Ball State University
LIU Brooklyn
Softball Season Starts Friday at FGCU Kickoff Classic
February 05, 2019 | Softball
Game 1Â - Ball State vs. LIU Brooklyn
Friday, Feb. 8, 10Â a.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 2Â - Ball State vs. Penn State
Friday, Feb. 8, 2:30Â p.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 3Â - Ball State vs. Penn State
Saturday, Feb. 9, 4:45Â p.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 4 - Ball State at FGCU
Saturday, Feb. 9, 7Â p.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 5 - Ball State at FGCU
Sunday, Feb. 10, 1:30Â p.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
• THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball program opens its 45th season of play Friday, when it battles LIU Brooklyn (10 a.m.) and Penn State (2:30 p.m.) at the FGCU Kickoff Classic ... The Cardinals will play the Nittany Lions for a second time Saturday (4:45 p.m.), while battling tournament host FGCU in a Saturday nightcap (7 p.m.) and a Sunday matinee (1:30 p.m.).
• FOLLOW THE ACTION: Fans unable to attend this weekend's games can follow the action with live stats for all five games 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 13-10 all-time versus the FGCU Kickoff Classic Field ... The Cardinals are 4-2 all-time versus LIU Brooklyn, including a pair of wins over the Blackbirds last season ... Ball State holds an 8-4 lead in the all-time series versus Penn State, including back-to-back 1-0 wins in 2010 and 2003 ... FGCU maintains a 4-1 lead in the all-time series, including wins in each of the last two seasons ... Ball State's lone win in the series was a 3-2 (8) victory on March 5, 2016.
• BACK TO FT. MYERS: This will be the fourth straight season the Cardinals have made a stop in Ft. Myers, as they played in the 2016 FGCU Spring Break Classic (March 4-6), in three midweek games (March 7-8) at the FGCU Softball Complex in 2017 and at the 2018 FGCU Kickoff Classic ... Overall, the Cardinals are 6-7 over the past three seasons at FGCU, including a 3-2 record last season.
• IN SEASON OPENERS: Ball State enters Friday's game versus LIU Brooklyn with a 26-18 all-time record in season-opening games ... In fact, the Cardinals have won eight of their last 10 season openers, with the lone losses coming to then-No. 11 Louisiana in 2016 and to Memphis last season.
• ALL-TIME: Ball State softball enters the 2019 season with a 1010-1038-4 (.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.
• 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 ... The Cardinals are slated to open the 2019 season with 32 straight games away from the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex.
• 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.
• A First-Team All-MAC honoree last season, Aeshia Miles enters her senior season as the top returning starting pitcher in the MAC, with her 20 wins, 2.00 ERA and 189.0 innings of work leading the league's returning starters from a year ago ... She also complied 159 strikeouts and limited opposing batters to a .243 average last season.
• The Ball State pitching staff also returns closer Alyssa Rothwell who set the BSU and MAC single-season record with 11 saves last season ... The total was second nationally, trailing only FGCU's Taylor Bauman who had 15 ... With 14 career saves, Rothwell needs just three more to break the MAC career record of 16 held by Bowling Green's Jamie Kertes (2012-15) ... The NCAA career saves record is 32 held by Mississippi State's Kellie Wilkerson (1999-02).
• Despite the loss of the team's ace to injury prior to the start of the 2018 season, the short-handed Ball State pitching staff finished the year with a league-low 2.48 ERA ... Ball State's three pitchers helped guide the program to 37 wins, the fourth-highest single season total in program history, and the MAC West Division championship ... The Cardinals also collected the third-most strikeouts in a season in program history, at 328, with all three of the team's pitchers ranking in the top 15 in the league in strikeouts.
• Ball State finished the season with the 51st-most prolific scoring offense in the country, averaging 5.18 runs per game ... The Cardinals scored six-or-more runs in 21 games, owning a 20-1 record in those contests ... In fact, Ball State scored six-or-more runs in an inning 10 times in 2018.
• A First Team All-MAC selections last season, junior left fielder Haley Dominique led the Ball State offense and ranked sixth in the MAC with a .378 batting average last season ... Her team-leading 43 runs scored were fourth in the MAC, while her 36 RBIs were third on the team and 11th in the league.
• A .345 career batter, Haley Dominique enters the 2019 season ranked fourth on Ball State's career list with a .451 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.
• Janae Hogg enters her junior season as the top returning power hitter in the MAC with 14 home runs last season ... She also leads Ball State's active players with 14 career game-winning RBI, including eight last season ... Eight of her 14 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) and vs. Central Michigan (May 10, 2018).
• Ball State batters drew a league-high 235 walks last season which also ranked fifth nationally ... Janae Hogg led the Cardinals and was second in the MAC with 47 walks ... The team total was the second-best single season mark in program history, trailing only the 238 walks drawn by the 2008 squad.
