This weekend will be one of the most important in the Ball State University softball careers of seniors Abby Gross and Amanda Pick.
With two weekends remaining in the season, Ball State (31-27, 6-8 Mid-American Conference) is in sixth place in the MAC standings. Of the 12 teams in the conference, eight make the league's tournament, a feat Ball State has not accomplished since 2002.
The Cardinals will play host to Eastern Michigan University (12-23, 4-6 MAC) in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at the BSU Softball Complex, which will be followed by games at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday against Central Michigan University (21-14, 10-3 MAC) at the field.
"These games basically are going to make or break if we make the MAC tournament," Pick said.
In addition to getting wins that would help push the Cardinals a step closer to the conference tournament, they also have the chance to hamper the efforts of one of the teams that is chasing them.
Eastern Michigan's record places it eighth in the conference. Central Michigan is the leader of the MAC West and is tied for second overall in the conference.
Ball State will enter the games with the same mind-set as it does other weekends, coach Craig Nicholson said, but this weekend is really big because the team could lock up a position in the tournament.
"I don't think it gets much more important, especially Friday," he said.
Pick, who plays first base, said the Cardinals need to sweep Eastern Michigan and then need to at least split their games with Central Michigan. Wins in those games would put the team one victory away from 10 wins in the league, which Pick said it would likely need to make the tournament.
While the Cardinals said a winning weekend would put them in the tournament, they have not had a winning weekend in MAC play this season.
Also, Ball State lost all four of its games last year against Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan, but Gross said the Cardinals can beat them.
"They've always been decent opponents in the past, but I think they're beatable," the catcher said. "If we play as good as we can, we will beat them."
If the Cardinals are to beat their opponents this weekend, Nicholson said, Gross and Pick will be important members to the success. The seniors bat fourth and fifth in the lineup and are first and second on the team in RBIs.
Pick said it is huge for the seniors to produce runs for the Cardinals this weekend. It would be great if she could help the team make the MAC tournament for the first time in her career, she said.
"I don't even know what words to put it in," Pick said. "To make the MAC tournament as a senior would be amazing. It would make my career."
Gross said she and Pick are very good friends and it will be sad to not be around each other every day after this year. One of the reasons it would be great to make the tournament in her final chance is so they can prolong their playing careers together as long as possible, she said.
"It's been amazing, and I'm really sad it's going to be over," she said. "I hope to extend it as much as possible by making the tournament."
Nicholson said both seniors have gotten better in his two years as their coach and have had good years.
Pick said she is proud of the careers she and Gross have had at Ball State and a berth in the MAC tournament would make them feel complete.
"I think we deserve to make the tournament this year," she said.
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