After taking two of three games against Maryland in a weekend series to begin Big Ten play, the Hawkeye baseball team will square off with Northern Illinois today at Banks Field for a nonconference midweek contest.

The game was originally set for Wednesday, but the 80 percent chance of rain forced team officials to reschedule.

The Hawks (9-12, 2-1 Big Ten) dropped the series finale to Maryland after taking the first two. Northern Illinois (6-17) enters the game after taking two of three games from Ohio this past weekend.

Cole McDonald will get the nod on the hill for Iowa. The freshman right-hander has had decent success in his first year with a 2-1 record and a 4.26 ERA. Northern Illinois will counter with redshirt senior righty Joey Ceja (0-2, 15.19 ERA).

Iowa head coach Rick Heller said the series win against Maryland, which was picked to finish second in the Big Ten, will give the Hawkeyes confidence moving forward.

“We made some big strides [against Maryland],” Heller said. “Up and down the lineup, guys are swinging the bats better and with more confidence. When you’re getting hits throughout the lineup, it gives you a good chance to score some runs.”

McDonald, who entered his freshman season as a top-500 prospect nationally by Perfect Game, has made four appearances (three starts) in 2016. Before the season, he hadn’t started a game on the mound since his junior year of high school.

Now, he has found a role as a reliable midweek starter. The team’s Friday starter, redshirt sophomore right-hander C.J. Eldred, had some advice for the young hurler before his fourth start of the season.

“Getting ahead [in the count] is one of our goals,” Eldred said. “To get ahead of as many hitters as possible … it’s a lot easier to pitch when you’re ahead in the count. It keeps hitters on their toes, and you can pretty much throw whatever you want.”

The Hawkeyes have seen improved offensive production in recent weeks. Scoring slightly more than 5 runs per game over the last 10, Iowa will try to rack up runs against the Huskies.

A main offensive weapon in recent games has been senior outfielder Eric Schenck-Joblinske.

Schenck-Joblinske, who is hitting .244, cranked a home run to right field against Maryland in the series finale Sunday, the only run for the Hawks.

The Dike native said the recent success, as well as the loss in the series finale, should motivate the Hawks to recreate the successes of last year’s NCAA regional squad.

“The Maryland series was a steppingstone for us,” Schenck-Joblinske said. “Going forward, we’ll get some good ball going, get some quality swings in, and play well.”

Now, as the Hawks and Huskies go toe-to-toe on the turf at Banks Field, Heller said it’s about keeping a level head and getting the job done, even when things don’t go as planned.