Home cookin': CMU baseball having no problems winning at Theunissen Stadium
Mount Pleasant isn’t exactly an ideal location for baseball, but the Central Michigan baseball team doesn’t mind it at all.
“We want to win both home and away, but I’d rather just play 40 games at home, but that’s not how it’s drawn up because of our location,” CMU head coach Steve Jaksa said following his team's 13-1 win Sunday against Northern Illinois. “It’s our home, our place. If someone breaks into your house, you defend it better than if they break into your neighbors, and that’s kind of how we look at it.”
Theunissen Stadium has been the Chippewas since they opened up on March 29, 2002, against Ohio.
This season, CMU (24-20 overall, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) is 8-1 at Theunissen, with its only loss a 9-3 defeat against Kent State on April 16. Currently, the Chippewas are in the midst of an eight-game home stand in which they have won the first four.
“We love playing here,” senior pitcher Jake Sabol said of playing at Theunissen Stadium. “We haven’t had many opportunities to play here because of the weather.”
Jaksa said he doesn’t necessarily believe his team is playing bad away from Mount Pleasant, but the team has that comfort level at home.
“I think we play well away, but when you’re away, it’s always different,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where it is.”
The 2011 home season opened up with a 3-1 victory on March 15 against Madonna University, and success didn't go away. CMU baseball fans have been treated to four consecutive victories and also had the opportunity to watch the Chippewas beat the University of Michigan 9-4 on April 6.
“It’s fun to play in front of these people, on this field,” Sabol said. “It’s one of the better fields in the conference to play on.”
CMU looks to continue its winning ways when it hosts Toledo next weekend and in-state rival Michigan State on May 11 in the second half of the eight-game homestand.
