BASEBALL: Irish ready for Chippewas
By CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Writer
The No. 2 ranked Notre Dame baseball team will carry its nation-leading 31-5-1 record and current 10-game winning streak to Frank Eck Stad-ium today for a non-conference match-up with the Central Michigan Chippewas (23-12).
The Irish, who hold second, fifth and sixth place rankings in the three major baseball polls, will be facing their longest layoff in awhile, not having played since a double-header Saturday against West Virginia.
The team will need this game as a tune-up before returning to Big East play this weekend.
They cannot, however, afford to look past the tough Central Michigan team that has won nine of its last 11.
"I think we've done a good job so far staying focused for these mid-week games," said junior center fielder Steve Stanley.
"We know they are very important for us, and they are a good way to prepare for the games on the weekends."
As the lead-off hitter, Stanley has played a key factor in igniting the Irish offense this season, batting .383 while managing a .428 on base percentage.
Followed by freshman second baseman Steve Sollmann, who leads the team with a .406 average and .477 on base percentage, the pair has combined to score 30 percent of Notre Dame's runs this year.
The real story, however, has been the dominant pitching of the entire Notre Dame staff, which has put together an NCAA-best 2.61 ERA, led by seniors Aaron Heilman and Danny Tamayo.
Sophomore J.P. Gagne will get the start against the Chippewas, but he will probably only pitch a couple of innings so he can be ready for the three weekend games.
Central Michigan should bring the toughest non-conference opponent the Irish have faced in a while.
Junior Brad Reid leads the Chippewas with an impressive .383 batting average.
Reid is closely trailed by senior outfielder Bryan Sch-eurer, who has been on fire of late, hitting 12 of his last 25 at bats to bring his average up to .367.
Central Michigan will find themselves in a tough spot at Frank Eck Stadium, being in the middle of a busy week in which they play six games in seven days.
They plan on throwing freshmen Ryan Cremeans and Jeff Opalewski against the Irish, who have started to come alive at the plate batting .316 as a team.
This game should provide a good opportunity for the Irish to warm up their bats for their three-game home series against Big East challenger Villanova over the weekend.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, April 19, 2001
