Central Michigan University Athletics
Busy Week Ahead for the Chippewas
3/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
MOUNT PLEASANT In the middle of a stretch that will see the Cental Michigan baseball team play eight games in 10 days, the Chippewas begin the busiest part of the cluster of games with a midweek tilts against in-state foes Wayne State and Michigan State.
The Chippewas host the Warriors on Tuesday at 3:05 p.m., before traveling down on Wednesday to Oldsmobile Park in Lansing to face the Spartans at 3:05 p.m.
CMU will then return to Theunissen Stadium for a three-game series against Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green starting on Friday.
Wayne State (14-10) recently picked up its program’s 1,000th win in a sweep of Findlay. The Warriors are batting .329 as a squad and their pitching staff stands in with a 5.73 ERA. Matthew Williams (.384 batting average) and Adam Kaminski (.364 batting average, 27 RBI) are WSU’s top threats.
Michigan State (7-17) has struggled at the dish, batting just .248 as a squad. The Spartans’ pitching staff holds a 5.55 ERA entering the week and opponents batting at a .307 clip.
Eli Boike paces MSU with a .349 average and a team-best five homeruns along with seven steals. Chris Roberts (.333 batting average, 13 RBI) also makes things happen at the top of Michigan State’s batting order. It’s likely that either Tony Bucciferro (4.43 ERA, 1-1) or Kyle Corcoran (5.53 ERA, 0-2) will get the start against the Chippewas.
Bowling Green (10-12, 2-3 MAC) travels to Mount Pleasant for the first time since 2006, when Central took 2-of-3 meetings with the Falcons. Bowling Green’s offense is formidable, batting .320 as a squad, but its pitching staff has struggled to the tune of a 7.16 ERA.
However, the Falcons’ top two weekend starters have had excellent seasons. Both Matt Malewitz (3.06 ERA, 2-1) and Brennan Smith (3.48 ERA, 3-3) are holding opponents down near the .200 mark.
The BGSU offense features five regulars who are hitting .333 or better, led by Tyler Elkins (.413, seven doubles). T.J. Blanton (.333, four homeruns) is the team’s top power threat.
Friday’s game is set for 3:05 p.m., Saturday’s contest for 2:05 p.m. and Sunday’s for 1:05 p.m.
Central Michigan (11-14, 3-3 MAC) enters the week batting .283 as a squad with a 6.06 staff ERA. Nate Theunissen is the team’s top offensive threat, leading the squad in batting average (.382), home runs (four) and RBI (24). He leads the MAC in RBI (15) and total bases (22). Matt Faiman (.367, 18 RBI) and Billy Anderson (.350, 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts) also fuel the offense.
Weekend starters Dan Taylor (4.67 ERA, 2-3) and Steve Teno (4.93, 2-3) lead the way on the mound. Teno earned MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week honors for his eight strong innings in the series-opener against Buffalo last week in a 5-2 CMU victory.
WMHW-FM 91.5 will broadcast Tuesday’s contest vs. Wayne State, while WMMI-AM 830 will air Wednesday’s game against Michigan State and the three-game set with Bowling Green.
There will be live stats available for the games against WSU and BGSU, as well as live stats, live audio and live video courtesy of cmuchippewas.com. Live audio will also be available for the contest against the MSU.
CMU’s Projected Rotation
Tuesday vs. Wayne State: Rick Dodridge (8.04 ERA, 0-2)
Wednesday vs. Michigan State: Jesse Hernandez (5.59 ERA, 0-2)
Friday vs. Bowling Green: Steve Teno (4.93 ERA, 2-3)
Saturday vs. Bowling Green: Dan Taylor (4.67 ERA, 2-3)
Sunday vs. Bowling Green: Trent Howard (6.52 ERA, 1-0)
The Chippewas host the Warriors on Tuesday at 3:05 p.m., before traveling down on Wednesday to Oldsmobile Park in Lansing to face the Spartans at 3:05 p.m.
CMU will then return to Theunissen Stadium for a three-game series against Mid-American Conference foe Bowling Green starting on Friday.
Wayne State (14-10) recently picked up its program’s 1,000th win in a sweep of Findlay. The Warriors are batting .329 as a squad and their pitching staff stands in with a 5.73 ERA. Matthew Williams (.384 batting average) and Adam Kaminski (.364 batting average, 27 RBI) are WSU’s top threats.
Michigan State (7-17) has struggled at the dish, batting just .248 as a squad. The Spartans’ pitching staff holds a 5.55 ERA entering the week and opponents batting at a .307 clip.
Eli Boike paces MSU with a .349 average and a team-best five homeruns along with seven steals. Chris Roberts (.333 batting average, 13 RBI) also makes things happen at the top of Michigan State’s batting order. It’s likely that either Tony Bucciferro (4.43 ERA, 1-1) or Kyle Corcoran (5.53 ERA, 0-2) will get the start against the Chippewas.
Bowling Green (10-12, 2-3 MAC) travels to Mount Pleasant for the first time since 2006, when Central took 2-of-3 meetings with the Falcons. Bowling Green’s offense is formidable, batting .320 as a squad, but its pitching staff has struggled to the tune of a 7.16 ERA.
However, the Falcons’ top two weekend starters have had excellent seasons. Both Matt Malewitz (3.06 ERA, 2-1) and Brennan Smith (3.48 ERA, 3-3) are holding opponents down near the .200 mark.
The BGSU offense features five regulars who are hitting .333 or better, led by Tyler Elkins (.413, seven doubles). T.J. Blanton (.333, four homeruns) is the team’s top power threat.
Friday’s game is set for 3:05 p.m., Saturday’s contest for 2:05 p.m. and Sunday’s for 1:05 p.m.
Central Michigan (11-14, 3-3 MAC) enters the week batting .283 as a squad with a 6.06 staff ERA. Nate Theunissen is the team’s top offensive threat, leading the squad in batting average (.382), home runs (four) and RBI (24). He leads the MAC in RBI (15) and total bases (22). Matt Faiman (.367, 18 RBI) and Billy Anderson (.350, 12-for-12 in stolen base attempts) also fuel the offense.
Weekend starters Dan Taylor (4.67 ERA, 2-3) and Steve Teno (4.93, 2-3) lead the way on the mound. Teno earned MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week honors for his eight strong innings in the series-opener against Buffalo last week in a 5-2 CMU victory.
WMHW-FM 91.5 will broadcast Tuesday’s contest vs. Wayne State, while WMMI-AM 830 will air Wednesday’s game against Michigan State and the three-game set with Bowling Green.
There will be live stats available for the games against WSU and BGSU, as well as live stats, live audio and live video courtesy of cmuchippewas.com. Live audio will also be available for the contest against the MSU.
CMU’s Projected Rotation
Tuesday vs. Wayne State: Rick Dodridge (8.04 ERA, 0-2)
Wednesday vs. Michigan State: Jesse Hernandez (5.59 ERA, 0-2)
Friday vs. Bowling Green: Steve Teno (4.93 ERA, 2-3)
Saturday vs. Bowling Green: Dan Taylor (4.67 ERA, 2-3)
Sunday vs. Bowling Green: Trent Howard (6.52 ERA, 1-0)
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