Current and former players headlined at 'Meet the Chippewas'


The Central Michigan baseball team held its 14th annual “Meet the Chippewas” event at Hunter’s Ale House on Saturday. The event, minus the meal, was free of charge and open to the public.

The event featured a meet-and-greet, where fans were able to talk one-on-one with the players and get free autographs. The first 40 people received a free deck of CMU baseball cards. CMU baseball posters were also free for fans.

Shortly after the meet-and-greet, the buffet luncheon was served. As people were finishing their meals, the program began.

The program started with a video interview of some of the baseball players, including infielder/outfielder Alex Borglin, right handed pitcher Sean Martens and outfielder David Cole.

The video also featured former Chippewas, including current Alma College Head Coach Jake Sabol, 2014 pitcher Pat Kaminska and 2011 pitcher Bryce Morrow.

Once the video concluded, Head Coach Steve Jaksa walked up to the podium and had the crowd stand up from their seats and read the CMU baseball mission statement out loud. He then introduced the 43rd annual “Fan of the Year.” This year, Richard Hecksel, who was a part of the 1955 undefeated Chippewa football team, received the honor.

Numerous coaches on the team introduced the infielders, outfielders, catchers and pitchers. Each player gave a fun fact about them and then waited patiently for everyone else to be introduced.

After everyone was acquainted with the players the guest speaker for the event, Ralph Darin, took to the podium.

Darin was a pitcher for CMU from 1969-72. In 1971, he was named team MVP and All-American with 12 wins, while striking out a CMU-record 123 batters. In ’71, CMU were runner-ups in the College World Series to Florida Southern. He was elected to the CMU Hall-of-Fame in 2008.

Darin spoke about his experiences as a player at CMU, but more specifically his coaches.

“They all have left their mark on Central Michigan University in the baseball program,” Darin said. “They set the bar high for both athletics and academics. They stressed things like sportsmanship, how to win and lose, teamwork, how to compete, CMU pride dignity and best effort.”

He also directed some of his speech to specifically the team.

“Have respect for your family, yourself and Central Michigan baseball,” Darin said. “You also need to understand the value of education. The value of education is important because after you graduate from college you will enter the job market and you will work for the next 30 to 40 years of your life. Your educational background will give you the flexibility to choose a profession that you like and have an interest in.”

Once Darin left the stage, Jaksa came back out to talk about his team one final time. He brought up how he and the team watched the film “13 Hours” and how important leadership, brotherhood and love are to the team.

“Excellence is contagious,” Jaksa said. “It can also inspire and electrify an entire group. Our excellence in a team is important. It’s everything.”

Jaksa and the players led a rowdy rendition of the CMU fight song as the event came to its conclusion.

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