Baseball battles rival Western Michigan in weekend Kalamazoo series


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Junior outfielder Daniel Robinson throws the ball during the final game of the series against Kent State at Keilitz Field on April 8.

When the Central Michigan baseball team plays against Western Michigan, the stakes are even higher than a regular conference game, head coach Steve Jaksa said.  

The Chippewas (13-21-1) take on the Broncos (14-15) in a three-game series from April 20-22 at Hyames Field in Kalamazoo. 

“I don’t think it’s any different than playing an in-state rival,” Jaksa said. “However, Western has always been the traditional rival, so they are going to be ready to play and we have to make sure we are ready to play.”

Prior to taking on WMU, the Chippewas play on the road in Grand Rapids against Cornerstone at 1 p.m. on April 18. Jaksa is sending freshman right-hander Logan Buczkowski (1-0, 6.57 ERA) to start the game. 

“We will start Buczkowski and he will be a pitch count guy,” Jaksa said. “Dazon (Cole) will throw for sure. Besides that, the score will dictate (the rest). Those are the two we want to get in the game.”

The games against WMU start at 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  

Against WMU, Jaksa is starting junior right-hander Pat Leatherman (2-4, 3.61 ERA) on Friday, junior right-hander Michael Brettell (4-4, 5.37 ERA) on Saturday and sophomore lefty Tyler Hankins (2-4, 5.05 ERA) in the series finale on Sunday. 

So far this season, CMU is led at the plate by freshman Zavier Warren, who is hitting .301 with four doubles and 16 RBIs. As a utility man on defense, he has a 98.1 fielding percentage.  

Right behind Warren in the batting average column is redshirt freshman catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound slugger has ripped three doubles, three home runs, and 20 RBIs while maintaining a .301 batting average in 30 games played for CMU. 

Junior outfielder Daniel Robinson has continued to watch his batting average jump after a slow start to the season. He is hitting .238 with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 20 RBIs. 

While Jason Sullivan is batting .228, the junior infielder leads the team with 21 RBIs and has started every game for CMU. 

The Broncos have been paced by junior outfielder Nate Grys with nine doubles, one triple, four home runs and 25 RBIs. Along with hitting for power, the Bishop Foley High School graduate owns a .329 batting average. 

Junior infielders Conner Smith and Jimmy Roche both have 20 RBIs this season and are hitting .336 and .333, respectively. 

“It’s a series that has bragging rights and a series that will mean a lot in our conference standings,” Jaksa said. “They would like nothing more than to beat us. We would like to make sure that doesn’t happen.” 

Up Next

Following the three-game battle against WMU, CMU returns home to Mount Pleasant to play Oakland University at 3:05 p.m. on April 24. One day later, the two teams play at 6:35 p.m. at Comerica Park in Detroit. 

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