With this weekend's three-game series against the University of Akron the Ball State University baseball team will begin its 2008 Mid-American Conference season.
The Cardinals are 8-8 but could have had two more wins if their midweek games hadn't been rained out. As a result, the Cardinals will begin their MAC season before they play their home opener.
Two years ago the Cardinals as they were in the same situation. That season the Cardinals played at Akron before they played their home opener the following Tuesday. The Cardinals managed to take two of three in that series.
Ball State starting pitcher Brenden Stines said the team is fully prepared for the MAC despite not being able to play its last two games.
"I don't think it hurt us at all," he said. "With the games canceled it allowed us to get inside and do some drill work. We worked on some things and got back to the basics and fundamentals. ... I think we are more than ready to play in the MAC this weekend."
Last year the Cardinals finished 8-19 in the MAC and missed out on the MAC Tournament one year after winning it. With last year's below average performance, Stines said, the team is going into this season with something to prove.
"Last year we had to kind of swallow hard with how things went," he said. "This year hopefully we'll go out and prove to people that we are a good ball club."
The Cardinals two returning weekend starters have gotten off to a slow start. Tyler Pritchard is 0-3 in four starts with a 6.95 ERA and Stines in four starts is 0-1 with an 8.84 ERA.
The stuff for both pitchers is there but it's the small things holding them back, Stines said.
"It's just the minor things I think," he said "On my part its getting ahead of hitters a little more often and throwing my off speed for strikes."
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