Ball State University Athletics
All-Access: A Look at Baseball's Two-Way Stars
April 25, 2016 | Baseball
Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta made headlines last week when he twirled his second no-hitter in 11 regular season starts. Just two weeks prior, though, the ace was the subject of another spectacle. A tweet applauded the righty for having hit for extra-bases at a greater rate than he allowed them since 2014, 6.1% to 5%. Seems like a great pitcher can also swing a great stick.
That's been the case, albeit on a much smaller scale, for the Ball State Cardinals baseball team this spring as well, where Friday night arm Zach Plesac also happens to own a hot bat. Plesac hits for extra bases 53% of the time while also leading the team in strikeout from the mound. But he's not alone. Sophomore Colin Brockhouse also plays on both sides of the diamond, the owner of three wins and a pair of homeruns.
Brockhouse and Plesac are the two most impactful of the 14 players in the MAC to have pitched and started a game in the field this season. Such two-way stars have been a staple of Rich Maloney's career, from the current pair to Padres farmhand TJ Weir and Cards assistant coach Scott French. Maloney had great success with multi-skilled players at Michigan too, including big leaguer Zach Putnam and folk hero Alan Oaks.
Ball State All-Access dives deeper into the two-way player in a feature that uncovers why and how they're so successfull and just the amount of work that goes into pulling off the challenge.
The Cardinals are next in action Tuesday at 3pm at First Merchants Ballpark Complex against Northern Kentucky. Admission is free. Fans not in attendance can follow the action live on BallStateSports.com or on social media @BallStateSports or @BallStateBB.
