Ball State Baseball Welcomes Newest Recruiting Class

The Ball State baseball program has officially signed eight new standout players in the early signing period who will enroll in the fall of 2020.

"We are excited to have these outstanding student-athletes join our Ball State baseball family and play their role in continuing the tradition of excellence we have in our program," head coach Rich Maloney said. "This group has five pitchers, three position players, six freshmen, two junior college transfers and three players who are ranked in the top 10 in their respective states.

"My hat is off to our recruiting coordinator, Blake Beemer, and our pitching coach, Larry Scully, for their efforts in landing such a great class of student-athletes."

Ball State's new group of pitchers is a group of that combined for an 18-2 record at various levels of baseball last year: Ryan Brown, Tim Ewald, Ty Johnson, Sam Klein and Eliot Turnquist.

Brown is a 6-3 righty from Harrison, Twp., Michigan, who has moved to the mound from behind the plate. He was an all-state honorable mention and all-region pick as a junior at L'anse Creuse High School while also earning all-conference and all-district accolades in each of his three seasons. Brown also earned letters in cross country and basketball.

"Ryan has a live arm and he has developed great confidence and grit from being a catcher most of his life," Maloney said. "That will help him on the mound."

Johnson is a 6-6 right-hander from Indianapolis who is ranked among the top Indiana prospects on Prep Baseball Report. He was Lawrence North's Team MVP and second team All-Marion County last year after going 3-0 with a 0.88 ERA. His team finished 17-8-1 in 2019 and won the county championship. Off the field, Johnson carries a 4.2 GPA.

"Ty fits the profile of the many successful pitchers we've had in our program," Maloney said. "He's long and wiry and has a huge upside. He has a good fastball and the makings for a good breaking pitch. Strength training will be at the forefront of his development."

Ewald is a lefty who will play the 2020 season at nationally-ranked Jefferson College in Missouri. He was a three-year starter at Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri, and was a preseason All-American by both Under Armour and Perfect Game. He also played for the Kansas City Royals scout team.

"Tim has shown command of three pitches," Maloney said. "He is highly competitive and should have an immediate impact on our program."

Klein, a 6-4 right-hander from Bloomington, Indiana, has led Bloomington North to a 39-15 record over the past two seasons. He's an all-area and all-conference player and posted a 1.31 ERA as a junior. Off the field, Klein owns a 4.0 GPA.

"Sam has great upside and has demonstrated feel for a breaking ball," Maloney said.

Turnquist, a right-handed pitcher from Wisconsin, is playing at Madison College in 2020. He went 3-2 with a 1.70 ERA in 19 appearances for Madison in 2019. He held opponents to a .123 batting average. Maloney says Turnquist is a "fierce competitor with something to prove. He has the makings of throwing three pitches for strikes and should have an immediate impact in our program."

NEW PLAYER THREAD! #signingday #ChirpChirp
— Ball State Baseball (@BallStateBB) November 13, 2019

The Cardinals added three bats in Tyler Hinrikus and infielders Aiden Hinds and Decker Scheffler.

Hinrikus, a 6-2, 200-pound athlete from Canada, figures to be a future factor at third base. Hinrikus has been ranked among the top players in Canada and is a two-time Tournament 12 selection. He hit .317 to help his high school team to a 32-14 record and he was also the runner-up in the Canadian High School Home Run Derby at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. He also earned a letter in basketball as a sophomore. Maloney said he's "very athletic with good speed and a plus arm" while also noting he has potential to hit for power. Off the field, Hinrikus is an honor roll student.

Hinds is an all-conference player on the left side of the infield at nearby Delta High School in Muncie. He was twice named All-Delaware County and is approaching the all-time hits record at his school. He carries a 4.17 GPA off the field, and on the field, Maloney says Hinds "is athletic with a live arm and a great work ethic."

Scheffler is a multi-sport star at Springfield High School in Sanborn, Minnesota. He was all-state last year as a junior, leading the team to a 20-5 record. He is a career .442 hitter with 52 extra-base hits. He was named first team all-area by the New Ulm Journal and was the paper's player of the year. Scheffler is an all-conference and all-area player in both football and basketball and was the player of the year after passing for 25 touchdowns as a quarterback this fall.

Maloney describes the lefty-hitting 6-3, 200-pound Scheffler as "an outstanding athlete with above average speed and power potential." Off the field, Scheffler carries a 3.9 GPA.

Ball State baseball has won 30+ games in each of Maloney's 14 seasons, including a 38-19 mark last year. The program's Meet The Team Night is set for Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Ball State Alumni Center on campus.

2020 BALL STATE BASEBALL SIGNEES

POSITION	NAME	HOMETOWN/HS (PREV. SCHOOL)
RHP	Ryan Brown	Harrison Twp., Mich./L'Anse Creuse
LHP	Tim Ewald	St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell (Jefferson College)
IF	Aiden Hinds	Muncie, Ind./Delta
3B-OF	Tyler Hinrikus	Waterloo, Ontario, Canada/Resurrection
RHP	Ty Johnson	Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North
RHP	Sam Klein	Bloomington, Ind./North
OF	Decker Scheffler	Sanborn, Minn./Springfield
RHP	Eliot Turnquist	Sun Prairie, Wis./Columbus (Madison College)

Ball State Baseball Welcomes Newest Recruiting Class

2020 BALL STATE BASEBALL SIGNEES

Related Videos