Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewa Baseball Gets Ready for Busy Week
4/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 8, 2002
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University's baseball team will get a taste of major league baseball this week with seven games in seven days at four different venues.
And, when completed, the Chippewas will be well into the second half of the 2002 season.
It all begins at home on Tuesday, April 9, with a home game against Northwood Univesity at 2 p.m., followed by a road date at the University of Michigan on Wednesday, April 10, at 3 p.m. CMU then plays four at Eastern Michigan this weekend before closing the swing with a game at Notre Dame on Monday, April 15, at 5 p.m.
"We've got some great competition on tap for our baseball team," said head coach Judd Folske. "We're playing at Eastern Michigan in a battle of teams tied for the lead in our division and then playing at Michigan and Notre Dame. You can't ask for anything more than that."
Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Ball State enter the week in a three-way tie for first place in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference with conference marks of 6-2.
The Chippewas are 16-8 for the season after splitting a four-game set at the University of Akron this past weekend. CMU won the first contest, 14-3, and the last, 12-2, but stumbled in between. The Zips won both games on Saturday, 1-0 and 5-1.
"It was a crazy weekend," Folske said. "We give up four earned runs in four games, and lose two. That's amazing! Akron's pitchers did a good job on Saturday and we weren't aggressive at the plate.
"We got a big boost on Sunday with the return to the lineup of Danny Gibbons. He makes a big difference. He adds pop the the lineup."
The junior outfielder from Toronto, Ont., via North Central Texas CC, started for the first time since March 1 in Sunday's 12-2 win. Still nursing a hamstring pull, Gibbons was two-for-four with an RBI as the designated hitter. He had an RBI double and scored two runs.
It's hoped that Gibbons will be able to move back to the outfield in the near future which will allow the Chippewas to get another stick in the lineup at DH.
CMU got four excellent efforts from their starters although Dan Horvath (Southgate/Michigan State/Jr.) and Gavin Gillette (DeWitt/Grand Rapids CC/Sr.) were the only ones to get wins.
Splitting with Akron
Central Michigan had its hitting shoes on in games one and four at Akron but couldn't buy a safety in Saturday's twinbill. CMU won the opener, 14-3, behind the solid pitching of Dan Horvath (Southgate/Michigan State/Jr.). The right-hander went eight innings, allowing just three hits and giving up one run. He walked one and struck out 13 to raise his record to 2-1. Horvath had plenty of support with Ryan Krueger (Alpena/Jr.) banging out three hits and driving in five runs. His first-inning grand slam got the Chippewas off and rolling. Steve Sanfilippo (Janesville, Wis./Craig/Fr.) had three hits and two RBI while Keith Sampsell (Vicksburg/Fr.) collected two hits and drove in three runs on a three-run homer. Akron's Aaron Gangi tossed a three-hit shutout in the 1-0 Zip win on Saturday to best CMU's Chad Pleiness (Scottville/Mason County Central). Pleiness gave up four hits and one unearned run, striking out 10 and walking three. Sampsell had two of CMU's hits. Game three was not much better as Akron's Frank Mendoza held Central to five hits and one earned run. He struck out 11 and walked just one. The lone Chippewa run came in the eighth on a solo homer by Sampsell who had two hits along with Krueger. Jeff Garner (Hemlock/Jr.) pitched well enough to win but saw his record fall to 1-3. He gave up five hits and one earned run in six and one-third innings. Gavin Gillette (DeWitt/Sr.) picked up the win in game four, striking out 11 in eight innings and scattering eight hits. He gave up two earned runs before giving way to Travis Osborn (Adrian/Fr.) who fanned all three batters he faced in the ninth. Krueger had three hits and two RBI and David Latour (Barrie, Ont./St. peter's/Fr.) had three hits and an RBI. Tim Groves (Mount Pleasant/Sacred Heart/Jr.) had two hits, one a two-run homer, while Tommy Grubb (Wheatley, Ont./Grand Rapids CC/Jr.) and Gibbons had two hits each.
Chippewa Power Surge
After collecting just six home runs in its first 16 games, Central Michigan banged out 11 homers in the two four-game series with Ohio and Akron. Mike Gates (Canton/Flushing/Jr.) and Keith Sampsell have had three and David Latour two while Tim Groves and Tim Bullinger (Jackson/Lumen Christi) each had one. CMU has 17 homers this season and the opponents have just seven.
Extra-Base Feast
After getting just eight hits in two games in a double loss at Akron on Saturday, the Chippewas had eight doubles and a homer in the 12-2 win over the Zips on Sunday. That's a slugging percentage of .659. Ryan Krueger and Tommy Grubb had a couple of doubles each while Tim Groves had a homer and a double.
ERA Comes Tumbling Down
With just four earned runs in the four-game set at Akron, CMU's earned-run-average dropped from 4.32 to 3.81. Chad Pleiness did not allow an earned run and Jeff Garner gave up one, and both took losses on Saturday. Dan Horvath gave up one earned run on Friday and Gavin Gillette two on Sunday, and both collected wins.
Strikeouts Galore
Chippewa hurlers set down 43 Akron batters on strikes this past weekend. Dan Horvath had 13, Gavin Gillette 11, Chad Pleiness 10, Jeff Garner five, Travis Osborn three and Lee Naplin one.
Krueger Time
Ryan Krueger raised his average to .314 by going eight-for-15 with seven RBI and a couple of runs at Akron. The outfielder picked up his first homer of the season, a grand slam in the first inning of the 14-3 win, and had two doubles in the 12-2 triumph.
Slammin' Sampsell
Redshirt frosh Keith Sampsell is becoming a fixture in the Central lineup, both as a catcher and designated hitter. He had eight hits in 15 at-bats against Akron, driving in six runs. The 6-3, 215-pounder had a double and two homers, raising his total to four for the year. He's now batting .371 and is second on the team in homers (four) and RBI (20). Keith also threw out three of four runners trying to steal.
Gibbons Back in the Lineup
Junior Danny Gibbons is still slowed by a pulled hamstring but he made the most of his first start since March 1 with two hits in four at-bats in the 12-2 win over Akron. He's still hitting .571with eight safeties in 14 trips to the plate to go along with four RBI. Gibbons was the DH in the 12-2 win over Akron and could return to the outfield shortly.
Versatile Newcomer
Travis Osborn fanned all three batters he faced in CMU's 12-2 win over Akron on Sunday to keep his ERA at 0.00 in eight appearances this spring. He's struck out 13 and walked three in 7.2 innings of relief, holding opposing batters to an average of .111. Travis is also hitting .289 with a homer and five RBI.
Freshmen Combo
A pair of true freshmen have established themselves as starters in the middle of Central Michigan's infield. David Latour has started 15 games at second. He's still hitting only .164 but had three hits in CMU's 12-2 win over Akron and is fielding .942 for the season. Steve Sanfilippo has started 18 games this season at shortstop and is batting .283. He's made seven errors and is fielding .909.
Injury Report
Jeff Opalewski (Saginaw/Heritage) missed his normal start at Akron because of a sore shoulder. The sophomore right-hander is 1-1 this season with a 4.24 ERA. He may return to the mound this week. Senior catcher/outfielder Scott Pickens (Mount Pleasant) sustained a rib injury in his last at-bat at Akron and his status is day-to-day.
Used to Winning
Central Michigan University has the winningest program in the Midwest since 1970. The Chippewas have a record of 1,104-562 (.663) in the past 32 seasons while Minnesota is second (.647), Notre Dame third (.630), Michigan fourth (.618) and Ohio State fifth (.603). CMU has had only one losing season since 1964 -- the 1999 club that went 24-32 in Judd Folske's first season.
MAC's Best
The Chippewas have the best all-time baseball record in MAC history with a mark of 452-264-1 (.631). CMU has won 11 titles and two tourney crowns. Western Michigan is second at .610 and Ohio third at .589.
New Stadium
Central Michigan University's brand new Theunissen Stadium was unveiled on Friday, March 29, against Ohio University. The game only lasted into the fourth inning when the rains came. Former CMU All-American, baseball coach and athletics director Dave Keilitz threw out the first pitch. More than 1,000 people were on hand for the opener before the rains came. Located on West Campus Drive just southwest of Kelly/Shorts Stadium, the facility will seat 2,046 with nearly 400 chairbacks. The official grand opening ceremonies are slated for Saturday, April 27, against Northern Illinois. Just as with the closing ceremonies at "old" Theunissen last May, all former Chippewa baseball players will be invited back to take part in the program. More than 100 came last year. The state-of-the-art baseball stadium features a sand-based field which maximizes drainage. The dimensions are 330 feet down both lines, 375 in the power alleys and 400 to center. There is a spacious clubhouse for the home team with locker facilities for all of CMU's players and coaches as well as large, roomy dugouts. Central's dugouts connects to the clubhouse. More than 70 former baseball players and friends of the program made contributions that helped enhance the new stadium.
It Will Cost This Year
Central Michigan University will charge to see baseball games in the new Theunissen stadium this season. Single day passes will be $4 for adults, $3 for youth (16 and under) and retirees (55 and older), and free for CMU students with a valid ID and children two and under. Weekend passes for MAC series will be $10 for adults and $8 each for youth and retirees. Season passes will cost $50 for adults and $40 each for youth, retirees and faculty/staff. Seating will all be general admission on a first-come basis.
Scouting the Opponents
Northwood enters the week with a 6-21 record, standing 2-9 in the GLIAC. The Timberwolves are led in hitting by David Lamky who's hitting .382 with four homers and 26 RBI. Miguel Lokata (0-3, 3.69) and Corey Brant (2-1, 3.81) are the top pitchers. NU is hitting .301 as a team and has an ERA of .536. Michigan is 8-16 for the season and 4-4 in Big Ten action. Brock Koman is hitting .360 with two homers and 11 RBI while Gino Lollio is at .310 with two homers and 13 RBI. Matt Collins (2-0, 2.38), Rich Hill (1-3, 3.86) and Bobby Korecky (2-3, 4.95) are UM's top hurlers. the Wolverines are hitting .266 and the team ERA is 5.46. Eastern Michigan is 13-16 for the season and tied with CMU and Ball State for first in the MAC's West Division with a 6-2 conference mark. The Eagles are hitting .300, led by Greg Anglin (.378, 6 homers, 33 RBI), Ryan Goleski (.339, 11, 35), Brian Bixler (.339, 5, 25) and Derrick Peterson (.327, 4, 20). EMU has hit 37 homers and allowed 38. EMU's ERA is 8.21. Eagle starters are Ryan Ford (4-2, 6.35), Joe Linde (3-4, 6.66), Anthony Tomey (2-3, 7.32) and Tom Gallus (1-4, 9.53). After opening with with a difficult pre-MAC schedule, featuring three games at Tennessee (EMU won two), three at Southern Illinois lost all three) and four at New Mexico State (lost all four), Eastern opened league play going 3-1 against Bowling Green and Northern Illinois.
