirling wind.

Familiarity with the intricacies of Ralph McKinzie Field helped Huskies avoid many of these mistakes.

“The wind gave us a challenge,” left fielder Jeff Thomas said. “But, I’m a veteran out there.”

NIU coach Ed Mathey was pleased with the way his team handled the elements.

“I thought our kids handled the elements well,” Mathey said. “Our outfielders played through the elements very well.”

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