Friday's Daily Dose

NIU baseball update Northern Illinois catcher Matt Behren was named to the Central Illinois Collegiate League All-Star game, set for July 21. Behren of the DuPage Dragons, is batting .328 with 11 doubles and 17 RBIs. Redshirt freshman OF Brandon House and incoming freshmen C Brett Frantini, OF/P Jake Hermsen and P/IF Chris Wakefield played key roles on the Illinois Sparks squad that placed second at the most prestigious 18 and under tournament in the nation. The Sparks became the first northern team ever to advance beyond the final eight in Perfect Game's WWBA 2008 Grads 18U National Championship and finished 9-1, their only loss coming in the final championship game of the tournament.