State superiority is on the line today as Ball State will play against two schools from the Hoosier state.
Ball State will play host to Valparaiso at 2 p.m. in the Northwest YMCA and will then reset to play at 6:30 against IUPUI. Coach Bill Richards said he believes that the matches will impact recruiting.
"Anytime you play an in-state school, players know one another," Richards said. "Guys used to compete against each other in high school. We have a lot of Indiana players on our team."
The Cardinals have traditionally reigned supreme when it comes to recruiting Indiana talent.
Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue typically do not recruit locally as they tend to go for international players instead. With those three schools out of the picture, Ball State is the largest school left in the recruiting game. Schools like IUPUI and Valpo are trying to work their way up the ladder.
"These are teams that historically we've beaten," Richards said. "On paper we are the favorite. We got to make sure we don't take these teams lightly. I have respect for both teams and their coaches. We just have to be ready and have the focus and the energy to play on a high level."
IUPUI is 1-6 and Valpo is 0-1 on the season. Both will be heavy underdogs against 4-1 Ball State.
IUPUI has 10 of their 12 players from Indiana. Valpo only has four Hoosiers, while Ball State has six, making up half of its roster.
Ball State has the recruiting edge in the quality of recruits. Several Cardinals are state champions, including juniors Zane Smith, Derek Carpenter, and sophomore Austin Sansone. Sophomore Dalton Albertin and freshman Austin Smith were ranked No. 1 in the state during their senior seasons.
Richards is still tweaking the line-up and is challenging his players in practice to prove themselves.
"I tell the guys it's an open competition," Richards said. "It's up to you week to week to prove where you are."
Last week's match with Anderson was postponed due to the weather, and no reschedule date has been announced. Richards said he plans to find one.
Today's matches will be the third of four planned double-headers on the Cardinals schedule.
"We only get 25 playing dates, so we try to build in some double-headers to get some extra matches in as we can get," Richards said. "We try to get as many players involved and get them as much experience as possible."
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