PREVIEW: Ball State softball travels to Arizona for Wildcat Invitational
By Kara Biernat / February 16, 2017The Ball State softball team (1-4) will get back on the field this weekend as they travel to Arizona to compete in the Wildcat Invitational.
The Ball State softball team (1-4) will get back on the field this weekend as they travel to Arizona to compete in the Wildcat Invitational.
When Vorhees enrolled at Ball State in 1976 there were no athletic scholarships, and women's sports received just 2 percent of athletics budgets.
The Ball State softball team will begin their 2017 season on the road this weekend as they seek warm weather at the 31st Annual Louisiana Classic in Lafayette, Louisiana. The team has gone through many adjustments, as the roster will feature 13 new players this season.
Academic honors keep rolling in for the Cardinals, with eight softball players and nine track and field athletes being named Academic All-MAC this week.
After leading Ball State softball with a .345 batting average this season, utility player Madison Lee earned a spot on the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman team.
The afternoon of April 30 will be the last time Ball State's five softball seniors step on the field in Muncie.
Junior left fielder India Steward caught the ball in the top of the second inning in the second half of Saturday's doubleheader, and the Ball State softball players began to run off the field.
Ball State softball (19-29, 5-13) snapped its losing streak, winning the first game of its doubleheader April 23, but still dropped two of its three games against Central Michigan (20-22-1, 7-9-1 MAC).
Ball State softball (18-28, 4-12 MAC) lost its sixth straight game after being shut out by Central Michigan (19-21-1, 6-8-1 MAC). The Cardinals have lost 10 of their last 11 games.
Ball State softball (18-27, 4-11 MAC) will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak this weekend against Central Michigan (18-21-1, 5-8-1 MAC) at home.
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).
Ball State softball dropped to fourth in the Mid-American Conference West Division rankings and is set to play the team directly above it: Eastern Michigan. Ball State (18-23, 4-8 MAC) travels to Eastern Michigan (15-23, 5-6 MAC) for a three-game series April 15-16.
Ball State softball (18-22, 4-7 MAC) had an extra practice this week to prepare for its game April 13 against Northern Illinois (26-11, 7-3 MAC).
The only two runs allowed by Ball State (17-21, 3-6 MAC) in its loss to Buffalo (10-24, 4-3 MAC) April 8 were unearned.
After losing two against Northern Illinois (25-10, 6-2 MAC) April 5, Ball State (17-20, 3-5 MAC) will take on Mid-American Conference East Division rival Buffalo (9-24, 3-3 MAC). Ball State swept Ohio in three straight games last weekend, before the it went on the road for a midweek clash against the MAC West Division leaders, Northern Illinois.
One swing of the bat gave Northern Illinois (25-10, 6-2 MAC) the victory in the second game of a double header on April 5 against Ball State (17-20, 3-5 MAC). The Cardinals lost the first game 10-0, with its sole hit coming from sophomore catcher Leigh McAnally. After another first inning deficit in the second game the Cardinals fought back to tie the game 4-4 in the seventh inning.
Two of the Mid-American Conference’s top players are facing off April 5 as Ball State softball travels to Northern Illinois. Ball State is coming off a weekend sweep of Ohio to play Northern Illinois, which sits atop the MAC West Division.
After dropping its first three Mid-American Conference games to Miami University the weekend before, Ball State softball came back sweeping Ohio University in three games.
Ball State softball completed a three-game sweep of Ohio University after winning both games of a doubleheader 3-2 and 8-6
In a game that was dominated by pitching, Ball State topped Ohio 2-1 in its home opener.
