Baseball invites Kent State to Mount Pleasant for three-game showdown
In 2016, the Central Michigan baseball team was at the top of the Mid-American Conference. But last year, it was Kent State.
The Chippewas (9-18-1) play host to Kent State (15-9) for a three-game series from March 7-8 in Mount Pleasant. On Saturday, Theunissen Stadium will be renamed to Keilitz Field in honor of former Athletic Director Dave Keilitz.
“I expect it to be a heck of a series,” said CMU head coach Steve Jaksa. “They won the MAC last year and we won it in 2015. Those are games that can go either way. We just have to be ready to play in the moment.”
CMU’s mid-week game against NAIA Clearly, which was scheduled for 3:05 p.m. on April 4, was cancelled due to snow.
The Chippewas were set to start the three-game series against Kent State on Friday, but it was postponed. A makeup game for the game has not been decided, but it could mean a doubleheader on Saturday or Sunday.
As for now, CMU will play Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
If CMU and Kent State play a doubleheader on Saturday, Jaksa will send junior right-handed pitcher Pat Leatherman (1-3, 3.45 ERA) to the mound for game one against junior right-hander Joey Murray (3-1, 1.51 ERA). Game two will feature junior right-hander Michael Brettell (3-3, 4.53 ERA) against junior left-hander Connor Wollersheim (2-1, 4.08 ERA).
Sophomore left-hander Tyler Hankins (1-3, 4.91 ERA) will start Sunday’s series finale against senior lefty Eli Kraus (3-2, 7.36 ERA).
The Chippewas are coming off a series win against Ball State in Muncie, Indiana, which included a 23-1 victory over the Cardinals on March 31.
CMU is led by redshirt freshman catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell, who in the 23-1 win delivered a grand slam. On the season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound slugger is hitting .329 with two home runs and 16 RBIs.
“I just keep it simple and don’t try to do too much,” Lockwood-Powell said. “I just try to put the bat on the ball and do what I can.”
Junior infielder Jason Sullivan guides CMU in the RBI column with 18, but struggles at the plate with a below-average batting percentage of .245. He has struck out 26 times, second-most to junior catcher Evan Kratt.
Since CMU’s game against Northern Illinois on March 24, junior outfielder Daniel Robinson is batting .333, pushing his season average to .221 with one home run and 15 RBIs.
“I’m starting to get some rhythm up there and am seeing the ball better,” Robinson said. “My approach is coming more solid than at the beginning. I’ve improved.”
The Golden Flashes are led by redshirt senior outfielder Mason Mamarella, who is swinging the bat with a .378 average and 19 RBIs this season. He has earned 24 walks, while striking out just 13 times.
The power of Kent State comes from senior Brad Hamilton. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound catcher hits .341/.412/.626 with eight home runs and 21 RBI.
“We are going to be ready to play,” Jaksa said. “We have to know what the moment is and not make it too big. We have to slow the game down.”
Up Next
Central Michigan is scheduled to play against Oakland University at 3:00 p.m. on April 11 in Rochester before hosting Toledo for a three-game series from April 13-15 at Theunissen Stadium.
