Central Michigan University Athletics
Friday, April 26
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
1 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Ball State
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Softball Alters Schedule For Ball State Series
4/25/2019 11:50:00 PM | Softball
Chippewas and Cardinals will play 2 on Friday
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan softball team is scheduled to entertain Ball State this weekend in a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Margo Jonker Stadium.
The first two games of the series are scheduled for a Friday (1 p.m.) doubleheader and the series finale is set for Saturday (1 p.m.). Saturday's game is Senior Day and the Chippewas' home finale.
The series was originally scheduled for a single game on Friday and twinbill on Saturday. But forecasted colder temperatures prompted the move to a Friday doubleheader.
RECORDS
The Chippewas are 18-22-1 overall, 8-5-1 MAC. Ball State is 31-16, 8-6. CMU is in third place, while the Cardinals are in fifth. The top eight teams earn a berth to the MAC Tournament in Akron May 8-11.
The Chippewas close the regular season next weekend with a three-game set at Toledo. This weekend's series is the last of the season for the Cardinals.
LAST TIME OUT
The Chippewas lost two of three to Northern Illinois in a three-game set last weekend. Ball State, which defeated Butler, 3-2, in a nonleague game on Tuesday, went 1-1 in a MAC series last weekend at home against Toledo. The third game of the series was cancelled because of weather.
CHIPPEWA LEADERS
Erika Underwood continues to lead the Chippewas at the plate. The senior first baseman carries a team-best .361 batting average and leads the Chippewas with 28 RBI. She shares the team lead with freshman Shannon Stein with seven home runs. Stein is second on the team with 24 RBI.
Underwood ranks ninth in the MAC with a .629 slugging percentage.
Sophomore outfielder Shaidan Knapp is hitting .320 with a team-best .457 on-base percentage, which ranks sixth in the league. Senior second baseman Rachel Vieira is hitting .296 and has a team-high 12 extra-base hits.
Senior outfielder Sara Hansen and Knapp both have four triples on the year, which ranks second in the MAC.
Senior outfielder Allison Curtis returned to the lineup last weekend against Northern Illinois and collected a pair of hits in the series. Curtis had been limited for the better part of a month to primarily a pinch-running role because of an injury.
Freshman Kaitlyn Bean and sophomore Samantha Howell have led a young Chippewa pitching staff throughout most of the season. Bean is 7-5 with a 4.66 earned run average, while Howell is 5-7 with a team-high three saves.
SCOUTING
Ball State's bread and butter has been pitching. The Cardinals are second in the MAC with a 2.84 team ERA and ranks as the second-stingiest team in the league having allowed 169 runs on the season. Opposing teams are hitting .243 against Cardinal pitching, which also ranks as the second best in the MAC.
Ball State's Stacy Payton and Haley Dominique rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the MAC in RBI. Payton has driven in 33 runs, while Dominique has knocked in 32.
The first two games of the series are scheduled for a Friday (1 p.m.) doubleheader and the series finale is set for Saturday (1 p.m.). Saturday's game is Senior Day and the Chippewas' home finale.
The series was originally scheduled for a single game on Friday and twinbill on Saturday. But forecasted colder temperatures prompted the move to a Friday doubleheader.
RECORDS
The Chippewas are 18-22-1 overall, 8-5-1 MAC. Ball State is 31-16, 8-6. CMU is in third place, while the Cardinals are in fifth. The top eight teams earn a berth to the MAC Tournament in Akron May 8-11.
The Chippewas close the regular season next weekend with a three-game set at Toledo. This weekend's series is the last of the season for the Cardinals.
LAST TIME OUT
The Chippewas lost two of three to Northern Illinois in a three-game set last weekend. Ball State, which defeated Butler, 3-2, in a nonleague game on Tuesday, went 1-1 in a MAC series last weekend at home against Toledo. The third game of the series was cancelled because of weather.
CHIPPEWA LEADERS
Erika Underwood continues to lead the Chippewas at the plate. The senior first baseman carries a team-best .361 batting average and leads the Chippewas with 28 RBI. She shares the team lead with freshman Shannon Stein with seven home runs. Stein is second on the team with 24 RBI.
Underwood ranks ninth in the MAC with a .629 slugging percentage.
Sophomore outfielder Shaidan Knapp is hitting .320 with a team-best .457 on-base percentage, which ranks sixth in the league. Senior second baseman Rachel Vieira is hitting .296 and has a team-high 12 extra-base hits.
Senior outfielder Sara Hansen and Knapp both have four triples on the year, which ranks second in the MAC.
Senior outfielder Allison Curtis returned to the lineup last weekend against Northern Illinois and collected a pair of hits in the series. Curtis had been limited for the better part of a month to primarily a pinch-running role because of an injury.
Freshman Kaitlyn Bean and sophomore Samantha Howell have led a young Chippewa pitching staff throughout most of the season. Bean is 7-5 with a 4.66 earned run average, while Howell is 5-7 with a team-high three saves.
SCOUTING
Ball State's bread and butter has been pitching. The Cardinals are second in the MAC with a 2.84 team ERA and ranks as the second-stingiest team in the league having allowed 169 runs on the season. Opposing teams are hitting .243 against Cardinal pitching, which also ranks as the second best in the MAC.
Ball State's Stacy Payton and Haley Dominique rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the MAC in RBI. Payton has driven in 33 runs, while Dominique has knocked in 32.
Players Mentioned
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
P/IF
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
IF
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