All season, the Ball State softball team has made its name by getting important hits during important situations.
Head coach Tyra Perry knows her team well and said the moment is never too big for her bunch.
“We have tremendous potential, especially at the plate,” she said. “It’s fun to see not only the three seniors in the lineup regularly do their job. ... But it has been nice to see other people step up and get clutch hits and have good at-bats throughout the lineup.”
Whether the team falls behind or is in a tight contest, timely hitting has consistently come forward.
The Cardinals have scored runs in the sixth inning or later to erase a deficit or break a tie for the lead five times since beginning Mid-American Conference play. The team also did it six times throughout the non-conference schedule.
Veteran leadership can be found throughout the Ball State lineup. However, Perry realizes clutch performances can come from anyone.
“I think that’s the difference,” Perry said. “It’s not only been Jenny [Gilbert], [Taylor] Rager, and [Audrey] Bickel, there’s been [Emily] Dabkowski and some others that have come up and got key hits.”
Dabkowski, just a sophomore, has come up with her fair share of timely hits. Perhaps her biggest hit came April 11 against Northern Illinois. A seventh-inning grand slam gave the Cardinals the lead and ultimately a MAC win.
“We fuel on us scoring,” she said.
Dabkowski also said Ball State plays more relaxed when the team scores early. Its ability to come from behind has made up for a lack of early scoring on several occasions.
Opportunities for big-time hits do not have to come late in the game, however.
Ball State has been successful over the course of the season with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals have scored 18 more runs than the next closest team in the MAC. The team also has 187 RBIs as a team, representing the ability to move runners and drive them in for runs.
It’s a trend the team is hoping continues as the postseason draws closer.
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