Central Michigan University Athletics
Twin Bill With Oakland Starts Busy Week for Softball
3/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MOUNT PLEASANT After a tough opening weekend of Mid-American Conference play, the Central Michigan softball team hopes to get back on track with a busy schedule this week.
The Chippewas (7-14, 1-3 Mid-American) host in-state foe Oakland (10-18, 4-5 Summit) for a doubleheader at Margo Jonker Stadium on Wednesday (2 p.m.) before jumping back into MAC play with a twin bill against Akron (18-13, 1-3 Mid-American) on Friday (1 p.m.). Central finishes the week with single games against Ohio (8-15, 0-4 Mid-American) on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
“This is a new week and a chance to learn from what happened last weekend,” head coach Margo Jonker said. “We have been working on things in practice that we feel will yield positive results. Oakland has some productive hitters and good potential in the pitching circle. This doubleheader is a good test for us to begin the week.”
The Maroon and Gold own a 12-1 all-time record against Oakland and has won its last six meetings with the Golden Grizzlies, including a doubleheader sweep at OU in 2008. Oakland’s hitters are batting .265 this season while its hurlers have posted a 3.29 earned run average and its fielders are converting outs at a .947 clip.
CMU looks to gain some ground in the MAC standings when it faces an Akron team that has an identical 1-3 record in league play. The Zips got swept on the road by Northern Illinois on Friday and split a doubleheader with Western Michigan last Saturday.
“We are ready to continue the MAC schedule and do what we can to get on track,” Jonker said. “Akron has looked strong and played tough competition this year. It will be a challenging two games at their place.”
The Chippewas are 26-14 against the Zips in their 40 previous meetings. These teams split their series in Mount Pleasant a year ago. The Zips are hitting .285 as a team and come into this week with a 2.12 ERA. However, Akron’s average dropped to .198 while its ERA rose to 2.45 in four MAC games over the weekend.
Central wraps up its road trip against Ohio, the team that ended its 2008 season by defeating the Chippewas 2-0 in the 2008 MAC Tournament. OU got swept in doubleheaders at Western Michigan and Northern Illinois last weekend and has dropped nine of its last 10 games entering this week. The Chippewas swept the Bobcats at home during the regular season last year.
“Ohio has a new coaching staff that we have not faced,” Jonker said. “We may see some things out of that team that we have not in the past so we need to be ready.”
The Bobcats are hitting .283, but their pitchers have a combined 5.24 ERA and opposing hitters are batting .311 off their offerings. Ohio got outscored 22-5 in its four MAC losses last weekend.
Live stats will be available on cmuchippewas.com for Wednesday’s doubleheader against Oakland and Friday’s showdown at Akron. In addition, Wednesday’s games against Oakland will air on WMHW-FM 91.5.
CMU News and Notes:
Climbing the Leaderboard: Ali Pettit is putting her name among the school’s elite in her final season with the Maroon and Gold. She is in the top ten on CMU’s career list in six different categories, including wins (10th; 40), strikeouts (ninth; 287), complete games (ninth; 43), innings pitched (ninth; 448.3), appearances (fifth; 103) and saves (t-fifth; five).
Merchant Comes Through: Sophomore shortstop Brittini Merchant was the catalyst CMU needed to notch its first MAC win against Ball State last Friday. Merchant went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI in the Chippewas’ 6-5, 10-inning win over the Cardinals. With Central trailing 5-3 in the sixth, she doubled home a run and came around to tie the game. She also ended the extra-inning affair with a walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the 10th.
A Dozen is Grand: The Central Michigan softball program is on the verge of a milestone. The Chippewas sit 12 wins shy of 1,000 all-time victories. Since the school began playing softball in 1979, CMU has a 988-568-5 record (.635 winning percentage) and has posted a .500 record or better in 29 of 30 seasons.
Thunder and Lightning: Junior outfielder Christina Novak has been the Chippewas’ primary source of offense this season. Novak has clubbed a team-high four home runs so far, tied for her career best. When opposing pitchers keep her in the park, they have to deal with her on the base paths as Novak also leads the squad with eight stolen bases.
She’s Perfect in Every Way: The Chippewas’ Florida trip began in impressive fashion at the Miken Classic hosted by Florida Atlantic University. Senior pitcher Ali Pettit tossed the third perfect game in program history against Columbia on March 6. Pettit struck out seven batters and allowed only one ball to leave the infield. The outing was the first Central Michigan no-hitter since Amber Puchalski no-hit Akron on March 28, 2004. Of the three perfect games CMU pitchers have thrown, Pettit’s is only the second in a full seven-inning game.
Jonker Nearing 1,000: Head coach Margo Jonker has achieved several milestones in her 30 seasons at the helm of the CMU softball team, and she is closing in on another. Jonker is 27 wins away from 1,000 career victories. The Chippewas have finished .500 or better in 28 of her 29 seasons
Powering into the Record Books: Christina Novak's solo home run against Harvard on March 7 was the 10th homer of her career and put her in a ninth-place tie with Lynn Putnam and Christan Dhondt on the career chart. Cathy Wylie, Elizabeth Barnes and Christin Sobeck each have a share of the school record with 16 career home runs.
On the Air: All of Central Michigan’s home games will be broadcast on CMU’s student radio station, WMHW-FM 91.5. A free stream is available on cmuchippewas.com.
On Deck: The Chippewas return home for a nonconference test against perennial national power Michigan (No. 10 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll) on Wednesday, April 8 at 4 p.m. Central then spends Easter weekend in Ypsilanti, Mich. for a road MAC series against rival Eastern Michigan. The teams will play single games on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
