On Tuesday evening, Ball State softball looked to get back in the win column after being swept by Ohio. This time, they traveled to South Bend to tangle with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. But after the lights were shut down and Melissa Cook Stadium went silent, the Cardinals (16-17, 6-5 Mid-American Conference) hopped on the bus with another loss.
Ball State finished 15th out of 16 at the Colonel Classic in Richmond, Kentucky. The Ball State’s five-person lineup consisted of freshman Madelin Boyd, freshman Jasmine Driscoll, freshman Sarah Gallagher, sophomore Payton Bennett and graduate student Peyton Broce.
After taking over first place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) last week, Ball State Softball looked to hold that position. But after being swept by the Ohio Bobcats in Athens, Ohio, the Cardinals are now in fifth place while the Bobcats top the conference.
The Cardinals (15-3, 4-1 MAC) picked up a hard-fought 5-2 win, putting them in a good spot at the midway point of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular season. They’ve won four out of their five matches in conference play, and remain just one game behind the Toledo Rockets for first place in the conference.
In a three-game weekend series March 31 and April 2, Ball State Baseball (20-7, 10-2 MAC) went 2-1 against Akron (12-16, 5-8 MAC) in Ohio. The Cardinals return to action April 4 when they take on Bellarmine (8-20, 3-6 ASUN) at 3 p.m. at Ball Diamond at First Merchant's Ballpark Complex in Muncie, Ind.
In what was their final road stretch of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) portion of their schedule, Ball State Men’s Volleyball won both of their matches. First, the Cardinals won in straight sets (25-18, 25-21, 25-20) over McKendree on March 30, followed by a five-set (25-22, 25-19, 21-25, 17-25, 15-12) thriller against Lewis Saturday.
Ball State soccer was back in spring action at home with a 1-1 draw in a spring match against Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats April 1.
Friday was the second time in three weeks that Ball State (10-8, 2-4 MAC) and the Toledo Rockets (11-5, 3-2 MAC) matched up. The Rockets took the first match on March 11 by a score of 4-3. The Cardinals were looking to make some adjustments and pick up a quality road win. After losing once again by the same score to the same team, it’s another close match that the team let slip away.
Ball State (14-3, 3-1 MAC) is in a different position than in previous years. After losing last Sunday against conference-rival Toledo, the Cardinals no longer own the top spot in the conference standings. This week was all about how the team would respond to adversity. After a sweep of the Northern Illinois Huskies (11-11, 1-3 MAC) Friday, the Cardinals’ focus is reset as the conference season heads towards the home stretch.
This week was all about how the team would respond to adversity. After a sweep of the Northern Illinois Huskies (11-11, 1-3 MAC) Friday, the Cardinals’ focus is reset as the conference season heads towards the home stretch.
A 60-page PowerPoint helped Nick Elam bring his basketball idea to reality. What began as an idea between his friends watching March Madness soon turned into a 300-page book with one major takeaway: get rid of the clock in the waning moments of the game.
After some mid-week Mid-American Conference (MAC) play at home, Ball State is now the No. 1 team in the conference. To do so, they defeated Northern Illinois 2-1.
Sparks averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds this season while accumulating 29 blocks and 59 assists. He was named to the All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Second Team this season as the Cardinals went 20-12 (11-7 MAC) and lost to Ohio 90-70 in the first round of the MAC Tournament – the Cardinals second-consecutive first round exit from the postseason.
With a Co-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Regular Season Championship, a second-place finish at the MAC Championship Meet and a nationally-ranked 34th-best NQS score of 196.395, Ball State earned an at-large team bid to the NCAA Regionals in Norman, Oklahoma, the first time since 1999 the Cardinals will compete at regionals as a team and just the second time in program history.
The Cardinals were at Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis for the Don Benbow Invitational. The five-person roster consisted of sophomore Kash Bellar, graduate student Joey Ranieri, redshirt sophomore Ali Khan, freshman Carter Smith, and redshirt sophomore Griffin Hare.
The tables have turned. The back-to-back Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions Ball State Cardinals (13-3, 2-1 MAC) have been used to having a target on their back over the past two seasons. However, after Sunday’s loss against the Toledo Rockets (12-3, 3-0 MAC), they’ll be doing the hunting instead of being the hunted from here on out.
In Ball State’s first home series of the 2023 campaign, the Cardinals were able to bring out the brooms as they swept Central Michigan. “There's something special about this team when we're playing at home,” head coach Lacy Schurr said. “You know, this is my third season [as Ball State head coach] and there's something about being at home. If we have strikes and outs left on the board, we're still in the game.”
At the halfway point in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) season, Ball State men’s tennis (10-7, 2-3 MAC) is left with some work to do if they want to make the postseason conference tournament. After Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Bulls (6-6, 2-3 MAC), the Cardinals are tied with Buffalo for the fourth and final spot in the conference tournament.
March 24-26, Ball State Baseball (17-6, 8-1 MAC) and Eastern Michigan (10-10, 4-5 MAC) competed in a three-game Mid-American Conference (MAC) weekend series, where the Cardinals defeated the Eagles in each contest. Ball State has won eight in a row and returns to action March 28 at home at 3 p.m. against Southern Indiana (7-16, 0-2 OVC).
Ball State Men's Volleyball (14-8, 7-3 MIVA) swept Lindenwood (9-9, 6-4 MIVA) 25-19, 25-18 and 25-17 in conference action at home March 25.
