CMU baseball 'excited' for game at Comerica Park
The Detroit Tigers might be on the west coast, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be teams representing the state of Michigan at Comerica Park.
For the third-straight year, the baseball team will take on Michigan State in the 'Clash at Comerica' Wednesday night, something the team is really excited about.
“I think everyone is real excited to play on the big stage at Comerica,” said redshirt freshman outfielder Neal Jacobs. “Everyone is really happy.”
The Spartans have defeated the Chippewas in each of the first two games at the home of the Tigers. MSU won 5-2 in 2012 and 3-1 in 2011.
The team has been on a roll as of late, having won four out of their last five games. MSU is coming off a 7-6 win over Toledo in extra innings on Tuesday.
Freshman Jimmy McNamara will start for CMU. He is 0-2 with a 3.09 ERA this season.
Head coach Steve Jaksa said the trip to Detroit is good for the program in many ways, even though the Chippewas have lost their first two games at Comerica Park.
“We’re the only ones that get an opportunity to do that because of the relationship we’ve built and continue to have with the Detroit Tiger organization,” Jaksa said. "It works out very well for everyone in that area; they don’t have to travel very far. It’s also something we can use on the recruiting trail that we get to play there almost every year."
The Chippewas lost their first meeting of the season against MSU 4-2 on April 2. CMU is hoping things will be different this time around against their rivals from just down US-127.
“I think everyone is going to have to pitch in,” Jacobs said. “Some people might have the jitters, but they’re going to have to work them out real quick.”
First pitch at Comerica Park is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
“It's just another great venue,” Jaksa said. “Theunissen Stadium is a great venue, and we’re really proud of it. It’s a Major League park, which gets us to a different area of the state. We have a lot of alumni there, and, with Michigan State, we have two really good clubs playing"
