2008 Woodie Awards
Rival Western Michigan first for softball in MAC today
By: D.J. Palomares
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: Sports
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History is on her side.
Jonker has won nine consecutive MAC home openers and five consecutive games overall. Central hosts two games against WMU at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the CMU Softball Complex.
Jonker has led Central to 18 straight winning records in the MAC. CMU also hosts Northern Illinois at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
"We are very excited to start our conference schedule," said junior pitcher Ali Pettit. "This is the part of the season that matters the most. Winning this weekend will set the tone for the rest of the year, and put us in position to win the MAC."
The Broncos are coming off a three-game losing streak. Their most recent loss came March 28 in a 2-0 game against Notre Dame.
"I am really excited to see how we are going to do," said freshman infielder Brittini Merchant. "Our goal is to get a MAC title, so this is our time to show what we are capable of."
Central's second-place finish in the MAC West last season was accentuated in the MAC Tournament in Midland. The Chippewas came within one run of winning the tournament, but lost 6-5 in extra innings in the championship game against Eastern Michigan.
As a result, the coaches preseason poll predicted CMU would win the west division before this season. It was followed by Eastern in second place and Western in third. Kent State was the coaches' choice to win the MAC Tournament. NIU was picked fifth in the West Division.
"I anticipate the conference being very tight," Jonker said. "(Kent State) has a pitcher returning this year who is quite good. Miami of Ohio has some good hitters, and we have some excellent coaches in the conference. So I think it's going to be a very competitive all year."
Kent State sophomore pitcher Kylie Reynolds was the MAC Pitcher of the Year last season. She broke a school record as a freshman by striking out 17 batters in KSU's win against Kansas on Feb. 25, 2007. Reynolds tied her own record a month later against Toledo by striking out 17 batters on March 31.
"We are working on putting everything together," Pettit said. "If we hit the ball like we did on Wednesday and play solid defense, we can compete with anybody."
Northern Illinois replaced its coaching staff during the winter, hiring a new head coach and two new assistant coaches. Head coach Lindsay Chouinard had worked as the pitching coach at DePaul University prior to coming to NIU.
"Northern Illinois has a brand new coaching staff, so we are not going to know their tendencies," Jonker said. "As far as whether they are more conservative or aggressive on offense, we won't know that until we see them play."
Central returns seven players who started last season.
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