Baseball gearing up to host MAC champs this weekend
It’s been quite the 10 days for the Central Michigan baseball team with only two days without a games in the past week and a half.
The Chippewas faced in-state rivals Michigan State Wednesday, losing 11-1 and this weekend they face back-to-back Mid-American Conference champion Kent State in a three-game series beginning at 3:05 p.m. Friday at Theunissen Stadium.
“We’re going to have to be at the top of our game,” head coach Steve Jaksa said. “We’re going to have to play better defense than we’ve been playing.”
“We just have to figure out a way to play sound defense. They’re going to come into this weekend and try to knock us out and we have to be ready and deliver our own blow because they’re a good ball club.”
Last season, CMU fared well against the Golden Flashes. It took two of three during a weekend series at Theunissen stadium, but former CMU pitchers Trent Howard and Jake Sabol had a hand in both wins.
“We just have to continually play well,” senior pitcher Zach Cooper said. “(Wednesday) was a tough day, but hopefully we can play more like we played against Oakland yesterday and hopefully we can get 2-of-3, if 3-of-3 from them.”
The lone loss in last year's series came from Cooper, who gave up six runs (two earned) and walked five batters in just four innings of work.
Cooper will have a chance to redeem himself against the champions starting Friday in an attempt to set the tone for a winning weekend and home stand that began with a 15-4 victory over Oakland Tuesday. Junior Patrick Kaminska will get the call at 3:05 p.m. Saturday and at 2:05 p.m. Sunday junior Rick Dodridge will be the CMU starting pitcher.
“Comparatively from last year to this year, I’m a lot better, so I’m definitely looking forward to getting after it against them and hopefully be able to get a W,” Cooper said.
KSU beat Pittsburgh 6-5 Tuesday and put on an offensive clinic even the football team couldn’t compete with Sunday with a 31-20 victory over Bowling Green.
In comparison, Oct. 29, 2011, the two football teams played at Dix Stadium in Kent State, Ohio with the Golden Flashes winning 27-15.
KSU enters the weekend as the No. 1 overall team in the MAC with a 10-2 record, winning its first nine conference games, and it the stats show why.
It’s hard to find statistics the Golden Flashes aren’t at least in the top two.
They are tied for first in batting average, first in hits, runs, RBIs and second in stolen bases, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
Defensively, KSU is first in opponent’s batting average and second in ERA with a 4.44 average, only trailing Ohio and its 3.36 ERA.
“I’m definitely excited about it, they’re a good team, we’re a good team,” Cooper said. “Hopefully we can make-up some ground in the MAC.”
