Central Michigan University Athletics
Softball Looking to Peak as Tournament Time Approaches
4/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Only two weeks remain in the regular season for the Central Michigan University Softball team (17-17, 5-5 Mid-American) and the Chippewas are looking to get into peak form as the Mid-American Conference Tournament approaches.
The Chippewas have a midweek nonconference game on tap for Wednesday before making a push for MAC Tournament seeding with league games Friday through Sunday.
CMU travels to Michigan State (28-23, 2-8 Big Ten) for a single game on April 25 at 4 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for April 11 but was postponed because of the weather.
“The MSU game means a lot because it is an in-state game and a lot of the players from each team know each other,” coach Margo Jonker said. “It’s also an important game because it gives us another chance to continue to play well heading into key conference games this weekend.”
The Chippewas then head to Miami (20-31, 8-6 Mid-American) and Ball State (20-28, 6-8 Mid-American) for four games on the weekend.
Those two series have added importance as CMU, Miami and BSU are all right around the .500 mark in league play. There are 10 teams in the hunt for eight MAC Tournament spots and seven of those teams have a winning percentage between .571 and .429, so the remaining two weeks will determine the field.
“We’re happy to be playing teams on the bubble like us,” Jonker said. “We control our own destiny that way and we know that we need to knock those teams off. I always want it to be in our own hands, so it is up to us to step up to the challenge.”
Adding some uncertainty to the mix this weekend is the fact that both Miami and Ball State feature new head coaches. The RedHawks are led by Kelly Kovach Schoenly while the Cardinals new mentor is Craig Nicholson.
“It will be interesting to play these teams after the change in leadership,” Jonker said. “We’ll be watching their philosophy and how they manage the game. It will be a learning curve as we get to know the programs but we’ve got to concentrate on our game plan as well so that we can continue to peak as tournament time is approaching.”
The Chippewas finally were able to open the home season last week with a full docket of games at the CMU Softball Complex. CMU went 5-2 during the stretch with highlights including a win over No. 9-ranked Michigan, an 11-inning victory over Oakland and a one-hit shutout against Bowling Green.
“Overall, we played well and were consistent throughout the week,” Jonker said. “We feel we got on a roll and now we need to continue to get better every day. Suzie Giroux has really been playing well for us and she’s stepped up her game. Tracy Kaatz and Amy Hudson are starting to get back on a roll and we need those two to be hitting in order to be successful.
“Ali Pettit had a great week pitching. She is mentally tough and really pitches to her ability. Jill DeRoche came in and pitched a great game on Sunday and she’s one of our five seniors we are looking to as we close the season.”
Pettit picked up the 6-3 win in the opener against No. 9-ranked Michigan on Tuesday. CMU had a five-run third inning that included a three-run double by freshman Christina Novak. The Wolverines took the nightcap, 8-1.
CMU and Oakland went 11-innings on Wednesday after the Chippewas needed three runs in the bottom of the seventh to send it to extra frames. Giroux delivered the game-tying hit in the seventh and then the game-winner in the 11th. Pettit picked up the relief win as three different Chippewas saw action in the circle.
CMU swept Toledo in a twinbill on Friday by scores of 9-1 and 2-0. Hudson recorded four RBI in the opener and DeRoche tossed a three-hit shutout in the nightcap.
The Chippewas split with Bowling Green on the weekend, winning 2-0 on Saturday and falling 3-2 on Sunday. Pettit fired a one-hitter as CMU picked up the series-opening win but the Chippewas gave up two early runs on Sunday before battling back to tie it. The Falcons notched the game-winning run in the top of the sixth.
Pettit Honored: Ali Pettit was named MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week by the league office on Monday. She went 4-0 with a 2.10 ERA in five appearances. In 20.0 innings of work, she struck out 17 batters. Pettit notched a victory against No. 9-ranked Michigan and threw a one-hit shutout against the MAC’s top hitting team entering the week, Bowling Green.
Rolling: After starting the year 1-5, Ali Pettit has won 11 of her last 12 decisions. The lone loss during the span was a 2-1 setback at Northern Illinois in a game that was delayed because of rain. NIU scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth. Pettit had winning streaks of six and five games over the span, but they are not the longest of her career. She won eight straight decisions last year as a freshman. Pettit is 12-6 this season with a 2.54 ERA. Her 12 wins tie for the most in the MAC while her ERA ranks ninth.
Hudson Heating Up: Amy Hudson hit a team-high .476 last week going 10-for-21 with two doubles, a triple and five RBI. She notched a hit in six of CMU’s seven games.
Against the Top 10: The Chippewas defeated No. 9-ranked Michigan last Tuesday by a 6-3 count. It marked CMU’s fifth victory against a top 10 ranked team since 2000. CMU also defeated No. 1-ranked Michigan in 2005, No. 4 Washington and No. 5 Oklahoma in 2003, and No. 9 Stanford in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
RBI Machine: Freshman Christina Novak drove in a team-high six runs last week. She had a pair of three-run doubles, one in the win over Michigan and the other in the opener against Toledo. In fact, CMU is just 4-for-31 (.129) with the bases loaded this season and Novak has three of those four bases-loaded hits.
Kaatz’ Big Week: Sophomore Tracy Kaatz ranks second in the MAC in batting average with a .391 mark. She hit .455 last week going 10-for-22 while scoring a team-high five runs. She notched a hit in six straight at-bats at one point going 3-for-3 against both Oakland and Toledo. The center fielder enters this week with a five-game hitting streak. Her longest of the season was a nine gamer to start the year. Kaatz had three stolen bases last week to raise her season tally to 17.
Against the Big Ten: CMU travels to Big Ten foe Michigan State on Wednesday for CMU’s third meeting with a team from that league. In fact, CMU has defeated both Big Ten co-leaders this season. Michigan and Ohio State are both 8-2 in league action and tied for the top spot. Michigan State is 2-8 in conference games and sits in 10th place in the standings.
Hit and Run: Freshman Jill Schulz has more RBI (10) than hits (nine) ... Suzie Giroux has had the most success at advancing runners this season; she moves at least one runner during a plate appearance 60 percent of the time ... the Chippewas are 11-0 when leading after five innings and 13-1 when leading after four ... Tracy Kaatz and Amy Hudson both enter the week with five-game hitting streaks ... Christina Novak leads CMU with four multiple-RBI games ... Michigan State is coached by former Chippewa player Jacquie Joseph (1982-85).
On Deck: CMU closes the MAC regular season with another full weekend of road games. The Chippewas are at Ohio on Friday, May 4 for a doubleheader before heading to Akron fro single games on Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6. The MAC Tournament is being held May 9-12 at Currie Stadium in nearby Midland, Mich.
