It’s been an up-and-down season for Northeastern baseball, but this weekend, the Huskies have a chance to establish something they’ve lacked all spring: consistency.
Northeastern (4-2 in CAA, 14-14 overall) will host Hofstra in a three-game series at Friedman Diamond. The final installment will take place Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET and can be watched live on NESNplus.
In early March, the Huskies lost four consecutive games before winning seven of their next eight. Since then, Mike Glavine’s club has gone 2-4, including a loss Tuesday in the Beanpot opener against Harvard.
According to the fifth-year head coach, the Huskies have work to do in all areas.
“Right now we’re lacking consistency,” Glavine, a former big leaguer and brother of baseball Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, told NESN.com on Wednesday. “In everything that we do — pitching, offense, defense, base-running, coaching — everything has been inconsistent this year.
“It’s been frustrating. I think we have a really talented team. We just haven’t put it all together, and that’s why our record is what it is.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Huskies, though — far from it. Northeastern currently sits in a three-way tie for second place in the CAA with William & Mary and College of Charleston, and is just a game behind first-place Elon. The Huskies took two of three from William & Mary a couple weeks ago, a clear sign they still are among the top teams in the conference.
In fact, when they’re at their best, the Huskies can play with some of the best Division I programs in the nation.
“What I say to our guys all the time is, ‘You’re playing the game, not the uniform,’ ” Glavine said. “Whether it’s a team coming in that’s struggling, or a nationally ranked team, it doesn’t matter. … All we’re trying to be is worried about ourselves to play the best possible game we can play. If we do that, we like our chances.
“And if we don’t, we’ve already seen that we can lose to anybody in the country. And we’ve already beaten teams like (No. 28) Illinois and Missouri, so we can beat anybody in the country, as well.”
As for the task at hand, the Huskies must not overlook what is, frankly, a poor Hofstra team. At 0-3 in CAA play and 4-18 overall, the Pride are mired in a forgettable season.
“Ultimately, you want to win all your games, but the weekends in conference play take higher priority,” Glavine said. “It’s conference weekend, so there’s always rivalries. (Northeastern and Hofstra) are the closest geographical rivals in the conference, so Hofstra’s always been a tough match for us. They always have a scrappy, tough team.
“You throw the records out the window, as you always do, when it’s conference time.”
Check out the full weekend schedule for college sports on NESN networks below, and find out where to catch NESNplus on your service here.
Saturday, April 6
Noon ET — America East women’s lacrosse: American at Boston University (NESNplus)
2 p.m. — Patriot League women’s lacrosse: Bucknell at Holy Cross (NESNplus)
6 p.m. — Ivy League men’s lacrosse: Cornell at Harvard (NESNplus)
8 p.m. — Ivy League women’s lacrosse: Penn at Brown (NESNplus)
Sunday, April 7
1 p.m. — CAA baseball: Hofstra at Northeastern (NESNplus)
4 p.m. — Ivy League women’s lacrosse: Columbia at Harvard (NESNplus)
