Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Baseball Eyes First Win
2/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Feb. 21, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University's baseball team will look for more consistency this weekend when it heads to Western Kentucky University for a four-game set with the Hilltoppers.
Coach Steve Jaksa's Chippewas will play a single game on Friday at 2 p.m., before playing two on Saturday at noon, and a final single contest on Sunday at 1 p.m.
CMU launched the 2005 campaign at the University of Alabama-Birmingham last weekend where it lost all three games by the scores of 7-2, 6-5 and 7-2.
"I know we can play better than we did and our players know they can play better, too," said Jaksa. "Consistency in all facets of the game was where we lacked.
"Our defense was one area that certainly wasn't up to par. We know we can do better there. We had some good pitching performances and some of our guys hit well. It's early and I'm confident we'll continue to improve."
The Chippewas made nine errors in the three games at UAB that led to nine unearned runs.
CMU hurlers posted an ERA of 4.12 but the Chippewa batters hit just .225 and that included a .417 effort by senior Jim Geldhof. He collected five hits in 12 at-bats.
Sophomore Bryan Mitzel homered and drove in four runs while collecting three hits in 10 trips to the plate.
Jaksa indicated that the first three pitchers for this weekend's game in Bowling Green, Kentucky would remain the same as the UAB series: Game one, junior right-hander Ty Dunham (0-1, 1.29); Game two, sophomore left-hander Jayson Ruhlman (0-1, 3.86); and Game 3, Jason Cairns (0-1, 4.05).
The game four starter will likely be either junior right-hander Nathan Pung (0-0, 0.00) or freshman right-hander Josh Collmenter (has not pitched yet).
"Our three starters did not pitch poorly but they can still be better," said Jaksa. "Ty didn't have his best stuff but he battled as always. Jayson just needs to get better each time out because he has great potential and Jason has to be pleased with his first outing but knows inside he has better days ahead. Pung was one of the real bright spots of the trip, tossing three and one-third innings shutout relief in the 6-5 loss.
"Nathan came out and did what he has been doing in the cages ... getting people out, " said Jaksa. "He showed a good breaking ball and spotted his fastball well."
The Hilltoppers posted a 34-22 record in 2004 and reached the NCAA regionals for the first time in 25 years.
Western Kentucky has stumbled out of the gate this spring, though, posting a 1-4 mark entering the week. The Hilltoppers lost to Winthrop (7-6), Wake Forest (10-5) and Maryland (2-1) before splitting two with with St. Louis, winning 12-8 and losing 5-2.
SPRING TRIP NEXT
The Chippewas will play seven games in eight days in a spring trip to Bradenton, Fla., from March 5-12.
CMU will play games against Connecticut, Georgetown, Sacred Heart, Maine, Eastern Kentucky, Rhode Island and Holy Cross.
The Chippewas will then face Southeast Missouri in a three-game set on March 19-20 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
GELDHOF OFF TO A QUICK START
Jim Geldhof had one of the finest seasons in recent years for the Chippewas in 2005. The senior third baseman batted .427 with nine homers and 68 RBI -- second most in school annals. He also stole 29 bases in 32 attempts
He was back in form at UAB, collecting five hits in 12 at-bats for a .417 average. Jim also stole CMU's only base of the trip.
MITZEL GOES DEEP
Sophomore Bryan Mitzel led CMU in homers in 2004 with 14 to go along with 66 RBI and a batting average of .351.
He was the lone Chippewa to send one out of the park at UAB, slugging a two-run homer in the final game of the series.
Bryan collected two more RBI on the trip and leads the team with four.
LANKFORD CONNECTS
Freshman infielder Noah Lankford of St. Xavier High in Cincinnati, Ohio banged out a double in his first career at-bat. He came in as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of CMU's 7-2 loss in the UAB series opener.
BACK ON THE BUS
After a bus trip that lasted more than 12 hours each way to Birmingham, Alabama, the CMU baseball team will hop back on a bus on Thursday for the trip to Bowling Green, Kentucky.
