Softball team looks to stay hot at home against EMU
Central Michigan softball returns to Margo Jonker Stadium Saturday and Sunday to face in-state rival Eastern Michigan.
The Chippewas are 9-1 this season at home.
“There’s a little bit of a comfort zone (at home),” CMU head coach Margo Jonker said. “We just have played well and played with great energy. Just need to keep that going.”
The Eagles come to Mount Pleasant on a skid — losing four of their last five games. EMU is currently ahead of CMU by the slimmest of margins in the MAC West standings at 8-6, while CMU is 9-7.
“Eastern is one of our rivals and one of our goals is to beat all the in-state schools and beat all the conference schools," Jonker said. "They fit into both categories, so obviously we’re big on beating Eastern.”
EMU has the MAC’s third-best team batting average at .312 and second-best earned run average — allowing 2.6 runs a game.
“(EMU) is notorious for good hitting and they always fired up to play us,” Jonker said. “They always play their best game against us.”
That ERA is very much due to the stellar play from sophomore Jenna Ignowski. She is 12-4 with a 1.92 ERA and has tossed six shutouts while striking out 103 batters.
“They’re good competition,” said CMU senior Kari Seddon. “We always have close games with them, they’re a scrappy team.”
The MAC tournament takes the top two teams in both divisions and then the next four best teams. Currently CMU would barely make the tournament as one of the last seeds.
“It’s huge that we get the next two wins for our resume,” Seddon said. “We’re trying to earn a spot in the MAC tournament.”
Seddon and the Chippewas are coming off a big win at Michigan State were she threw an 11 innings in an 8-3 win.
“If we play like we have been, we should have a good weekend,” she said. “We just need to play Chippewa softball.”
The Eagles are two and a half games behind Ball State on top of the MAC standings.
“EMU is right in the running,” Seddon said. “It should be a good weekend.”
On 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday CMU will host EMU. The Chippewas will most-likely throw Seddon and sophomore Kara Dornbos a game each.
Junior Molly Coldren has been hitting good at the plate. She holds a .406 batting average and a team-high 12 home runs. The 12 home runs broke the single-season home run record she set last year at 11.
Coldren has hit at least one home run in the past four games, overall four in the past five games.
