Baseball Nabs MAC Series at UMass to Close 2026 Season

Saturday, May 16

Amherst, Mass. / Earl Lorden Field

11 a.m.

Central Michigan University

23-29, 12-20

Massachusetts

18-28, 13-19

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Central Michigan	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	2	4	9	11	1
Massachusetts	0	0	3	1	0	0	3	6	X	13	10	1

Photo by: Katrina Shammami - @mediabykat

5/16/2026 8:44:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Impactful performances from multiple seniors carry the day; Campanale erupts, Stumpf silences in victorious game two

By: Harrison LaLone

AMHERST, Mass. — Central Michigan Baseball finished 2026 on a high note, secured a fifth Mid-American Conference series victory Saturday at Massachusetts in a doubleheader split.

"It's tough to win in this league on the road, especially somewhere we've never been before," Head Coach Jake Sabol said.

The Chippewas won five of their final seven games to finish 24-29 (13-20 MAC) with a 14-10 win in the day's second game after a 13-9 loss in the opener.

"These guys just kept playing and responding. We had some guys step up that haven't been out there in a while and it was fun to watch them go get the result they wanted."

Four fly balls cleared the fence for CMU across the 18 innings, one of which was a first-pitch, two-run shot by Rees Campanale for a 3-0 lead early in game two—just a sample of a tremendous final game for the senior Longwood, Fla.-native.

"We needed a pick-me-up somewhere in the lineup and Rees has been stringing together some good days of practice and at-bats."

The afternoon's starter in right field went four-of-five from the plate with a team-high four RBI, a double and a walk to go with the second-inning homer.

"He's done it for us in the past. We've had a tough outfield group this year where he wasn't really able to get back in once he got cleared. We wanted to give him a go here today and, boy, did he take it and run with it."

A seven-run fifth inning broke open Saturday's b-side, kicked off by a two-RBI knock for Bryson Webb—who had already homered in the first. Zach Knowlton picked up a RBI double, Cole Prout finished the streak with a RBI single to right.

"Our offense has kind of been like that throughout the course of the year: one guy gets it going, then they all see it and want to do it. Throughout the year we've been pretty productive and have put up some really good numbers from a program standpoint that we haven't hit in some time."

Campanale and Brady Krzciok posted two more RBI doubles in the sixth to seal the win.

Liam Stumpf earned his second save of the season with four innings of one-run ball. Late drama unfolded, though, as he ran into a jam approaching the 80-pitch mark in the ninth with the bases loaded with two outs.

"He's one of the best leaders and teammates we've had here. He's had his ups and downs, but he's also had some really big moments for us in a Chippewa uniform."

After an infield talk, Stumpf had the save secured in just three pitches, and a little help from an acrobatic grab of a line drive by Drew Loikits at short.

"I'm proud of him. This was just a fitting end for him to be on the mound when we finished this one up for his last game."

Gavin Moczydlowsky picked up the win (2-4) as he secured the requisite five innings from the hill, collected a season-high seven strikeouts and weathered seven runs to maintain a 10-7 lead through five.

As the Chippewas attempted to rally from their late deficit in game one, Spencer Verburg recorded three base hits in the sixth, eighth and ninth innings. The fifth-year catcher finished his senior season batting .412 across 36 appearances, 29 starts.

"He put his head down and worked every year to keep getting better and finally found himself out there pretty much every day for the last month of the season, and he took advantage of it: impossible to take him out of the lineup."

Verburg's late-game trio included a lead-off base hit in a three-run sixth inning, a two-RBI blooper into shallow right-center in the eighth and an infield single in the ninth.

"He's 'Mr. Reliable.' He works his tail off. Everything that he's achieved, he's earned from hard work and commitment."

The Grandville, Mich.-native also continued to rotate between his catching duties and first base, the latter of which he returned to for the first time since high school just two weeks ago against Akron.

"I can't say enough good things about him; he is the ultimate Chippewa. Whatever the name across the jersey needs, he's willing to do it for us."

Prout and Logan Keilen joined Campanale and Webb in the long-ball column, each with a bomb in the first game. The duo crossed the plate seven times Saturday as they combined for five walks to remain ever-present on the base paths.

Isaiah Velazco plated the first two of CMU's four runs in the ninth frame of game one with a pinch-hit triple to right field, scoring Keilen and Campanale.

Tyson Potts was handed the decision in Saturday's opener to finish at 2-5 on the season.

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