Baseball squares off against in-state foe Michigan State


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Redshirt freshman Griffin Lockwood-Powell swings at the ball during the game against Northwestern at Theunissen Stadium on March 16.

Following a 14-1 defeat of Lawrence Tech at Theunissen Stadium on March 16, the Central Michigan baseball team is headed 68 miles to East Lansing. 

The Chippewas (4-15-1) takes on Michigan State (6-12) at 3:05 p.m. on March 21 at McLane Baseball Stadium. 

Head coach Steve Jaksa will send sophomore right-hander Cameron Brown (0-0, 9.00 ERA) to the hill against the Spartans. 

CMU is at the plate by redshirt freshman Griffin Lockwood-Powell, who is slashing .404/.489/.535 with one home run and nine RBIs in 16 games. Freshman infielder Zavier Warren, in 12 games, follows Lockwood-Powell with a .342 batting average and five RBIs.

Junior catcher Evan Kratt, who has started all 20 games for the Chippewas, hits .257 with three doubles and eight RBI. He is second to Lockwood-Powell in hits on the team with 18. 

CMU’s RBI leader is junior infielder Jason Sullivan, who has posted three doubles, one home run and 12 RBI. He has been walked nine times and hit-by-pitch four times. 

“We have figured a few things out,” Jaksa said. “We’re not a finished product, but it will be good to get a couple more pieces to the puzzle put together. Part of that is depth, part of that is matchups out of the bullpen that we see as being good for us right now. Still got a couple of guys that we’d like to get further along than where they’re at currently; I think we’ll get them there.”

Scouting Michigan State

The Spartans have six wins on the season, defeating Notre Dame, Pepperdine, Arizona, Illinois and Niagara. MSU’s toughest opponent came on March 3 against No. 10 Clemson. Redshirt junior outfielder Dan Chmielewski drove in two runs for MSU in the 9-7 loss in Greenville, South Carolina. 

Chmielewski leads the Spartans this season, hitting a .309 batting average and .473 slugging percentage. He has three doubles, three triples and 11 RBIs. 

Sophomore infielder Justin Antoncic is only other playing hitting above .300 for MSU. He has earned 12 hits in 41 at-bats, while registering four doubles, one triple, one home run and eight RBIs. 

Leading the Spartans in home runs is senior infielder Zack McGuire with two long balls and seven RBIs in 10 total hits on the 2018 campaign. 

Opposing Brown will be senior right-hander Andrew Gonzalez, who has a 0-0 record with a 22.50 ERA in 2.0 innings pitched. 

Up Next

Following CMU’s game against Michigan State, the Chippewas begin Mid-American Conference on the road against Northern Illinois in a three-game series over the weekend. 

“That process, as guys evolve, never ends,” Jaksa said. “You always hope they can do more for you. From that standpoint, we feel pretty good. Whether we like where we’re at record wise doesn’t matter; it’s here. We will be ready to play come Friday against Northern Illinois.”

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