CMU Baseball Heads To Ohio For MAC-Opening Weekend

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan baseball team is set to open the Mid-American Conference schedule this weekend with a three-game series at Ohio.

The Chippewas (13-6) and Bobcats (4-14) open on Friday (6 p.m.) and are scheduled to play on Saturday (3 p.m.) and on Sunday (1 p.m.).

CMU is coming off a three-game series at Illinois State, where it salvaged the finale, 11-2, to snap a three-game losing streak. That Chippewas won six of the eight games that they played in Florida prior to their series at Illinois State. Their game on Wednesday at Michigan State was postponed because of rain.

"I feel we have really progressed over this first month of the season," first-year CMU coach Jordan Bischel said. "Our roles and our lineup have become more defined and we have competed well in most of our games.

"To me, it's important that we don't change anything simply because a game counts a little differently in the standings. We will treat this weekend's games very similarly to our first 19."

SOLID NUMBERS
The Chippewas have produced at the plate and on the mound through the first month of the season. They rank first in the MAC in batting average at .307 and their team earned run average is 3.51, which is second in the conference.

They lead the league in runs (169), hits (216), doubles (51), and walks (108), and rank second in slugging percentage (.444) and on-base percentage (.416). The Chippewa pitching staff has issued just 53 walks and surrendered 78 runs, both league-lows.

"We have really done a nice job of limiting free passes and errors in most games, which have been really important in holding our opponents to seven runs or less in all but one game," Bischel said.

Several Chippewas lead the MAC in individual hitting categories, including Zach Gilles, who sports a .431 batting average and a .517 on-base percentage; Zavier Warren tops the league with 24 RBI; Jacob Crum leads in slugging percentage, .731, and triples, five (he leads the nation in that category); and Zach Heeke has scored a league-high 22 runs.

Warren, who also leads the MAC with 11 doubles, is in the midst of a breakout sophomore season, hitting .367 and leading CMU in home runs with three. Crum is hitting .373; Heeke, .321; Jason Sullivan, .312; and Griffin Lockwood-Powell, .306.

"We have seen quality production out of every spot in the order," Bischel said. "No one guy has to swing the bat well for us to score runs."

ON THE MOUND

CMU's top three starters, Cameron Brown, Pat Leatherman and Tyler Hankins, are a combined 10-0.

Leatherman, a senior, leads the Chippewa starters with a 2.08 earned run average. He has struck out 26 and walked just seven in 26 innings.

Cameron Miller and Logan Buczkowski have been solid out of the bullpen. Both have two saves, and Miller sports a 0.61 ERA with no walks and 13 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings; Buczkowski has struck out 14 in 9 2/3 innings and owns a 1.86 ERA.

THE POLL
The Chippewas finished fourth in the preseason poll of league coaches, while Ohio was sixth.

SCOUTING

The Bobcats enter the series last in the MAC in team batting average (.192) and rank fifth with a 5.70 team ERA. They are led at the plate by reigning MAC Player of the Year Rudy Rott, who is hitting .310 with two home runs and 13 RBI.

NEXT

The Chippewas are scheduled to play their home opener on Tuesday, March 26 (4 p.m.) against Grand Valley State.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cameron Brown

Logan Buczkowski

Jacob Crum

Zach Gilles

Tyler Hankins

Zach Heeke

Pat Leatherman

Griffin Lockwood-Powell

Cameron Miller

Jason Sullivan

Zavier Warren

Central Michigan University Athletics