Courtesy: Robert Barclay/CMU Brittini Merchant and the Chippewas open MAC play at home against Ball State and Miami this weekend.

MOUNT PLEASANT — With spring drawing closer, the Central Michigan (6-11) softball team opens its home slate and begins Mid-American Conference play at Margo Jonker Stadium this weekend.

CMU hosts MAC West foe Ball State for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Friday and plays single games against Miami University on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

Now that the weather in Michigan is beginning to turn warmer, Central has begun to practice outdoors at home for the first time this season, something coach Jonker is pleased about as her team prepares for a run at another division title.

“We are happy to practice on our own field,” Jonker said. “It gives us a chance to get a feel for game day here before we open up our home schedule. The players are adjusting well to the temperature change after spending a couple weeks in Florida. Everyone is excited to start conference play.”

The Chippewas have not played since wrapping up their Florida trip against Long Island on March 15. CMU went 6-6 in its 12-game swing through Florida.

Payback may be on the minds of some of the Chippewas’ players when they face the Cardinals. After CMU swept a pair of games in Muncie, Ind. a year ago, Ball State pulled off a 3-2 upset win over Central in its first MAC Tournament game to put CMU in the losers’ bracket.

BSU enters this week with a 9-12 record and the Cardinals were picked to finish runner-up to CMU in the MAC West after going 36-32 overall and 9-11 in the MAC in 2008. Central has dominated the series, holding a 63-19 record in the programs' 82 meetings.

“We won a couple close games at Ball State last year,” Jonker said. “Unfortunately, we dropped an important game against the Cardinals in the tournament and never recovered. Ball State has a good team that will provide us with a challenge right away.”

Miami begins MAC play having lost five of its past six games. The RedHawks sit at 13-12 and were picked to finish third in the MAC East before the season began.  Miami went 23-27 in 2008 and finished with a 13-9 record in the MAC. CMU owns a 56-20 all-time record in 76 games against MU, which includes a season sweep in Oxford, Ohio last year.

“I anticipate Miami having a good team this season,” Jonker said. “They will be competitive with the best teams in the MAC East this year. There are no easy games in our conference and this weekend is no exception.”

Live stats will be available for every game this weekend, courtesy of cmuchippewas.com.

CMU News and Notes:

She’s Perfect in Every Way: The Chippewas’ Florida trip began in impressive fashion at the Miken Classic hosted by Florida Atlantic University. Senior pitcher Ali Pettit tossed the third perfect game in program history against Columbia on March 6. Pettit struck out seven batters and allowed only one ball to leave the infield. The outing was the first Central Michigan no-hitter since Amber Puchalski no-hit Akron on March 28, 2004. Of the three perfect games CMU pitchers have thrown, Pettit’s is only the second in a full seven inning game.

The Incredible Schulz: No CMU batter returned from Florida on a bigger roll than junior first baseman Jill Schulz. The Livonia, Mich. native earned a spot on the Under Armour Showcase all-tournament team after batting .533 (8-for-15) with three doubles in the five-game tournament. She batted a team-best .412 during the Florida trip and is batting .519 (14-for-27) while riding a career-best nine-game hitting streak.

A Baker’s Dozen is Grand: The Central Michigan softball program is on the verge of a milestone. The Chippewas sit 13 wins shy of 1,000 all-time victories. Since the school began playing softball in 1979, CMU has a 987-565-5 record (.636 winning percentage) and has posted a .500 record or better in 29 of 30 seasons.

Climbing the Leaderboard: Ali Pettit is putting her name among the school’s elite in her final season with the Maroon and Gold. She is in the top ten on CMU’s career list in six different categories, including wins (10th; 39), strikeouts (ninth; 278), complete games (ninth; 40), innings pitched (ninth; 423.2), appearances (sixth; 99) and saves (t-fifth; five).

Stacking Up Against the MAC: Several Chippewas find their names among the MAC leaders in a number of categories through the non-conference slate. A couple Chippewas are among the leaders in multiple categories. Ali Pettit’s 2.04 ERA and three shutouts rank fifth among MAC hurlers while her seven complete games ranks seventh. Christina Novak is among the league leaders with four home runs (t-third), a .593 slugging percentage (sixth), eight steals (t-fourth) and 1.88 total bases per game (second). Jill Schulz is seventh in the MAC with a .367 batting average. Molly Coldren leads the league with 0.74 walks per game while sitting in a third-place tie with 11 total walks. Coldren’s .444 on-base percentage would rank sixth in the MAC if she had enough at-bats to qualify.

Jonker Nearing 1,000: Head coach Margo Jonker has achieved several milestones in her 30 seasons at the helm of the CMU softball team, and she is closing in on another. Jonker is 28 wins away from 1,000 career victories. The Chippewas have finished .500 or better in 28 of her 29 seasons

Double Digit Bombs: Junior outfielder Christina Novak has been the Chippewas’ primary source of power this season. Novak has clubbed a team-best four home runs this season, tied for her career high. Her solo shot against Harvard on March 7 was the 10th homer of her career and put her in a ninth-place tie with Lynn Putnam and Christan Dhondt on the career chart. Cathy Wylie, Elizabeth Barnes and Christin Sobeck each have a share of the school record with 16 career home runs.

On the Air: All of Central Michigan’s home games will be broadcast on CMU’s student radio station, WMHW-FM 91.5. A free stream is available on cmuchippewas.com.

On Deck: The Chippewas wrap up their six-game homestand on Wednesday, April 1 when they play a doubleheader against Oakland. The first game begins at 2 p.m. After that, Central hits the road for a doubleheader against Akron on Friday, April 3 at 1 p.m. The trip concludes with single games at Ohio on Saturday, April 4 (2 p.m.) and Sunday, April 5 (1p.m.).