Ball State University Athletics
Season Preview: Baseball Looks To Build On 2006 Success
January 22, 2007 | Baseball
After losing 10 seniors, six everyday starters and the ace pitcher from a 2006 NCAA Regional team, it would be easy to look at the 2007 Ball State baseball season as a rebuilding year.
But that's not the way coach Greg Beals and the defending Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Cardinals are looking at the challenge ahead of them.
"We look at this season as a reloading or retooling year," Beals says. "Our expectations are just as high as ever. There may be more questions than there were last year, but we believe we can get there just the same."
A group of 14 newcomers join 20 returners for the Cardinals in 2007.
PITCHERS
The pitching staff features the highest number of returning players with 11, including two weekend starters, one of the team's usual mid-week starters and two of the team's top relievers from 2006.
Junior right-hander Tyler Pritchard and senior right-hander Ryan DeGeeter return after serving as the Cardinal's No. 2 and No. 3 starters, respectively, a season ago.
Pritchard owned the best winning percentage among all of Ball State's regular starters in 2006, posting a 7-3 record with a 4.93 ERA in 15 starts and 22 total appearances. DeGeeter returns for his final campaign as the starting staff's most veteran pitcher. He has started 32 games in his college career and owns a 10-9 career record. Like Pritchard, DeGeeter started 15 games last season.
Jay Broughton, another right-handed pitcher, returns for his sophomore season in 2006. As a freshman, Broughton appeared in 16 games and made six mid-week starts. He posted a 3-1 record and struck out 38 batters in 48.2 innings.
In addition to those returners, Ball State also added a possible starter in the offseason by signing right-hander Brenden Stines as a transfer. Stines spent his freshman season at College of Charleston, where he pitched 13 innings and posted a 2-0 record. It was his College of Charleston team that handed Ball State its first loss at the 2006 NCAA Regional.
"We feel like the depth of our pitching staff is going to be better than it has ever been," Beals says. "The biggest question for us is somebody stepping up and declaring himself a Friday starter."
The Ball State bullpen is highlighted by the return of junior closer Kyle Heyne, who finished second in the MAC last season with 12 saves. Heyne finished the 2006 campaign with a team-best 2.11 ERA and struck out 46 batters in 42.2 innings. He earned two of his saves in Ball State's two biggest wins: the MAC Tournament championship game against Kent State and the first round NCAA Regional game against No. 1 seed Kentucky.
Also in the bullpen, Richie Fralick returns for his senior season. As a junior in 2006, Fralick made 24 appearances and posted a 4-0 record. He owns a career record of 10-2. Fralick's only start in 2006 came when he was called upon to start the championship game of the MAC Tournament. He threw a season-high 4.1 innings in helping the Cardinals to the win.
Adam Quinn is the other returning reliever who pitched for Ball State in 2006. The 6-foot-9 Quinn threw nine innings as a freshman with a 5.00 ERA. He earned the win in Ball State's April 5 victory over Valparaiso.
Those returning relievers are joined by a group of eight others who did not appear in a game for Ball State in 2006.
Luke Behning returns for his senior season after sitting out the 2006 season injured. Two years ago, he made 19 appearances and posted a 2-1 record. Senior Jeff Loveys also sat out the 2006 season. The transfer from Buffalo has not thrown a pitch at Ball State but was drafted in the 48th round of the 2006 draft by the New York Yankees. In addition, Tom Mueller returns as a sophomore.
Redshirt freshman Chase Gaff will play a role in 2007 after earning the team's Most Improved Pitcher award during the fall season. Aaron Hammons also returns as a redshirt freshman, while Brad Piatt and Heath Riley join the pitching staff as true freshmen. Riley was named All-State Honorable Mention in 2006, while Piatt has earned All-State honors as both a pitcher and first baseman.
Junior left-hander Josh Vollmer joins the Cardinals as a transfer from Butler, where he posted a 3-1 record and a 3.98 ERA last season.
INFIELDERS
Shortsop Eric Earnhart is the only returning infielder for the 2007 Cardinals. The senior moved to shortstop from the outfield in 2006 and was part of a team that set a Ball State single season record for team fielding percentage at .973. At the plate, Earnhart spent much of the season in the leadoff spot. He finished the season with a .297 batting average and recorded a team-best 20-game hitting streak.
On the right side of the infield, senior Matt Gard will play second base and junior transfer Matt Stoeklen will patrol first. Gard played nine games in the infield in 2006 but served as the designated hitter for most of the season. The fifth-year senior from Muncie was one of Ball State's hottest hitters early in 2006 and finished the season with a .267 batting average. Stoeklen comes to Ball State as a junior after two seasons at Fort Scott Community College. Stoeklen belted 28 home runs in his two junior college seasons, including 14 homers to go along with a .371 batting average in 2006.
At third base, Ball State will look to freshman Tyler Rogers. Rogers hit .436 for his high school career at Lafayette Jefferson, where he earned All-State Honorable Mention honors. he logged a .444 batting average as a senior in 2006 and stole 27 bases.
"That infield is very talented," Beals says. "They're going to need some time to come together, but we feel very good about it."
Senior Mike Ayala, sophomores Cory Dragstrem and Nate Fields and freshmen Jeremy Hazelbaker and Shannon McCormick round out the crew of Ball State infielders.
Ayala played in 31 games and started six as the team's designated hitter in 2006. Dragstrem appeared in three games for the Cardinals, and Fields played in 29 games and earned three starts as the designated hitter.
The freshmen, Hazelbaker and McCormick, are local products. Hazelbaker played at Wapahani High School in Selma, Ind., where he earned All-State First Team honors as a senior in 2006. He hit .420 for his career with 21 home runs, 139 RBI and 79 stolen bases. McCormick played high school baseball for Burris in Muncie. He earned All-State Honorable Mention honors in 2006 after compiling a career .502 average and hitting .604 as a senior.
OUTFIELDERS
Junior Justin Rogers returns as Ball State's right fielder. Rogers closed the 2006 season with a strong second half and was rewarded by being named to the 2007 Wallace Award Watch List for the College Baseball Foundation's Player of the Year. He led the Cardinals in 2006 with a .347 batting average and also hit five home runs and knocked in 44 runs. He picked up the game-winning RBI in Ball State's first round NCAA Regional victory over Kentucky.
Rogers will be joined in the outfield by junior college transfer Wayne Bond. Bond will play center field after coming to Ball State from Lincoln Trail College, where he hit .403 in 2006. Bond was impressive during the fall season, earning the team's Most Valuable Player and Top Newcomer awards. He is likley to hit in the leadoff spot.
"Justin Rogers will anchor that outfield along with Wayne Bond," Beals says. "We feel pretty good about those two guys."
Freshmen Kory Benbow and Ryan Chenoweth, along with Fields, will compete for playing time as the left fielder and designated hitter.
Benbow, another local freshman from Cowan High School near Muncie, will play right field. A decorated high school player, Benbow was named to the All-State First Team three times. He hit .464 for his high school career with 111 stolen bases. His 55 career doubles and 165 career RBI rank first all-time in the state of Indiana.
Chenoweth is a transfer who redshirted last season at Coastal Carolina. He is an Indiana product, who played at Homestead High School in Fort Wayne. Chenoweth hit .427 for his high school career with 13 home runs and 78 RBI.
Redshirt freshman Mark Isenberg rounds out the group of Cardinal outfielders. Isenberg is from nearby Hartford City, Ind., where he played at Blackford High School. He hit .484 for his career and belted 14 career home runs on his way to earning All-State First Team honors twice.
CATCHERS
The starting catching responsibilities will fall to two freshmen: Alex Schmid, a redhshirt freshman, and Zach Dygert, a true freshman.
Schmid was named the team's Most Improved Player during the fall season. He earned All-Ohio First Team honors as a senior at Central Catholic High School in Canton, Ohio, where he compiled a .476 career batting average with 142 RBI.
Dygert played high school baseball at Angola High School and was named to the All-State First Team in 2006. He hit .485 as a senior with seven home runs and 40 RBI. Dygert is the younger brother of four-year Ball State baseball letterwinner Kyle Dygert, who graduated in 2006.
"Schmid had a great fall," Beals says. "He and Dygert will split time there at the beginning of the season. Both guys are very capable both offensively and defensively."
The Cardinals also have catching options in junior Jordan Goodpaster and freshmen Joe Mack and Nick Zimmerman.
Goodpaster did not see game action last season but did play in two games for Ball State in 2005. Mack was a 2006 All-State First Team selection at Andrean High School in Crown Point, Ind, and Zimmerman earned All-Conference honors as a senior at Cowan High School, where he played with fellow freshman Kory Benbow.
COACH'S OUTLOOK
"We have some big shoes to fill this season, but we are filling them with guys who are very capable," Beals says. "We fully expect there to be some growing pains, but our goal is to get through them and come out on top in the end."
