Softball set to play No. 2 Michigan
The CMU softball team will measure itself against one of the nation’s top ranked teams today.
CMU (17-12, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) takes on No. 2 Michigan at 6 p.m. at Wilpon Softball Complex.
Junior second baseman Brittini Merchant said the team likes the idea of seeing how it compares against the nation’s best.
“When we get to play a team of that caliber, we really bring everything that we got,” she said. “We prove to lot of people that we are a real good team.”
CMU vs. Michigan has typically been a close game in recent history regardless of Michigan’s usually-high ranking inside the nation’s top 10.
Last year, the Chippewas managed to lead No. 8 Michigan 1-0 heading into the sixth inning before falling 7-2.
But this year is the first time CMU has played a Michigan team ranked inside the top five since 2005. The Chippewas split the doubleheader in a season where Michigan eventually went on to win the NCAA Championship.
In 2007, CMU split another doubleheader when the Wolverines were ranked No. 9 in the nation.
Coach Margo Jonker said playing Michigan is actually a comfortable feeling for her team because CMU knows Michigan.
“We play them in the fall,” she said. “We play them in the spring, we just know their players. It is just a matter of being in a comfortable environment and believing that we can do the best we can.”
The Wolverines come in having won nine consecutive and 22 of 23.
MERCY
Not only is Michigan winning, it is ending the game early.
In NCAA softball, if one team leads by more than seven runs after the fifth inning, the game is done. Michigan has won via that rule in six of the last eight games.
The Wolverines’ offense has hit .375 along with 12 home runs in their last seven games.
The Chippewas have been struggling with consistency from inning to inning, and Merchant said the team’s attitude needs to stay positive for CMU to stay in the game.
“We need to come out ready in the first inning and every inning,” she said. “We need to stay positive and have a lot of talk in the infield and dugout.”
Senior Maggie Viefhaus leads the Michigan at the plate, batting .379 on the season.
Junior Jordan Taylor and senior Nikki Nemitz have been the two main pitchers in the circle for Michigan this season. The two have combined for 299 strikeouts in 221 and 1/3 innings.
CMU leads the Mid-American Conference in batting average, hitting .297.
