Central Michigan University Athletics
Baseball Opens MAC Home Season Against Akron
3/26/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 26, 2001
Wednesday, March 28 - Wayne State - 2 p.m.
Friday, March 30 - Akron* - 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 31 - Akron* (DH) - 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 1 - Akron* - Noon
Wednesday, April 4 - at Oakland (DH) - 1 p.m.
Friday, April 6 - Eastern Michigan* - 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 7 - Eastern Michigan (DH)* - 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 8 - Eastern Michigan* - Noon
Tuesday, April 10 - at Detroit - 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 14 - Hillsdale - 2 p.m.
Monday, April 16 - Northwood - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, April 17 - Detroit - 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 19 - at Notre Dame - 5 p.m.
MOUNT PLEASANT - After a successful Mid-American Conference (MAC) series at Ohio University, the Central Michigan University baseball team opens its home MAC season with four games against the University of Akron this weekend.
The Chippewas were 3-1 at Ohio University in the MAC opener this past weekend and posted a 6-1 slate for the week to raise their record to 12-8 for the season.
CMU had its nine-game winning streak snapped in the third game at OU (18-9) but battled back on Sunday for an 11-10 win to capture the series from the Bobcats. Central won the first two games on Friday by scores of 8-2 and 8-6.
"It was a great way to start the MAC season," third-year CMU head coach Judd Folske said. "There were some exciting games but that's MAC baseball. There are a lot of good teams and every game is a battle.
"I'm proud of the way our men played, though. We went on the road and beat a veteran team like Ohio three times. That's a great accomplishment."
CMU has a non-conference home tilt against Wayne State on Tuesday at 2 p.m., before facing the Zips. Akron is 3-10 for the season and 0-2 in MAC play, dropping two contests at Toledo.
"Akron is a good, young team that has been slowed because it lost a number of games to weather on its spring trip," Folske said. "It will be an aggressive, hungry team and we'd better be ready to play.
"We still have work to do in our pitching and we still need to shore up the defense a little. We've made good progress but we have a ways to go, too."
Senior shortstop Jason Helps (Wyoming, Ont./St. Clair CC) had an incredible week for the Chippewas. Not only did he field all 40 chances without an error but he was 12-for-28 at the plate with five homers and 15 runs-batted-in.
"Jason has become a force at the plate," Folske said. "He has always been an excellent fielder but his pop at the plate has really helped."
CHIPPEWA NOTES
Senior centerfielder Matt Crowley (Grand Rapids/Creston) came to life at Ohio, ripping six hits in 14 at-bats with three homers and 10 RBI.
The Chippewas had two game-winning grand slams last week - Helps slugged one in the 7-3 win over Oakland and Crowley banged one in the 8-6 win at Ohio.
Junior left-hander Nick Zastrow (Saginaw/Valley Lutheran) won one game and earned a save in another at Ohio. He set down eight straight batters to preserve the 8-6 win on Friday over the Bobcats for starter Dan Horvath (Allen Park) and then was the winner in the 11-10 decision on Sunday.
Junior catcher/DH Brad Reid (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont./Rudyard) had his 15-game hitting streak snapped against Saginaw Valley. However, he collected hits in all four games at Ohio and has hit safely in 19 of 20 games this season. He leads CMU with a .368 average and is tied for third in RBI with 18.
Junior right-hander Gavin Gillette (DeWitt/St. Clair CC) looks to be the closer the Chippewas have been searching for. He picked up his first save of the season with three shutout innings in the 11-10 at Ohio and has not allowed a run in 9.2 innings of work this season. He's given up just three hits and fanned 11.
Three Chippewas slugged career-first homers at Ohio - Tim Bullinger (Jackson/Lumen Christi/Jr.), Tom Grzywacz (Eastpointe/East Detroit/Fr.) and Scott Pickens (Mount Pleasant/Jr.).
CMU had only eight homers in its first 16 games. However, the Chippewas slammed 11 in the four-game set at Ohio - three by Crowley and two each by Mike Gates (Flushing/So.) and Helps.
Sophomore right-hander Jeff Garner (Hemlock) won two games last week,
including an 8-2 decision at Ohio. He allowed three runs in 10 innings.
The Chippewas had its starting outfield in tact in the final Ohio game for the first time since early in the season. Ryan Krueger (Alpena/So.) started all four games after missing 10 with back woes and Bryan Scheurer (Portland/St. Patrick/Sr.) returned from a visit to the hospital to collect two hits and knock in three runs in the OU finale. Scheurer had such a bad case of the flu on Friday that he spent five hours in an Athens hospital.
