Image courtesy of JMU athletics communications

By Bennett Conlin (This content was originally published in our newsletter)

Last time we spoke – We said, “Cal State Fullerton (7-7) has a tremendous baseball reputation. It’s a strong program with a storied history, and the Dukes face the Titans for three games this weekend. Picking up any wins would be a step in the right direction for a young team. These are the types of wins that can help elevate JMU’s program. We’ll see how the Dukes respond to the test.”

The Dukes earned an A – JMU (14-6) beat Cal State Fullerton 1-0 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday before losing 12-3 on Sunday. Despite a 12-6 run differential in favor of the Titans, JMU stole two big road wins. 

Historic pitching performances – Take a bow Kevin Kelly, Nick Stewart and the JMU bullpen. The Dukes became the first team in history to shut out Cal State Fullerton in consecutive Titans home games. That’s impressive. 

Can the Dukes keep up the mojo? – Under Marlin Ikenberry, JMU has put together big wins, but often struggles to close the season. The Dukes need to take advantage of these major victories with a good week.

Up next – The Dukes host Fairfield (4-10) on Tuesday and Wednesday before a three-game home series with Delaware (4-14) to open CAA play. Both Fairfield and Delaware are subpar teams. The Dukes have a legitimate chance to go 4-1 or 5-0 this week to improve their record to 18-7 or 19-6. That would be a big step forward for this program.