Central Michigan University Athletics
Baseball America Praises Recruiting Class
10/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - An honor for the Central Michigan baseball program, and a big-time achievement for an all-time Chippewa great.
The 2015 CMU recruiting class was named by Baseball America among its '10 More to Watch' list in its annual ranking of recruiting classes. CMU is listed second on the '10 More' list, and is the only Mid-American Conference school among the 35.
"Central Michigan has been one of the Mid-American Conference's most consistent programs under coach Steve Jaksa, and its latest recruiting class should help continue the winning ways," wrote Teddy Cahill on the site's website.
Among the recruits highlighted by Cahill are outfielder Daniel Robinson, pitcher/outfielder Dazon Cole, and pitchers Michael Brettell and Grant Wolfram.
"It says that people have taken notice that we've played a quality schedule and that people notice that we've done well," said Jaksa, who was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 2015 after leading CMU to the regular-season championship.
"We need to be mature enough that we recognize the process, and that people who play us will be excited to play us," Jaksa said. "We have to make sure we're ready to play on the field and we don't read the press clippings.
"I'm more of a guy that I like to keep the outside out and focus on the play on the field and getting ready to play."
One of Jaksa's former teammates at CMU, Dan Rohn, led the Traverse City Beach Bums to the Frontier League championship this season.
"He was a heck of a player out of Alpena, Michigan," Jaksa recalled of Rohn, who played in the major leagues with the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians. "He could run. He was a left-handed hitter and just a really tough kid -- a joy to have on your team and a pest if you played against him. He was such a competitor."
"That's a great testament to him as coach now."
Rohn led the Beach Bums, an independent team, to a 56-38 regular-season finish and playoff series sweeps over Rockford and River City.
Rohn has also managed in the Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays organizations, along with a stint in Puerto Rico. Rohn was named the Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year three times during his days in charge of the Tacoma Rainiers, the Seattle Mariners' AAA affiliate.
