Ball State travels to Bloomington to face an offensive-minded Indiana team today after two Cardinals were rewarded for their performance last weekend against Oakland.
Redshirt freshman Ben Snyder was one of six players in the country to be awarded by Collegiate Baseball with the "Louisville Slugger" National Player of the Week award. He was also named Mid-American Conference West Division Pitcher of the Week, and was joined by teammate Marc Franz, who was named MAC West Division Player of the Week.
Snyder dominated the Golden Grizzlies in the first of a doubleheader on Saturday. Pitching a complete seven-inning game, Snyder struck out a career-high 14, that at one point included five straight batters.
"Being named National Player of the Week is obviously a big award," coach Greg Beals said. "He had just a great performance on Saturday to earn that award."
The Cardinals and Hoosiers have had a close rivalry over the years, with Indiana leading the series, 22-21. But the last time they played was in 1998, when the Cardinals took a 11-8 victory. The Hoosiers enters the game with a 12-4 record.
"[Some of Ball State's players] grew up watching IU basketball, and I think there's a part of them that they're IU fans," Beals said. "Obviously, Indiana being an in-state rival, it's a big game for our program and for our guys."
Three Hoosiers are on at least a nine-game hitting streak. Junior Ryan Parker collected a hit in seven straight games over Spring Break, lifting his streak total to 14. Jay Brant heads into today's game on a 10-game streak, and Boswell is on a nine-game streak.
During its Spring Break, Indiana finished the stretch with a 6-1 record, including wins against MAC teams Bowling Green (12-2), and Kent State (11-6). The Hoosiers also defeated Bucknell (14-4), Yale (8-0), Illinois State (17-7), and St. Francis-NY (9-0). Indiana fell to Vermont, 5-3.
The Hoosiers have four starting hitters who are batting over .400, led by Zach Boswell at .458. Six regular starters are hitting over .300. As a whole, the Hoosiers lead the Big 10 with a .354 batting average, and are third in team ERA at 3.79.
Beals said that junior Luke Behning (1-1, 5.19 ERA) will start on the mound for the Cards.
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