Central Michigan University Athletics
Busy Week On Tap for CMU Baseball
5/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 6, 2002
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- It's a footrace to the finish line in Mid-American Conference baseball as nearly all 13 teams have a chance for postseason action.
The real winner this year may be ... parity.
"Can you believe these standings," asked Central Michigan University head baseball coach Judd Folske. "People want parity in sports, well they have it in baseball in the MAC this year."
While it's becoming obvious that Kent State University will host the 2002 MAC tournament, the remainder of the field is up for grabs in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Despite losing three of four from Western Michigan this past weekend, Central Michigan is still in the thick of things to capture one of the berths in the six-team field for the third straight season.
The Chippewas are 21-19 for the season and 10-8 in the MAC West. CMU is third in the West and would make the field if the tourney started this week.
However, there's a little business at home with Ball State and at Toledo to tend to first.
The top two teams from each division make the tournament, and then the best two records based on percentage from either division fill it out.
"We're hoping that the momentum we picked uo from Sunday's win will carry over this week and get us rolling into the final two weeks of the regular season," Folske said. "Western has an excellent hitting team and always seemed to have an answer for everything we did in the first three games.
"We got a great pitching performance from Jeff Garner in the final game of the series and jumped out to a big lead so he could relax."
Garner tossed a five-hitter in Central's 10-2 win over the Broncos on Sunday. That came after WMU hitters had ripped Chippewa pitching for 41 hits and 29 runs in the first three games.
Western won the first three games by scores of 9-4, 9-8 and 11-10.
CMU has non-league games scheduled this week with Saginaw Valley (home on Monday) at Chicago State on Tuesday and home with Michigan State on Wednesday before a big four-game series with Ball State at home this Friday-Sunday.
Week in Review
Central Michigan had final exams and played only four games, all MAC contests on the weekend against Western Michigan.
The visiting Broncos handed CMU its first loss in new Theunissen Stadium on Friday, 9-4. WMU scored in six straight innings from the third through the eighth for the 9-4 win. Dan Horvath (Southgate/Michigan State) suffered the loss for Central while Danny Gibbons (Toronto, Ont./North Central Texas CC) and Scott Pickens (Mount Pleasant/Sr.) had two hits apiece.
Western roughed up Chad Pleiness (Scottville/Mason County Central) in a 9-8 win in the first game on Saturday in Kalamazoo. A grand slam homer by WMU's Greg Graham off relief hurler Travis Osborn in the bottom of the sixth was the difference. Tim Groves (Mount Pleasant/Sacred Heart/Jr.) had three hits including a homer and Mike Gates (Flushing/Canton) and Tim Bullinger (Jackson/Hendrix College) had two each.
The Chippewas held a 10-7 lead going into the bottom of the eighth in game three but Western scored three unearned runs and then won it with a run in the ninth, 11-10. T.J. Johnson (Byron/Flint Powers) took the loss. CMU banged out a season-high 17 hits including four each by Bullinger and Krueger. David Latour (Barrie, Ont.) had three hits while Gibbons and Krueger each drove in three.
Central Michigan jumped out to a quick start and rode the pitching of Jeff Garner (Hemlock) to a 10-2 win in the series finale. He allowed just five hits, walking six and striking out six. Gates slugged a two-run homer in the first followed by a solo shot by Keith Sampsell (Vicksburg) for a 2-0 CMU lead. Gates doubled in one more and Sampsell doubled in another two in the second as the Chippewas went out to a 7-0 lead. Krueger, Gates and Sampsell all had three hits. Gates drove in four runs and Sampsell three.
It's a Win No More
Central Michigan's 9-8 victory over Northern Illinois did not count because of a rule in the MAC Handbook that covers only the first game of a series with regard to a suspended game. The Chippewas were leading the Huskies, 9-8, on April 27 when the game was suspended in the bottom of the seventh -- normally a complete game in baseball -- because of rain. The game could not be resumed on Sunday, April 28, because of rain. The MAC ruled this past Friday that in accordance to its handbook that it was not a complete game and the win was taken away from the Chippewas and the loss removed from NIU's mark.
Strikeouts Abound
Central Michigan hurlers fanned 31 Western Michigan batters in the four-game series. Chippewa hurlers are averaging 8.7 strikeouts per game. Central batters struck out 20 times against WMU and are averaging 6.5 whiffs a game.
Garner to the Rescue
Just when Central Michigan needed him the most, junior right-hander Jeff Garner came through with his first complete game of the season in the Chippewas' 10-2 win over Western Michigan on Sunday. The Hemlock High product hurled two complete games in 2001. Garner scattered five hits, holding the Broncos to their lowest hit total since their spring trip south.
Quite An Improvement
Mike Gates has been solid in his first two seasons with the Chippewas but he's taken his play to another level this year. The 6-4, 230-pound junior first baseman came into this season with a career average of .297 with 15 homers and 80 RBI. With two complete weeks remaining in the regular season, Gates is leading the team in hitting (.381), homers (seven), RBI (41), walks (29) and on-base percentage (.512).
Gates Making Mark in Record Books
Mike Gates is not only Central Michigan's career leader in walks with 111 but he's tied for sixth in career RBI with 121 and tied for seventh in game-winning RBI in a season with seven. He's walked 29 times this season to move by Randy Meier (1978-81) who had 107. He's also been hit by pitches eight times, second to Keith Sampsell's 10.
More On Gates
Mike Gates banged out seven hits in 17 at-bats against WMU. He drove in eight runs, and bagged his seventh homer of the campaign.
Bullinger Scores Runs
The mark of a good leadoff man is scoring runs and Tim Bullinger is working his way toward the best in Central history. He has touched home plate 120 times on just three season including a team-high 47 this year. He needs five more to move into CMU's career top 10 and eight more to reach the single-season top 10.
Bullinger Tough at the Plate, Too
Tim Bullinger had a solid series all the way around against Western Michigan. Not only did he score eight runs in the four-game set but he had eight hits in 16 at-bats to raise his average for the season to .314.
Krueger On Fire
Ryan Krueger had a great series against Western Michigan, collecting eight hits in 13 at-bats to raise his average for the season to .333 -- third best among the Chippewas. He had five RBI, one on his third homer of the season, and reached base 11 of 18 trips to the plate and scored eight runs.
Medical Report
Sophomore Jeff Opalewski (Saginaw/Heritage) has missed the last two weeks with a sore shoulder but should pitch this week. Tommy Grubb took himself out of the lineup with a sore lower back in the first game against Northern Illinois after driving in a run with a single. Although less than 100 percent, he played all four games against Western Michigan.
MAC leaders
Central Michigan is third in pitching (5.04 ERA), 11th in fielding (.949) and 12th in hitting (.283). Chad Pleiness is fourth in ERA at 2.79 and first in opponents' batting average (.184), tied for second in complete games (five) and second in strikeouts (75). Mike Gates is first in on-base percentage (.512), sixth in walks (29) and eleventh in batting (.381). Dan Horvath is eighth in strikeouts (66). Travis Osborn is tied for third in saves (five). Tim Bullinger is tied for fifth in runs scored (47).
MAC Games Only
The Chippewa stats are a little more impressive as a team when looking at conference games only. CMU is tied for sixth in fielding (.962), third in pitching (4.83) and seventh in hitting (.302). Pleiness' ERA is 2.51 and foes are hitting .175 for second in the MAC while Gates is second in on-base percentage (.564).
MAC West 'Players of the Week'
Following are CMU players honors by the Mid-American Conference this spring:
MAC West Player
March 11 Tommy Grubb
April 3 Mike Gates
MAC West Pitcher
April 3 Chad Pleiness
April 8 Dan Horvath
April 29 Chad Pleiness
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 (prior to this season) 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.The Chippewas ended up sweeping the series from the Bobcats to jump out to a 4-0 MAC start. Coincidentally, CMU closed the old stadium with four wins over Toledo.
Located on West Campus Drive just southwest of Kelly/Shorts Stadium, the facility will seat 2,046 with nearly 400 chairbacks.
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.
Scouting the Opponents
Michigan State defeated Central Michigan, 14-4, in a game played in Lansing's Olds Park on April 26. The Spartans are now 29-14 for the season and 11-11 in Big Ten action.
Ball State leads the MAC West with a 13-7 record after taking three-of-four at Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals are 26-18 for the season.
BSU is batting .300 as a team and has a MAC-best 3.94 ERA. Matt Deckman leads the Cardinal hitters (.399/7/33), Brad Snyder (.356/10/41) and Paul Henry (.337/8/43).
Starting pitchers are: Bryan Bullington (9-2, 1.96), Luke Hagerty (7-2, 2.40), Pat Lowery (5-4, 3.10) and Brian Lynch (3-3, 4.01).
