After finishing under the .500 mark for the second time since 1964, Jaksa was named head coach by Athletics Director Herb Deromedi. The contract is for one year, with terms of the deal undisclosed.

“That tells us that they have confidence in what we’re doing and the direction that they want the program to go,” Jaksa said. “It really means a lot from the standpoint that I truly do believe I understand the tradition and fully understand the expectations of this program.”

The team found out its coach was coming back as head coach two hours before the game against the Spartans last Wednesday.

“I had the opportunity to observe Steve, and I took many things into consideration,” Deromedi said. “I was taking into consideration the organization and the adversity that the team went through, losing two pitchers and having all their youth. This decision wasn’t based upon a record but how he handled everything.”

Deromedi said he was impressed with how everything worked out, all things considered.

“Steve and his staff worked with what they had and rolled up their sleeves and set their expectations for the program. He did an outstanding job with the interim tag and that made an impact,” Deromedi said.

Jaksa is optimistic for next season.

“We should get nothing but better when you consider our youth this year. We played well this season, and that is a positive for next year,” he said.

Jaksa said the offseason will require filling the holes left by seniors Joey Fahndrich, Jeff Garner, Gates, Tim Groves, Tommy Grubb and Krueger.

“Now, it’s our job as coaches to bring in more guys who can play along side these guys,” Jaksa said.

The Chippewas went to Northern Illinois needing a four-game sweep and some help from Eastern Michigan. In the final game of the series with NIU, CMU lost a tough game, 3-2.

“I thought that we pitched very well,” Jaksa said.

Junior Ryan Cremeans pitched eight innings, allowing 10 hits while giving up just three runs. Cremeans did not walk a batter and struck out four in the process.

Sophomore Jeff LaFavors had three hits in four at-bats to lead the team.

In Saturday’s doubleheader, the team lost two games, eliminating any chance it had to make the tournament.

“I told the guys after the first game Saturday that there is a great amount of character on this team,” Jaksa said. “We never quit, and we played like that all year.”

The second game of the doubleheader went into 10 innings, with NIU coming out on top 11-10.

CMU led 5-4 heading into the eighth inning before freshman Mark Lundquist gave up five hits.

The team rallied around Lundquist, scoring five times in the top of the ninth to regain the lead. However, once again the Chippewas could not hold the lead and gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Junior David LeMieux gave up a single in the 10th and then had a throwing error, leading to the winning run.

Senior Mike Gates had two RBI, bringing his career total to 186, a CMU record.

In game one, senior Ryan Krueger and freshman J.T. Jones each had two hits and an RBI to lead the team. CMU scored five of its seven runs in the sixth to pull within two runs, but would get no closer in the 9-7 loss.

The first game of the series was the lone bright spot for the team: The Chippewas won 9-4.

Krueger had three hits and scored two runs to help the team get back to the .500 mark. LeMieux picked up his 10th save of the season, breaking a 20-year-old record set by Bob Cavanaugh.

Last week against in-state foe Michigan State, the team lost 10-8, and lost the chance to sweep the Spartans for the season.

“We didn’t pitch as well as I would have liked today,” Jaksa said. “I mean, we gave up 17 hits, so that was a bit too much.”