Softball prepares for rivals Western and Eastern Michigan
As it has done many times in the 2018 season, weather limited Central Michigan and Western Michigan softball teams to just one game when they met last week.
The Chippewas (17-15, 7-3 Mid-American Conference) and Broncos (19-16, 6-4) are set to finish the three-game series in a double-header starting at 1 p.m. on April 11 at Margo Jonker Stadium.
“With (WMU) we know we are going to see some better pitching than recently,” said head coach Margo Jonker. “We have to keep not trying to do not too much and just take care of our jobs. Hitting is contagious and a lack of hitting is contagious. We need to stay hot.”
CMU won the first game 5-2 in Kalamazoo on April 3.
The Chippewas are currently on an eight game winning streak with seven of those victories coming in MAC play. It has propelled them into second place of the MAC West Division while WMU is in fourth.
Senior pitcher Hanna Warren who has been apart of this rivalry for three years said the matchups are never easy
“Western is a loud and energetic team and always have been,” Warren said. “They carry that momentum with them and if they do we have to take it from them. If we play the way we are right now, it makes us hard to beat.”
After the CMU and WMU clash, the Chippewas are set for more rivalry softball. They will welcome Eastern Michigan (6-27, 2-8) to Mount Pleasant for a weekend series. First pitch of the three-game set is scheduled for 3 p.m. on April 13. The Eagles are last place in the MAC West.
Eastern Michigan has the worst record in the MAC. They recently won 2-of-3 games against Miami (Ohio), but lost 18 straight before that.
At the plate they rank last in batting average (.227), slugging (.317) and on-base percentage (.305) and are 11th in runs scored (99). The highest ranking they have in an offensive category is eighth in doubles with 38 of them.
In pitching, the Eagles boast the conference's ninth-ranked ERA (4.89), 10th opposing batting average (.308) and are eighth in strikeouts with 129.
The one player to watch for in an Eagles uniform is third baseman Amanda Akles who has started all 33 games and is posting a .356 batting average to lead the team. She also is the leader in RBI (21), hits (36) and home runs (6).
Redshirt junior Sara Hansen — who hit her first-career home run on April 8 against Buffalo — said the offense has been and will continue to be key for CMU’s success.
“It doesn't matter who is up, it could be the three hitter or the eight hitter because we have confidence they will get the job done,” she said.
