
Tournament Seeding on the Line This Weekend at CMU
May 18, 2017 | Baseball
Game #54 – Ball State at Central Michigan
Thursday, May 18, 3:05 p.m.
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)
Game #55 – Ball State at Central Michigan
Friday, May 19, 3:05 p.m.
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)
Game #56 – Ball State at Central Michigan
Saturday, May 20, 2:05 p.m.
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)
Projected Starting Pitchers
Thursday – Colin Brockhouse, RHP (3-2, 3.77 ERA, 32 Ks)
Friday – John Baker, RHP (5-2, 3.36 ERA, 58 Ks)
Saturday – Evan Korson, LHP (1-1, 5.40, 31 Ks)
Around the Horn
Opening Pitch: Ball State wraps up the regular season with a trip to Central Michigan this weekend. The Cardinals are already one of five teams that have clinched a spot in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
Ball State can earn a share of the MAC West Division title with a sweep over CMU. If the Cardinals get at least one win this weekend, they are guaranteed a top-five seed in the tournament. Ball State needs two more wins to reach the 30-win plateau for the fifth straight season.
Series History: Ball State has won five of the last six games played between the two teams in Mount Pleasant. Last year, the Cardinals took two of three games at Central Michigan. 1B Caleb Stayton racked up six RBIs in that series.
However, the Chippewas eliminated Ball State from last year's MAC Tournament with a 4-0 win on May 26, 2016. Former Chippewa pitcher Nick Deeg went the distance and struck out eight Cardinals to earn the win.
Central Michigan leads the all-time series, 92-56.
MAC Player of the Year Candidate: INF Sean Kennedy is having a standout season, perhaps one of the best in the MAC. In league games only, Kennedy ranks among the top three players in batting average (.420 – 2nd), hits (37 – 1st), RBIs (29 – 3rd), doubles (10 – 1st), home runs (6 – 3rd) and total bases (67 – 1st). He leads in the total bases category by 14.
Stayton is Getting Hot: 1B Caleb Stayton has recorded at least two hits in five straight games. Over that stretch, he is hitting .524 (11-of-21) with six RBIs and six runs scored.
He Must Be Eating His Wheaties: Following the Ohio game on April 1, junior OF Jeff Riedel was sitting with a .135 batting average. Since then (25 games), Riedel is batting .412 (33-of-80) with 11 doubles, 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He has raised his season batting average all the way up to .279. Riedel leads the team with four outfield assists as well.
Burns Burning It Up: In his last three relief appearances, RHP Brendan Burns has logged 13 innings without allowing a run. He struck out 13 batters in those appearances and earned the win in each game – May 6 vs. Toledo, May 10 at Ohio State and May 14 vs. Western Carolina.
Thursday, May 18, 3:05 p.m.
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)
Game #55 – Ball State at Central Michigan
Friday, May 19, 3:05 p.m.
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)
Game #56 – Ball State at Central Michigan
Saturday, May 20, 2:05 p.m.
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateBB)
Projected Starting Pitchers
Thursday – Colin Brockhouse, RHP (3-2, 3.77 ERA, 32 Ks)
Friday – John Baker, RHP (5-2, 3.36 ERA, 58 Ks)
Saturday – Evan Korson, LHP (1-1, 5.40, 31 Ks)
Around the Horn
Opening Pitch: Ball State wraps up the regular season with a trip to Central Michigan this weekend. The Cardinals are already one of five teams that have clinched a spot in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
Ball State can earn a share of the MAC West Division title with a sweep over CMU. If the Cardinals get at least one win this weekend, they are guaranteed a top-five seed in the tournament. Ball State needs two more wins to reach the 30-win plateau for the fifth straight season.
Series History: Ball State has won five of the last six games played between the two teams in Mount Pleasant. Last year, the Cardinals took two of three games at Central Michigan. 1B Caleb Stayton racked up six RBIs in that series.
However, the Chippewas eliminated Ball State from last year's MAC Tournament with a 4-0 win on May 26, 2016. Former Chippewa pitcher Nick Deeg went the distance and struck out eight Cardinals to earn the win.
Central Michigan leads the all-time series, 92-56.
MAC Player of the Year Candidate: INF Sean Kennedy is having a standout season, perhaps one of the best in the MAC. In league games only, Kennedy ranks among the top three players in batting average (.420 – 2nd), hits (37 – 1st), RBIs (29 – 3rd), doubles (10 – 1st), home runs (6 – 3rd) and total bases (67 – 1st). He leads in the total bases category by 14.
Stayton is Getting Hot: 1B Caleb Stayton has recorded at least two hits in five straight games. Over that stretch, he is hitting .524 (11-of-21) with six RBIs and six runs scored.
He Must Be Eating His Wheaties: Following the Ohio game on April 1, junior OF Jeff Riedel was sitting with a .135 batting average. Since then (25 games), Riedel is batting .412 (33-of-80) with 11 doubles, 23 RBIs and 19 runs scored. He has raised his season batting average all the way up to .279. Riedel leads the team with four outfield assists as well.
Burns Burning It Up: In his last three relief appearances, RHP Brendan Burns has logged 13 innings without allowing a run. He struck out 13 batters in those appearances and earned the win in each game – May 6 vs. Toledo, May 10 at Ohio State and May 14 vs. Western Carolina.
Players Mentioned
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