Akron Battles Top-Ranked Central Michigan

Akron Battles Top-Ranked Central Michigan
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Akron battles the Mid-American Conference's top-ranked Central Michigan Chippewas in for a four-game series at Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Friday through Sunday, April 22-24.

Akron Zips [11-24, 9-15 MAC] vs Central Michigan [23-10, 17-1 MAC]
Friday-Sunday, April 22-24 | Keilitz Field at Theunissen Stadium | Mount Pleasant, Mich.

GAME COVERAGE
Live Stats - https://bit.ly/3Os6J3c

Watch GM1 – https://cmuchippewas.com/watch/?Live=735&type=Live
Watch GM2 – https://cmuchippewas.com/watch/?Live=736&type=Live
Watch GM3 – https://cmuchippewas.com/watch/?Live=737&type=Live
Watch GM4 – https://cmuchippewas.com/watch/?Live=738&type=Live

WHAT'S AHEAD
Akron baseball continues Mid-American Conference play after securing its eighth league win, matching the Zips MAC win total with an 8-12 mark. Akron is 10-21 overall and travels to battle the second rated Ball State Cardinals on Friday through Saturday, April 15-17 at Ball Diamond at First Merchants Ballpark. First pitch on Friday, April 15 is slated for 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday, April 16, and the series finale on Sunday, April 17, both days starting at noon. Fans can follow all four games via live stats on GoZips.com.

Under the guidance of third-year head coach Chris Sabo, the Zips split the last series with MAC-foe Western Michigan, Winning the first (10-6) and last (4-2) games of the set. Akron dropped Saturday's doubleheader (2-1 and 12-0).

Akron is hitting .250 as a team with 274 hits, including a .251 in league average with 181 hits. Justin Barr (Pensacola, Fla.) returned to the line-up after a hamstring injury and is hitting a team-best .371 in league played through nine games. He is 13-for-35 with seven RBI and six runs scored. Senior Tate Wargo (Benld, Ill.) follows with a .286 BA on 26-of-91, including four doubles and a triple with 15 RBI and 16 runs scored. Freshman Cameron Benson (Farmington Hills, Mich.) adds with .285 BA, distributing second-best 35 hits in 123 at-bats with a team-high five homeruns, six doubles and a triple and 22 RBI with 14 runs scored. Graduate student Nick Arrivo (Ann Arbor, Mich.) owns .290 BA on with a team-high 36 hits in 124 at-bats, including two homeruns, five doubles with 20 RBI and 12 runs scored.

The Series
Last season, the Chippewas swept the four-game series.

Central Michigan Cardinals
The Chippewas are coming-off a mid-week 23-5 win over Madonna, completing a 14-game winning streak. CMU's last loss came against Iowa, 4-2, on March 27, 2022. The Chippewas have four players hitting above .330 and one just under the .300 threshold. Jakob Marsee and Mario Camilletti leads the squad with a pair of .367 BA, while Aidan Shepardson and Danny Wuestenfeld follow with .352 and .339 batting averages. Wuestenfeld launched a team-high five of the Chippewas 23 homeruns. Marsee and Adam Proctor follow with four each.

MAC PREDICTIONS
Central Michigan was selected to win the 2022 Mid-American Conference title in a preseason poll conducted by the league's 11 head coaches.

The MAC baseball season begins on Friday, February 18, while conference play starts up Friday, March 11. For more information visit getsomemaction.com or follow the MAC on Twitter at @MACSports.

2022 MAC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Michigan — 115 points (6 first place votes)
2. Ball State — 103 points (1)
3. Kent State — 102 points (2)
4. Western Michigan - 75 points
5. Toledo — 73 points (1)
6. Miami — 68 points (1)
7. Ohio — 58 points
8. Eastern Michigan - 45 points
9. Bowling Green — 40 points
10. Northern Illinois — 36 points
11. Akron — 11 points

Tournament Champions: Central Michigan (4), Kent State (3), Ball State (2), Miami (1), Toledo (1)

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Players Mentioned

Nick Arrivo

Justin Barr

Cameron Benson

Tate Wargo

The University of Akron Athletics