Ball State University Athletics
Baseball Game Versus Indiana Pushed Back To 4 P.M.
April 14, 2009 | Baseball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State returns home to the friendly confines of Ball Diamond this week for the start of four straight home games and a stretch in which nine of its next 10 games are at home ... The Cardinals, who were rained out Tuesday, host Big Ten foe Indiana Wednesday afternoon ... Ball State enters the contest with a 15-15 overall record after dropping three straight on the road at Bowling Green last weekend ... The Cardinals are led by seventh-year head coach Greg Beals ... Indiana enters the game with a 16-17 overall record and have won four straight games, including a three-game sweep at Iowa over the weekend ... The Hoosiers are led by fourth-year head coach Tracy Smith.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast on 91.3 WCRD FM and online at www.ballstatesports.com.
Series History . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 48th meeting all-time between Ball State and Indiana ... The Cardinals hold a 25-22 advantage all-time in the series and have won five straight against the Hoosiers, including a walk-off 5-4 victory at the Austin Peay Invitational earlier this year ... Ball State trailed 4-0 early before rallying for four runs in the last three innings to claim the victory ... Junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker gave the Cardinals the victory as he hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth inning ... Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen tallied three hits in the victory, including the game-tying home run in the bottom of the eighth inning ... Sophomore third baseman Kolbrin Vitek drove in two runs ... Freshman Justin Warrington, junior Aaron Hammons, senior Tom Mueller and junior Morgan Coombs combined to toss five shutout innings that allowed the Cardinals' comeback to materialize.
Wednesday's game marks the first trip for Indiana to Ball Diamond since April 19, 2005 and the 26th trip all-time in series history dating back to April 28, 1933.
Last Time Out . . .
Ball State was swept for the fist time this season in a three-game series as the Cardinals dropped three at Bowling Green (2-3, 6-7, 7-9) ... Two of the three losses were of the walk-off variety ... The series marked the first time since April 18-20, 2008 that BSU had been swept in a three-game set (Central Michigan).
Junior catcher Zach Dygert paced the Cardinals' offensive attack as he was six-of-13 (.462) on the weekend and recorded his fourth home run of the year ... Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen added five hits on the weekend and drove in five runs in the three losses ... Right-hander Aaron Hammons made two appearances and did not allow a run in three innings of work.
Five-Finger Discount . . .
The Cardinals lead the Mid-American Conference this season in stolen bases ... Through 30 games, Ball State has recorded 74 stolen bases on 87 attempts ... The 74 stolen bases leads the MAC and is 27 more than second place Miami has with 47 swipes.
Ball State also owns the top stolen base tandem in the conference this season in junior Jeremy Hazelbaker and senior Nate Fields ... The two have combined to steal 40 bases in 45 attempts at the top of the Cardinals' lineup ... The tandem alone has stolen more bases than nine MAC teams so far this season ... Fields leads the team with 21 steals in 22 attempts while Hazelbaker has converted 19-of-23 stolen base attempts ... The two are first and second in the MAC in stolen bases, respectively.
Fab Freshman . . .
Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen enters Wednesday's game second on the team in batting with a .363 average ... Nielsen leads all Mid-American Conference freshmen in batting average this year while also leading freshmen in hits with 45 ... He has already earned MAC West Player of the Week honors twice this season and is the only true freshman to earn Player of the Week honors this year.
Double Trouble . . .
Ball State leads the Mid-American Conference and is 68th in NCAA Division I in doubles with 77 ... The Cardinals have 11 players who have notched doubles this season with eight of those players with at least five doubles ... Sophomore third baseman Kolbrin Vitek leads the team with 12 doubles while senior second baseman Nate Fields is second with 11 doubles ... Last season, the Cardinals set the BSU single season record for doubles with 133.
200 Victories . . .
Seventh-year head coach Greg Beals joined some elite company in Ball State baseball history as he became the fifth coach to reach 200 career victories with the Cardinals' 4-2 win over Kent State ... Beals (203-163) joins former Cardinal coaches Pat Quinn (323 wins), Rich Maloney (256), Paul Williams (209) and Bob Rickel (209) ... Beals is the second-fastest coach to reach 200 victories as he reached his milestone in 359 games ... Maloney was the fastest to reach 200 wins as he did it in 312 games, followed by Rickel (398 games), Williams (409) and Quinn (427).
Leading The Way . . .
Junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, the Cardinals' leadoff hitter, enters the weekend leading the Mid-American Conference in batting with a .446 average ... Hazelbaker leads the league in hits (50), runs (39), triples (4), stolen bases (18) and on-base percentage (.544) ... He is third in total bases (75) fifth in slugging percentage (.678).
Today's Starters . . .
Ball State will send right-hander Adam Quinn to the mound Wednesday while Indiana will counter with right-hander Joey O'Gara ... Quinn enters the game with a 2-2 overall record and a 6.23 ERA on the year ... He will be making his fifth start of the season and eighth appearances as he has worked 17.1 innings ... Quinn has struck out 14 while walking eight ... He last saw action at Purdue last week as he worked one scoreless inning of relief ... He will be making his first start since March 25 (at Indiana State).
O'Gara will be making his third start and 10th appearance of the year Wednesday as he brings a 1-2 record with a 7.89 ERA ... He has worked 21.2 innings this year and has struck out 13 while walking 11 ... O'Gara started last week's victory over Valparaiso as he worked three innings and allowed four runs in the no decision.
Scouting Ball State . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's contest with a 15-15 overall record and a 5-5 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals have scored 207 runs in 30 games (6.9 per game) while batting .307 on the year ... Ball State owns a .484 slugging percentage on the year courtesy of 77 doubles, 11 triples and 30 home runs ... On the mound, the Cardinals leads the MAC with a 4.12 ERA and is holding opponents to a .282 batting average ... Ball State has struck out 196 batters while walking 114.
Junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker leads the team and the MAC in hitting with a .426 batting average ... Hazelbaker also leads the team with 52 hits and 41 runs scored ... Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen is second on the team with a .363 batting average and is second with 45 hits ... Nielsen is third on the team with 27 RBI ... Sophomore third baseman Kolbrin Vitek is third on the team with a .345 batting average and leads the team with six home runs.
In the bullpen, senior left-hander Tom Mueller leads the team with 18 appearances as he has worked 20.2 innings and owns a 1.31 ERA ... Junior right-hander Aaron Hammons is second on the team with 17 appearances and owns a 2.79 ERA in 19.1 innings ... Hammons leads all relievers with 24 strikeouts ... Junior closer Morgan Coombs has appeared in 13 games and has a 2.95 ERA in 21.1 innings.
Scouting Indiana . . .
Indiana enters Wednesday's game with a 16-17 overall record as it has won four straight ... The Hoosiers have scored 240 runs in 33 games (7.3 per game) while posting a .330 batting average ... Indiana owns a .492 slugging percentage on the strength of 72 doubles, nine triples and 34 home runs ... On the mound, the Hoosiers own a 5.83 ERA and opponents are batting .301 ... Indiana has struck out 245 batters while walking 121.
Offensively, Alex Dickerson leads the team with a .388 batting average ... Dickerson also leads the team with 10 home runs and 52 hits while he is second with 39 RBI ... Josh Phegley is second on the team with a .376 batting average and leads the team with 40 RBI ... He is second in home runs with nine.
In the bullpen, Chris Squires leads the team with 11 appearances and owns a 4.73 ERA in 32.1 innings while recording two saves ... Matt Carr also has appeared in 11 games and has a 4.91 ERA in 22.0 innings.
Using The Long Ball . . .
Last season, Ball State tied a single season record for home runs with 95 long balls on the year ... The Cardinals prepared for a downturn in the power department this season after losing 46 home runs to either the Major League Baseball Draft or graduation ... Through the first 30 games though, Ball State has pounded out30 home runs ... Nine different players have hit the long ball this season ... Junior left fielder Kory Benbow and sophomore third baseman Kolbrin Vitek lead the team with six home runs apiece while freshman Ian Nielsen and junior catcher Zach Dygert have tallied four home runs.
Gridiron To The Diamond . . .
Ball State received an addition to the pitching staff this spring from an unlikely source, the Mid-American Conference West Division champion Cardinal football team ... Redshirt freshman Perci Garner joined the Ball State baseball program in January after serving as the Cardinals' third string quarterback this fall ... Garner has already appeared in 11 games this spring, working 11.0 innings and allowing four runs ... He has tallied 14 strikeouts this season while only walking six batters as he owns a 3.27 ERA.
Garner was a two-sport star at Dover High School in Ohio ... He was named the East Central Ohio League Pitcher of the Year as he posted a 5-3 record with a stellar 0.83 ERA.
Cardinals Rack Up Honors . . .
Ball State has garnered a weekly Mid-American Conference honor in the first seven weeks of the season as the Cardinals have tallied six Player of the Week honors and two Pitcher of the Week accolades ... Freshman first baseman Ian Nielsen (two), junior center fielder Jeremy Hazelbaker (three), junior left fielder Kory Benbow have earned Player of the Week honors, while junior right-hander Brad Piatt and sophomore right-hander Kolbrin Vitek earned Pitcher of the Week accolades.
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. 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 in game one of the doubleheader.
Hazelbaker led the Cardinals to a 2-0 weekend and the top spot at the 2009 Austin Peay Baseball Invitational as he posted a .600 batting average (six-of-10) for the weekend ... He drove in six runs, scored four runs and posted a 1.200 slugging percentage in the two victories.
Against Big Ten foe Indiana, he tallied his first home run of the season as he recorded a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Cardinals a heart stopping 5-4 victory ... He followed that up with a four-hit performance against Austin Peay as he drove in a career-high five runs in the victory.
Benbow posted a .600 batting average (nine-of-15) in the Cardinals' four-game series against Big 12 power Missouri ... He tallied a series-best nine hits in the four games as he drove in five runs and scored four runs ... He tallied 17 total bases on the weekend for a 1.133 slugging percentage while notching two doubles and two home runs.
In the second game of the series, Benbow tied his career-high with five hits and reached base a career-high six times in the Cardinals' victory.
Hazelbaker earned his second MAC West weekly honor this season after as he led the Cardinals to a 4-2 record last week against Southern Illinois and Chicago State ... He posted a .500 batting average (10-of-20) and tallied a .630 on-base percentage for the week as he reached base 17 times in the six games ... Hazelbaker also recorded seven stolen bases on eight attempts for the week ... He scored nine runs in the six games and posted four multiple-hit games on the week.
Piatt earns his first MAC West weekly honor of his career after he improved to 3-0 on the season as he worked seven shutout innings in the Cardinals' victory over Chicago State ... He limited the Cougars to just one hit over seven innings as he struck out a career-high eight batters ... He only walked one batter in the victory as the Cougars didn't have a base runner past second base and only had one base runner reach second base.
Vitek picked up his first weekly honor for Vitek this season and the second honor of his career (March 19, 2008) ... Vitek was dominant on the mound last week in two starts against Notre Dame and Akron as he posted a 1-0 record with a 0.82 ERA ... He only allowed one earned run in 11.0 innings of work in his two starts ... He struck out 15 batters on the week while only walking one batter ... He also was strong at the plate as he posted a .471 (eight-of-17) average over the four games last week.
Hazelbaker led the Cardinals to a series split against preseason MAC favorite Kent State has he posted a .750 batting average (six-of-eight) in the two games ... He became the first Cardinal to hit for the cycle since Ben Schroeder accomplished the feat April 20, 2003 in Ball State's 10-3 victory over Illinois State ... He accomplished the feat Friday afternoon in his first four at-bats of the game as he tallied a first inning double, a second inning home run, a fourth inning single and a fifth inning triple as he reached base five times against the Golden Flashes ... He posted a 1.625 slugging percentage in the series as he reached base eight times in the two games and hit two doubles, a triple and a home run.
Nielsen earned his second honor as he led the Cardinals into sole possession of first place in the MAC West Division with a doubleheader sweep at Buffalo this past weekend ... He was six-of-nine (.667) in the two games against the Bulls and drove in five runs ... Four out of his five RBI came with two outs in the twin bill as he led the Cardinals to a 5-2 conference start.
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.
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.
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State remains home at Ball Diamond this weekend as the Cardinals host Central Michigan in a three-game Mid-American Conference series.
####
