After a strong start, the baseball team had a disastrous finish to spring break. It looks to shake its late game woes with a trip to Michigan.
The Bulls (6-9) will take on a more familiar opponent, as they kickoff Mid-American Conference play, taking a weekend trip to Mount Pleasant to take on Central Michigan (8-12).
The Bulls are coming off three straight losses, with the last two coming in their opponents last at-bat. Against Villanova (13-9), Buffalo's lead evaporated when Wildcats Tyler Sciacca came through with a RBI single off senior reliever Kevin Crumb.
In the game prior against St. Joseph's (5-14), the Bulls surrendered four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning after building a 2-0 lead. These late game woes have left head coach Ron Torgalski searching for answers in the back end of the bullpen.
"We are going to make a few changes this weekend, as far as the back of our bullpen," Torgalski said. "We are gonna try a couple of different guys. It's not to say that the guys there weren't getting it done, it's just an attempt to give other guys an opportunity."
On the offensive end, the Bulls hope that junior catcher Tom Murphy and junior outfielder Matt Pollock can continue their production at the plate this weekend. As defending MAC Player of the Year, Murphy has shown that he is a real threat to repeat that honor this season. He is raking the ball all over the field, batting .373, as well as possessing a good eye at the plate, with 14 walks in 15 games. He has displayed an ability to bring men home, with 24 runs batted in, and has improved tremendously hitting for power, knocking six homers after hitting 10 all of last year.
Pollock is also a threat to win the award as well if he can keep up this level of production. Like Murphy, he is hitting well at the plate; batting .370 with 20 hits in 54 at bats. He is leading the team in runs scored with 19, and is second to Murphy in RBIs with 17.
These guys have been the anchor of the Buffalo attack, but according to Torgalski, it's been the offense as a unit that has impressed him the most this year. As a team, they are leading the MAC in batting average, hitting .336 as a team this season. They have also hit almost twice as many home runs (25) than the next best team in the MAC in that category. The Bulls have only had one game in which they have scored less than four runs this season. Torgalski credits the offensive firepower to the efforts the team has made in the offseason.
"I think, from an offensive standpoint, our guys [that went] away to play summer ball last year have been able to hit the caliber of pitching that they've seen," Torgalski said. "In addition to that, they've made a big commitment to the weight room, and it's reflected in our power numbers this year."
Navigating through the heart of the Central Michigan batting order will be a tough task for the Buffalo pitchers this weekend. The triumvirate of Jordan Dean, William Arnold, and Nate Theunissen have made life difficult for opposing pitching, as they each sport over a .300 batting average, and contribute to nearly half of their teams total RBI output this season.
On the pitching front, the Chippewas can be tough to hit off of, especially Zach Cooper and Rick Dodridge. Cooper has made life hard for batters this year, as he leads the team in opposing batting average with .243, and is first in strikeouts with 31. Dodridge is a guy that can go the distance, and is a workhorse for Central Michigan.
"Central Michigan has been pretty good this year," Torgalski said. "They have all-MAC pitching in Zach Cooper, so we are excited to face them."
For the Bulls, Torgalski will go with the veterans, bringing out senior pitchers Jeff Thompson (1-0) and Cameron Copping (1-1) in the first two games. Due to an injury to senior pitcher Kevin Hughes, the starter for the finale will be decided at game time.
The Bulls look to start a new winning streak as they take on Central Michigan at Theunissen Stadium in Mount Pleasant, Mich. over the weekend.
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