Friday Top 5: The top remaining CMU sporting events in the 2015-16 season
The spring semester, along with the 2015-16 Central Michigan sports season, is wrapping up. While April isn't the peak month for college athletic events, there are a few CMU sporting events worth taking a study break for.
Here are the top five remaining CMU sporting events this semester:
1. The Annual Spring Football Game
Time: 1 p.m.
Date: Saturday, April 16
Location: Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Quarterback Cooper Rush's last spring game will give Chippewa fans a taste of what the fall will be like.
The issue with spring games is, any positives by one player can be looked at as negatives on the player that made the error. Still, the game will play a role in sorting out the multiple position battles on the depth chart for the fall.
Will Rush go from above average to elite in 2016? Who will be the lead running back? Does basketball guard Austin Stewart have a shot at making the team and possibly grabbing a starting role as a wide receiver?
The spring game should at least begin to answer a few of these questions.
2. The Clash at Comerica
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Date: Wednesday, April 13
Location: Comerica Park, Detroit
While it's doubtful this game — or any game — can live up to the bottom-of-the-ninth-inning drama from last year's CMU victory, The Clash at Comerica puts the Chippewas on a large stage against Michigan State.
The two teams are trending in opposite directions, with MSU at 18-4 and CMU at 5-21. But the discrepancy in records would just make a potential upset even more memorable for the maroon and gold.
3. Lacrosse vs. Jacksonville
Time: 6 p.m.
Date: Friday, April 15
Location: CMU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex
CMU Lacrosse's first three home games in program history came during Spring Break and on Easter. The April 15 matchup is the first opportunity for students and Mount Pleasant residents alike to see Division I lacrosse at the new CMU Soccer/Lacrosse Complex.
Prior to the game, the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe will bless the field with a drum and snow birds ceremony. The tribe will also present the team with ceremonial traditional lacrosse sticks decorated by members of the tribe.
Jacksonville enters the season as the defending Atlantic Sun Conference Champions, while CMU has won three of its first eight games, including a 2-1 home record.
4. Gymnastics NCAA Regional
Time: 5 p.m.
Date: Saturday, April 2
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
It's do-or-die for the gymnastics team on Saturday in Iowa City. The 35th-ranked Chippewas enter the meet with the lowest team score of the six teams at the regional and need to finish in the top two to advance to nationals.
It's the eighth straight season CMU has advanced to regionals, although the team has never advanced to the NCAA Championships in program history.
If any individual Chippewas win their respective event, they would individually advance to the NCAA Championships — something CMU hasn't done since sending three gymnasts in 2014.
5. Softball doubleheader vs. Western Michigan
Time: 1 p.m., 3 p.m.
Date: Tuesday, April 5
Location: Margo Jonker Stadium
The Chippewas and Broncos meet for only three games in the regular season, with the pair of rivals meeting up for a doubleheader in Mount Pleasant on Tuesday.
After Tuesday, 11 of the team's final 17 games will be on the road. The only two home series' remaining are against Toledo (April 15-16) and Eastern Michigan (April 29-30).
