Mid-American Conference

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A remarkable run capped but another sensational day, and a championship.
 
The Central Michigan baseball team completed its run to the Mid-American Conference regular-season championship with a 10-3 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday before a boisterous crowd primed to celebrate at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium.
 
It was CMU's 15th consecutive victory and 14th in a row in the MAC. The Chippewas are 43-12 and finished 22-5 in the league, earning the No. 1 seed for the league tournament next week in Avon, Ohio.
 
"Couldn't be more proud of these kids," said Jordan Bischel, who, in his first year in charge of the program, led CMU to its first MAC crown since 2015 and its 14th overall. "Four weeks ago we were 8-5 in the league and little did we know (at the time) we couldn't lose another one and win the league, and that doesn't happen.
 
"We didn't even think about it at that time, it was just win the next game. We never talked about it. We just tried to win the next one so you didn't have to feel like you had to win a bunch in a row and the guys did a great job of that."
 
Jordan Patty (3-2), a sophomore from Midland, was solid on the mound, allowing one run on five hits and striking out four over 6 2/3 innings and leaving with an 8-1 lead.
 
Zach Gilles, Jason Sullivan and Chase Rollin each had two hits and drove in two runs. Rollin's two-run single in the second inning put the Chippewas up 2-1, and they never trailed after that.
 
The Chippewas scratched out another run in the fifth, getting singles by Rollin and Zach Heeke and then two Miami errors. The Chippewas batted around in the sixth, scoring five insurance runs on just one hit, a Gilles two-run double.
 
The Chippewas, as they have done all season, took advantage of what the opponent gave them. Miami pitching issued seven walks and hit two batters, and the RedHawks committed three errors.
 
"We'd love to be lucky over and over again," Bischel said. "We'll take that. These guys prepare and when we have those opportunities somebody cashes in."
 
With the Chippewas leading 2-1, Patty induced an inning-ending popup in the fifth inning, stranding two runners in scoring position.
 
It was a pivotal moment in the game, and it came after Bischel made a long mound visit.
 
"I told coach in the fifth I wanted one more inning," Patty said. "And he let me go for it. Luckily it paid off. He trusted me to go back out there and pound the strike zone. He trusted me to hit the spots, trust my catcher, trust my defense, and just get an out. Our defense played amazing today."
 
It was the biggest start on the biggest stage for Patty, and he delivered.
 
"You're excited, nervous, you want to do extremely well for your team," he said. "You want to win that championship. You want to be the guy who goes out and your team says, hey, we trust you to get the job done. It's just so exciting, so exciting to get the ball."
 
Junior Zach Kohn worked the final 2 1/3 innings.
 
"We've got a bunch of guys who deserve that moment and only one of them can have it," Bischel said. "Zach's a pretty good story. He had struggled at times here in his career and he's been really valuable for us down the stretch. There are a lot of other guys I probably wanted out there too, but he certainly was right in that mix and it was great to see him do it."

The Chippewas committed just one error on the day, and got a pair of standout defensive plays from right fielder Jacob Crum.
 
The first came in the first inning when he made a falling catch against the wall on the warning track, ending the frame and stranding a runner at third base to keep the game scoreless; the second came in the eighth when he used his speed to get to a looping liner in the gap and then laid out to make the grab.
 
Those plays came on the heels of his highlight-reel missile throw in Thursday's series opener, when he cut down a runner attempting to score from third on a fly ball.
 
"Jake kind of personified our season with his day today," Bischel said. "He had a little bit of a rough time at the plate. He changed the game defensively and played the game instead of worrying about his own at-bats. He's going to be a pro player somewhere and get to show off in front of the cameras for a while."
 
The Chippewas got outstanding effort and performance all the way around in the final game on Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium for nine seniors: Crum, Sullivan, David Cole, Evan Kratt, Rollin, Ty Rollin, Bryan Jakiemiec, Jack Collins and Pat Leatherman, who got the series sweep started by winning Thursday's opener.
 
Leatherman, Cole and Ty Rollin were members of the 2015 team.
 
"It's been a cool experience and I'd be remiss to not mention that there was a lot of groundwork laid here already," said Bischel, who was named to head the program on June 28, 2018, after a highly successful four-year run at Division II Northwood. "This is a really good program so it's not like it's anything that I did. It's what these kids did and that's important. They're good kids who were going to win whether I was here or not and to be a part of it is really cool."

The Chippewas came into the three-game series one game ahead of Ball State in the MAC standings. The Cardinals swept their series at Toledo, meaning the Chippewas needed to win Saturday's game in order to wrap up the title.
 
Bischel said he wasn't concerned with, and never checked, on how the Cardinals were faring in their game with the Rockets.
 
"I'm sure they were," he said of his players. "I was not. I'm smart enough to know that with technology and a dugout attached to the clubhouse that they were well aware. I told the guys before the game, I guaranteed to them, that Ball State was going to win today. I thought there was no other option but to win and there's no way you'd rather have it anyway."
 
Warren smacked his program-record 22nd double of the season in the eighth inning. He surpassed Kurtis Wells, who hit 21 two-baggers in 2005.
 
Warren, the Chippewa shortstop, has continually made a strong case as a MAC Player of the Year candidate and is hitting .357 with seven home runs and 66 RBI. He is among the league leaders in all three categories, as is CMU catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell.
 
"Zavier's incredible," Bischel said. "He had a solid freshman year here, but the way he's broken out this year. I've got to nominate someone for conference player of the year and between Zavier and (Lockwood-Powell) I'm going to have to overlook somebody; it's going to be tough, but (Warren's) as good a player as there is in this league."
 
The Chippewas' 43 wins matches the 1986 for the third most in program history. The 1977 team posted 44 victories, while the 1988 team holds the record with 47.
 
The 22 MAC wins is the most since the 1998 team won 23. The '86 squad holds the record with 26.
 
As the No. 1 seed, the Chippewas will open the MAC Tournament at Sprenger Stadium in Avon on Thursday, May 23, at 2 p.m. Ball State is the No. 2 seed and will play on the same day at 6 p.m. Both the Chippewas and Cardinals received first-round byes, and their first tournament opponent will be determined by who emerges from the two opening games on Wednesday, May 23.
 
Third-seeded Kent State and sixth-seeded Ohio are scheduled to play on that day, as are No. 4 Miami and No. 5 Northern Illinois.
 
"We've got to enjoy it," Bischel said in looking ahead to the tournament. "Outside looking in, everybody talks about the conference tournament being the most important because the winner moves on (to the NCAA Tournament).
 
"To me this (regular-season title) is much more meaningful and much harder. You play everybody three times. Whoever goes out and wins the most games, that's the best way (to determine) who the best team is and we proved it today. We've got a good team, and there'll be other good teams (in Avon). There's no guarantees that we can win it, but we're going to enjoy the heck out of it."

MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team wrapped up the regular season with another home win, this time an 11-8 victory over Toledo Saturday afternoon at First Merchants Ballpark Complex. The Cardinals finished the year with a nearly perfect 20-1 home record.
 
Ball State (36-17, 20-5 MAC) needed to win today and have Central Michigan fall in its finale to claim the Mid-American Conference regular season title. Unfortunately, the Chippewas won their 15th straight game overall to keep Ball State right behind CMU (43-12, 22-5). Central will be the No. 1 seed at next week's MAC Tournament while Ball State will be in the No. 2 spot. 
 
The Cardinals put up five runs on Toledo (17-36, 4-21) in the first two innings and never trailed. Four of the five seniors who were honored before the start of the game – William Baker, Brendan Burns, Griffin Hulecki and John Ricotta – played a role in Saturday's win.
 
Ricotta hit a three-run bomb as part of five-run sixth inning and finished with three hits and six RBIs. Baker had two hits and scored three times. Burns pitched a pair of relief innings while Hulecki notched a hit for the third straight game. Nick Floyd was a key player in yesterday's win as the righty pitched the final 5.1 innings to pick up that win.
 
Meanwhile, catcher Chase Sebby homered twice, his first two long balls of the year, and Aaron Simpson added a solo shot of his own.
 
The Cardinals reached 20 league wins for the first time since 2014. Next up will be a MAC Tournament game against either No. 3 Kent State, No. 4 Miami or No. 5 Northern Illinois on day two of the tournament, Thursday, May 23. That game will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 6 p.m.