For the first time in the almost 90-year history of Ball State University baseball, the team will play New Mexico State University. Beginning at 2 p.m. Ball State will play a four-game weekend series against the school.
The Cardinals (2-2) boarded a flight Thursday afternoon that took them the close to 1,400 miles to Carlsbad, N.M., where the Aggies play their home games.
The Aggies won two of three games in their opening-weekend series last week against the University of New Orleans. Judging from the results of those games, the Cardinal pitchers will have their hands full. The Aggies scored an average of 13.3 runs against New Orleans.
Ball State coach Greg Beals said his starting pitchers will be senior Tyler Pritchard, who will take the mound in game one, followed by junior Brenden Stines, sophomore Brad Piatt and freshman Kolbrin Vitek.
Pritchard, who pitched five innings and gave up four earned runs last weekend, said he wasn't overly happy with his performance and is ready for his next try.
"It was an OK start," he said. "I battled through five innings and kept my team in the game ... but I am definitely excited to get back out there."
While the rotation will remain the same for Ball State, Beals said the lineup will again be in flux this weekend.
"Last weekend we tried many different lineups and moved guys around, and we will continue to do that, just in an attempt to find our best matches and what our best situations are with our personnel," he said.
The Ball State offense scored an average of almost nine runs last weekend, but because this is the program's first time playing New Mexico State, they will have an extra challenge.
The scouting reports going into game one are slim for Ball State, and Beals said he expects no help from the teams that play the Aggies the most.
"We're actually struggling on information about New Mexico State just because we are in very different networks," he said. "In most cases you don't ever get information from teams inside their conference. For instance, last weekend with UAB teams in Conference USA, [they weren't] going to give up information."
Senior first baseman Matt Stoeklin said because of the lack of information, the team will have to rely more heavily on its adjustments.
"The first time out, the first game through the lineup, it's going to be tough, but we seem to adapt pretty well," he said. "... The second time out we should be better. We're excited and ready to go."
While Pritchard mentioned getting away from the snow and ice of Muncie will be a welcomed part of the trip, he said, flying instead of driving will be a boost to the team.
"Anytime you get to fly it feels a little like a retreat ... you're not staring a 15-hour bus ride in the face," he said.
The team is able to fly to New Mexico partly because the contract with the Aggies includes Ball State receiving $12,500 in addition to hotel rooms. Beals said there are two reasons for the added money.
"One: They realize it's a flight trip for us," he said. "In order to defer the cost of coming out there to play them, they gave us some money to help do that. Also, this trip was added to our schedule a little late in the season, so they were kind of panicking to get somebody to come in."
Beals said his team's main focus for the series is to continue to its improvement from the previous weekend. He also said he likes his team's chances if the game is close.
"With the character of this team, if we are in that position, we are going to win our fair share of games," he said.
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