Ball State University Athletics
Alex Call Honored as MAC Baseball Player of the Year
May 25, 2016 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. – Ball State baseball player Alex Call was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year this evening by the league's head coaches. He is the eighth Cardinal to win the award and second in the last three years (Sean Godfrey – 2014).
Besides Call, three other Ball State players came away with first team All-MAC accolades – pitcher BJ Butler, catcher Jarett Rindfleisch and first baseman Caleb Stayton.
Call, a junior from River Falls, Wisconsin, enters the MAC Tournament as the league leader in hits (86), runs (67), doubles (24), triples (6), total bases (161) and slugging (.685) while ranking among the top-five players in the MAC in home runs (13), batting average (.366), stolen bases (17) and on-base-percentage (.453). The right fielder's numbers also stand up nationally as he currently ranks first in total bases (161), second in runs, fourth in doubles, and 14th in slugging percentage.
Butler went 5-0 with a 1.07 ERA and three saves in 13 league appearances. Overall, Butler ranked second in the MAC in saves (9), sixth in appearances (24) and seventh in wins (6). The junior from Mattawan, Michigan, went 13 consecutive appearances from March 29 to May 8 without allowing a run.
Rindfleisch notched a pair of home runs in Ball State's 7-1 win over No. 6 LSU on March 11. The junior from Middletown, Ohio, is batting above .300 for the third straight year and leads all MAC catchers in home runs (7), runs scored (43), RBIs (31), on-base percentage (.458), slugging (.523) and caught stealing percentage (.396).
Stayton ranks second nationally in RBIs (71) and is five RBIs away from tying the program's single season mark of 76 set by Brad Miller in 2006. The first baseman also leads the MAC in batting average (.383), walks (41) and on-base percentage (.485). The junior from Goshen, Indiana, has tallied 11 home runs this spring, including grand slams in wins over Western Michigan on April 10 and Butler on May 17.
Call and junior third baseman Sean Kennedy were selected to the MAC All-Defensive Team.
Ball State (32-24) opens play in the MAC Tournament Wednesday afternoon, May 25 against Western Michigan. First pitch in Avon, Ohio, is set for 1 p.m.
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For the complete All-MAC list, please click here.
