Ball State University Athletics
Softball Hosts Ohio In Final Games Of The Season Sunday
May 07, 2010 | Softball
http://www.twitter.com/ballstsoftball
Game Information: The Ball State Cardinals (38-13; 16-4 MAC) take on the Ohio Bobcats (18-29; 13-7 MAC) in a doubleheader beginning at noon Sunday at the BSU Softball Complex in Muncie, Ind. . . . This marks the Cardinals final regular season games . . . Ball State is currently on a season-best 10-game winning streak . . . The Bobcats return to play after being swept by Miami in a doubleheader Friday . . . Sunday's game has been designated Senior Day at the park and Ball State's seniors - Brittney Jones, Elizabeth Milian, Meredith Nash, Jen Reifschneider and Jessie Ware - will be recognized . . . Live stats will be available on www.ballstatesports.com and inning-by-inning updates provided by @BallStSoftball on Twitter.
Series History: Ball State and Ohio have met 66 times prior to this weekend's two-game series . . . The Cardinals lead the overall series with a 33-32 record and one game ended in a tie . . . In the 2009 season, Ball State swept Ohio 10-7 April 25 and 7-3 April 26 in Athens, Ohio . . . The last time the Bobcats defeated the Cardinals was in the 2008 season when Ball State suffered 10-6 and 2-0 losses to Ohio in Muncie.
2010 Season: Currently 38-13 overall, Ball State is ranked No. 45 in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the highest in the MAC . . . The team has set school records in total bases (641), runs scored (296), doubles (82), triples (30) and RBI (257) . . . Ball State needs just two wins to set a school record in that category . . . The Cardinals played 31 non-conference games this season and concluded their non-conference schedule April 21 against Purdue . . . The team finished with a 22-9 record in non-conference play . . . Having defeated its last 10 opponents, Ball State is currently on its longest winning streak of the season . . . Ball State players have earned 11 weekly conference awards.
RECENT NEWS
Softball Sweeps Akron In Consecutive Shutouts Friday: The Ball State softball team swept Mid-American Conference opponent Akron 7-0 and 3-0 in Friday's doubleheader at the BSU Softball Complex in Muncie, Ind.. . . . Kate Wilczynski hit a perfect three-for-three at bat in game one slugging three consecutive doubles . . . Jessie Ware, who leads the nation in triples and triples per game, notched two more triples Friday and has 15 to date . . . The two wins improve Ball State's overall record to 38-13 and its conference record to 16-4, which gives the Cardinals the official top spot in the MAC West Division and ties them with Kent State overall.
PLAYER UPDATES
Barkley Bouncing Back: Junior shortstop 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 . . . This season, Barkley is second on the team with three triples against MAC opponents . . . She is batting at a .261 clip overall
Rookie on the Rise: Freshman left fielder Amanda Carpenter is second on the team with six home runs . . . Named the MAC Player of the Week March 16, she is batting .311 overall and .338 in conference play . . . The rookie is ranked second in the conference with 39 runs scored and 39 RBI . . . She is tied for first on the team with four home runs in MAC play.
Collins Proving Clutch: Right fielder Alyssa Collins is second on the team with 18 multi-hit games this season . . . The junior's .335 batting average and 58 hits are the second best marks on the team . . . Her hit count is the third best in the conference . . . Collins was named to the All-MAC Second Team and MAC All-Tournament Team in 2009.
Milian Breaking Records: Ace pitcher Elizabeth Milian owns 703 strikeouts in her career and surpassed Ball State's career strikeout leader, Bernie Coffman (1986-89) who tallied 628, April 14 against Indiana . . . Ball State's single season record holder in strikeouts after accumulating 204 in 2009, Milian broke her 2009 record April 23 against Bowling Green and has 247 strikeouts to date . . . With 80 career wins, Milian surpassed Coffman Saturday and is now the winningest pitcher in school history . . . Milian was chosen as the Mid-American Conference West Pitcher of the Week (May 4), her sixth nod this season and 12th of her career, including a Player of the Week honor in 2008 . . . Maintaining a 3.97 grade point average as a secondary mathematics education major, Milian was named the MAC Co-Female Scholar Athlete of the Week (March 26) - the first of her career . . . In 2009, Milian was named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year.
Montalto on a Mission: Catcher Amanda Montalto leads the team and the conference with 16 doubles . . . She became Ball State's single season leader in doubles Sunday against Western Michigan . . . Montalto also leads the conference with 43 RBI and is first on the team with eight home runs . . . Montalto has been walked a team and conference-high 25 times.
Rozanski Running: Center fielder 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 a team and conference-leading 33 steals this season . . . With 110 stolen bases in three years, she owns the Ball State career record in this category . . . She also set Ball State career records March 24 and April 16 this season in walks and runs with 78 and 119 to date, respectively . . . The redshirt junior is third on the team in conference play, batting at a .368 clip and has tallied 25 hits against MAC opponents, four of which are extra base hits . . . She hit consecutive triples April 24 . . . Rozanski's single season record for stolen bases is 43, which she tallied in 2008 to become the school's leader
Ware a Triple Threat: Jessie Ware, a senior transfer from Arizona State, has set four Ball State single season records this year . . . Her first was set April 9 against Central Michigan when she hit her 10th triple, she now has 15 . . . She also became the school's single season leader in runs and total bases April 23 against Bowling Green with 57 and 135 to date, respectively . . . Most recently, she set the single season record in hits Sunday against Western Michigan and has 72 to date . . . Completing a rare feat April 30, Ware hit for the cycle against Northern Illinois . . . She is batting at a team-leading .434 clip overall and .464 in conference play . . . She also leads the team with a .780 slugging percentage and 20 multi-hit games . . . Ware leads the MAC in hits, runs scored, triples and total bases . . .She was named the MAC West Division Player of the Week March 2, March 30 and May 4.
Wilczynski Wowing: Starting every game for the Cardinals since April 9, first baseman Kate Wilczynski is batting at a .314 clip and owns a .533 slugging percentage overall . . . She was named the MAC Player of the Week April 20.
Ball State's Coach Nicholson: Ball State head coach Craig Nicholson, in his fourth season at the helm for the Cardinals 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 125-103 at Ball State . . . He owns an 848-193 career coaching mark for a .815 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 championships and eight regional titles in his 11 seasons.
