Nicole Steinbach Statistics:
Record: 14-14
ERA: 3.56
Innings Pitched: 157.1
Complete Games: 17
Batting Average Against: .267
Saves: 1
Senior right-handed pitcher Nicole Steinbach has pitched 157.1 innings this season, more than the the rest of the Cardinals pitching staff combined (111.2 innings pitched).
She has earned four Mid-American Conference West Division Pitcher of the Week honors this year and leads the Cardinals with a 3.56 ERA.
Head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said the success comes from Steinbach being a fierce competitor.
“You can see it in her eyes," Ciolli Bartlett said. "She wants to dominate every hitter that she faces.”
Steinbach has seen more action than any other Cardinal pitcher — she's 14-14 this season while the rest of the pitching staff is 4-12.
But her record doesn't tell the whole story.
Through 44 games, the Cardinals' offense has scored 172 runs after averaging 339 runs in Steinbach’s first three seasons.
It can be frustrating, Steinbach said, to receive the loss after allowing one run on two hits in a complete game performance — like she did March 4 against Stony Brook — or losing two complete games with three total runs allowed in a weekend against Eastern Michigan.
Still, she said, it's just part of being a collegiate pitcher.
“You just have to keep your head help high and trust that those hits are going to come,” Steinbach said.
Holding her head high is just one aspect of her leadership. Steinbach said she tries to lead her teammates by exuding "swagger and confidence."
“Being a pitcher, I control a lot of the rhythm of the game," Steinbach said. "And I have to make sure they're engaged in every single play.”
This season, Steinbach has also been handed a new catcher in freshman Madison Lee. Lee said she looks up to Steinbach.
“She isn’t afraid to let me know how to become a better catcher,” Lee said.
Steinbach's leadership and skill on the mound have been a necessity for the Cardinals this year, Ciolli Bartlett said.
“We could have the best defense in the country or the best hitters, but if we’re not talented on the mound, none of that’s going to matter,” she said. “The pitching staff is the anchor of the team.”
Steinbach is the only Ball State pitcher with an ERA better than the team's 5.75 average. The last win by another pitcher was sophomore Carolyn Wilmes, who won against Ohio on April 2 — a game where Steinbach was called upon for the save.
The last time the team won a game without Steinbach's presence was Wilmes’ win against Stony Brook on March 5. In this game, the Cardinals had 16 hits in their 14-1 five-inning game.
Steinbach said her goal is to end her career on a positive note and make another trip to the NCAA tournament.
“I want to go out on top and leave better than I came in,” she said. “I have higher standards for myself each year and I just want to leave my mark here at Ball State.”
Ball State continues their MAC season on April 22 and 23 at home against Central Michigan after a brief stop April 20 in Bloomington to play Indiana.
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