Ball State University Athletics
Softball Team at Two Tournaments in Tampa Starting Friday
March 03, 2010 | Softball
USF Under Armour Invitational - March 5-9
USF Under Armour Showcase - March 12-14
Tournament No. 1: The 27-team USF Under Armour Invitational will be played on seven fields and hosted by the University of South Florida.
Tournament No. 2: The 26-team USF Under Armour Showcase will be played on seven fields and hosted by the University of South Florida.
USF Under Armour Invitational -- Tournament Central Page
USF Under Armour Showcase -- Tournament Central 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 816-184 career coaching mark for a .816 winning percentage . . . The 2009 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year is 89-93 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.
2010 Season: Ball State opened the 2010 season at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament in Woodstock, Ga., and posted a 2-3 overall record in the event with wins over Tennessee Tech and Kennesaw State . . . The Cardinals were 4-1 in last week's Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Milian Sets Pace with Weekend Play: Elizabeth Milian posted a 3-0 record with one save at the Frost Classic last weekend for Ball State . . . She pitched 16 and two thirds innings, allowing zero runs, striking out 25 batters and allowing only two hits in the tournament.
Milian Started 2010 Like it was 2009: Elizabeth Milian managed a 2-1 mark with a 0.45 earned-run average in the season opening tournament at Kennesaw State . . . She was named to the All-Tournament Team after pitching 20 innings, allowing only eight hits and striking out 35 batters while walking only six . . . She gave up her only run of the tournament in the bottom of the sixth vs. Southern Illinois in the final game of the tournament.
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 . . . 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 Off to Hot Start: Jessie Ware is batting .364 through Ball State's first 10 games with a team high 12 hits, a team best 10 runs-batted-in and a Ball State best three triples . . . Ware, who was named to the Phyllis Rafter Memorial All-Tournament Team in the team's opening weekend, batted .500 with nine hits, 11 runs scored, two doubles, one triple and one homerun at the Frost Classic last weekend.
Team's Top Hitter: Amanda Montalto, a sophomore catcher who was named to the All-Freshman Team last season after posting a .318 batting average, is leading the Cardinals with a .423 batting average so far this year . . . She is second on the team with 11 hits plus has four doubles and five RBI.
Another Hot Starter: Jen Reifschneider, who was named to the Phyllis Rafter Memorial All-Tournament Team in Ball State's opening weekend, is hitting at a .350 clip with seven hits, six RBI, three doubles and one HR . . . Reifschneider's first at bat of the 2010 season resulted in a three run homer to lift Ball State to a 4-0 win over Tennessee Tech in the season opener.
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 . . . Barkley has 10 total bases in 32 at bats, including eight hits with one triple this season.
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 . . . She has seven steals in attempts this season . . . Alyssa Collins, a junior, was named to the All-MAC Second Team a year ago after leading the Cardinals with a .366 batting average.
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.
