Ball State University Athletics
Softball Hosts WMU, NIU in Last Regular Season Games
May 06, 2011 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State Softball looks for a three-peat as Mid-American Conference West Division Champions as the squad returns to the BSU Softball Complex for its final contests of the regular season.
In 2010, the Cardinals earned their second consecutive MAC Regular Season Championship title, but Ball State shared the honor with Kent State, who also finished MAC play with a 17-5 tally.
BSU enters weekend play with a 32-19 overall record and 12-5 tally in league play after defeating MAC rival Toledo Friday and falling to Bowling Green in extra innings Saturday and Sunday in Ohio. Ball State begins with a doubleheader Friday with Western Michigan at 1 p.m. and has Saturday and Sunday games versus Northern Illinois at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
Ball State's seniors - Alicia Barkley, Alyssa Collins, Lisa Rozanski, Kristy Stratton and Kate Wilczynski - will be recognized Sunday, which has been designated Senior Day at the park.
LAST TIME OUT: Bowling Green swept the weekend series with a 7-6 victory in 12 innings Saturday and a 5-4 contest in 14 innings Sunday afternoon at Meserve Field.
Versus the Falcons, senior right fielder Alyssa Collins (Fortville, Ind./Mt. Vernon) went 5-for-12, while freshman designated hitter Jennifer Gilbert (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) and junior catcher Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) both hit a home run and tallied two RBI.
Sophomore pitcher Audra Sanders (Lynnville, Ind./Tecumseh) dropped to 17-12 on the season after recording both losses for the Cardinals. Combining for 9.2 innings of work in the weekend, the pre-medicine major gave up four runs off 10 hits, while walking seven batters.
SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: As a team, Ball State owns a .324 batting average, while its opponents are batting .264, in addition to scoring 284 runs (5.6 runs/game), while allowing 176 runs (3.5 runs/game).
Collins continues to lead the Cardinals at the plate with a .413 batting average with nine doubles, one triple, one home run and 23 RBI, while senior shortstop Alicia Barkley (Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City) ranks second on the squad with a .366 batting average with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs, 14 RBI and a team-high 19 stolen bases.
From the circle, junior Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) has made 23 appearances with a 2.33 ERA in 78.0 innings of work, while Sanders has made 32 appearances and owns a 2.55 ERA in 176.0 innings of work. Junior Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) owns a 4.41 ERA in 81.0 innings pitched with 21 appearances, good for an 8-6 record on the season.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS: The matchup marks the 102nd and 103rd times Ball State and Western Michigan will meet, as the Broncos own the 57-44 series advantage. The two squads last during the 2010 season in which Ball State swept Western Michigan by scores of 13-0 in five innings and 6-5 at Fran Ebert Field in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Western Michigan owns an 18-25 overall record and 12-4 tally in league play after falling to Michigan State, 4-0, in a midweek contest in East Lansing, Mich. at Secchia Stadium. Senior Lexi Jager, a native of Kalamazoo, Mich., leads the Broncos' charge with a .333 batting average, including six doubles, three triples, five home runs, 25 RBI and a team-leading .529 slugging percentage.
Junior pitcher Meredith Whitney from Scottsdale, Ariz. has made 25 appearances and owns a 10-12 record on the season with a 3.14 ERA in 131.1 innings of work, while Kayla Houston, a native of San Diego, Calif., owns a 4.42 ERA in 118.2 innings pitched with 26 appearances, good for a 6-9 tally on the season.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: The weekend contests stand as the 55th and 56th meetings between Ball State and Northern Illinois, as the Huskies own the 33-21 series advantage. The two teams last met last season on three occasions as Ball State defeated Northern Illinois twice by scores of 10-7 and 7-6 in DeKalb, Ill. in extra innings at Mary M. Bell Field and on the second day of the MAC Tournament, 16-1, in Akron, Ohio.
Northern Illinois owns a 23-24 overall record and 10-6 mark in league play after falling to DePaul, 9-1 in five innings, Wednesday in Chicago at Cacciatore Stadium. Freshman Stephanie Tofft, a native of Lincoln, Calif., is batting .435, including 15 doubles, four home runs, 35 RBI and a team-leading 15 stolen bases. From the circle, Tofft has made 12 appearances with a 2.89 ERA in 46.0 innings pitched, good for a 3-2 record on the season.
BALL STATE'S STANDINGS IN THE MAC:
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Individual Stats (Top 5) |
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Individual Batting: |
Collins: 3rd, .413 |
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Individual Pitching: |
Mazzapica: 4th, 2.33 |
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Hits: |
Collins: 1st, 74 (1.45 H/G) |
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Barkley: T-2nd, 67 (1.31 H/G) |
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Gilbert: 4th, 59 (1.16 H/G) |
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Home Runs: |
Montalto: 3rd, 11 (.22 HR/G) |
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Gilbert: 4th, 10 (.20 HR/G) |
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Runs Scored: |
Barkley: 1st, 46 (.90 R/G) |
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Gilbert, Collins: T-4th, 35 (.69 R/G) |
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Doubles: |
Gilbert: T-2nd, 15 (.29 2B/G) |
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Montalto: 5th, 13 (.26 2B/G) |
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Runs Batted In: |
Gilbert: 1st, 49 (.96 RBI/G) |
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Rager: 2nd, 40 (.82 RBI/G) |
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Montalto: T-4th, 36 (.72 RBI/G) |
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Stolen Bases: |
Barkley: T-2nd, 19 (.37 SB/G) |
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Total Bases: |
Gilbert: 1st, 108 (2.12 TB/G) |
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Montalto, Collins: T-4th, 88 (1.76/1.73 TB/G) |
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Walks: |
Wilczynski: T-1st, 25 (.63 BB/G) |
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Slugging Percentage: |
Montalto: 4th, .715 |
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Wins: |
Sanders: 2nd, 17-12 |
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Innings Pitched: |
Sanders: 2nd, 176.0 (5.50 IP/G) |
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Strikeouts: |
Sanders: 3rd, 135 (5.37 SO/G) |
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Appearances: |
Sanders: 5th, 32 |
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Saves: |
Mazzapica: T-2nd, 2 |
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Games Started: |
Sanders: 2nd, 26 |
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Shutouts: |
Sanders: T-4th, 4 |
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Complete Games: |
Sanders: 2nd, 19 |
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Team Stats (Top 3) |
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Batting Average: |
1st, .324 |
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Slugging Percentage: |
2nd, .472 |
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On Base Percentage: |
2nd, .399 |
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Runs Scored: |
1st, 284 |
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Hits: |
1st, 464 |
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Runs Batted In: |
1st, 260 |
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Doubles: |
2nd, 85 |
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Triples: |
1st, 11 |
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Home Runs: |
3rd, 35 |
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Total Bases: |
1st, 676 |
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Total Plate Appearances: |
1st, 1639 |
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At Bats: |
1st, 1432 |
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Walks: |
2nd, 158 |
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Strikeouts: |
3rd, 233 |
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Sac Flies: |
2nd, 10 |
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Stolen Bases: |
2nd, 84 |
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Steal Attempts: |
2nd, 102 |
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Grounded Into DP: |
T-2nd, 4 |
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Innings Pitched: |
1st, 336.0 |
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Batters Struck Out |
3rd, 245 |
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Batters SO Out Looking: |
T-1st, 80 |
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Wins: |
1st, 32 |
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Sac Bunts Allowed: |
2nd, 35 |
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Triples Allowed: |
T-3rd, 5 |
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Hit Batters: |
3rd, 30 |
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Fielding Percentage: |
1st, .973 |
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Chances: |
1st, 1387 |
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Putouts: |
1st, 1008 |
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Fielding Double Plays: |
T-2nd, 12 |
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Passed Balls: |
1st, 18 |
MAZZAPICA CLAIMS MAC HONORS: Mazzapica has earned MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time in her career. Mazzapica had a phenomenal week for Ball State in which she pitched 14 innings and posted a 1.50 ERA against Toledo and Bowling Green Friday and Sunday in Ohio.
Credited with the win in the Cardinals' 13-3 victory versus the Rockets, the business major improved to 7-1 on the mound after five innings or work, allowing five hits and striking out one batter. Against the Falcons, Mazzapica held her opponents to a .179 batting average in nine innings of work, posting a 0.00 ERA.
Mazzapica has shown significant improvement in her stretch with the Cardinals. As a freshman, she made five appearances with a 13.50 ERA in 4.2 innings of work and came back in the 2010 season with a 4.20 ERA in 28.1 innings pitched with 10 appearances for a 2-1 record on the season.
CONSECUTIVE GAMES STARTED: Barkley and Collins hold Ball State's longest streak of consecutive games started at 227. The seniors have started every game since 2008. Including games from the current season, Barkley has started all 227 games at shortstop, while Collins has started 215 games as an outfielder and 16 games as either catcher or at DP. Barkley and Collins' streaks also tie for the first longest in the NCAA with Notre Dame's Heather Johnson.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOK: With 22 bombs and 11 on the season, Montalto sits at first place in the Ball State record book, just three over former Cardinal Abby Gross' (2005-08) career record of 19 career home runs, also breaking her 2010 single season total of eight. Also with 11 home runs on the season, Montalto needs one more to break former Cardinal Jen Reifschneider's 2009 single-season record.
TERRIFIC FRESHMAN: Gilbert is continuing the phenomenal start to her collegiate career, as she is batting 59-for-170, including 15 doubles, two triples, ten home runs, including a grand slam, and 49 RBI. Classmate Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) is also making a standout impact at the plate, as she owns a .350 batting average with nine doubles and six home runs, including a grand slam recorded at Ohio, and 40 RBI.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Ball State has traveled a total of approximately 5,950 miles 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.
