HARRISONBURG — With one series left, James Madison baseball still has work to do.
“We know it’s a big weekend,” Dukes fourth-year skipper Marlin Ikenberry said.
“This is a huge weekend and we’re super excited,” JMU pitcher Justin Showalter, a Turner Ashby product, added. “UNC [Wilmington] is an awesome environment and to go down there and fight for our spot in the tournament, it’s going to be a fun weekend for sure.”
The Dukes (30-22, 10-11 Colonial Athletic Association) have already won more games this season than they have in any since 2011, which was also the last time they finished above .500. But to ensure a spot in next week’s CAA tournament at Veterans Memorial Park, Madison probably can’t get swept in its final regular-season series beginning today at 6 p.m. against UNC Wilmington at Brooks Field in Wilmington, N.C.
JMU failed to reach the tournament last year when it was played in Harrisonburg and have only appeared once in the event (2016) in the last seven years.
Entering the final conference series of the season, JMU sits in a four-way tie for third with UNCW, William & Mary and Northeastern. Delaware and Hofstra are only one game back of those four.
The top six teams in the league standings advance to the CAA tournament, so six teams are in play for four spots.
“We’ve been paying attention a little bit [to the rest of the CAA],” JMU first baseman Brady Harju said. “But it doesn’t really matter as long as we win because we can control our own destiny.”
Sweeping the series from the Seahawks (26-27, 10-11) or taking two of three will extend JMU’s season. One win should be enough, but getting swept puts that CAA bid in jeopardy as the Dukes’ chance then depends on what happens around the rest of the CAA.
Elsewhere across the league over the next three days, Northeastern travels to Towson, Charleston is at Delaware and William & Mary plays at Hofstra. Elon has already secured the top seed for the tournament and is off this weekend.
“It’s a crazy league this year,” Ikenberry said. “The numbers and the way the series have gone with each and every team, it’s a crap-shoot on what you’re going to see. We know going down there, if we pitch and play defense the way we’re capable of, we’re going to manufacture some runs. Our goal is to go down there and win three.”
Ikenberry said he plans to start Kevin Kelly (6-6, 3.54) today, Nick Stewart (4-3, 2.34) on Friday and Michael Bechtold (2-1, 5.28) on Saturday.
UNCW has won three of its last four and took a series from Elon last weekend. The Seahawks won the CAA tournament last year and represented the conference in the NCAA tournament.
“They can pitch. They can hit,” Ikenberry said. “They’ve got some really experienced hitters. They’ve got a really polished shortstop [Greg Jones] who is having a great year and they’re going to be able to run the bases. … We know it’s going to be a competitive weekend.”
Jones is hitting .337 with four home runs, 26 RBIs and is 10th in all of college baseball with 35 stolen bases.
“They seem hot right now,” Showalter said. “They always seem hot at the end of the year, but we’re going to play our baseball and do the same things we did in the other series and hopefully come out with some wins.”
Harju, who leads JMU with eight homers and 41 RBIs, said before the season started the goal for the team was to get to the CAA tournament.
“That’s what we’ve been practicing for since the fall and we’re not really too worried about it,” Harju said. “We’re just going to take it like it’s another game and I think we’re going to be good.”
