Central Michigan University Athletics
Next Stop for Chippewas: Wichita State
3/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Brent Schriber, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- As the students hit the road for spring break, the Central Michigan baseball team heads to Wichita, Kans., to take on Wichita State.
CMU (8-4) will face the Shockers (3-7) in a three-game series beginning on Friday, and then take on Kansas (4-8) in Lawrence, Kans., on Tuesday. CMU is scheduled to partake in the Indiana State Tournament March 12-15 in Terre Haute, Ind.
CMU is on a three-game win streak, taking the final three of a four-game set last weekend at Texas State.
"We played guys last weekend that really hadn't played a lot the first eight games," said CMU head coach Steve Jaksa.
One of those was right-hander Jason Gamble, who took advantage on Sunday of his first CMU start as a Chippewa, throwing 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball and surrendering just three hits in a 2-0 win on Sunday against the Bobcats.
On the season, Gamble has given up a mere six hits and has held opposing hitters to a .140 batting average. He has a 0.69 ERA in his four appearances.
As a team, CMU is fourth in the Mid-American Conference with a 3.81 earned run average over 108 2/3 innings. The Chippewas have committed 23 errors on the season and have posted a .954 fielding percentage. They have turned a MAC-best 11 double plays.
The final three games at Texas State were particularly gratifying, each in its own way. After committing a season-high five errors in a 5-3 loss in Friday's opener, the Chippewas swept Saturday's doubleheader, scoring 19 runs in the process and committing just three errors on the day. On Sunday, they played error-free behind Gamble and reliever Josh Pierce en route to the 2-0 victory.
Of the 21 runs CMU scored in the final three games of the series, 20 came in their final three at-bats of those games. The Chippewas won Saturday's second game with a two-run 10th inning after squandering a 3-0 lead in the ninth.
"We don't get down, we don't think we're out of a game," Jaksa said. "We play nine innings and that's an attitude. Attitudes aren't normally neutral.
"There is a certain level of mental toughness that you need and we talk about it every weekend. The challenges that are going to be out there, you don't even know what they're going to be. The game can be punishing, but you have to be mentally tough to do it."
When the game is on the line, mental toughness is everything. Tim Black, the Chippewas' closer, has earned four saves on the season, which leads the MAC and ties him for 11th nationally.
"From a win-loss standpoint, we've had a lot of tight games and we've won a good share of them. That`s a good thing," said Jaksa.
CMU will face Wichita State on Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Shockers are 3-7 and have lost five consecutive games. They were swept last weekend by Long Beach State.
