Central Michigan University Athletics
Baseball Faces Tough Test At Ball State
4/30/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 30, 2001
ON DECK FOR CMU BASEBALL
Friday, May 4 - at Ball State - 3 p.m.Saturday, May 5 - at Ball State (DH) - 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 6 - at Ball State - 1 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8 - Michigan - 2 p.m.
Wednesday, May 9 - at Michigan - 2 p.m.
Friday, May 11 - Toledo - 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 12 - Toledo (DH) - 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 13 - Toledo - 1 p.m.
CHIPPEWAS FACE MAJOR EXAMS
MOUNT PLEASANT - It's "exam week" for the Central Michigan University baseball team this week - both off the field and on.Coach Judd Folske's Chippewas will take time off early in the week for final examinations in the classroom and then play four games against the Mid-American Conference's top team, Ball State, this weekend in Muncie, Ind.
"It's a crucial week for us," Folske said. "We still control our own destiny in trying to make the MAC tourney but with finals and playing at Ball State, it will be a difficult week. We have not been consistent enough and that's been a big problem."
CMU lost three out of four games to Western Michigan this past weekend to fall to 28-18 for the season. Ball State (28-17) is first in the MAC's West with a 16-2 mark while WMU is second at 12-8 followed by CMU 11-9 and Eastern Michigan 12-10.
"We had plenty of chances to win three of the games against Western," Folske said. "We couldn't hold the lead and close out the game. Sometimes it was the fielding and sometimes it was the pitching."
CMU got the weekend off to a great start when sophomore right-hander Dan Horvath (Allen Park) hurled a four-hitter in a 4-0 Chippewa win at WMU on Friday. He fanned 10 and walked just one.
However, the Broncos rolled to a 13-5 win in game one on Saturday in Mount Pleasant and then overcame an 8-0 deficit in game two for a 10-9 win. Central also led by a 7-5 margin entering the bottom of the seventh on Sunday before Western scored five times in the seventh and eighth to post a 10-7 win.
"The second game on Saturday was a killer," Folske said. "We're up 8-0 and can't get the win. We swung the bat well all weekend but our fielding and pitching let us down."
It certainly will not get any easier with Ball State.
"It'll be a great challenge," Folske said. "Ball State has a veteran team with an outstanding pitching staff. We'll see four excellent right-handers."
The Chippewas, winners twice over Michigan State last week by scores of 5-4 and 15-6, are off until Wednesday after when they resume workouts for the final 10 games of the regular season. CMU plays a home-and-home with Michigan on May 8-9 before closing with four home games against Toledo on May 11-13.
CMU has a gala celebration planned for May 12 to honor the final season of
baseball in the current Theunissen Stadium. All former players have been invited back
and will be introduced before the doubleheader with Toledo (1 p.m.) and go to their old positions. Five Chippewa coaches (Bill Theunissen, Waldo Sauter, Dave Keilitz, Dean Kreiner and Judd Folske) will throw out opening pitches.
CHIPPEWA NOTES
Sophomore right-hander Dan Horvath (Allen Park) pitched three times last week, including the four-hit, 4-0 win over WMU. In the 13 innings on the mound, Dan fanned 15, walked two and allowed just two earned runs to drop his ERA to 4.50.Junior right-hander Gavin Gillette (DeWitt/Grand Rapids CC) had his string of innings without allowing an earned run end at Michigan State. He has now given up one earned run in 24.2 innings and sports a gaudy ERA of 0.36. Gillette (4-1) has 35 strikeouts and only nine walks while opponents are batting .175 against him.
Senior outfielder Bryan Scheurer (Portland/St. Patrick) was perfect at the plate in the final game of the WMU series, going five-for-five. He had two homers, a double and two singles to raise his average to .386. He was nine-for-16 against the Broncos. Bryan shares the team lead in stolen bases with junior Tim Bullinger (Jackson/Lumen Christi) with 17 each
Senior Matt Crowley (Grand Rapids/Creston) was seven-for-15 against WMU to raise his team-leading average to .396. He's third in RBI with 41
Sophomore Tim Groves (Mount Pleasant/Sacred Heart) was five-for-nine against WMU, driving in five runs and slamming a pair of homers. He raised his average to .301.
