Ball State University Athletics
Baseball Fall Season Recap
October 18, 2005 | Baseball
With standout performances by junior outfielder Eric Earnhart (Urbana, Ohio/Urbana) and freshman catcher Alex Schmid (Canton, Ohio/Central Catholic), coach Marconi's team took the Red/White Series with a 3-1 edge over coach French's squad.
In addition to his play in the Series, Earnhart competed well enough in practice to earn Most Valuable Player recognition.
"Eric is a great competitor and his at-bats exemplified that," Beals said. "He is starting to play like the championship-caliber player that we know he is.
Sophomore Kyle Heyne (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater), a right-handed pitcher, was awarded Most Valuable Pitcher honors.
Beals stated, "Kyle was our Most Valuable Pitcher because of his consistency. We had guys with both good and bad outings, but Kyle's consistency led to us giving him the award."
The Most Improved Player honor went to sophomore infielder Phil Bednar (Monroe Falls, Ohio/Stow).
"This is a case where Phil isn't a freshman anymore," Beals said. "He came in last year and felt his way through things behind four-year letterwinner Jason Bucholtz. Phil was recruited as our shortstop of the future and he is coming into it this fall."
Rookie honors went to freshman pitcher Jay Broughton (Indianapolis, Ind./Triton Central), who showed the ability to contribute to the team right away, according to Beals.
"Jay was throwing hard and had a great curveball. We are excited about his contribution this spring."
The Gold Glove, the final award given out by the coaching staff, went to senior first baseman Brad Miller (Muncie, Ind./Central).
"Everybody talks about the big fella's bat, but his defense is the glue that holds the infield together," Beals concluded. "Brad is a tall target and he is also great at getting balls down in the dirt."
The Cardinals' regular season is slated to begin with a three-game series Friday, Feb. 17 at Alabama-Birmingham.
