Softball goes 7-6 on road trip, looks ahead to home opener
Like many other students on campus, members of the Central Michigan softball team traveled south during spring break.
The Chippewas traveled to Clearwater, Florida to take part in the University of South Florida Softball Series, where they played 13 games in nine days.
CMU managed a 7-6 record, reflecting some of the inconsistencies the team dealt with over the course of its trip. The Chippewas weren’t able to get a winning streak going in Florida, only putting together back-to-back wins twice during the trip.
“We had some really amazing defensive plays, but then we had some miscues on defense. We had some great hitting performances at times and then we were not as consistent,” said Head Coach Margo Jonker.
Jonker said that she had to give starters some unexpected rest, so she had to play more people than she expected.
“Overall, I thought we were able to work on a lot of different things to prepare for the conference schedule. A lot of people gained a lot of experience, which will serve well later in the year,” Jonker said.
Senior Katelyn Rentschler powered the Chippewas’ offense during the trip, highlighted during CMU’s 9-1 win over Fairfield.
Rentschler finished the game with five RBIs on three hits, which included a solo home run and a grand slam. It was her first career grand slam and sixth home run of the season, most on the team.
“Rentschler hit really well for us in the tournament, she had 14 RBIs in the final stretch of games and hit well in crucial situations,” Jonker said.
Sophomore Laura Vaccaro also earned her first career win as a Chippewa in her first start by allowing two hits and a walk to go with three strikeouts over six innings.
Junior pitcher Rachael Knapp recovered from a rough start to the tournament by accumulating multiple complete games in consecutive starts. Knapp is leading the team in earned run average, innings pitched, strikeouts and opposing batting average.
“Knapp had some amazing performances against South Florida and (USC) Upsate,” Jonker said.
CMU has had a challenging schedule to this point in the season, featuring multiple top-25 ranked opponents, including a game against No. 9 Arizona last month, which CMU won.
Jonker said the tough out-of-conference schedule will help her team when conference play begins because it has given them valuable experience against tough competition.
“I’m really excited about being back at home and being able to put everything we’ve worked on together for our first home event,” Jonker said.
CMU will play its first home game on March 22 at Margo Jonker Stadium in a double-header against Valparaiso. The Crusaders come into the contest with a 3-15 record with a team ERA of 8.16.
