Central Michigan University Athletics
Tuesday, March 26
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
4 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Michigan
Photo by: Monica Bradburn
Softball Set To Entertain Michigan In Home Opener
3/25/2019 7:43:00 PM | Softball
Chippewas and Wolverines square off on Tuesday at Margo Jonker Stadium
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan softball team will finally get a chance to show off to its home fans on Tuesday (4 p.m.) when the Chippewas welcome Michigan for a nonleague game at Margo Jonker Stadium.
The Chippewas are 11-15 and coming off a their Mid-American Conference-opening weekend, during which they won two of three at Miami (Ohio). Michigan (19-10) is ranked 25th and last weekend swept a three-game series from Nebraska on the Big Ten's opening weekend.
The Chippewas showed some mettle in their series at Miami as both of their wins came in extra innings.
In the opener, a 4-3 CMU win, the Chippewas tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh and won it on Erika Underwood's three-run homer in the eighth.
In game two, they rallied from a 2-1 deficit headed into the top of the seventh inning to win in eight innings, 4-3.
"I thought this team showed a lot of heart and a lot of character and I think they competed really well," CMU coach Margo Jonker said. "To see them come out and compete and really fight and not give up but be intense all the way through, that was awesome."
Shaidan Knapp leads the Chippewas at the plate with a .333 batting average, while Underwood is hitting .311. Shannon Stein tops the Chippewas with six home runs and 17 RBI.
The young Chippewa pitching staff – all five are underclassmen -- has shown signs of coming into its own.
Cloe Mallory is 3-2, while Kaitlyn Bean and Stein are both 3-3. At 2.71, Bean sports the staff's best earned run average. Defensively, the Chippewas rank second in the MAC in fielding percentage at .967.
Certainly, there have been some growing pains and some development both at the plate and in the circle, Jonker said, but that's to be expected from a team that has played its first 26 games on the road and from such a young staff.
"I think we have more power than we've had in past years," Jonker said. "I think we just need to get it going more consistently."
The Chippewas are 11-15 and coming off a their Mid-American Conference-opening weekend, during which they won two of three at Miami (Ohio). Michigan (19-10) is ranked 25th and last weekend swept a three-game series from Nebraska on the Big Ten's opening weekend.
The Chippewas showed some mettle in their series at Miami as both of their wins came in extra innings.
In the opener, a 4-3 CMU win, the Chippewas tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh and won it on Erika Underwood's three-run homer in the eighth.
In game two, they rallied from a 2-1 deficit headed into the top of the seventh inning to win in eight innings, 4-3.
"I thought this team showed a lot of heart and a lot of character and I think they competed really well," CMU coach Margo Jonker said. "To see them come out and compete and really fight and not give up but be intense all the way through, that was awesome."
Shaidan Knapp leads the Chippewas at the plate with a .333 batting average, while Underwood is hitting .311. Shannon Stein tops the Chippewas with six home runs and 17 RBI.
The young Chippewa pitching staff – all five are underclassmen -- has shown signs of coming into its own.
Cloe Mallory is 3-2, while Kaitlyn Bean and Stein are both 3-3. At 2.71, Bean sports the staff's best earned run average. Defensively, the Chippewas rank second in the MAC in fielding percentage at .967.
Certainly, there have been some growing pains and some development both at the plate and in the circle, Jonker said, but that's to be expected from a team that has played its first 26 games on the road and from such a young staff.
"I think we have more power than we've had in past years," Jonker said. "I think we just need to get it going more consistently."
Players Mentioned
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UTL
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P/IF
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1B
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