With the Mid-American Conference softball season halfway completed after this weekend, the weekend's games at Miami University are big for Ball State University.
The Cardinals (26-20, 4-4 MAC) are traveling to Oxford, Ohio, for a two-game series with the RedHawks (15-17, 6-2 MAC). The first game will start at 2 p.m. Saturday and the finale is at 1 p.m. Sunday. Ball State is not playing two conference opponents this weekend like usual, because an uneven amount of series in league play makes for one single-series weekend for each team.
This weekend is important for the Cardinals, coach Craig Nicholson said.
"It's a big series for a couple of reasons," he said. "Obviously we're playing someone ahead of us in the standings, and we're at .500 about halfway through."
The team's conference standing is important because of positioning for the MAC tournament. Eight of the 12 teams in the conference make the tournament, which determines the league's champion and representative in the NCAA tournament.
At 4-4, Ball State is second in the MAC West and fifth overall in the conference. Nicholson said he is not thrilled about being .500 in the MAC, but the situation could be worse.
"Obviously we'd like to be a little better," he said, "but 4-4 is solid."
"If you finish 11-11, you'll be right in the middle of the conference, probably about sixth, and in the tournament."
The Cardinals have not made the conference tournament since 2002. This is also the 10-year anniversary of the team's first and only MAC championship.
Natalie Bejarano, one of the Cardinals' two catchers, said she thinks conference play has gone well for the team so far this season.
"I think we're doing a good job," she said. "I'm excited for the remainder of the conference season to see how we do."
Bejarano said playing Miami, which is second in the MAC East standings, will be a challenge, but she is confident in her team.
Nicholson said the RedHawks are good in a lot of phases of the game.
"They're solid in all aspects of the game, and we're going to have to go in and play well to be able to go in and get a win," he said.
Miami is a good offensive ball club, Nicholson said, and will put the ball in play. That means the Cardinals' defense, which has been performing really well this year, will be very important, he said.
Before the RedHawks put the ball in play, they have to face the Cardinals' pitchers, which can shut down anyone, Nicholson said.
"I think our pitchers match up well against a lot of teams in this conference," he said. "It just boils down to how well you pitch on any given day."
Against IUPUI on Wednesday, Ball State's pitching staff threw 14 scoreless innings. The Cardinals' offense scored 21 runs in the two games as almost every starter had multiple hits.
Bejarano said the IUPUI games were a great confidence booster after the team had been struggling the previous few days.
The Cardinals will take that confidence into their first road MAC games of the season at Miami.
Nicholson said he is not overly worried about traveling for the first time in league play this season, and it does not change the games' dynamics. Helping ease any worries is that Ball State seems to play better on the road, he said.
The Cardinals are 4-2 in road games and 16-12 in neutral-field games this season, for a 20-14 mark away from Muncie. In contrast, the team is an even 6-6 at the BSU Softball Complex.
Bejarano said she is not really sure why the team does better on the road, but it might be from fewer distractions. Whatever the reason, she said, playing at home or the road is not much different.
"We seem to do a little bit better on the road, but it's not really much of a change," she said.
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