Ball State University Athletics
Softball Heads to Indiana for Midweek Contest
April 19, 2011 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State softball team exits Mid-American Conference action for a midweek contest with Indiana in Bloomington, Ind. Wednesday at the IU Softball Field. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.
Ball State enters the week with a 27-16 overall record and 7-3 tally in league play after shutting out Wright State, 9-0, Wednesday at the BSU Softball Complex and splitting twin bills versus MAC foes Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan Friday and Sunday.
LAST TIME OUT: Ball State tallied a split versus Central Michigan Sunday by scores of 9-5 and 5-2 at Margo Jonker Stadium. The Chippewas held the Cardinals to a .286 batting average, while Ball State's Audra Sanders (Lynnville, Ind./Tecumseh), Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) and Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) combined for a 3.23 ERA on the day.
Senior center fielder Lisa Rozanski (Tampa, Fla./Daytona Beach CC) tallied a .500 batting average, while junior catcher Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) went 3-for-6, in addition to a 1.500 slugging percentage with two home runs.
In Ball State's 9-5 loss during the first contest, Montalto led the squad right away in the top of the first after blasting a home run to right field, driving in seniors Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City) and Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon), who both got on base after two singles. Workman tallied the loss on the mound after 2.1 innings of work, giving up five runs and walking four batters, falling to 8-6 on the season.
Later, in the Cardinals' 5-2 victory, Montalto knocked a two-run homer in the first inning to driving home Collins, while Sanders earned the win after 7.0 innings of work, allowing eight hits and striking out two Chippewas batters to improve to 14-9 on the season.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: As a team, Ball State owns a .323 batting average, while its opponents are hitting at a .265 clip, in addition to scoring 228 runs (5.3 runs/game), while allowing 152 runs (3.5 runs/game).
Collins leads the Cardinals offensively with a .397 batting average, in addition to six doubles, one triple and 18 RBI, while Barkley ranks second on the squad with a .389 batting average with seven doubles, two triples, one home run, 12 RBI and a team-high 17 stolen bases.
From the circle, Mazzapica has made 19 appearances with a 2.45 ERA in 60.0 innings of work, while Sanders has made 26 appearances and owns a 14-9 mark on the season with a 2.77 ERA in 144.0 innings of work. Workman owns a 4.34 ERA in 71.0 innings pitched with 18 appearances.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS: The matchup marks the 66th time Ball State and Indiana will meet, as the Hoosiers own the 36-29 series advantage. The two squads last met three times during the 2010 season during the USF Under Armour Showcase and at the IU Softball Field as Indiana recorded the 2-1 season advantage.
Indiana owns a 27-15 overall record and a 8-2 mark in the Big Ten after defeating Wisconsin Sunday in Bloomington, Ind., 6-3. Senior Sara Olson from Orland Park, Ill. leads the Hoosiers at the plate, batting .363 with seven doubles, seven home runs and 27 RBI, in addition to tallying a team-high 18 walks.
From the circle, Olson has made six appearances and owns a 3-0 record on the season with a 1.01 ERA in 27.2 innings of work, while senior Morgan Melloh from Fishers, Ind. owns a 1.90 ERA in 232.1 innings pitched with 39 appearances, good for a 22-14 record.
BALL STATE'S STANDINGS IN THE MAC:
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Individual Stats (Top 5) |
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Individual Batting: |
Collins: 4th, .397 |
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Individual Pitching: |
Mazzapica: 5th, 2.45 |
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Hits: |
Barkley, Collins: T-1st, 58 (1.35 H/G) |
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Runs Scored: |
Barkley: 1st, 40 (.93 R/G) |
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Rozanski: T-3rd, 29 (.67 R/G) |
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Home Runs: |
Montalto: T-2nd, 9 (.21 HR/G) |
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Doubles: |
Gilbert: T-3rd, 12 (.28 2B/G) |
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Amanda Carpenter, Montalto: T-5th, 10 (.24 2B/G) |
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Triples: |
Barkley: T-2nd, 2 (.05 3B/G) |
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Runs Batted In: |
Gilbert: 1st, 40 (.93 RBI/G) |
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Rager: T-2nd, 33 RBI/G) |
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Stolen Bases: |
Barkley: T-3rd, 17 (.40 SB/G) |
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Total Bases: |
Gilbert: 1st, 84 (1.95 TB/G) |
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Barkley: 4th, 72 TB/G) |
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Walks: |
Rozanski: 3rd, 21 (BB/G) |
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Kate Wilczynski: T-4th, 20 (BB/G) |
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Slugging Percentage: |
Montalto: 2nd, .250 |
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Wins: |
Sanders: 2nd, 14-9 |
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Innings Pitched: |
Sanders: 2nd, 144.0 (5.54 IP/G) |
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Strikeouts: |
Sanders: 3rd, 110 (5.35 SO/G) |
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Appearances: |
Sanders: T-4th, 26 |
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Saves: |
Mazzapica: T-2nd, 2 |
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Games Started: |
Sanders: 22 |
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Complete Games: |
Sanders: 16 |
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Team Stats (Top 3) |
|
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Batting Average: |
1st, .323 |
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Slugging Percentage: |
3rd, .457 |
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On Base Percentage: |
2nd, .399 |
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Runs Scored: |
1st, 228 |
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Hits: |
1st, 380 |
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Runs Batted In: |
1st, 205 |
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Doubles: |
T-1st, 69 |
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Triples: |
T-2nd, 5 |
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Home Runs: |
T-3rd, 26 |
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Total Bases: |
1st, 537 |
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Total Plate Appearances: |
1st, 1348 |
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At Bats: |
1st, 1176 |
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Walks: |
1st, 137 |
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Strikeouts: |
3rd, 196 |
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Sac Flies: |
1st, 9 |
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Stolen Bases: |
2nd, 72 |
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Steal Attempts: |
2nd, 87 |
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Grounded Into DP: |
T-1st, 4 |
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Innings Pitched: |
1st, 276.0 |
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Batters SO Out Looking: |
3rd, 63 |
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Wins: |
1st, 27 |
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Saves: |
T-3rd, 3 |
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Sac Bunts Allowed: |
2nd, 31 |
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Sac Flies Allowed: |
T-3rd, 8 |
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Triples Allowed: |
T-3rd, 4 |
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Hit Batters: |
3rd, 25 |
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Fielding Percentage: |
1st, .972 |
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Chances: |
1st, 1141 |
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Putouts: |
1st, 828 |
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Fielding Double Plays: |
T-2nd, 8 |
|
Passed Balls: |
2nd, 14 |
MONTALTO CLAIMS MAC HONORS: Montalto has earned Mid-American Conference West Division Co-Player of the Week honors, the league office announced Tuesday, for the third time in her career and second occurrence on the season. Montalto had an absolutely astounding week for Ball State as she hit 6-for-12 and recorded an amazing 1.250 on base percentage, including three home runs and eight RBI against Wright State and Central Michigan.
She previously collected the accolade March 22 after earning MVP honors during the Radford Invitational. During the three-day event, the physical education major batted .500, recorded four runs, seven RBI, one double, one triple, two home runs and an astonishing 1.250 slugging percentage.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOK: With 20 bombs and nine on the season, Montalto sits at first place in the Ball State record book, just one over former Cardinal Abby Gross' (2005-08) career record of 19 career home runs, also breaking her 2010 single season total of eight.
TERRIFIC FRESHMAN: Freshman Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) is continuing a phenomenal start to her collegiate career, as the freshman is 46-for-143 with 28 runs scored since the start of the season, including eight home runs and a grand slam. Also making a standout impact at the plate, freshman first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) owns a .360 batting average with seven doubles and four home runs, including one grand slam recorded at Ohio, and 33 RBI.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Ball State has traveled a total of approximately 5,950 miles so far this season after visiting Clarksville, Tenn. for the Austin Peay Tournament and a round-trip total of 718 miles, in addition to the 1,149 mile venture to Woodstock, Ga. for the Phyllis Rafter Memorial and back.
The cruise to the Under Armour Invitational and Under Armour Showcase racked up approximately 2,138 miles round trip, in addition to a 211.5 mile pit-stop to Orlando in-between. Then, a voyage over to Troutville, Va. for the Radford Tournament added another 933 miles and the excursion to Oxford, Ohio for the Miami Tournament added 150 miles, before Ball State started MAC play in Athens, Ohio and Akron, Ohio, adding an additional 650 miles to the squad's tally.
CARDINALS ADD FIVE: Ball State head coach Craig Nicholson announced that five student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to join the Ball State softball program for the 2012 season. Loren Cihar (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North), Taylor Cox (Garden Grove, Calif./Pacifica), Jessica Craft (LaPorte, Ind./LaPorte), Haley Smith (Baytown, Texas/Lee) and Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) will be joining the returning Cardinals next season.
CARDINALS PICKED FIRST IN MAC WEST: Ball State was picked to finish first in the MAC West Division in the preseason coaches' poll, followed by Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Toledo. In the East Division, Miami was selected to win, followed by Ohio, Kent State, Bowling Green, Buffalo and Akron. The RedHawks were also predicted to win the 2011 MAC tournament title.
Live stats will be provided for all games on BallStateSports.com and updates can be found by following @BallStSoftball on Twitter.
COMING UP FOR THE CARDINALS: Ball State returns to league action Friday in a doubleheader versus Kent State at the BSU Softball Complex. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
