Central Michigan University Athletics
Big Week for Chippewa Baseball Team
3/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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March 28, 2005
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Home sweet home!
After opening the 2005 season with 20 road games, the Central Michigan University baseball team figures to play a game in Theunissen Stadium. Maybe even two this week, if the weather cooperates.
Coach Steve Jaksa's Chippewas, 13-7 for the season and winners of 13 of their last 16 games, are slated to host Wayne State on Tuesday, March 29, in a makeup game at 3 p.m. Oakland University is then scheduled for a game on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
CMU was to have opened the home season last week but snow on the field prevented the original Wayne State game and a three-game home weekend set with Youngstown State.
The Chippewas switched the YSU series to Youngstown where CMU came away with two wins in three tries. The two split Saturday's doubleheader, CMU winning 3-2 in 10 innings and the Penguins posting a 4-0 blanking in the nightcap. The Chippewas captured the final game of the weekend, 7-3.
More importantly than opening the home season this week is the fact that CMU is launching a defense of its Mid-American Conference regular-season championship with a three-game set at Bowling Green State University (12-6, 0-3 MAC) on Friday-Sunday.
The Chippewas won the 2004 MAC crown with an 18-6 record which gave them the right to host the conference tourney. "It's a huge week for us," said Jaksa. "We have the opportunity to play at home for the first time and we're looking forward to that. We need those games to polish things for this weekend when we open MAC play."
The Chippewas continue to shine in two key facets of the game -- fielding and pitching. CMU is picking and throwing the ball at a .963 clip after fielding at a .958 a year ago. Chippewa hurlers have a nifty team ERA of 2.84, well below the 4.81 in 2004.
CMU's hitting is down, though. The Chippewas are at .288 after hitting .315 a year ago.
"I still think this team will hit," said Jaksa. "We've had our moments this season but we just haven't been consistent enough.
"Fortunately, our pitching and defense have been good enough to keep us in games. We're working hard on the mental approach for our hitters to focus just the next at-bat."
That focus paid off in the final game of the Youngstown State series when the Chippewas collected 15 hits in a 7-3 victory.
CMU will need to click on all cylinders this weekend when it opens the MAC with the Falcons. BG lost three at Ball State by the scores of 9-4, 8-7 and 8-2.
"Bowling Green started the season playing very well and lost some tough games at Ball State this past weekend," Jaksa said. "That will make Bowling Green tougher because it needs to play well against us to stay in the race. We just have to go down there ready to play and take care of our own business."
CMU opens the home portion of the 2005 MAC season with three games against Toledo on April 8-10.
THIS WEEK'S STARTERS
Freshman Josh Collmenter (2-0, 2.81 ERA) will start against Wayne State on Tuesday and sophomore Mike Kirschenheiter (0-1, 8.53) against Oakland on Wednesday.
The weekend starters at BG will be the trio of Ty Dunham (2-1, 2.51), Jason Cairns (2-3, 3.43) and Jayson Ruhlman (4-1, 2.70). The trio has combined for 18 of CMU's 20 starts this season.
They also combine for a record of 9-4 with an ERA of 2.87. They have 108 strikeouts against 49 walks in 122.1 innings of work.
The only other Chippewa to start this season, Josh Collmenter, is 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA. He was named MAC "Pitcher of the Week" after striking out 13 and walking none in winning his career debut in a 5-1 win at Western Kentucky, 5-1.
Ruhlman also has earned the award this spring.
OH WHAT A RELIEF THEY ARE!
The one-two Chippewa relief punch of right-hander Nathan Pung (2-0, 0.00, 2 saves) and left-hander James Ricchio (0-1, 1.35, one save) has been outstanding.
Pung has not allowed an earned run in 13.2 innings over six outings. Ricchio has given up one earned run in 6.2 innings in seven games.
MAC STATS
The Chippewas lead the MAC in pitching with their 2.84 ERA, and stand fourth in hitting at .288 and fifth in fielding at .963.
Individually, Dunham (2.51 ERA) and Ruhlman (2.70) are third and fourth while Cairns (3.43) is 11th. Ruhlman is first in strikeouts (50) and tied for first wins with four. Dunham is fifth (30) and Cairns tied for sixth (28) in strikeouts.
Jim Geldhof is tied for sixth in hits with 26 while Jeremy Crum is third in stolen bases (nine) and Bryan Mitzel is tied for fifth in doubles (seven) and tied for seventh in RBI (17). Kurtis Wells is tied for fifth in doubles (seven).
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