| Collmenter’s Record Within Reach
Senior ace Zach Cooper has a chance to become Central Michigan’s all-time leader in strikeouts, passing 2007 MAC Pitcher of the Year and current Arizona Diamondbacks starter Josh Collmenter’s record of 288. Cooper tied a career high with 11 strikeouts February 24 at No. 23 Stetson and now has 200 in his career, just 13 shy of moving into CMU’s career top 10 list. Collmenter’s record of 288 could be eclipsed if Cooper averaged seven strikeouts over his projected 12 remaining regular-season starts. Kaminska Locks Down Bullpen
Junior Patrick Kaminska, who is in his first season with the Chippewas after transferring from John A. Logan College, has been impressive over his first five appearances out of the bullpen in the Maroon and Gold. Kaminska has allowed just one earned run over 9.1 innings of work and has not allowed a run over his last four appearances spanning eight innings. He earned his first career save Saturday in the series finale at Hawaii, tossing the final three innings of a 3-1 win. Multi-Hit Machine
Jordan Dean enters the weekend riding an eight-game hitting streak and has had quite the start to his 2012 campaign, recording multiple hits in nine of the Chippewas’ 17 games this season. Dean has started all 17 games at shortstop and leads the team in average (.356), at-bats (73), runs (16), hits (26), triples (2), runs batted in (15) and stolen bases (5). The junior drove in a career-high five runs Wednesday versus Davenport after hitting his second home run of the season Tuesday versus Madonna. Climbing the Record Books
Senior first baseman Nate Theunissen has continued to climb his way up the record books this season and now ranks fifth in school history in doubles (43), seventh in runs batted in (140), seventh in extra-base hits (67) and 10th in total bases (321). Theunissen also cracked the top 10 for at-bats earlier this week, ranking No. 10 with 632, and he is just six hits and four home runs shy of moving into the top 10 of each respective category. Big Time Performances vs. Big Time Opponents
Both of senior Ryan Longstreth’s wins have come against opponents who were ranked or receiving votes in national polls. Longstreth earned his first win of the season at No. 23 Stetson on February 25 and took down the Rainbows of Hawaii, 3-1, on March 10. The lefty has a 1.38 ERA in the two wins, giving up 12 hits and two runs over 13 innings of work. Plate Six or More and Win
Six runs has been the magic number for Central Michigan during the 2012 season, as six of their seven wins have come when scoring six or more runs. CMU is just 1-9 when scoring five or fewer runs this season, including a 0-5 record when being held to two or fewer. Extra Bases
The Chippewas have recorded 37 extra-base hits this season, including a season-high five in Wednesday’s 15-7 win over Davenport. All five of CMU’s extra-base hits Wednesday were doubles as they now have 25 doubles, four triples and eight home runs on the season. Former Coach Waldo Sauter Remembered
The Chippewas will wear a patch with the initials “WS” the remainder of the season in commemoration of former CMU baseball head coach Waldo Sauter, who passed away on February 22. Sauter was the first coach in CMU history to earn 200 wins in any sport and left as the program’s all-time leader in wins with 210 in 1970. He was inducted into the CMU Athletics Marcy Weston Hall of Fame in 1994 and selected the Maroon and Gold’s “Fan of the Year” in 2010. One of the Nation’s All-Time Winningest Programs
According to the NCAA’s annual baseball record book, the Central Michigan baseball program ranks 26th on the list of all-time winningest programs with a minimum of 25 years in Division I. The Chippewas entered the season 1,956-1,175-17 for a clip of .624, ranking above programs such as the back-to-back National Champs South Carolina and the current top team in the country, No. 1 Florida. Chippewas Tabbed to Win Third-Straight MAC West Title
Central Michigan was picked to win its third-straight Mid-American Conference West Division title by the league’s head coaches. CMU received 54 points to edge Toledo’s 45 and Eastern Michigan’s 43. The Maroon and Gold also received one vote to win the 2012 MAC Tournament, which will be played at Pro-Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio for the first time.
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