GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles are set to play a pair of non-conference series this week against Cleary, and Roosevelt. The week was scheduled to start with a road trip to take on Central Michigan but that has been canceled due to weather conditions. CU will stay home this week to face Cleary for the annual cancer games on Thursday and Roosevelt for senior day on Saturday. Stay tuned to Cornerstone Baseball's Twitter (@CornerstoneBAS) or cugoldeneagles.com for further changes due to weather conditions.
Opponent: Central Michigan (CANCELED)
Opponent: Cleary
Dates: Thursday, April 19 – 2 p.m. & 5 p.m.
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (De Witt Field)
Internet Coverage: Live Video/Stats/Audio
Opponent: Roosevelt
Dates: Saturday, April 21 – 12 p.m. & 3 p.m.
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (De Witt Field)
Internet Coverage: Live Video/Stats/Audio
Scouting CMU
Central Michigan has posted a 13-21-1 record on the year while going 7-5 in the Mid-American Conference. CMU currently sits tied for third in their conference standings. The Chippewas are very balanced offensively with nine different players with 10+ RBI this season while recording a team batting average of .248. From the mound, Pat Leatherman has been the ace with a 3.61 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 42.1 innings pitched.
Scouting Cleary
Cleary has struggled to get games in this season, playing just one game since April 2 while holding a 10-16 record on the year. The Cougars are a familiar opponent to the Golden Eagles, as they met five times just last season. Cornerstone holds a 5-0 all-time record against the Cougars with three of those games coming in Winterhaven, Florida last season.
Scouting Roosevelt
Despite just an 18-19 overall record, the Lakers have posted a 14-8 conference record to rank fourth in the CCAC. Five different RU players are batting above .500 this season including Tyler Ward who leads the team with 55 hits, 33 runs, and four home runs. From the mound, Matt Dunne and Matt Garbacz have done most of the work combining for 131.1 innings pitched and a 3.70 ERA.
First Time
Cornerstone will be playing against an NCAA Division I opponent for the first time since the program restarted in 2013. CU will head to Mount Pleasant, Michigan to take on the Central Michigan University Chippewas for a single nine-inning game on Tuesday.
Cancer Games/Senior Day
Cornerstone will be playing their final two home series of the year this week. CU will host Cleary for this years cancer games where the money raised will go to support the Van Andel Institute Purple Community. The Golden Eagles will then host Roosevelt for senior day this Saturday. CU will honor the six varsity seniors between the two games of the double-header.
Eeles Stays Hot
Sophomore
Brady Eeles has continued to stay hot at the plate, increasing his batting average by .036 on the week, going 13-21 at the plate. Eeles is the only Cornerstone player to be hitting above .400 on the year while he also leads the team with 60 hits and 39 runs.
Top of the Lineup Success
The Golden Eagles top three in the lineup have been absolutely stellar the past five games, recording 26 hits in 56 at bats. The trio of
Brady Eeles,
Aaron Krupansky, and
Jarod Burton hit 1-2-3 in four of the past five games including the three combining for a 9-12 mark at the plate in the 7-2 win vs. Lourdes.
Accepting the Challenge
The Golden Eagles pitching staff accepted the challenge of needing to go deeper into games due to CU having to play six games in two days this past week. Senior
Kyle Herrick pitched 10 innings against Lourdes allowing just three hits in the two games he appeared in. Junior
Collin Young earned a win in 2.0 innings pitched vs. Lourdes out of the bullpen and then earned another win at Siena Heights in 6.1 innings pitched.
Noah Reed would come out of the bullpen in three games as well this week and allow just three earned runs while recording his third save of the year.
