CMU baseball struggles in series opener versus Northern Illinois
Central Michigan University senior pitcher Jack Potteiger throws a strike at the baseball game at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium on Friday, May 1, 2026. Potteiger went in for senior Hayden Bailey in the third inning. (CM-Life | Jasmine Brookins)
Tempers flared with a pair of ejections in an otherwise one-sided contest between Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, where the Huskies picked up the win by a score of 12-1 at Theunissen Stadium.
Following a strike-three call by the home plate umpire to end a bases-loaded threat in the home half of the eighth, head coach Jake Sabol voiced his frustration and got himself ejected from the game.
It was a kettle of pressure built up throughout the game until that call in the eighth, where it boiled over. Director of pitching performance, Jonathan Vance, was also ejected from the game shortly after Sabol left the field of play.
The Huskies ambushed CMU starting pitcher Hayden Bailey in the top of the first inning. He gave up four runs on a pair of RBI singles by Nolan Sandee and Gavin Baldwin back-to-back.
In the next inning, Charlie Parcell came up to the plate to lead off for NIU and hit the ball over Harrison Bowman’s head in right field for his first home run of the season, making it 5-0.
Bailey only went 2.1 innings in his start, giving up six earned runs.
It was a punch in the mouth on the side of those in maroon and gold. Being down early puts a lot of pressure on the batsmen to deliver hastily.
That haste came lagging as it took until the home half of the fourth inning for the Chippewas to get their first hit of the game. Logan Keilen hit a single up the middle to squander the no-hitter for NIU.
Spencer Verburg would pay off that base hit with one of his. He hit a deep fly-ball off the left field wall just out of reach of the left fielder, who crashed hard into it and allowed Verburg to reach third base for an RBI triple.
Max Vaisvila pitched a great game for the Huskies going seven innings, giving up only the one run and completely shutting down Central Michigan’s potent offense.
Southpaw reliever Jack Potteiger was called upon in a bases-loaded situation in the third inning for the Chippewas.
Potteiger almost worked through it unscathed, but he threw a wild pitch with two outs, which gave way for another run to extend the lead to 6-0.
The Huskies put a couple more on the board in the fourth, due to a groundout and an error by third baseman Bryson Webb. A couple of home runs from Baldwin and Sandee, and a sacrifice fly, pushed Northern Illinois to that eventual 12-run mark.
Sandee led his team with four RBI, with Baldwin right behind him at three.
In the ninth, trying to draw some breath, Drew Loikits hit a double into the gap to put himself in scoring position, but he was stranded as the game ended with a Nathan Ball strikeout.
The Chippewas play the next two games on Saturday and Sunday, looking to salvage a series win versus Northern Illinois.
