Ball State University Athletics
Baseball Takes Part In Austin Peay Invitational This Weekend
February 26, 2009 | Baseball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals continue their travels this weekend as they head to Clarksville, Tenn., for the Austin Peay Baseball Invitational ... Ball State will face Indiana Friday, Cleveland State Saturday and host Austin Peay Sunday ... The Cardinals are 2-2 on the season after splitting a four-game series at Furman last weekend ... BSU is led by seventh-year head coach Greg Beals ... Indiana enters the weekend with a 2-1 record after playing in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge ... The Hoosier are led by fourth-year head coach Tracy Smith ... Cleveland State brings a 1-3 record into the weekend after a four-game series at Georgia State to open the season ... The Vikings are led by third-year head coach Kevin Kocks ... Austin Peay enters the weekend with a 1-4 record on the season after being swept in a four-game series at Lamar ... The Governors picked up their first win of the season as they knocked off Tennessee in a midweek contest ... APSU is led by Greg McClure who is in his 23rd season as head coach.
Nielsen MAC West Player Of The Week . . .
Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week Tuesday after opening his collegiate career in stellar fashion ... Nielsen posted a .588 batting average (10-of-17) in the four games and recorded a .650 on-base percentage as he reached base 13 times ... He tallied two home runs on the weekend, including a solo shot in his first career collegiate at bat Friday afternoon.
Nielsen drove in six runs and scored four times while posting a 1.000 slugging percentage ... He reached base at least four times in three of the games on the weekend, including a four-hit output in the Cardinals' victory Saturday in game one of the doubleheader ... He is the first freshman to win a weekly award from the MAC since BSU's Kolbrin Vitek picked up award last season (March 18, 2008).
Series History . . .
Friday's game marks the 47th meeting all-time between Ball State and Indiana and the first of two meetings this season scheduled between the two instate schools ... The Cardinals own a 24-22 record all-time against the Hoosiers and have won four straight meetings against Indiana ... Last season, the Cardinals claimed a 5-2 victory in Bloomington as BSU's pitchers held Indiana scoreless the final seven innings ... Catcher Zach Dygert tallied two hits and an RBI as five different players drove in runs.
Saturday's game between Ball State and Cleveland State marks the first meeting all-time between the two teams.
Sunday's against against Austin Peay will be the fifth meeting all-time between the Cardinals and Governors ... Ball State leads the all-time series 3-1 as it claimed two victories in a three-game series in Clarksville during the 2007 season.
This Weekend's Starters . . .
The Cardinals will send right-handers Brad Piatt, Brenden Stines and Kolbrin Vitek to the hill this weekend in the Austin Peay Invitational ... Piatt (1-0) gets the Friday start against Indiana after working five innings in the victory over Furman last weekend ... He only allowed one run on four hits as he struck out two batters ... Last season, he posted a 2-3 record with a 7.12 ERA.
Stines (0-0) heads to the mound Saturday against Cleveland State ... He worked four innings against Furman in the season opener and allowed one run on four hits as he picked up the no decision ... He posted a 3-3 record last season with a 7.95 ERA.
Vitek (0-1) gets his second straight Sunday start as he gets the ball against Austin Peay ... He worked just 2.1 innings against Furman and was charged with five runs on six hits ... Last season, he tallied a 6-1 record and a 5.65 ERA as he struck out 69 batters and only walked 19.
Indiana will send junior left-hander Matt Bashore (0-1) to the hill Friday ... Bashore is a member of the Brooks Wallace Award Watch List this season ... He picked up a loss in the season opener against West Virginia as he worked just three innings and allowed six runs on eight hits ... Last season, he recorded a 7-3 record with a 3.59 ERA as he worked 82.2 innings.
Cleveland State will send right-hander Brian Long (0-0) to the hill Saturday ... Long worked 5.1 innings against Georgia State as he was charged with five runs on eight hits ... He posted a 4-5 record last season with a 3.98 ERA.
Austin Peay sends left-hander Jack Snodgrass (0-0) to the mound Sunday afternoon ... Snodgrass makes his second start of the season after working 3.2 innings and allowing eight runs, four of which were earned ... He joined the Governors this season from Walters State CC.
Vitek Named To Watch List . . .
Sophomore pitcher/third baseman Kolbrin Vitek has been named to the 2009 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List, The College Baseball Foundation announced ... The Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate baseball player in conjunction with the College Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. ... The award is named after former Texas Tech star Brooks Wallace ... Vitek is one of five players from the Mid-American Conference on the watch list.
Vitek made an impact on the Cardinals both on the mound and at the plate last season as a true freshman ... He spent the entire season in the Cardinals' weekend rotation and served as Ball State's usual designated hitter in the games he did not pitch ... He was named to Collegiate Baseball's Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team as a “multiple position athlete.”
As the Cardinals' Sunday starter for most of the season, Vitek posted a team-best 6-1 record with a 5.65 ERA ... He led Ball State with 69 strikeouts while walking just 19, and he ranked second in the Mid-American Conference with 9.51 strikeouts per nine innings ... Ball State won 11 of the 13 games he started.
In addition to his 13 starts on the mound, Vitek started 31 games as Ball State's designated hitter and three games as the Cardinals' first baseman ... At the plate, he logged a .305 batting average with five home runs and 24 RBI ... He also added four doubles and three triples.
Cardinals Picked Second . . .
Ball State was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division in the preseason coaches' poll.
Ball State returns 16 letterwinners from last season's 28-25 team that posted a 12-11 mark in MAC play ... The Cardinals are led by second team All-MAC catcher Zach Dygert who posted a .293 batting average last season which included 13 home runs and 38 RBI ... Also, senior second baseman Nate Fields returns to the club after leading the team last season with a .331 batting average with nine home runs and 11 doubles.
Sophomore pitcher/third baseman Kolbrin Vitek returns after earning Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball ... Vitek was named to the Wallace Award Player of the Year Watch List this season as he is coming off a dual threat freshman campaign ... He posted a .305 batting average in 34 games in the field while turning in a 6-1 record with 69 strikeouts to just 19 walks on the mound for the Cardinals.
Scouting Ball State . . .
The Cardinals opened the 2009 season with a 2-2 record against Furman in Greenville, S.C. ... Ball State dropped the season opener 4-3 in 10 innings before rebounding for a doubleheader sweep Saturday (9-7 in 11 innings & 14-4) ... Furman claimed Sunday's game with a 14-7 victory.
The Cardinals posted a .314 batting average in the first four games and a .536 slugging percentage ... BSU posted eight doubles, one triple and eight home runs in the four games ... Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen led the way as he posted a .588 batting average (10-of-17) on the weekend with two home runs and six RBI ... Junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker recorded a .421 batting average (eight-of-19) as he scored five runs ... Redshirt freshman Aaron Etchison and sophomore Kolbrin Vitek each tallied two home runs on the weekend.
Scouting Indiana . . .
Indiana enters the weekend with a 2-1 record after picking up wins against South Florida and Georgetown as well as a loss against West Virginia in the Big East/Big Ten Challenge ... The Hoosiers posted a .330 batting average in the first three games and allowed opponents a .310 average.
All-American catcher Josh Phegley posted a .545 batting average (six-of-11) on the weekend ... First baseman Jerrud Sabourin notched a .500 batting average (seven-of-14).
Scouting Cleveland State . . .
Cleveland State opened the season with a 1-3 record at Georgia State ... The Vikings posted a .252 batting average last weekend in the four games while allowing a .294 average against ... Designated hitter Josh Hungermann paced the offensive attack as he hit .368 (seven-of-19) on the weekend, including three home runs and nine RBI ... Shortstop Tom Carter posted a .385 batting average (five-of-13) on the weekend as he scored three runs.
Scouting Austin Peay . . .
Austin Peay enters the weekend with a 1-4 record after being swept by Lamar in four games before upsetting Tennessee on the road during the midweek ... APSU is batting .189 on the season while opponents are batting .285 ... First baseman Brooks Hunton and outfielder Daniel Baggett lead the team with a .308 average (four-of-13).
Mueller Named Captain . . .
Senior left-hander Tom Mueller has been named the Cardinals' 2009 team captain ... Mueller, a native of Westfield, Ind., tied a Ball State single season record last year with 30 appearances on the mound ... He made 29 relief appearances and one start ... He posted a 5-0 record on the season with a 4.37 ERA ... He worked 35.0 innings and tallied 25 strikeouts compared to just 11 walks.
Switching Positions . . .
The Cardinals will have some familiar faces in new places this season as senior Nate Fields, junior Jeremy Hazelbaker and sophomore T.J. Baumet have all switched positions this season ... Fields moves from the outfield to second base this season ... He posted a team-high .331 batting average last spring as he started 38 games last year ... Hazelbaker moves from second base to center field this season to replace former Cardinal Wayne Bond Jr. ... He posted a .244 batting average in 31 starts last season as he drove in 26 runs ... Baumet split time last season mostly between third base and second base but will move to shortstop as he replaces former Cardinal Dean Anna who was drafted by the San Diego Padres ... Baumet turned in a .237 batting average in 49 starts last season as a true freshman.
Looking Ahead . . .
The Cardinals hit the road for their annual spring break trip next weekend as they play five games in six days. Ball State will play a four-game series at nationally ranked Missouri before playing two games at Southern Illinois.
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