Play Ball! Cardinals Open 2017 Season in Florida

Game 1 – Ball State vs. #22 Maryland (Clearwater, Fla.)
Friday, Feb. 17, 7 p.m.
Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)

Game 2 – Ball State vs. Alabama State (Clearwater, Fla.)
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.
Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)

Game 3 – Ball State vs. #6 Louisville (Clearwater, Fla.)
Sunday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m.
Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)

Projected Starting Pitchers
Game 1 – BJ Butler, RHP (6-1, 1.84 ERA, 54 Ks … 2016 stats)
Game 2 – Kevin Marnon, LHP (4-6, 4.68 ERA, 48 Ks … 2016 stats)
Game 3 – Colin Brockhouse, RHP (3-5, 5.18 ERA, 53 Ks … 2016 stats) OR
Evan Marquardt, RHP (1-0, 9.00 ERA, 10 Ks … 2016 stats)

Game Notes
Season Opener: This is the fourth straight year the Ball State baseball team has made a trip to the Sunshine State. The Cardinals have won their opening game just once in the last four seasons.

Series History: Ball State has never met Maryland or Alabama State on the baseball diamond.

Louisville leads the all-time series against Ball State, 16-8. The Cardinals from Kentucky have won nine of the last 10 meetings. Louisville swept a three-game series from Ball State the previous time the two teams met in 2012.

Preseason Picks: The MAC preseason coaches poll picked the Cardinals to finish first in the West Division. Kent State was the overall favorite out of the East Division. Those two teams will open league play at Ball State on March 24.

Who's Back: Five position starters return from the 2016 squad led by C/1B Caleb Stayton. An ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region first team pick last year, Stayton led the MAC in batting average (.377), RBIs (71), walks (42) and on-base percentage (.482).

Three other key senior starters are featured in the lineup. OF Matt Eppers is now in his third year starting in the outfield. 3B Sean Kennedy is in his fourth year starting in the infield. He was named to the MAC All-Defensive Team last spring. Finally, SS Alex Maloney is also in his fourth year as a starter. He was among the team leaders in runs scored (48), batting average (.305), doubles (14) and RBIs (32) in 2016.

On the mound, RHP BJ Butler is one of the top pitchers in the MAC. He served as the team's closer through much of 2016, but made two key starts at the end of last year. LHP Kevin Marnon was a two-time MAC Pitcher of the Week in 2016. RHP Colin Brockhouse returns after being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2016 MLB Draft.

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Players Mentioned

Colin Brockhouse

BJ Butler

Matt Eppers

Sean Kennedy

Alex Maloney

Kevin Marnon

Evan Marquardt

Caleb Stayton