Ball State University Athletics
Softball Team Opens Season Friday
February 19, 2010 | Softball
Under the direction of fourth-year head coach and 2009 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, Craig Nicholson, the Ball State softball team will open the 2010 season Friday through Sunday at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament hosted by Kennesaw State.
The tournament will be held at Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Woodstock, Ga., and the Cardinals are scheduled to play Friday at 10:30 a.m. vs. Tennessee Tech.
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Games 1-5 at Phyllis Rafter Memorial
The Tournament: The second annual Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament will be held at Twin Creeks Softball Complex in Woodstock, Ga. . . . Joining Ball State and host Kennesaw State at the tournament are Alabama State, Mercer, Middle Tennessee State, Southern Illinois, Tennessee Tech and Western Illinois . . . The tournament is a three-day, 20-game event with each participating team playing five games . . . The first two days will feature eight games played on two fields will all teams playing two games . . . Sunday will feature four games on two fields as all eight teams will play a single game . . . Complete tournament schedule on the next page.
Ball State's Coach Nicholson: Ball State head coach Craig Nicholson is in his fourth season as the Cardinals head coach and his 15th year as a head coach . . . He owns an 810-180 career coaching mark for a .818 winning percentage . . . The 2009 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year is 87-90 at Ball State . . . Prior to coming to Ball State, Nicholson spent 11 years as the head coach at Central Arizona College where he was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2005 . . . He was also the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Junior College Coach of the Year in 1997, 1999 and 2005 . . . Nicholson led Central Arizona to NJCAA National Championships in 1997, 1999, 2003 and 2005, and garnered national runner-up finishes in 1996 and 2000 . . . Central Arizona won seven conference championship and eight regional titles in his 11 seasons.
The 2009 Season: Ball State won the school's first-ever Mid-American Conference Championship with an 18-3 league mark, which was the best regular season record in school history . . . The Cardinals were 29-24 overall last season.
Ball State's 2010 Preseason: The Cardinals were selected by the MAC head coaches as the preseason favorite to win the 2010 Mid-American Conference West Division . . . In addition, Ball State begins the 2010 season ranked No. 38 in the country in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Collegiate Top 25 Poll released Jan. 25 . . . Ball State is joined by BYU and San Diego State, who also received four votes in the poll.
Returning MAC Pitcher of the Year: Elizabeth Milian, a Ball State senior, was selected the 2009 MAC Pitcher of the Year and Nan Harvey Sportswoman of the Year . . . One of 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in the sport of softball, Milian owns a 3.941 grade-point average on Ball State's 4.0 scale as a secondary mathematics education major . . . She tallied a 21-15 pitching record last season and was named to the All-MAC and National Fastpitch Coaches Association first teams . . . A member of the Academic All-MAC team two straight years, Milian was also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team last season . . . Milian set the Ball State single-season record with 204 strikeouts as a junior and is tied for the school record with six career saves . . . She ranked second in the MAC in wins (21), innings pitched (224) and complete games (27) as a junior plus held opponents to a .214 batting average, which ranked third in the league.
Returning MAC Player of the Year: Junior Alicia Barkley was named the 2009 MAC Player of the Year after posting a .337 batting average, including hitting at a .446 clip in conference play . . . She was named to the All-MAC First Team and the NFCA All-Region First Team . . . Barkley tallied 15 multiple-hit games and nine multiple-RBI games.
Other Top Returnees: Lisa Rozanski, a 2009 All-MAC First-Team choice, ranked fifth in the nation in triples and 19th in the nation in stolen bases last year . . . Catcher Amanda Montalto was named to the All-Freshman Team last season after posting a .318 batting average, including a .370 mark in MAC games . . . Alyssa Collins, a junior, was named to the All-MAC Second Team, led the Cardinals with a .366 batting average.
