CEDAR FALLS - The clock is ticking on the University of Northern Iowa baseball team.

In addition to the program being discontinued at season's end, UNI finds itself in eighth place and four games behind in the loss column for the all-important sixth spot in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.

At 3-9 in conference play, the Panthers will likely need to win at least seven of their last 12 league games against Illinois State, Wichita State, Missouri State and Bradley to qualify for the May 20-23 MVC tournament in Wichita, Kan.

"We have to figure out a way to play consistent," assistant coach Marty Sutherland said Monday at the weekly UNI coaches' luncheon. "We can control that aspect of it. The wins will take care of themselves.

"We've put ourselves in a situation where we probably need nine or 10 wins to get into the conference tournament. We don't have a lot of room for error."

The Panthers (14-18) hammered South Dakota State in a mid-week game last Wednesday and lost two of three last weekend to Creighton.

"We took a big step forward defensively this weekend," Sutherland said. "Our defense has been our Achilles heel to this point. We haven't been able to be consistent picking the ball up and getting outs."

UNI will play seven of its next eight games at home, including conference home series against Illinois State and Wichita State. The Panthers were scheduled to play Grand View Wednesday night, but due to a scheduling conflict, Iowa Wesleyan will be the 6 p.m. opponent at Riverfront Stadium.

"The biggest thing is to get guys to relax and take the practice setting into a game," Sutherland said. "We've got too many guys that feel we have to do something different on game day."

SOFTBALL: After surviving its most rigorous week of the season, with seven games in five days, head coach Ryan Jacobs believes a couple days off came at the right time for his team.

The Panthers (28-14, 10-6 MVC) were off Sunday and Monday before traveling to Bradley today for a single game. Then, UNI will have three more days off before its final weekend home series of the season against Indiana State at Robinson-Dresser Complex on Saturday and Sunday.

"Indiana State is really scary to me because of what they've done to us the past couple of years," Jacobs said. "We'll have to be focused and ready to play three games this weekend. I think it's going to say a lot about the outcome of the conference season."

UNI, currently in fourth place in the MVC, set a single-season school record for home runs last week. The Panthers have belted 111 extra-base hits this season, including 45 long balls. Kelly Papesh has a team-high 12, while Brittney Baldurf and Rachel Gerking have 10 and nine, respectively.

"This group has been resilient all year," Jacobs said. "They never surprise me in what they're able to do."

TENNIS: The Panthers rebounded from weekend losses to Indiana State and Illinois State with a 7-0 victory Sunday at Bradley. Head coach Sachin Kirtane is pleased with where his team is at with just one weekend left in the regular season.

"I told the girls after (Sunday), we're really close," Kirtane said. "We're a couple points here and there from being 6-0 in the conference instead of being 2-4. They sense it. If we can put it together going into the conference tournament, we can play with anyone."

Kirtane juggled his doubles lineup at Illinois State Saturday, trying to give his team a spark.

"It was probably the best doubles we've played all year," he said. "We came out with a lot of intensity and focus."

UNI won the doubles point and had a comfortable lead in singles matches at No. 1, 3 and 4, but couldn't seal the deal in a dual that lasted five hours.

"We played our hearts out," Kirtane said. "You can't blame the kids. You just have to be proud of the effort."

UNI (13-7) hosts first-place Wichita State at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Black Hawk Tennis Club, followed by an 11 a.m. dual Sunday against Creighton.

TRACK AND FIELD: UNI had three individuals and a relay qualify for the Midwest Regional meet at last weekend's Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

Tyler Mulder (800 meters), Cory Goos (400 hurdles) and Phil Hanson (pole vault) all compiled season-best marks, while the 4x400 quartet of Ryan Grenoko, Goos, Mulder and Terrance Reid clocked a season-best 3:08.60 to fend off Iowa in the premiere heat.

UNI, ranked 18th in the nation, had an opportunity to run against some of the nation's elite programs in Florida, Auburn, Arkansas and LSU. The Panthers had 20 season-best times for the weekend.

"It was a pretty successful weekend for us," assistant coach Mark Napier said.

On the women's side, Jamie Weick was one of 17 Panthers to register a season best as she jumped 19 feet, 3 1/2 inches in the long jump.

The Panthers are scheduled to host the Mark Messersmith Invitational this Saturday - the squad's lone home meet of the year. Field events start at 11 a.m. with running events slated for noon.

Contact Matt Coss at (319) 291-1468 or matt.coss@wcfcourier.com