Baseball goes to Ypsilanti, face first-place Eagles
The Eastern Michigan baseball team sits on top the Mid-American Conference West standings with a 6-3 record.
It is the place where the Central Michigan baseball team wants to be. With a series victory this weekend, the Chippewas have an opportunity to do just that.
“Yeah, the rivalry is real,” head coach Steve Jaksa said. “Last year, we had to take two out of three for the championship on the last weekend, so I’m sure they remember that. We’re playing at their place like we were last year, so we know the surroundings very well.”
The series starts at 6 p.m. today in Ypsilanti with CMU senior pitcher Zach Cooper on the mound and continues at 3 p.m. Saturday with junior Patrick Kaminska. The final game is at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“Our guys have been resilient and we have to go in there, and I fully expect that we’ll be ready to play,” Jaksa said.
The Eagles, who are 6-2 at home, are coming off a 13-5 victory over Michigan State Wednesday in East Lansing.
EMU used a 12-run third inning to propel itself to the victory to get even in the season series with MSU at 1-1.
The Chippewas, who are 7-14 on the road, dropped their midweek game 11-8 against Oakland (7-23).
The state of Michigan has produced quality baseball in the MAC this season. EMU holds the top spot in the division and Western Michigan and CMU are right behind the Eagles in that order.
“I think those rivalries have been real good, and I think everybody wants to knock each other off,” Jaksa said. “It speaks well for the talent that we have in the state and how we recruit.”
A series victory over the Eagles could be crucial for the Chippewas, because they open a five-game homestand against Oakland, MSU and Kent State the following week.
CMU wants revenge in the opening two games against the Golden Grizzlies and MSU, because it dropped the first game between both teams.
After two non-conference games, the Chippewas face a KSU team that is 9-0 in the MAC and could be their biggest competition in the MAC tournament in late May.
But before that, CMU must take care of an Eagles team that comes into the weekend on a four-game winning streak. Within it, they have scored double-digit runs in three of the four games, scoring nine in their only game without double-digit runs scored.
