Chippewas Strike Early in Downing First-Place Ball State, 4-0

Sunday, April 27

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

17-27, 9-12

Ball State

31-14, 17-4

Ball State

Central Michigan

CMU first baseman Brady Krzciok (right) congratulates pitcher Nate Ross after the final out of the Chippewas' 4-0 win over Ball State on Sunday on Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.

Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw

Chippewas Strike Early in Downing First-Place Ball State, 4-0

4/27/2025 5:30:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Hanson, Bailey, Ross combine on five-hit shutout

By: Andy Sneddon

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan struck early and then answered the call on the mound on Sunday in topping Ball State, 4-0, in the finale of a three-game Mid-American Conference baseball series on Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.

It was CMU's first win in the series, and it snapped a four-game losing streak. It came over the first-place team in the MAC and help bolster the Chippewas' confidence as they seek a spot in the league tournament next month.

CMU dropped the first two games of the series by three runs each and in both cases, had chances late to tie the game or take the lead.

"I told them yesterday to keep believing because we're doing a lot of good things and if you keep doing a lot of good things, things will pay off for you," CMU coach Jake Sabol said. "Today they walked in like it was a new day and they were excited to play which was great because we dropped a couple of tough ones the first two days.

"We need to clean up some stuff along the way, but I think this is a great step for us heading into the next three weekends – three weekends that are really going to change the trajectory if we're playing postseason baseball or not."

The Chippewas improved to 17-27, 9-12 MAC and have equaled their number of wins from last season and surpassed their 2024 league victory total (8).

They have 15 games remaining, 12 of them in the MAC, beginning next weekend with a three-game series at Western Michigan.

The Chippewas are tied with Eastern Michigan for sixth place and trail fifth-place Toledo by one game. CMU entertains the Eagles in a three-game series in two weeks and goes to Toledo on the final weekend. The top six teams make the conference tournament.

Ball State (31-14) leads the league at 17-4.

"They're all winnable series for us which is what we need to do in order to put ourselves in position," Sabol said. "We're just going to enjoy this one and make sure that momentum carries over into the week; we've got to take it one day at a time."

The Chippewas struck quickly against the Cardinals on Sunday as Mikey Murphy led off the first inning with a walk and Aydin Wright bunted for a single. Aaron Piasecki then drilled a triple to the right-center field gap and Nathan Ball followed with a run-scoring single for a 3-0 lead.

The Chippewas added a run in the second on Wright's two-out RBI single. Wright finished with two hits for his fifth consecutive multi-hit game.

CMU starter Jared Hanson went five innings and then surrendered a walk and a single to open the sixth. Hayden Bailey relieved and got a fly ball. After a walk loaded the bases, Bailey got back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.

Bailey then set down the Cardinals in order in both the seventh and the eighth, and Nate Ross worked the ninth, allowing just a two-out single.

It was the Chippewas' first shutout since a 6-0 win over Houston Christian in the season opener.

Hanson allowed four hits and lowered his earned run average to 4.26. It marked the fourth time in six starts that Hanson has gone at least five innings.

Bailey, a senior right-hander, did not allow a hit over his three innings on the mound, continuing his resurgence in his first appearance in a conference game. He began the season as a starter, then was demoted to the bullpen and to starting midweek nonconference games. In his last four appearances, he has allowed 10 earned runs over 21 1/3 innings for a 4.21 earned run average.

Ross bounced back after surrendering three runs in the Chippewas' 9-6 loss on Friday.

"I'm just proud of those guys for working their tails off and sticking to the process every single day and getting better," Sabol said. "(Bailey) just keeps getting better in those midweek starts and he could have easily called it quits when we took him out of the rotation and put him into the midweek and relief and he just kept having good outings one after another. That was a huge three innings he went for us."