With the Mid-American Conference tournament beginning this week, the Ball State softball team prepares to face an unfamiliar foe. No. 5 Ball State (30-26, 14-10 MAC) will take on No. 4 Kent State (27-25, 15-9 MAC) in the opening round of the conference tournament.
Senior outfielder Matt Eppers earned Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week honors after accumulating a batting average of .500 during Ball State's sweep of Toledo this past weekend. One of his six hits of the weekend came in the bottom of the ninth, where Eppers hit a walk-off single to left center field to give the Cardinals a 7-6 win in the final game of the series. During the series, Eppers went 6-12 with two doubles, three RBIs and four runs. This isn't the first time Eppers has seen success against MAC opponents either. On top of earning his second weekly MAC award, Eppers leads the MAC in batting average (.425) and runs scored (24) in conference play. Upcoming, Ball State (25-22, 12-9 MAC) will plays its final regular season home games of the year against Fort Wayne on Tuesday and Western Carolina during a three-game series this weekend.
Ball State baseball completed a three-game sweep over Toldeo while softball finished its regular season dropping two of three games to Western Michigan. Baseball After getting its Friday game pushed back, Ball State (25-21, 13-5 MAC) swept Mid-American Conference West opponent Toledo (14-33, 7-11 MAC) in three straight games. Saturday's doubleheader included a wins by the score of 5-3 and 10-5, respectively. In the first game, early run support by senior first baseman Caleb Stayton and pitcher Colin Brockhouse, who hit a solo home run in the second inning, aided Brockhouse en route to his third win of the season. In the second game, the Cardinals bounced back from a 5-0 deficit in the first two innings to score five runs in both the fifth and eighth innings.
The senior first baseman was selected as a finalist for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award earlier this week.
Following the conclusion of the 2017 NFL draft Saturday, five Ball State athletes earned opportunities to pursue professional football. Four of them played for on the Ball State football team during their collegiate careers, but one made his presence known on the basketball court. Three players were signed as undrafted free agents: standout wide receiver KeVonn Mabon signed with the Tennessee Titans, safety Martez Hester signed with the Indianapolis Colts and gradating power forward Franko House signed with the Chicago Bears. The other two, linebacker Aaron Taylor and offensive lineman Drake Miller didn't sign, but did pick up mini-camp offers.
As the Ball State women's tennis season ended in heartbreak yesterday in the Mid-American Conference semifinal to Miami, head coach Max Norris said his team had lapses and let their emotions get the best of them. He said he couldn’t ask much more from his team this year after winning back-to-back MAC regular-season championships.
The Cardinals could not get their fairy-tale ending today, as they were knocked out of the MAC tournament by Miami.
The Cardinals' season came to an end Friday.
Central Michigan exploded in the third inning, earning three runs off of three hits to give the team an early 3-0 lead. Finding no luck in the number three, Ball State softball (29-22,13-6 MAC) fell to Mid-American Conference foe Central Michigan (32-13,14-4 MAC) this afternoon with a final score of 6-1.
The Cardinals will return twelve members from last year's team.
As the National Anthem Plays throughout First Merchant Ball Park Complex prior to Ball State baseball vs. Bowling Green State. The Cardinals line up throughout the field shoulder to shoulder with nearby teammates facing the American Flag.
Ball State players have to balance the simplicity of a game with finals preparation as they head to DeKalb, Illinois, to take on Northern Illinois.
The Cardinals will have to upset a top-20 team to win the conference title.
The Cardinals go into this weekend’s event as top seed thanks to their MAC regular season championship victory.
The Cardinals open up the tournament against the hosts.
This weekend, Ball State track and field will be competing in two separate meets. One is Hillsdale, Michigan, in the Gina Relays and the other meet is the Southern Miss Open in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The sprinters, hurdlers, and sophomore high jumper Regan Lewis will be going to the Southern Miss Open. The distance runners and field athletes will be going to the Gina Relays.
Thursdays are travel days for the Ball State softball team as they prepare to play three-game series, with games on Friday, Saturday and sometimes even Sunday.
Nearly 6,000 fans attended the extra-innings thriller in downtown Indianapolis.
Whether it's been indoors at the Northwest YMCA or out in the sun at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Center, the Ball State women’s tennis team has made Muncie home for success this season.
Former Ball State women's basketball center Renee Bennett is hoping to make the case that she's good enough to play with the best in the WNBA.
