Ball State University Athletics
Softball Travels To Ohio & Akron This Weekend
April 24, 2015 | Softball
► THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team closes the home portion of its 2015 schedule Tuesday, when it hosts Indiana for a scheduled 4 p.m. first pitch ... The Cardinals return to the road this weekend for a Friday (1 p.m.) doubleheader at Ohio and single games at Akron Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
► FOLLOW THE ACTION: Cardinals fans can follow the action this week with live stats for all five games on the live stats page of BallStateSports.com (http://BallStateSports.com/livestats) ... Fans can also get updates by following the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, Instagram: @BallStateSB and Facebook: BallStateSoftball.
► LISTEN LIVE: Ball State Sports Link Radio will broadcast Tuesday's home finale versus Indiana LIVE and FREE on BallStateSports.com, with Torey Fox and Mick Tidrow calling the action ... Fans can tune in by visiting http://BallStateSports.com/liveevents on their computer or purchasing the premium upgrade ($4.99) on the BallStSports app found in iTunes.
► CARDINALS ALL-TIME: With a 24-21 record so far in 2015, Ball State softball enters the week with a 911-955-4 (.488) all-time record in 40-plus seasons of play ... Established as a varsity program in 1975, Ball State has won five Mid-American Conference regular season titles (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014), two MAC Tournament championships (1998 and 2010) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice (1998 and 2010).
► HEAD COACH TYRA PERRY: After leading Ball State to a 12-4 league record, the 2014 MAC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the 2014 MAC Softball Tournament, Tyra Perry became the first first-year coach in program history to earn MAC Coach of the Year accolades ... A two-time Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year (2009 & 2013), Perry was named the eighth head coach in Ball State softball history Aug. 6, 2013 ... Perry enters the week with a 399-384-1 (.510) career record, including a 57-40 (.588) ledger at Ball State ... Prior to Ball State, Perry had six-year head coaching stints at both Western Kentucky (2008-13) and Birmingham-Southern (2002-07) ... In 2013, Perry guided WKU to the program's first-ever NCAA Regional appearance and to a final ranking of 26th in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), the highest final ranking in program history ... The Lady Toppers also posted the program's first 40-plus win season (43-18) under Perry's tutelage in 2013, and earned its first SBC regular season title with a 20-3 league record.
► PERRY PICKS UP 50TH WIN AT BALL STATE: With a 7-2 victory in the first game of an April 7 doubleheader versus Eastern Illinois, Ball State head coach Tyra Perry became the second-fastest coach in program history to reach 50 wins ... Perry accomplished the task in 87 games (50-37), which is just two slower than the pace set by Ruth Crowe (1993-1996) who picked up her 50th career win in 85 games (50-35) ... Perry currently owns a 57-40 record at Ball State, which is three wins better than Crowe through 97 games ... The best coaching record through 100 games is held by Terri Laux (1997-2006) at 59-41.
► SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters the week with a 24-21 overall record, including a 10-3 mark in Mid-American Conference play ... The Cardinals opened the week with a hard-fought 4-2 (11 inn.) loss to Butler ... After sweeping Western Michigan in a Friday doubleheader by scores of 7-1 and 5-4, the Cardinals split a Saturday twinbill versus Northern Illinois ... The Huskies won the first game 4-2 (9 inn.), while the Cardinals rebounded to win the second 7-6 ... The Cardinals enter the week ranked second in the MAC with a .298 team batting average, with junior second baseman Emily Dabkowski leading the squad with a .367 average, 54 hits and 11 home runs ... Junior Nicole Steinbach leads the Ball State pitching staff with a 12-11 record, two saves and a 3.63 ERA ... She has compiled 140 strikeouts over 152.1 innings of work ... Ball State's staff has a 4.49 ERA and is holding opponents to a .303 average.
► IN THE RPI: Ball State enters the week ranked 92nd in the latest NCAA Division I Softball RPI rankings ... The Cardinals were 97th last week ... Ball State is the second-highest ranked team from the MAC, trailing only Kent State who is 66th ... Indiana enters the week ranked 150th, while Ohio is 201st and Akron is 168th.
► SERIES VERSUS INDIANA: While Ball State has won nine of the last 12 meetings, Indiana holds a 39-31 edge in the all-time series which dates back to a 2-0 Ball State victory April 4, 1978 ... Last season, the teams split an April 16 doubleheader in Bloomington, with IU winning the first game 3-2, before the Cardinals rebounded to take the nightcap 6-3 ... Overall, Ball State holds a 13-10 edge in games played in Muncie, including a 12-4 (6 inn.) win in Indiana's last trip up I-69, April 18, 2012.
► SERIES VERSUS OHIO: While the Cardinals hold a 41-34 lead in the all-time series versus Ohio, it's the latest meeting which stings the most ... The Bobcats snapped a five-game losing streak to Ball State in perfect fashion in the 2014 MAC Tournament, as pitcher Savannah Jo Dorsey threw a perfect game in a 3-0 victory May 8, 2014, to send the Cardinals to the elimination bracket of the event ... During the 2014 regular season, Ball State out-scored the Bobcats 17-0 in a pair of home wins; 10-0 (5 inn.) April 19 and 7-0 April 20 ... In its last trip to Athens, the Cardinals scored a 9-7 win April 13, 2013 and an 8-4 victory April 14, 2013 ... Ohio holds a 17-14 lead in games played on its home field.
► SERIES VERSUS AKRON: Ball State holds a 28-22 lead in the all-time series versus Akron, including wins in eight of the last 10 meetings ... Last season, the teams split an April 18, 2014 doubleheader in Muncie, with the Zips winning the first game 4-2, before the Cardinals rebounded for a 15-2 (5 inn.) victory ... In its last trip to Akron, Ball State swept an April 12, 2013 twinbill by scores of 11-6 (8 inn.) and 5-0 ... Ball State is 12-9 all-time in games played in Akron.
► CLASS OF THE MAC: Ball State's three-member senior class, which includes Jessica Craft, Hanne Stuedemann and Loren Cihlar, are in the position to do what no Mid-American Conference senior class has ever done, finish their careers as four-time MAC regular season champions ... In fact, the three comprise one of only two classes in league history to win three consecutive titles, joining last season's Ball State senior class of Audrey Bickel, Jennifer Gilbert, Taylor Rager and Lauren Schroeder.
► CLASS OF THE MAC PART 2: Over the past six-plus seasons, the Cardinals have proven to be the MAC's premier program by compiling a 105-29 (.784) league record ... BSU has claimed five (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014) of the last six MAC Regular Season titles, the first five in program history, and won the 2010 MAC Tournament to earn the program's second NCAA berth ... Kent State has the second-best MAC record over the span at 87-48 (.644), followed by Miami in third at 85-59 (.590) ... Ohio is fourth at 79-61 (.564), while Akron is tied for eighth at 61-80 (.433).
► STEINBACH MOVING UP THE CHARTS: With a pair of saves at the Purple & Gold Challenge (Feb. 27-March 1), junior pitcher Nicole Steinbach moved into a tie for first in program history with eight career saves ...She also enters the week ranked fifth in program history with 41 career wins ... Steinbach broke into the top 10 on BSU's career strikeouts chart after fanning nine batters in a win over Eastern Illinois (Feb. 15) ... Steinbach is currently sixth on the list with 346 career strikeouts.
► SHUTTING DOWN THE OPPOSITION: Over her last five starts, Nicole Steinbach has dominated in the circle, allowing just three earned runs over 36.0 innings of work for a 0.58 ERA ... She has pitched two complete game shutouts during the run, while allowing just two unearned runs in another ... In holding opponents to a .191 batting average over her last five starts, Steinbach has struck out 31 batters while issuing just seven walks.
► SCHIFFERDECKER THROWING STRONG: After missing the first two months of the season due to injury, junior pitcher Kelsey Schifferdecker shined in the circle last week by holding opponents to just three runs in 12.1 innings of work for a 1.70 ERA ... She earned her first win of the season in 3.1 innings of relief versus Western Michigan (April 17) and followed with her longest outing of the year in picking up her second relief win in 5.2 innings against Northern Illinois (April 18) ... For the week, Schifferdecker held the opposition to a .280 batting average and logged four strikeouts.
► SCHIFFERDECKER CLIMBING CHARTS TOO: With her two wins last weekend, Kelsey Schifferdecker took over sole possession of ninth on Ball State's career chart with 32 career victories ... She is also 19th on Ball State's all-time list with 139 career strikeouts.
► STUEDEMANN BECOMES 7TH IN 100/100 CLUB: Senior outfielder Hanne Stuedemann became the seventh player in program history to score 100 runs and drive in 100 RBI with a RBI fielder's choice in the first inning versus Jacksonville (Feb. 21) ... She scored her 100th career run in the first inning at Lipscomb (Feb. 8) ... She enters the week ranked fifth in program history in runs scored (131) and sixth in RBI (133).
► STUEDEMANN HEATING UP: Hanne Stuedemann is starting to peak at the right time, entering the final two weeks of the regular season riding a career-high 13 game hitting streak ... Stuedemann, who has also reached base safely in each of the last 21 games, has raised her batting average from .311 to .357 over the course of her current hitting streak ... Over the last 13 games, Stuedemann is batting a team-best .439 (18-for-41) and has a .490 on-base percentage ... She also has a team-high 15 RBI during the streak.
► THE LONG BALL; 2015 EDITION: Hanne Stuedemann enters the week as Ball State's active career leader with 25 home runs, which is tied with Audrey Bickel (2011-14) for fourth on Ball State's career charts ... Emily Dabkowski is eighth on BSU's all-time list with 17 career home runs, including a team-high 11 so far in 2015 ... Junior shortstop Selena Reyna leads Ball State's active players with three career grand slams, while six other players have one ... Reyna is also ninth on Ball State's career list with 15 home runs.
► THE LONG BALL; 2015 EDITION PART 2: Freshman third baseman Julia Bailey became the ninth different Ball State player to smash a home run this season when she launched her first career blast in the sixth inning of the 5-0 win at Bowling Green (April 11) ... The Cardinals enter the week ranked second in the MAC with 38 home runs this season, trailing only Kent State which has 41.
► TRIPLE THREAT: The Ball State offense enters the week ranked first in the MAC with 12 triples ... After collecting her first career triple in the series finale versus Western Kentucky (March 22), senior catcher Jessica Craft finds herself tied for first in the league with four triples this season.
► MAKING A RUN FOR IT: Senior outfielder Loren Cihlar ranks 12th in program history with an .830 (39-for-47) career stolen base percentage ... Cihlar picked up her first stolen base of the 2015 season versus Georgia State (Feb. 13) and is currently 10-for-15 on the year ... She went 9-for-10 in stolen base attempts last season, after finishing the 2013 campaign as one of only two players in program history to finish a year with a perfect stolen base percentage (min. 10 attempts), going 11-for-11 ... Cihlar is also seventh in program history with 123 career runs scored.
► THE BIG INNING: Ball State has scored 11 runs in an inning twice this season, once in the fourth inning versus IPFW (March 18) and once in the seventh inning at Central Michigan (March 18) ... The effort stands as the second-best single-inning output in program history, trailing only the 16-run seventh inning at Toledo (April 13, 2007) ... Ball State also had an 11-run seventh inning versus Grambling State (Feb. 22, 2013) ... The Grambling State game marks one of only two games in program history the Cardinals have scored 20-or-more runs, as they won the contest 20-3 ... The other game was a 24-0 victory over St. Leo March 2, 1987.
► JERSEY WATCH 2015: Ball State is 9-10 in its black jersey, 6-5 in its red jersey and 9-6 in its white jersey this season.
