Central Michigan University Athletics
Baseball 2006 Season Outlook
2/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 13, 2006
MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan University baseball program has experienced unparalleled success during Steve Jaksa's first three seasons as head coach. CMU has won 52 Mid-American Conference games over the past three seasons, the most of any MAC program, including 18 each of the past two seasons. Last year, the Chippewas rattled off 42 wins, the fourth-most in school history and highest total since the 1988 team won a school-record 47 games.
For the second consecutive year, however, CMU was on the outside looking in during the presentation of the MAC Tournament championship trophy. The 2006 squad plans to fill that hole in the trophy case.
"Every day is part of the journey toward that final game," Jaksa said. "Every game is an important step to help us get there. Once we get there, then we have to take advantage of the opportunity.
"We have to go out and earn that spot," he added. "We're not just automatically going to be given that opportunity."
With a relatively young ballclub taking the field for the Maroon and Gold in 2006, Jaksa will rely heavily on the leadership of his six seniors to make a run at a MAC Tournament title.
"With this group of seniors, you're looking at guys who have been a part of some very positive things within this program," Jaksa said. "We are going to need their leadership qualities to help us continue down the path of being one of the best teams in the conference, and then ultimately to be the best team in the conference. I want our seniors to be able to say that they always played hard and competed, because it's a special thing to know how to play the game and then go out and play it in that manner."
Jaksa enters the 2006 campaign armed with one of the top pitching staffs in the MAC and a lineup that is solid from top to bottom. The Chippewas return 16 lettermen from last season, including eight pitchers, and will be bolstered by a crop of 14 newcomers that will make an immediate impact.
Headlining the pitching staff will be senior right-hander Ty Dunham and sophomore right-hander Josh Collmenter. Dunham, an All-Mideast Region second team and All-MAC first team honoree in 2005, enters his senior campaign as a member of the Wallace Watch list. He was tabbed as the Chippewas' Most Valuable Player after winning nine games and striking out 87 hitters a year ago.
"With Ty, you know you have a guy who is going to get you deep into a game," Jaksa said. "That's a credit to Ty and his approach, demeanor and competitiveness. It's nice to know that he is going to keep us in the first game of every series, because game one is so important when you're playing a three-game series."
Backing up Dunham in the weekend rotation will be Collmenter, a 2005 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball, and junior right-hander Kurt Lauscher. Also figuring into the starting rotation will be redshirt freshman right-hander Jeff Richard and true freshman lefties Ben Rodewald and Dan Taylor.
"Our number one strength has to be our pitching," Jaksa said. "We have solid returning pitchers with game experience in the MAC. The one thing we need to develop is depth, and I think we have some people waiting in the wings who can help provide that depth."
Jaksa used a bullpen by committee last season, particularly late in games, and expects to open 2006 with the same plan.
"Those guys competed well last year, and they're all back this season," Jaksa said. "If a guy jumps out early in the year, we'll anoint him as the closer. But based on last season, we're very comfortable with the system we used a year ago."
Left-hander James Ricchio, right-hander Nathan Pung and right-hander Mark Lundquist tied for the team lead with three saves apiece in 2005. Ricchio led the staff in earned-run average, posting a 2.13 ERA in 25-1/3 innings of work.
Also expected to contribute out of the bullpen in 2006 are junior right-hander Mike Kirschenheiter, sophomore left-hander Josh Ruhlman and sophomore right-hander Andy Wingert.
The returning pitchers will find three familiar faces behind the plate, as senior Brian Campbell and sophomores Brad Foutch and Tyler Stovall return after each saw significant action in 2005. Campbell started 19 games behind the plate and hit .235, while Foutch appeared in 16 contests and batted .269. Stovall started 21 contests and posted a .260 average.
"We feel really comfortable having all three of those guys back," Jaksa said. "The experience they gained last year really helped them and they have a solid grip on our pitching staff."
The rest of the infield, aside from the catcher position, is relatively unsettled, but Jaksa does not necessarily see that as a problem.
Troy Moratti was the lone CMU player to appear in all 60 games in 2005.  | |
"We'll most likely have a few changes in the lineup as we go game-to-game," Jaksa said. "We're a work in progress in the infield, but I like that we have the flexibility to play a number of guys at more than one position."
The cornerstone of the infield looks to be Troy Moratti at third base. A starter in 43 games at third last season, Moratti led the Chippewas in nearly every offensive category in 2005. He hit .357 with 91 hits, 55 runs, 40 RBI and 14 steals and was the only Chippewa to play in all 60 games.
"Troy is a good hitter who is not content," Jaksa said. "He is very motivated and loves to hit. Our job is to surround him with other hitters that can set the table for him. If we make opponents pitch to him, he can be a very positive force in our lineup."
Moratti is the only incumbent around the infield; no other member of the 2006 squad started a game at third, and last season's regulars at first, second and shortstop have all graduated.
Juniors Jeff Helps and Ben Humphrey, sophomore Noah Lankford, redshirt freshman Bryan Resnick and freshman James Teas all could play significant roles at first, second or short in 2006. Helps and Humphrey are transfers from St. Clair Community College and Olney Central Community College, respectively, while Lankford appeared in 40 games as a rookie in 2005. Resnick redshirted a year ago, while Teas will likely contribute in his first season on campus.
CMU returns four players with significant starting experience in the outfield. Headlining the group is J.T. Jones, a senior who is entering his fourth season as a starter. Jones started 39 games in right and 19 in center a year ago, hitting safely in 43 of the 58 games in which he played. Defensively, he tallied seven assists from the outfield.
Junior Bryan Mitzel started 21 games in left and another 19 in right last season. A potent bat in the middle of the order, Mitzel has led CMU in homers each of the past two seasons. In 2005, he slugged 10 home runs and ranked second among his teammates with 20 doubles and 54 RBI.
Bryan Mitzel has led CMU in homers each of the past two seasons. | |
Junior Eric Cannon and sophomore Sean Hoorelbeke started 18 and seven games, respectively, in the outfield last year. Cannon played in a total of 46 games last season, hitting .309 and scoring 21 runs. Hoorelbeke, who also filled the designated hitter role last season, hit .320 in 28 games in 2005.
Newcomers who could see action in the outfield include sophomore Dan Ryan and freshman Cody Allen. Ryan joins CMU after one season at St. Clair Community College, while Allen chose to enroll at CMU despite being a 49th round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds last summer.
THE SCHEDULE
CMU is scheduled to play its first 21 games of the season on the road, including an eight-day, seven-game swing through the state of Florida and a three-game set at Buffalo (March 24-26) to open the conference slate. The Chippewas' home opener is set for March 28 against Oakland, while CMU will not host a MAC series until Bowling Green visits Theunissen Stadium for a three-game series April 7-9.
While the majority of the first half of the season will be spent on the road, CMU closes the regular season with 11 of its final 15 at home, including conference series against Toledo (April 28-30), Eastern Michigan (May 5-7) and Ball State (May 18-20).
Highlighting the nonconference schedule are midweek games at home against Michigan (April 5) and Michigan State (May 16) and on the road at Notre Dame (March 22), Ohio State (April 12) and Michigan State (April 19). The April 19 contest against the Spartans will take place at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing, home of the Toronto Blue Jays' Class A affiliate, the Lansing Lugnuts.
The Mid-American Conference Tournament is set for May 24-27 and will be hosted by the conference's regular season champ.
