Friday, February 10
Lafayette, LA
11am
Ball State University
vs
DePaul University
Photo by: Brad Caudill - Ball State Athletics
Softball Opens 2017 Season Friday with Two Games in Louisiana
February 08, 2017 | Softball
- LOUISIANA CLASSICS TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
- SL DIGITAL AUDIO (ALL GAMES)
- BALL STATE AT NO. 11 LOUISIANA LIVE VIDEO
- The Ball State softball program opens its 43rd season of play Friday when it takes on DePaul (10 a.m. CT) and Southern Miss (12:30 p.m. CT) in the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics at No. 11 Louisiana's Lamson Park.
- Ball State softball fans can listen to this weekend's games at the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics live online as Mick Tidrow returns to the broadcast booth to call the action for BallStateSports.com and SL Digital ... Broadcasts are FREE and can be found at: www.ballstatesports.com/watch
- Live video will also be available for Saturday's game at No. 11 Louisiana and can be found at: http://www.ragincajuns.com/watch/?Live=770
- The Cardinals enter the season with a 943-991-4 (.488) all-time record ... Established as a varsity program in 1975, Ball State has won five Mid-American Conference regular season titles (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014), six MAC West Division crowns (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), three MAC Tournament championships (1998, 2010 and 2015) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times (1998, 2010 and 2015).
- Ball State is 25-17 in season-opening games, starting with a 6-1 victory over Ohio in 1975.
- Ball State had won seven straight season-opening games before suffering a 22-4 (5 inn.) loss last season to then-No. 11 Louisiana Feb. 12 at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores Ala. ... The game was tied at 0-0 after two, but the Ragin' Cajuns broke open the scoreless game in the top of the third.
- Ball State's 17-player roster for the 2017 season features 12 new players ... Five of the new players are transfers, with four coming from the junior college ranks and one from South Dakota ... The other seven newcomers are true freshmen.
- ALL-TIME SERIES: Ball State is 6-19 all-time versus the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics field ... The Cardinals played three of the teams last season, losing to then-No. 11 Louisiana and Southern Miss, while splitting a pair of games versus Iowa State.
- ALL-TIME VS. DEPAUL: The Blue Demons hold a 5-2 edge in the all-time series, including an 11-0 (5 inn.) win in the latest meeting, March 11, 2006 ... Ball State's lone wins in the series came by virtue of a doubleheader sweep April 19, 1989 by scores of 3-1 and 3-2.
All-Time vs. DePaul
4/20/1985 DePaul 1-5 N
3/28/1986 DePaul 2-3 N
4/20/1987 DePaul 1-3 A
4/20/1987 DePaul 1-2 A
4/19/1989 Ball State 3-1 A
4/19/1989 Ball State 3-2 A
3/11/2006 DePaul 0-11 (5) N
Away: 2-2 Neutral: 0-3 Overall: 2-5
- ALL-TIME VS. SOUTHERN MISS: The Lady Eagles hold a 2-0 lead in the all-time series versus the Cardinals, including a 17-1 (5 inn.) victory Feb. 13 of last season at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala.
All-Time vs. Southern Miss
2/13/2005 Southern Miss 4-5 N
2/13/2016 Southern Miss 1-17 (5) N
Neutral: 0-2 Overall: 0-2
- ALL-TIME VS. LOUISIANA: The Ragin' Cajuns hold a 6-0 edge in the all-time season, including last year's 22-5 (5 inn.) season-opening victory over the Cardinals Feb. 12 as part of the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala.
All-Time vs. Louisiana
2/28/1984 Louisiana 2-8 A
2/28/1984 Louisiana 3-5 A
2/26/1985 Louisiana 0-5 A
2/26/1985 Louisiana 0-4 A
3/10/1989 Louisiana 0-1 N
2/12/2016 Louisiana 4-22 (5) N
Away: 0-4 Neutral: 0-2 Overall: 0-6
- ALL-TIME VS. IOWA STATE: While the Cyclones hold a 6-4 lead in the all-time series, Ball State has won three of the last four meetings, including a 6-4 victory Feb. 21 of last season to close play in the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational.
All-Time vs. Iowa State
4/23/1983 Iowa St. 0-9 N
3/29/1985 Iowa St. 2-3 N
3/28/1986 Iowa St. 0-2 N
4/16/1986 Ball State 3-2 A
4/16/1986 Iowa St. 0-1 A
3/28/1992 Iowa St. 0-2 (8) N
3/6/1998 Ball State 2-0 N
3/9/2002 Ball State 4-2 N
2/19/2016 Iowa St. 5-8 N
2/21/2016 Ball State 6-4 N
Away: 1-1 Neutral: 3-5 Overall: 4-6
PLAYER NOTES
- Utility player Amanda Arnett enters her senior season as Ball State's active career home run leader with 12 ... A two-time Academic All-MAC honoree, Arnett smashed nine homers last season which ties as the 13th-best single-season total in program history.
- Arnett, who has played in 122 of a possible 165 games over her career, has also made 14 appearances in the circle and is one of only 26 players in program history to earn at least one career save.
- Outfielder Rachel Houck enters her senior season ranked ninth in program history in slugging percentage (.508), 17th in batting average (.320), t-18th in home runs (7) and 19th in on base percentage (.376) over her two-year playing career for the Cardinals ... Houck played the 2014 season at Louisville before transferring to Ball State for the 2015 campaign.
- Houck started the first 47 games of 2016 season before suffering a season-ending injury in game one of a doubleheader versus Central Michigan (April 23) ... She ended the year ranked second on the team with a .312 batting average, while driving in four game-winning runs.
- Pitcher Carolyn Wilmes enters her junior year ranked 19th in program history by averaging 3.37 strikeouts per seven innings ... In 48 career appearances, Wilmes has struck out 80 batters ... Last season, Wilmes threw 2.0 scoreless innings versus then-No. 11 Louisiana (Feb. 12) and 2.1 scoreless innings versus Southern Miss (Feb. 13) ... She struck out two Ragin' Cajuns, while fanning four Lady Eagles.
- Catcher / designated player Madison Lee had a stellar freshman campaign, earning 2016 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team honors and MAC All-Freshman Team accolades ... She led the Ball State offense and ranked seventh in the MAC with a .345 batting average, while also pacing the squad in hits (49), walks (24) and on base percentage (.443).
- Lee made the most of her first career at bat versus No. 25 South Alabama (Feb. 13), splitting the outfielders in left-center field for a pinch hit double … She would go on to start the final 50 games of the year ... She blasted her first of three career home runs in the top of the second inning versus No. 24 Texas (Feb. 19), which also marked her first career RBI.
- Aeshia Miles played in 49 games for the Cardinals as a freshman in 2016, earning 43 starts over six different positions ... Her first career hit was an infield single versus Southern Miss (Feb. 13) ... She would go on to finish the year with a .228 batting average and three home runs ... She blasted her first career home run to clinch the 9-1 (5 inn.) victory at Western Kentucky (Feb. 27), and added two-run home runs versus Boston (March 20) and Buffalo (April 8) ... Her home run versus Boston allowed her to score what proved to be the game-winning run in her first career multiple RBI game.
- Junior transfer Danae King enters 2017 on a 35-game hitting streak after leading Phoenix College with a .516 batting average and ranking second among all NJCAA Division II players with 28 home runs last season ... A 2016 NFCA First Team All-American and NJCAA First Team All-American for the Bears, King started her collegiate career at Ole Miss in 2015 where she hit .300.
- Junior transfer Brittany Hopper was a two-time NFCA First Team All-American at Phoenix College, helping guide the Bears to back-to-back NJCAA Division II Regional I championships ... A .422 career batter for Phoenix College, Hopper smashed 31 home runs, drove in 132 RBI and scored 130 runs for the Bears ... She hit .470 last season, with 16 home runs, 83 runs scored and 66 RBIs.
- Junior transfer Maddy Labrador was named the NJCAA Region X Player of the Year after leading Spartanburg Methodist College with a .497 batting average last season, including 16 doubles, five triples and six home runs … She scored a team-high 67 runs, while adding 38 RBIs ... Labrador began her collegiate career at USC-Aiken where she started all 49 games as a freshman in 2014 and logged a .230 batting average with six doubles and four home runs ... She redshirted at USC-Aiken in 2015.
- Junior transfer Cadie O'Donnell played all 59 games for Barton Community College in 2016, helping guide the Cougars to a 51-8 overall record which is the most wins in program history ... She finished the year with a .379 batting average and tied the program record with 32 stolen bases ... She also led the team with four triples, while scoring 63 runs to rank second on the squad ... She started her career at Cowley College in 2015, playing in 29 games and boasting a .263 batting average.
- Sophomore transfer Olivia Huffman played in 22 games at South Dakota last season, earning 13 starts ... She tallied a .209 batting average, with her first collegiate hit being a two-run home run versus San Diego (Feb. 20).
- Freshman Haley Dominique was a two-time Three Rivers Athletics Conference Player of the Year at Clay ... She tallied a .620 batting average as a senior and helped Clay earn its fourth-straight league and sectional championships.
- Freshman Janae Hogg helped guide Cathedral to a regional championship as a senior after batting .494 with eight home runs, nine doubles and a triple … She also drove in 36 RBIs and scored 13 runs.
- Freshman Darcie Huber was named third team all-state as a junior after helping guide Greenfield to a 27-5 overall record, plus conference and sectional championships ... She logged a 20-2 record in the circle with a 1.15 ERA and 211 strikeouts to earn Hancock County Player of the Year honors.
- Freshman Tara Morey earned honorable mention all-state as a senior after producing a .422 batting average with 20 runs, 19 RBIs, six doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs at New Palestine.
- Freshman Caitlyn Robinson is the first student-athlete from Clinton Massie to play NCAA Division I softball ... She was named second team all-state after helping guide the Falcons to a 24-1 record her senior season, with the team's lone loss coming in the district championship game to the eventual regional champion.
- Freshman Alyssa Rothwell was a second team all-state honoree as a junior after earning a 17-7 record, a 1.80 ERA and 189 strikeouts in the circle ... She led off the bottom of the eighth inning of the 2015 OHSAA Division I State Championship Game with a walk-off home run to help 21st-seeded Teays Valley win the state title … In the circle, Rothwell shutdown a previously undefeated Lebanon team, allowing one hit while striking out seven batters over eight innings.
- Freshman Kennedy Wynn was named first team all-state as a junior … She was also a First Team All-Hoosier Hill Conference selection at New Albany in each of her final three seasons.
- SL DIGITAL AUDIO (ALL GAMES)
- BALL STATE AT NO. 11 LOUISIANA LIVE VIDEO
- The Ball State softball program opens its 43rd season of play Friday when it takes on DePaul (10 a.m. CT) and Southern Miss (12:30 p.m. CT) in the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics at No. 11 Louisiana's Lamson Park.
- Ball State softball fans can listen to this weekend's games at the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics live online as Mick Tidrow returns to the broadcast booth to call the action for BallStateSports.com and SL Digital ... Broadcasts are FREE and can be found at: www.ballstatesports.com/watch
- Live video will also be available for Saturday's game at No. 11 Louisiana and can be found at: http://www.ragincajuns.com/watch/?Live=770
- The Cardinals enter the season with a 943-991-4 (.488) all-time record ... Established as a varsity program in 1975, Ball State has won five Mid-American Conference regular season titles (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014), six MAC West Division crowns (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015), three MAC Tournament championships (1998, 2010 and 2015) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times (1998, 2010 and 2015).
- Ball State is 25-17 in season-opening games, starting with a 6-1 victory over Ohio in 1975.
- Ball State had won seven straight season-opening games before suffering a 22-4 (5 inn.) loss last season to then-No. 11 Louisiana Feb. 12 at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores Ala. ... The game was tied at 0-0 after two, but the Ragin' Cajuns broke open the scoreless game in the top of the third.
- Ball State's 17-player roster for the 2017 season features 12 new players ... Five of the new players are transfers, with four coming from the junior college ranks and one from South Dakota ... The other seven newcomers are true freshmen.
- ALL-TIME SERIES: Ball State is 6-19 all-time versus the 31st Annual Louisiana Classics field ... The Cardinals played three of the teams last season, losing to then-No. 11 Louisiana and Southern Miss, while splitting a pair of games versus Iowa State.
- ALL-TIME VS. DEPAUL: The Blue Demons hold a 5-2 edge in the all-time series, including an 11-0 (5 inn.) win in the latest meeting, March 11, 2006 ... Ball State's lone wins in the series came by virtue of a doubleheader sweep April 19, 1989 by scores of 3-1 and 3-2.
All-Time vs. DePaul
4/20/1985 DePaul 1-5 N
3/28/1986 DePaul 2-3 N
4/20/1987 DePaul 1-3 A
4/20/1987 DePaul 1-2 A
4/19/1989 Ball State 3-1 A
4/19/1989 Ball State 3-2 A
3/11/2006 DePaul 0-11 (5) N
Away: 2-2 Neutral: 0-3 Overall: 2-5
- ALL-TIME VS. SOUTHERN MISS: The Lady Eagles hold a 2-0 lead in the all-time series versus the Cardinals, including a 17-1 (5 inn.) victory Feb. 13 of last season at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala.
All-Time vs. Southern Miss
2/13/2005 Southern Miss 4-5 N
2/13/2016 Southern Miss 1-17 (5) N
Neutral: 0-2 Overall: 0-2
- ALL-TIME VS. LOUISIANA: The Ragin' Cajuns hold a 6-0 edge in the all-time season, including last year's 22-5 (5 inn.) season-opening victory over the Cardinals Feb. 12 as part of the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala.
All-Time vs. Louisiana
2/28/1984 Louisiana 2-8 A
2/28/1984 Louisiana 3-5 A
2/26/1985 Louisiana 0-5 A
2/26/1985 Louisiana 0-4 A
3/10/1989 Louisiana 0-1 N
2/12/2016 Louisiana 4-22 (5) N
Away: 0-4 Neutral: 0-2 Overall: 0-6
- ALL-TIME VS. IOWA STATE: While the Cyclones hold a 6-4 lead in the all-time series, Ball State has won three of the last four meetings, including a 6-4 victory Feb. 21 of last season to close play in the Houston Hilton Plaza Invitational.
All-Time vs. Iowa State
4/23/1983 Iowa St. 0-9 N
3/29/1985 Iowa St. 2-3 N
3/28/1986 Iowa St. 0-2 N
4/16/1986 Ball State 3-2 A
4/16/1986 Iowa St. 0-1 A
3/28/1992 Iowa St. 0-2 (8) N
3/6/1998 Ball State 2-0 N
3/9/2002 Ball State 4-2 N
2/19/2016 Iowa St. 5-8 N
2/21/2016 Ball State 6-4 N
Away: 1-1 Neutral: 3-5 Overall: 4-6
PLAYER NOTES
- Utility player Amanda Arnett enters her senior season as Ball State's active career home run leader with 12 ... A two-time Academic All-MAC honoree, Arnett smashed nine homers last season which ties as the 13th-best single-season total in program history.
- Arnett, who has played in 122 of a possible 165 games over her career, has also made 14 appearances in the circle and is one of only 26 players in program history to earn at least one career save.
- Outfielder Rachel Houck enters her senior season ranked ninth in program history in slugging percentage (.508), 17th in batting average (.320), t-18th in home runs (7) and 19th in on base percentage (.376) over her two-year playing career for the Cardinals ... Houck played the 2014 season at Louisville before transferring to Ball State for the 2015 campaign.
- Houck started the first 47 games of 2016 season before suffering a season-ending injury in game one of a doubleheader versus Central Michigan (April 23) ... She ended the year ranked second on the team with a .312 batting average, while driving in four game-winning runs.
- Pitcher Carolyn Wilmes enters her junior year ranked 19th in program history by averaging 3.37 strikeouts per seven innings ... In 48 career appearances, Wilmes has struck out 80 batters ... Last season, Wilmes threw 2.0 scoreless innings versus then-No. 11 Louisiana (Feb. 12) and 2.1 scoreless innings versus Southern Miss (Feb. 13) ... She struck out two Ragin' Cajuns, while fanning four Lady Eagles.
- Catcher / designated player Madison Lee had a stellar freshman campaign, earning 2016 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team honors and MAC All-Freshman Team accolades ... She led the Ball State offense and ranked seventh in the MAC with a .345 batting average, while also pacing the squad in hits (49), walks (24) and on base percentage (.443).
- Lee made the most of her first career at bat versus No. 25 South Alabama (Feb. 13), splitting the outfielders in left-center field for a pinch hit double … She would go on to start the final 50 games of the year ... She blasted her first of three career home runs in the top of the second inning versus No. 24 Texas (Feb. 19), which also marked her first career RBI.
- Aeshia Miles played in 49 games for the Cardinals as a freshman in 2016, earning 43 starts over six different positions ... Her first career hit was an infield single versus Southern Miss (Feb. 13) ... She would go on to finish the year with a .228 batting average and three home runs ... She blasted her first career home run to clinch the 9-1 (5 inn.) victory at Western Kentucky (Feb. 27), and added two-run home runs versus Boston (March 20) and Buffalo (April 8) ... Her home run versus Boston allowed her to score what proved to be the game-winning run in her first career multiple RBI game.
- Junior transfer Danae King enters 2017 on a 35-game hitting streak after leading Phoenix College with a .516 batting average and ranking second among all NJCAA Division II players with 28 home runs last season ... A 2016 NFCA First Team All-American and NJCAA First Team All-American for the Bears, King started her collegiate career at Ole Miss in 2015 where she hit .300.
- Junior transfer Brittany Hopper was a two-time NFCA First Team All-American at Phoenix College, helping guide the Bears to back-to-back NJCAA Division II Regional I championships ... A .422 career batter for Phoenix College, Hopper smashed 31 home runs, drove in 132 RBI and scored 130 runs for the Bears ... She hit .470 last season, with 16 home runs, 83 runs scored and 66 RBIs.
- Junior transfer Maddy Labrador was named the NJCAA Region X Player of the Year after leading Spartanburg Methodist College with a .497 batting average last season, including 16 doubles, five triples and six home runs … She scored a team-high 67 runs, while adding 38 RBIs ... Labrador began her collegiate career at USC-Aiken where she started all 49 games as a freshman in 2014 and logged a .230 batting average with six doubles and four home runs ... She redshirted at USC-Aiken in 2015.
- Junior transfer Cadie O'Donnell played all 59 games for Barton Community College in 2016, helping guide the Cougars to a 51-8 overall record which is the most wins in program history ... She finished the year with a .379 batting average and tied the program record with 32 stolen bases ... She also led the team with four triples, while scoring 63 runs to rank second on the squad ... She started her career at Cowley College in 2015, playing in 29 games and boasting a .263 batting average.
- Sophomore transfer Olivia Huffman played in 22 games at South Dakota last season, earning 13 starts ... She tallied a .209 batting average, with her first collegiate hit being a two-run home run versus San Diego (Feb. 20).
- Freshman Haley Dominique was a two-time Three Rivers Athletics Conference Player of the Year at Clay ... She tallied a .620 batting average as a senior and helped Clay earn its fourth-straight league and sectional championships.
- Freshman Janae Hogg helped guide Cathedral to a regional championship as a senior after batting .494 with eight home runs, nine doubles and a triple … She also drove in 36 RBIs and scored 13 runs.
- Freshman Darcie Huber was named third team all-state as a junior after helping guide Greenfield to a 27-5 overall record, plus conference and sectional championships ... She logged a 20-2 record in the circle with a 1.15 ERA and 211 strikeouts to earn Hancock County Player of the Year honors.
- Freshman Tara Morey earned honorable mention all-state as a senior after producing a .422 batting average with 20 runs, 19 RBIs, six doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs at New Palestine.
- Freshman Caitlyn Robinson is the first student-athlete from Clinton Massie to play NCAA Division I softball ... She was named second team all-state after helping guide the Falcons to a 24-1 record her senior season, with the team's lone loss coming in the district championship game to the eventual regional champion.
- Freshman Alyssa Rothwell was a second team all-state honoree as a junior after earning a 17-7 record, a 1.80 ERA and 189 strikeouts in the circle ... She led off the bottom of the eighth inning of the 2015 OHSAA Division I State Championship Game with a walk-off home run to help 21st-seeded Teays Valley win the state title … In the circle, Rothwell shutdown a previously undefeated Lebanon team, allowing one hit while striking out seven batters over eight innings.
- Freshman Kennedy Wynn was named first team all-state as a junior … She was also a First Team All-Hoosier Hill Conference selection at New Albany in each of her final three seasons.
Players Mentioned
UTIL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF/C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF/OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF/OF
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