Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewa MAC Softball Tournament Guide
5/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 11, 2004
Complete 31-Page CMU MAC Tournament Guide in PDF Format(Guide contains tournament history, updated player bios and extended statistical reports)
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MOUNT PLEASANT -- Getting back to the NCAA Tournament. That's the Central Michigan University softball team's goal this week when it travels to the Mid-American Conference Softball Tournament, May 13-15, at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio.
CMU made four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament after capturing four straight conference tournament titles from 1999 to 2002. Last year, the Chippewas had their string of 14 consecutive MAC Tournament victories snapped in the opener and CMU was eliminated from the tournament with a 1-2 slate.
The MAC Tournament champion receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The top six teams in the conference this season have qualified and the regular season champion Chippewas enter the double-elimination tournament as the No. 1 seed. East Division champion Kent State is the No. 2 seed, followed by No. 3 Western Michigan, No. 4 Miami, No. 5 Ohio and No. 6 Bowling Green.
The Chippewas' first game is Thursday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. CMU plays the winner of the Game 3 matchup between No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Ohio which is slated for earlier in the day at 1:30 p.m.
All of the Chippewas' games will be broadcast locally in Mount Pleasant on the radio. Afternoon games will air on WMMI-AM 830 with night games set for WCZY-FM 104.3. Broadcasts will also be available on the Internet at www.cmuchippewas.com as part of the College Sports Pass subscription.
Tournament History: The Chippewas have won the MAC Tournament title nine of the 12 years it has been held, including four straight championships from 1999-2002. The last three times CMU won the MAC regular season title the Chippewas also went on to win the tournament. CMU is 35-9 all-time in the tournament. The Maroon and Gold won titles in 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.
What's at Stake: The six teams in this week's conference tournament are looking to claim the MAC's automatic bid to the 64-team NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament field will be divided into eight, eight-team regionals next week, May 20-23, with the eight regional winners advancing to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla. The eight regional host institutions have been predetermined -- Arizona, Baylor, UCLA, Florida State, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska and Stanford.
Scouting the Field:
No. 2 Kent State -- 15-6 MAC, 26-18 Overall
The Golden Flashes wrapped up the No. 2 seed with the East Division championship. KSU went 3-3 in its final six MAC games of the season, losing two of three last weekend at Marshall. Marci Ridenbaugh is hitting .315 with nine doubles and 12 RBI. Brittney Robinson is 9-6 with a 1.46 ERA and a 7-1 mark in the MAC.
No. 3 Western Michigan -- 17-7 MAC, 30-24 Overall
The defending tournament champions have won four in a row heading into this week with their last conference loss coming against CMU as the two teams split a twinbill in Mount Pleasant. Laura Stewart is 21-12 overall with a 1.78 ERA and 225 strikeouts. Jaymie Voss is hitting .342 with 11 doubles, four homers and a team-high 20 RBI.
No. 4 Miami -- 14-9 MAC, 22-24 Overall
The RedHawks needed a sweep over Northern Illinois on Sunday and they got it to get into the tournament field. Miami made it to the tournament final last year as the No. 6 seed and it notched a pair of wins over CMU in the process. Bianca Paz is batting .331 with 12 doubles and 11 RBI. Kristen Hays has driven in a team-high 20 runs. Jacki Poggendorf is 12-7 in the circle with a 1.45 ERA.
No. 5 Ohio -- 13-11 MAC, 20-29 Overall
The Bobcats lost five straight MAC games before closing the MAC regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Northern Illinois on Saturday. Ohio is led by Erin Chapman who is batting .341 with eight homers and 36 RBI. The OU pitching staff sports a 3.21 ERA with Natalie Armstrong leading the way with a 7-6 record and a 2.12 ERA.
No. 6 Bowling Green -- 13-11 MAC, 29-27 Overall
After CMU defeated BGSU on Sunday, the Falcons got into the tournament thanks to Kent State's victory over Marshall. BGSU sports one of the MAC's top pitching staffs with a league-best 1.57 ERA. Gina Rango is hitting .365 with 15 doubles, nine homers and 39 RBI. Liz Vrabel is 14-15 with a 1.46 ERA and Jody Johnson is 11-8 with a 1.79 ERA.
CMU Against the Field this Season: The Chippewas went 5-2 against the MAC Tournament field during the regular season but CMU did not face either Miami or Ohio. The Chippewas' opening game will be against a team it has not faced this season as CMU challenges the winner of the No. 4 Miami vs. No. 5 Ohio matchup (Ohio swept a three-game series from Miami this season with two of the games going to extra innings and the other being decided 1-0). CMU was 2-0 against East Division champion Kent State, 2-1 against Bowling Green and 1-1 versus Western Michigan.
At the Helm: Central Michigan University softball coach Margo Jonker is in her 25th season at the helm of the Chippewa softball program. She sports a career record of 864-462-5. Jonker has led the Chippewas to 10 MAC titles, 12 trips to the NCAA Tournament and one appearance each in the NCAA Women's College World Series and the AIAW National Championships. She was an assistant coach for the gold-medal winning 2000 USA Olympic team. The Holland, Mich., native is a member of four Hall of Fames, including the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (inducted in 2003).
MAC Champions: The Chippewas' won their 11th MAC regular season title this year. The 11 MAC softball titles are the most in conference history. Toledo is the next closest with three championships. CMU's MAC title this year continues CMU's "ring tradition" at least three more years. Every four-year player in the history of Central Michigan University softball has earned at least one MAC championship ring. Current Chippewa senior Amber Puchalski now has three championship rings.
Puchalski Hits 80: Pitcher Amber Puchalski notched the 80th victory of her career last Saturday against Bowling Green and she added another win on Sunday to improve to 15-1 in conference play this season. Her record this season matches her 15-1 MAC mark from her freshman year when she was named MAC "Pitcher of the Year" and MAC "Freshman of the Year."
More Notes and Numbers on Amber Puchalski:
* Puchalski is now 54-6 all-time against MAC opponents.
* Puchalski's season high for strikeouts this season is 17 in an 11-inning game at Ball State. She fanned 16 in a regulation game at Kent State earlier in the year tying her career high for a seven-inning game.
* Puchalski is now 21-7 this season and of her seven losses, four are to teams who were ranked in the Top 10 at the time -- No. 6 Georgia, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 5 Florida State and No. 9 Michigan. She tossed a shutout against then No. 4 Washington (1-0).
* In MAC games only, the opponents are hitting a mere .131 against Puchalski.
* Puchalski currently has 222 strikeouts this season, good for fourth in the CMU record book. She has four of the top five single season marks in school history.
* Puchalski has 33 career shutouts to tie Linda Pagett for the CMU career record.
* Puchalski set the MAC career strikeout record earlier this season against Toledo. The old record of 842 was formerly held by Toledo's Tami Johnston (1984-87).
* Puchalski set the MAC career victories record earlier this season against Ball State. The old record of 77 was held by CMU's Tina Kinney (1997-2000) and Ball State's Bernie Coffman (1986-89).
* Puchalski threw a no-hitter in the opening weekend of MAC action at Akron. It was the eighth of her career. She tossed a CMU career record six as a freshman, one as a sophomore and now one as a senior.
* Puchalski has been named MAC West Division "Pitcher of the Week" five times this season and 18 times in her career.
* Puchalski has fanned 10 or more batters in 12 games this season.
30-Win Plateau: CMU has won 30 games for the eighth time in the last nine years and the 19th time overall. The Chippewas posted just 26 victories last season.
Don't Need Much: CMU is 26-3 this season when scoring at least three runs in a game and 18-0 when scoring four or more.
Streaking: Three Chippewas enter the MAC Tournament with multiple-game hit streaks going. Stephanie Crews has tallied a hit in her last six games while Lindsey Calme has posted a hit in five straight games. CMU's leading hitter, Christin Sobeck, tallied a hit in all three games against BGSU last weekend.
All-MAC Candidate: Junior Christin Sobeck enters the tournament as CMU's top hitter with a .333 average both overall and in MAC play. Of her 45 hits this season, 21 are for extra bases, including seven homers which are one shy of tying the school record of eight. Sobeck has a .607 slugging percentage and she is 9-for-12 in the stolen base department.
Diaper Dandy: Lindsey Calme is a strong candidate for MAC Freshman of the Year honors. The catcher/third baseman is hitting .325 in MAC play, second best on the team, with five doubles, a homer and eight RBI. Her season batting average is .281. While splitting time between two of the most demanding defensive positions, Calme does not have an error this season in 266 fielding opportunities and she has not allowed a passed ball behind the dish.
Garvin's Streak Ends: Sophomore Jessica Garvin's string of 23 consecutive scoreless innings pitched came to an end in her first inning of action last weekend at Bowling Green. Garvin ended up suffering the loss in CMU's 4-3 setback in the nightcap of Saturday's twinbill. She is 6-2 in MAC play with a 1.80 ERA and four shutouts. The sophomore did not see action in the MAC Tournament last season.
Solid Senior: Aimee Smith is making a bid for All-MAC honors again this season after picking up second team laurels last season at third base. The senior is playing first base this year and she's hitting .296 for the second-best average on the team. Smith has 11 doubles on the season and 10 have come in MAC play.
MAC Stats: As a team, CMU ranks fifth in the MAC in hitting (.245), third in pitching (1.88 ERA) and fifth in fielding (.960). Marshall is tops in hitting (.268), Bowling Green in pitching (1.57) and Buffalo in fielding (.965). In MAC only games, CMU ranks fourth in hitting (.252), second in pitching (1.32) and sixth in fielding (.964).
Hit and Run:
* The Chippewas are 15-2 this season when posting eight or more hits in a game.
* In MAC play, CMU is averaging 4.6 runs per game while allowing just 1.8.
* CMU has 13 triples this season to its opponents two.
* Thirteen of CMU's 19 home runs have come in MAC play.
* CMU is 9-3 in one-run games this season and 8-1 in games decided by two runs.
* CMU is 4-0 this season in extra innings games.
* CMU was 10-1 at home this season with the lone loss coming against rival Western Michigan.
Game Recaps:
Central Michigan 3, Bowling Green 1
CMU's victory clinched the Mid-American Conference regular season title for the Chippewas. BGSU scored a run in the bottom of the first to take an early lead but CMU tallied two runs in the third and one in the fifth for the come-from-behind win. Brittany Decker had a two-run single in the third and Karen Hohs scored on an aggressive baserunning play when home plate was left uncovered following a comebacker at the pitcher that caromed into foul territory down the first base line allowing Hohs to score from second. Amber Puchalski picked up the win, the 80th of her career.
Bowling Green 4, Central Michigan 3
The Falcons had a leadoff double in the bottom of the sixth and then a pinch-hit RBI single to score the game-winning run as CMU went down 1-2-3 in the seventh. The Chippewas matched each BGSU score until the sixth. The Falcons scored once in the bottom of the first and then CMU tallied a run in the top of the second on a Stephanie Crews' RBI single. BGSU scored twice in the bottom of the fourth but CMU again responded with two runs in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Lindsey Calme and then Christin Sobeck was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Jessica Garvin took the loss in the circle for CMU.
Central Michigan 3, Bowling Green 2
The Chippewas tallied an unearned run in the top of the seventh to break a 2-2 tie and escape with a win in the regular season finale. CMU had a 2-0 lead after three innings thanks to a Aimee Smith RBI on a ground out in the first and a Christin Sobeck RBI double off the wall in the third. BGSU scored on a two-out, bases loaded wild pitch in the fourth and more runs may have scored but interference was called on one of the BGSU players not involved in the play. The Falcons tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a single, sacrifice and RBI single. However, Jacque Benedict led the seventh off with a single and then Stephanie Crews reached on an error. No. 9 hole hitter Allie Hansen drove in the winning run with a ground out to short as Benedict broke for home following the throw to first and she was safe after a head first slide into the plate on a close play. Amber Puchalski picked up the win. She allowed four hits and struck out eight.
Chippewas Picked to Win MAC West Division: CMU was tabbed to win the Mid-American Conference West Division in the preseason coaches poll. Only the top three selections in each division were announced. Picked to finish behind the Chippewas in the West were Western Michigan and Bowling Green. The top three favorites in the East were Marshall, Miami and Kent State. Marshall was picked to win the MAC Tournament.
