Josh Loren is NIU’s sneaky-useful lefty reliever with late-inning bite
In the 2026 season, Josh Loren has been a steady bullpen piece for Northern Illinois, posting a 3.68 ERA with 10 strikeouts and 5 walks over 14.2 innings, including clean late-inning work in MAC play and a key shutout contribution against UMass[1][2]. He’s a left-handed strike-thrower who has shown he can finish innings, not just start them, which makes him appealing for teams needing a calm, competitive relief arm rather than pure radar-gun noise[5][6][9].
