Ball State University Athletics
Baseball Travels To Indiana State Wednesday Night
April 05, 2011 | Baseball
What's On Tap . . .
Ball State steps out of Mid-American Conference play Wednesday evening as it travels to Terre Haute, Ind., for a meeting with instate rival Indiana State ... First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Bob Warn Field ... Live stats and audio will be available for free at www.gosycamores.com while a video feed is available for a fee.
Bowling Named MAC West Pitcher Of the Week . . .
Junior right-handed pitcher Cal Bowling was named the Mid-American Conference West Division Pitcher of the Week Monday afternoon ... Bowling posted his second straight complete game to open league play as he tossed a four-hit shutout at Miami Friday night ... He recorded a complete game against Ohio in the first league weekend of the year as he allowed just one run against the Bobcats.
Bowling needed just 98 pitches to post his second straight complete game as he struck out six batters and did not walk anyone ... He becomes the first Ball State pitcher to post two complete games in a season since Ben Snyder in 2005 ... Through the first two MAC weekends he has allowed just one run in 18.0 innings and has posted 17 straight shutout innings in league action ... He improved to 3-1 on the season and 8-0 in his career in 11 MAC starts between last season's 6-0 league record and this year's 2-0 mark through two weekends
Series History . . .
Wednesday's game marks the 136th meeting all-time between Ball State and Indiana State ... The Cardinals trail the all-time series by an 84-51 margin, but have won five out of the last seven meetings ... Last season, Ball State posted a 12-5 victory over the Sycamores in Muncie ... In that game, the Cardinals scored six runs in the first two innings and got a strong start from Brad Piatt who worked 5.0 innings and allowed just one run ... Shortstop T.J. Baumet led the offensive attack as he posted three of the Cardinals' 13 hits in the victory ... Baumet recorded two doubles, drove in three runs and scored three runs from the leadoff position.
Ball State has lost nine straight in the series on the road as the Cardinals last defeated the Sycamores in Terre Haute March 19, 1991 (7-5 in second game of a doubleheader).
Wednesday's Starters . . .
Ball State will use multiple pitchers Wednesday in its only midweek contest but will send freshman left-hander Nestor Bautista to the hill to start ... Indiana State will counter with right-hander Jason Van Skike.
Bautista will be making his eight appearance and third start of the year Wednesday ... He has an 0-3 record with a 9.18 ERA in 16.2 innings of work as he has struck out 12 and walked 10 batters ... He got the loss in relief Saturday afternoon as he allowed three runs on three hits in 2.1 innings of work at Miami.
Van Skike will be making his seventh start of the season for the Sycamores ... He has a 2-1 record with a 3.31 ERA in 35.1 innings of work ... He has struck out 24 batters while walking 18 ... He last pitched 4.0 innings against Rockhurst (March 31) and allowed two runs on nine hits.
Last Weekend . . .
Ball State posted its second straight Mid-American Conference series victory by taking two out of three games at Miami to improve to 4-2 in league play ... The Cardinals won Friday night 2-0 before dropping Saturday's game 11-8 ... Ball State won the rubber game of the series Sunday with a 6-3 victory over the RedHawks.
The Cardinals picked up their wins with strong starting pitching as junior Cal Bowling tossed a complete game shutout Friday and senior Morgan Coombs worked 7.1 innings Sunday and allowed three runs.
Junior center fielder Cody Elliott posted four hits in the series and drove in six of the Cardinals' 16 runs ... Elliott posted a grand slam Saturday and had an RBI-triple in the series' middle game ... Sophomore Stephen Claypool posted three hits as six different Cardinals recorded three hits in the series.
Scouting The Cardinals . . .
Ball State enters Wednesday's game with a 6-19 overall record but have won four out of its last seven games since opening Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals have scored 107 runs (4.28 runs/game) this season and is batting .238 as a team ... On the mound, the Cardinals own a 6.03 team ERA and opponents are batting .298.
Junior second baseman Mitch Widau leads the team with a .309 batting average ... Widau is second on the team with 25 hits and 14 RBI while tied for second with five doubles ... Sophomore Blake Beemer is second on the team with a .269 batting average and has posted 21 hits ... Junior Cody Elliott leads the team with 27 hits and 17 RBI.
In the bullpen, left-hander Jon Cisna has a 1.15 ERA in 15.2 innings of work while fellow lefty Devin Wilburn has a 5.40 ERA in 15.0 innings of work ... Wilburn also has one of the Cardinals' two saves on the year ... Right-hander Scott Brothers Jr. posted his first career save Sunday at Miami and he has a 6.57 ERA in 12.1 innings.
Scouting The Sycamores . . .
Indiana State enters Wednesday's game with a 15-10 overall record and a 10-4 mark at home in Terre Haute ... The Sycamores had off last weekend after playing Rockhurst in a midweek series ... Indiana State plays at Valparaiso Tuesday ... The Sycamores have scored 181 runs (7.24 runs/game) and are batting .300 as a team ... On the mound, ISU has a 3.79 team ERA and opponents are batting .243.
Koby Kraemer leads the team with a .378 batting average as he has a team-high 37 hits ... Robby Ort leads the team with 31 RBI and five home runs to go along with his .347 batting average ... Lucas Hileman has a .348 batting average and has hit 10 doubles.
In the bullpen, Reggie Hochstedler and Chris Machado lead the team with 12 appearances ... Hochstedler has a 3.00 ERA in 24.0 innings while Machado has a 5.17 ERA in 15.2 innings.
BSU Picked Fourth In West . . .
Ball State was selected to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference West Division in the preseason poll ... The Cardinals finished last season with a 29-29 overall record and a 19-8 mark in MAC play as they finished tied for second place in the MAC West Division ... Ball State will have numerous spots to fill on the roster this season as it lost its 3-4-5-6 hole hitters as well as its Friday and Sunday starters to graduation and the Major League Baseball Draft.
Defending MAC Tournament champion Kent State was selected to finish first in the MAC East Division while defending regular season champion Central Michigan was tabbed for the top spot in the MAC West Division ... Additionally, Kent State was selected as the favorite for the 2011 MAC Tournament.
West Division
1. Central Michigan (69)
2. Toledo (60)
3. Eastern Michigan (46)
4. Ball State (37)
5. Northern Illinois (26)
6. Western Michigan (12)
East Division
1. Kent State (72)
2. Miami (53)
3. Bowling Green (50)
4. Ohio (35)
5. Akron (24)
6. Buffalo (16)
MAC Tournament: Kent State (5), Central Michigan (3), Toledo (2), Miami (1), Eastern Michigan (1).
Top Rated Arms . . .
The Cardinals received some preseason honors from the CollegeBaseballInsider.com in its annual Mid-American Conference preview ... Senior shortstop T.J. Baumet was chosen by the league's head coaches to have the best infield arm in the MAC ... Also, junior outfielder Cody Elliott was tabbed with the best outfield arm in the MAC.
Looking Ahead . . .
Ball State returns home to Ball Diamond this weekend as it hosts Bowling Green in a three-game series for the first of five straight home games.
