Chippewa baseball bats are ready to swing
After unveiling a new Performance Development Center on Friday and introducing the new recruits to the public on Saturday, the Central Michigan baseball team is ready to kick off the regular season on Friday in Johnson City, Tennessee against East Tennessee State University.
"The team will be ready," head coach Steve Jaksa said. "We have identified our rotation and some of those guys are getting their final outings before the game."
Last season, the Chippewas recorded a record of 24-37, and 12-12 in the Mid-American Conference. They ended the regular season with a nine-game home stretch where they only lost two of the nine games to Miami (Ohio) and Western Michigan.
On Saturday, Jaksa introduced players and coaching staff to the community at their annual 'Meet the Chippewas' event. Players got to sign autographs while the fans got to meet their favorite players.
Jaksa — who is entering his 15th season with the Chippewas — said he is most excited for the opportunity to work with this group of players.
"It's a group that really wants to be selfless in terms of their approach to the game and how they are going to help each other," Jaksa said. "We are also going to celebrate together. We think that we are going to put together a group of guys that have a really good attitude, work hard, and have a good heart."
Sophomore outfielder Daniel Robinson echoed his coach's thoughts.
"I think that we have a lot of guys who are going to go out on the mound for us and compete and throw strikes," Robinson said. "Come next Friday we will be good to go."
Robinson and senior Alex Borglin said that they are looking forward to getting a chance to play with their new teammates this year.
"I think that we are all game-ready and ready to go down south. There's a bunch of new guys that I am excited to play with," Borglin said. "I think we will be pretty good and I think it should be a lot of fun."
This spring, CMU baseball opens their regular season schedule with a three-game series against ETSU. After playing the ETSU series, CMU then travels to San Antonio, Texas, Port Charlotte, Florida and Orlando, Florida to play the next 11 games on the road.
CMU's home-opener is at 3:05 p.m. on March 14 against Marygrove at in Theunissen Stadium.
CMU will travel to Detroit's Comerica Park for the annual 'Clash at Comerica' on April 18. Instead of taking on Michigan State, this year CMU will be taking on Notre Dame in Comerica Park.
The MAC tournament will start on Wednesday, May 24 in Avon, Ohio.
"(The season) is unpredictable," Jaksa said. "This group, with the way they finished last year and how they have continued to develop, will continue to get better. If we stay healthy and the ball bounces our way a little bit, we can have a really fine ball club.
"At the end of the day, a lot of good things are gonna happen with this club as we move forward."
