Ball State University Athletics
Softball Team Plays in Demarini Invitational Starting Friday
March 17, 2010 | Softball
Demarini Invitational - March 19-21 - Columbia, Mo.
Tournament Information: The five-team Demarini Invitational, hosted by the University of Missouri, will be played on University Field, Friday through Sunday, in Columbia, Mo. Ball State opens tournament play against No. 3 ranked Missouri, who is 18-2 this season and on a 16-game winning streak. The Cardinals will also face Northwestern, Eastern Michigan and Nothern Colorado.
To visit the tournament website, click HERE. To get instant game updates from the tournament, follow @BallStSoftball on Twitter.
Ball State's Coach Nicholson: Ball State head coach Craig Nicholson, in his fourth season as the Cardinals head coach and 15th year as a head coach, earned his 100th win at Ball State in a 7-0 shutout against Temple March 13 . . . This makes him the first head coach in school history to reach 100 wins in just 195 games . . . The 2009 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year is currently 102-95 at Ball State . . . He owns an 825-185 career coaching mark for a .817 winning percentage . . . 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.
2010 Season: With roadtrips to Georgia, Tennessee and Florida under their belt, the Cardinals are 15-5 this season . . . Going 9-1 in last week's 10-day spring break trip to Clearwater, Fla., Ball State tallied three shutouts en route to an eight-game winning streak.
Milian Perfect on the Mound: Elizabeth Milian (Grand Blanc, Mich.) posted a perfect 6-0 record during Ball State's 10-game spring break trip to Clearwater, Fla. . . . Pitching 41 innings, she allowed six runs, struck out 51 batters and allowed 30 hits . . . Her earned-run-average from the 10-day trip was 0.85 . . . She also saw her 100th career start March 14 against Middle Tennesse State . . . Milian was chosen as the Mid-American Conference West Pitcher of the Week (March 16), her third nod this season.
Milian Chases Career Records: With 111 strikeouts already this year, Milian needs just 61 to pass Ball State's career strike out leader, Bernie Coffman (1986-89) . . . Milian already owns the school's single season record for strike outs, accumulating 204 in 2009 . . . With 64 career wins, Milian is second to Coffman in this category and needs just 13 wins to take the lead.
Returning MAC Pitcher of the Year: 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 3.97 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 . . . 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.
Ware on Fire: Jessie Ware (Phoenix, Ariz.), a senior transfer from Arizona State, is batting .373 through Ball State's first 20 games, leading the team with 25 hits, 13 runs-batted-in, 22 runs scored and six triples . . . She is also tied with Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif.) with two homeruns this season . . . Ware batted .382 with 13 hits, 10 runs scored, one double, three triples and one homerun during Ball State's 10-game spring break trip to Clearwater, Fla.
Rookie on the Rise: Amanda Carpenter, a freshman outfielder, posted a .344 batting average on the spring break trip and tallied 11 hits, three doubles, one triple and a team leading two homeruns. . . She also led the team with a .688 slugging percentage and nine runs-batted-in . . . Carpenter was chosen as the MAC West Player of the Week (March 16) for her team-leading numbers in Florida.
Another Hot Starter: Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind.) tallied a team-leading 13 hits during the spring break trip, hitting at a .394 clip with seven RBI and a Ball State best four doubles . . . Collins was named to the All-MAC Second Team a year ago after leading the Cardinals with a .366 batting average.
Additional Team Leaders: Junior Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 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 . . . This season, Barkley has 14 total bases in 61 at bats, including 12 hits with one triple . . . Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla.), a 2009 All-MAC First-Team choice, ranked fifth in the nation in triples and 19th in the nation in stolen bases last year . . . She has 15 steals in 21 attempts this season, owns a .328 batting average with 20 hits, including two triples and two RBI.
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.
