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HawgBeat's coverage of the Diamond Hogs' Road to Omaha is brought to you by CJ's Butcher Boy Burgers, which has locations in Fayetteville and Russellville.
For the fourth straight season, Arkansas has earned the right to stay home for the postseason. The 2021 Fayetteville Regional features Nebraska, Northeastern and NJIT.
Before play begins Friday, HawgBeat is taking a closer look at all three visiting teams. Next up is the 3 seed, Northeastern…
Record: 36-10 (20-3 CAA)
The heavy preseason favorite to win its division in the Colonial Athletic Association, Northeastern lived up to those expectations by dominating the league and winning the regular-season title with a 20-3 conference record.
It wasn’t always smooth sailing, though. The Huskies won only four of their first nine games and also sputtered down the stretch, losing three of their last five regular-season games before the conference tournament. They also lost their second game in the CAA Tournament, forcing them to navigate the loser’s bracket to clinch the automatic bid to the big dance.
However, in between the tough stretches to open and end the season, Northeastern was one of the most dominant programs in the country. They won 26 of 27 games, including 20 straight, and started CAA play 18-0.
Even though they lost the series, it’s worth noting that the Huskies were highly competitive in a three-game series at Old Dominion during their early-season struggles. They lost the series opener 10-8 in walk-off fashion, scored three runs in the ninth to win the second game 6-5 and then lost the rubber match 3-2 after giving up two runs in the bottom of the 11th. Old Dominion went on to be the No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach: Mike Glavine (7th season)
Since taking over for longtime Northeastern head coach Neil McPhee, Glavine has maintained the Huskies’ presence near the top of the CAA standings. In fact, he has led the program to three regular-season conference titles in the past four seasons - not including 2020.
That has resulted in him being named the CAA Coach of the Year three times, with the latest coming this year. His overall record at Northeastern is 195-147 (.570). This will be Glavine’s second postseason appearance, as the Huskies actually received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2018, when it won the regular-season title, but finished runner-up in the conference tournament.
The brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Glavine, Mike was a former big leaguer himself - albeit for only six games in 2003 with the Mets. That was the highlight of a 10-year professional career that followed a standout career at Northeastern.
