For the eighth week in a row, a Ball State baseball player earned Mid-American Conference honors. Right-handed closer BJ Butler earned the MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week award after winning two games in relief appearances against Central Michigan this weekend.
Ball State baseball (23-14, 9-3 MAC) will head to West Lafayette to take on Purdue (5-27, 1-11 Big Ten) tonight at 6 p.m. In their last match up on March 22 in Muncie, the Cardinals erased a seven-run deficit in a come-from-behind 9-8 victory over the Boilermakers. Ball State carries a .298 team batting average into the game, the best average in the Mid-American Conference. Purdue, however, is last in the Big Ten with a .255 batting average.
Ball State closer BJ Butler was credited with two wins this weekend, as Ball State baseball (23-14, 9-3 MAC) won two of its three games against Central Michigan (8-28, 3-6 MAC).
Ball State baseball (21-13, 7-2 MAC) snapped its six-game winning streak in a 4-3 loss to Indiana University (17-13, 4-2 Big Ten).
Ball State baseball (21-12, 7-2 MAC) will take its Mid-American Conference-best offense to Bloomington April 13 when it takes on Indiana University (17-13, 4-2 Big Ten), which has the Big Ten's second-best pitching staff. In the National Collegiate Athletic Association RPI, the Cardinals ranked 118th, 49 spots ahead of the No. 167 Hoosiers.
In the last week, St. Louis Cardinals rookie outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker has made his first Major League start, hit his first career home run and stolen his first career base. The Muncie native and Wapahini High School graduate is 10-19 at the plate so far this year with five runs scored, five RBIs, two doubles, a triple, two home runs and two stolen bases.
After a 4-0 week and a dominating three-game home sweep against Western Michigan over the weekend, the Mid-American Conference honored the Ball State baseball team.
Ball State baseball (21-12, 7-2 MAC) swept Western Michigan (8-20, 1-5 MAC) in its three-game series, outscoring the Broncos 41-6. Head coach Rich Maloney had a simple explanation. “There really isn’t much you can say,” he said. “We were pretty dominant.”
Junior right-handed pitcher Zach Plesac tied his career total with 11 strikeouts in Ball State’s 7-2 win over Western Michigan. Head coach Rich Maloney said it was an important victory because Western Michigan starter Keegan Akin entered the game with the lowest ERA (1.43) and the most strikeouts (58) in the Mid-American Conference. “It’s a big win because Akin’s been dominating the league,” he said.
When Ball State baseball (18-12, 4-2 MAC) hosts Western Michigan (8-17, 1-2 MAC) this weekend, Cardinal coach Rich Maloney will be facing off against his alma mater. Maloney said former Western Michigan head coach Fred Decker, who retired in 2004 after 20 seasons with the Broncos, was one of his mentors. “I wouldn’t be here [at Ball State] if it wasn’t for my experience at Western,” Maloney said.
Days after learning he made the St. Louis Cardinals' opening day roster, Ball State alumnus Jeremy Hazelbaker is preparing to make his first Major League start.
Junior right fielder Alex Call picked up two base hits, including a double, and scored two runs in Ball State’s (18-12, 4-2 MAC) 5-4 win over Xavier (10-19, 0-0 Big East) April 5, extending his hitting streak to 14 games.id.
In the top of the ninth inning, Ball State junior right-handed pitcher BJ Butler had runners on second and third with two outs, a one-run lead and Xavier University senior catcher Daniel Rizzie at the plate. Butler fell behind in the count, 2-0, but Rizzie popped the ball up to redshirt freshman third baseman Zach Milam for the final out of the Cardinals’ 5-4 win.
Junior right fielder Alex Call hit a pair of three-run home runs, one in each of Ball State's (17-12, 4-2 MAC) wins over defending MAC tournament champion Ohio University (11-16, 2-4 MAC), earning his first Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week award of the season. In the last four games, Call hit .600 (12-20), scored 11 runs, recorded 10 RBIs, and hit three doubles, a triple and two home runs. On the season, Call has the highest batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in the MAC, slashing .421/.511/.702.
Ball State baseball (17-12, 4-2 MAC) scored 43 runs in three games against Ohio University (11-16, 4-2 MAC) and won two of the three games in the series.
Four Cardinal home runs, including a grand slam from junior first baseman Caleb Stayton, powered Ball State (17-12, 4-2 Mid-American Conference) past Ohio University (11-16, 2-4 MAC) 20-3.
Junior right fielder Alex Call stepped up to the plate for the Cardinals in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out and runners on second and third.
Ball State baseball (15-12, 2-2 MAC) came back from a three-run deficit to force extra innings against Ohio University (11-14, 2-2 MAC), but six unearned runs in the top of the 10th inning cost the Cardinals in a 12-6 loss. Head coach Rich Maloney said Ohio simply played better in the game. "They won this game," he said.
After seven seasons in the minor leagues, former Ball State center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker has finally made a Major League roster.
Ball State baseball (15-11, 2-1 MAC) will host Ohio University (10-14, 1-2 MAC) April 1-3 in a rematch of last year’s Mid-American Conference championship game. Last season, the Bobcats beat the Cardinals 6-2 to earn the MAC’s bid to the NCAA Regional tournament.
