CMU baseball looks to stay undefeated against Big Ten
There will be a baseball game at Theunissen Stadium for the first time since March 15.
The CMU baseball team has had four home games this season postponed or moved because of weather, but the team is happy to get back today.
At 3:05 p.m. CMU will try and go 4-0 against Big Ten opponents this season when it hosts the Michigan Wolverines.
Junior Ryan Longstreth will be on the mound for CMU, and he said the team is pumped to play another in-state rival.
“We are playing a Big Ten team and we are 3-0 so far so we want to go out and get another win that looks good,” Longstreth said. “I just want to keep having good starts. Being away for so long, getting to play here is always going to get us going.”
Longstreth’s last start came against rival Michigan State, in which he pitched eight solid innings en route to a 3-1 win that has helped the team turn the corner.
The Chippewas (12-17 overall, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) have already beaten Big Ten opponents Illinois, Indiana and Michigan State and will be looking to keep that trend of beating Big Ten teams going.
Michigan (7-18, 1-2 Big Ten) has struggled as of late, losing its last six of seven including being swept by Michigan State and losing two of three to Indiana.
“It is going to be nice to get out here on the field," said CMU head coach Steve Jaksa. "We are playing an opponent, regardless of records, it is an in-state rival. It’s the bragging rights thing. For us, this is a big game to get ready for the weekend.”
Michigan (7-18, 1-2 Big Ten) begins a four-game road trip starting today at Theunissen Stadium that continues over the weekend against Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.
The Chippewas are coming off of their best weekend of the season, taking two out of three games against the Ohio Bobcats. Junior Tyler Hall continues to lead CMU in the leadoff spot with his .321 batting average and five triples. Senior Matt Faiman sits right behind Hall with a .319 average and has scored a team high 24 runs this season.
Jaksa said his team has continued to find its own identity as the conference schedule continues to roll on.
“We have tweaked the lineup a little bit and we are getting roles identified even as the season continues on,” Jaksa said. “On the mound, from top to bottom, I think we are pretty solid right now.”
CMU will be looking to keep taking steps in the right direction today in what will be the only meeting this season with the University of Michigan. The Chippewas will get back to conference play when they play a three-game series against Akron this weekend in Ohio.
