Ball State University Athletics
Baseball Travels To Northern Illinois This Weekend
May 08, 2009 | Baseball
What's On Tap . . .
The Cardinals return to action this weekend after having the midweek off for final exams ... Ball State travels to DeKalb, Ill., for a three-game series against Mid-American Conference West Division foe Northern Illinois ... The Cardinals bring a 21-21 overall record into the weekend and a 9-10 mark in MAC play ... BSU currently sits alone in second place in the MAC West Division with six conference games left to play ... The Cardinals are coached by seventh-year head coach Greg Beals ... Northern Illinois enters the weekend with a 17-29 overall record and an 8-12 mark in MAC play ... The Huskies are currently in fifth place in the MAC West Division after taking two out of three at Central Michigan last weekend ... NIU is led by seventh-year head coach Ed Mathey.
Schedule Change . . .
The Cardinals have added a contest to their schedule as they will now have a non-conference doubleheader at Michigan May 12 ... First pitch for the doubleheader is at 3:15 p.m. at Ray Fisher Stadium ... The two teams were originally scheduled for a single game on May 12.
Series History . . .
Ball State and Northern Illinois have met 59 times prior to this weekend's series with the Cardinals holding a 30-28-1 record all-time against the Huskies ... BSU has dropped four straight to the Huskies with all four losses coming last season ... Northern Illinois swept the abbreviated series with 4-1 and 7-6 victories in Muncie ... Ball State also was defeated twice by the Huskies in the 2008 Mid-American Conference Tournament by scores of 13-7 and 6-5.
Senior third baseman Matt Stoeklen paced the Cardinals with seven hits in the four games, including three home runs, as he drove in six ... Kolbrin Vitek tallied two home runs against NIU last season ... NIU was led by Jordin Hood who was nine-of-15 (.600) in the four games against the Cardinals ... Hood tallied two home runs and drove in eight against BSU.
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