Central Michigan University Athletics
Striking Resemblance -- Pleiness and Puchalski
5/2/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 2, 2002
MOUNT PLEASANT -- It's been a little windier in Mount Pleasant this spring with all the whiffs at the CMU Softball Complex and Theunissen Stadium.
Baseball ace Chad Pleiness (Scottville/Sr.) and softball hurler Amber Puchalski (Corona, Calif/So.) are second and third in the nation in strikeouts, respectively.
Pleiness averages 14.0 Ks per nine innings and tied a school record last weekend with 15 strikeouts in a seven-inning game against Northern Illinois. Pleiness is 4-2 with a 1.47 ERA in all games. He has 67 strikeouts in 43 innings. In Mid-American Conference games only, he's 3-1 with an ERA of 0.33.
The Mason County Central product won three honors last week. He brought home the Louisville Slugger "National Player of the Week" from Collegiate Baseball, MAC West Division "Pitcher of the Week" and MAC "Scholar-Athlete of the Week."
Puchalski tallies 11.4 strikeouts per seven innings this season and tossed one of her seven career no-hitters this year. The righty has re-written the pitching record books at CMU and she has yet to complete her sophomore campaign. Last weekend, the Corona, Calif., native tied Central's career strikeout record, notching 509 Ks. She set the single-season strikeout mark as freshman and her next K will tie her recrod-setting 255-strikeout performance from last season. Puchalski also needs 24 more to set the MAC single-season mark.
NCAA Softball Strikeout Leaders
(seven-inning avg.)
1. Cat Osterman, Texas Fr. 13.0
2. Britni Snned, LSU Sr. 11.8
3. Amber Puchalski, CMU So. 11.4
4. Jamie Imhof, Coppin St. Fr. 10.8
5. Nicole Myers, Fla. Atlantic Sr. 10.4
NCAA Baseball Strikeout Leaders
(nine-inning avg.)
1. Jared Thomas, Oakland Jr. 14.4
2. Chad Pleiness, CMU Sr. 14.0
3. Ryan Schroyer, Arizona St. So. 12.3
4. Ben Crockett, Harvard Sr. 12.3
5. Randy Corn, Citadel Sr. 12.3
