Softball Returns to Florida for Madeira Beach Invite
February 14, 2019 | Softball
Game 6Â - Ball State vs. Belmont
Friday, Feb. 15, 9Â a.m.
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Game 7Â - Ball State vs. Monmouth
Friday, Feb. 15, 2Â p.m.
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Game 8Â - Ball State vs. Central Arkansas
Saturday, Feb. 16, 11:30Â a.m.
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Game 9Â - Ball State vs. Delaware
Saturday, Feb. 16, 2Â p.m.
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Game 10Â - Ball State vs. Quinnipiac
Sunday, Feb. 17, 9Â a.m.
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Game 11Â - Ball State vs. Murray State
Sunday, Feb. 17, 11:30 a.m.
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• THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: This weekend will mark the busiest of the season for the Ball State softball program which plays six games over three days at the Madeira Beach Invitational ... The Cardinals battle Belmont (9 a.m.) and Monmouth (2 p.m.)Friday, Central Arkansas (11:30 a.m.) and Delaware (2 p.m.) Saturday and Quinnipiac (9 a.m.) and Murray State (11:30 a.m.) Sunday.
• FOLLOW THE ACTION: Fans unable to attend this weekend's games can follow the action with live stats at: https://ballstatesports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary ... In addition, fans can follow @BallStateSB on twitter for game updates throughout the season.
• ALL-TIME VERSUS THE FIELD: Ball State is 8-5 all-time versus teams it will face in the Madeira Beach Invitational ... The Cardinals hold a 3-1 edge over Belmont despite suffering a March 16 road loss to the Bruins by a score of 7-6 (9) last season ... BSU won the only previous meeting with Monmouth by a score of 6-2 on March 8, 2011 ... Central Arkansas picked up a 6-0 win over the Cardinals on its home field Feb. 24, 2013 in the lone meeting between the programs ... Ball State holds a 2-1 edge over Delaware despite the Blue Hens pulling out a 6-5 victory on March 3 of last season at the Citrus Classic II ... Quinnipiac scored a 4-0 win March 12, 2011 in the lone meeting between the programs ... Ball State is up 2-1 in the series versus Murray State, including a 9-5 victory in the latest meeting March 12, 2016. Â
• ALL-TIME: Ball State softball enters the weekend with a 1013-1040-4 (.493) all-time record ... Established as a varsity program in 1975, Ball State has won five MAC regular season titles (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014), seven MAC West Division crowns (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018), three MAC Tournament championships (1998, 2010 and 2015) and advanced to the NCAA Regionals three times (1998, 2010 and 2015).
BALL STATE TEAM/PLAYER NOTES
• Ball State earned the 1,000th win in program history with a 7-6 victory over Western Michigan in the second game of an April 13, 2018 doubleheader.
• With its 7-4 win over LIU Brooklyn last Friday at the FGCU Kickoff Classic, Ball State improved to 27-18 all-time in season-opening games ... In fact, the Cardinals have won nine of their last 11 season openers.
• The Cardinals are slated to open the 2019 season with 32 straight games away from the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex ... Ball State played its first 33 games of the 2018 season on the road which is the longest stretch of road games in program history ... Ball State played 32 straight road games to open the 2016 season, while starting the 2012 campaign with 31 straight road games.
• Since 2009, Ball State has proven to be the MAC's premier program by compiling a 147-64 (.697) league record ... Kent State is second over the same span at 140-73 (.657), while Ohio is third at 131-85 (.606) ... In addition, Ball State boasts a 419-417-1 (.501) all-time MAC record over 36 years.
• Junior closer Alyssa Rothwell opened the 2019 season with saves versus Penn State (Feb. 9) and at FGCU (Feb. 10) to raise her career total to 16 ... Already Ball State's career record holder after last season, Rothwell tied the Mid-American Conference career record of 16 originally set by Bowling Green's Jamie Kertes (2012-15) ... The NCAA career saves record is 32 held by Mississippi State's Kellie Wilkerson (1999-02).
• Freshman pitcher Sarah Venker shined in her first collegiate weekend, leading the Ball State pitching staff with two wins, while registering a 0.00 ERA and limiting opponents to a .071 batting average ... Over 8.1 innings of work, Venker surrendered just two hits, both singles, while striking out six ... She was credited with the relief win in the season-opener versus LIU Brooklyn (Feb. 8) and threw the first 5.1 innings of the shutout win over Penn State (Feb. 9).
• Last weekend saw the return of redshirt sophomore Darcie Huber to the circle for Ball State ... Huber, who missed the 2018 season due to injury, earned the starting nod in the season-opener against LIU Brooklyn (Feb. 8) and threw 3.0 innings of hitless softball while striking out four batters ... She also earned the start and win at FGCU (Feb. 10), limiting the Eagles to two hits over the first five innings while striking out five batters ... Huber finished opening weekend with a 1-0 record, a 0.00 ERA and nine strikeouts.
• Senior Aeshia Miles led the Ball State pitching staff with 11 total strikeouts opening weekend, raising her career total to 206 ... She is just the 13th player in program history to register 200 career strikeouts ... Her first four strikeouts came versus Penn State (Feb. 8), while her final seven came at FGCU (Feb. 9).
• The Ball State bomb squad was powering up opening weekend, as three different Cardinals went yard at the FGCU Kickoff Classic ... The first home run of the season was a two-run blast to left field by freshman third baseman Trinity Eckerty which proved to drive in the winning run versus LIU Brooklyn (Feb. 8) ... Senior catcher Olivia Huffman belted her first home run of the season, and sixth of her Ball State career, with a two-run shot later in the day against Penn State (Feb. 8) ... The final home run, also a game-winner, came off the bat of junior Janae Hogg in the 1-0 victory over the Nittany Lions (Feb. 9).
• Janae Hogg leads Ball State's active players with 15 career game-winning RBI, including one so far this season ... Nine of her 15 career game-winning RBI have come via the long ball; vs. Miami (April 2, 2017), at Northern Illinois (April 4, 2017), vs. Boston University (Feb. 17. 2018); at New Mexico State (Feb. 17, 2018), vs. Florida A&M (March 9, 2018), at Bowling Green (March 24, 2018), at Eastern Michigan (April 28, 2018) vs. Central Michigan (May 10, 2018) and versus Penn State (Feb. 9, 2019).
• A .333 career batter, Haley Dominique enters the Madeira Beach Invitational ranked fourth on Ball State's career list with a .449 on base percentage, including a team-best .474 mark last season ... Dominique reached base safely in 51 of Ball State's 56 games in 2018, putting together a career-long 12-game hitting streak and a career-best 17-game streak of reaching base safely ... Dominique reached base safely in three of Ball State's five games opening weekend, including recording a pair of hits in the win at FGCU (Feb. 10).
