Ball State University
Fordham
Softball Returns To Action Friday at Mercer Bears Classic
March 14, 2019 | Softball
• THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team competes in its final preconference tournament this weekend, when it travels to Macon, Georgia, for the Mercer Bears Classic.
• THE SCHEDULE:Mercer Bears Classic (March 15-17)
Game 28 - Friday, March 15 vs. Fordham - 1:30 p.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 29 - Friday, March 15 vs. South Dakota - 8:15 p.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)Â
Game 30 - Saturday, March 16 vs. Cleveland State - 11:15 a.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 31 - Saturday, March 16 at Mercer - 3:45 p.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 32 - Sunday, March 17 vs. Fordham - 9 a.m.
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
• FOLLOW THE ACTION: Fans can follow all of the action at the Mercer Bears Classic with live stats at https://ballstatesports.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary ... In addition, fans can follow @BallStateSB on twitter for updates throughout the season.
• ALL-TIME: Ball State softball enters the weekend with a 1028-1047-4 (.495) 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).
• ALL-TIME VS. MERCER BEARS CLASSIC OPPONENTS: Ball State is 6-6 all-time versus teams it will face in this weekend's Mercer Bears Classic ... UConn scored a 7-2 victory in the only previous meeting between the two teams March 11, 2011 ... The Cardinals earned an 11-8 (9) win over South Dakota in the only previous contest Feb. 6, 2015 ... Ball State holds a 2-1 edge in the series versus Mercer, including a 9-1 (5 inn.) victory in the latest meeting Feb. 14, 2015 ... Fordham holds a 2-1 edge in the all-time series after topping the Cardinals 11-3 on March 2, 2018 ... The Cardinals tied the all-time series with Cleveland State at two games apiece by scoring a 4-2 victory over the Vikings last Friday (March 8) at the JU/UNF Spring Break Classic.
• #100: With a 9-1 victory over Montana (Feb. 24), Ball State softball head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett picked up her 100th career win as coach of the Cardinals ... The ninth coach in program history, Ciolli Bartlett is the fifth coach to reach 100 wins at Ball State ... With her 107-88 all-time record, Ciolli Bartlett is the fourth-winningest coach in program history behind Craig Nicholson (2007-2013) at 241-162, Terri Laux (1997-2006) at 222-283-1 and Jeri Findlay (1982-92) at 201-302-3.
BALL STATE TEAM/PLAYER NOTES
• 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.
• With her 17th career save in Ball State's 3-0 victory over Monmouth (Feb. 15), junior closer Alyssa Rothwell etched her name in the record books as the greatest closer in Mid-American Conference history ... Rothwell enters the Mercer Bears Classic with 22 career saves, which is six more than the previous MAC record ... Her 22 career saves are also the most among active NCAA Division I players, with the next closest player at 18, and are 11 shy of breaking the NCAA career record of 32 held by Mississippi State's Kellie Wilkerson (1999-02).
• Ball State's pitching staff has proven to be one of the toughest in the nation so far this season, ranking first in the MAC and 65th nationally with a 2.60 team ERA ... Leading the charge is freshman starter Sarah Venker who ranks 148th nationally with a 2.01 ERA and is 25th nationally with three complete game shutouts ... Junior closer Alyssa Rothwell leads the nation with eight saves and boasts a 1.88 ERA, while redshirt sophomore Darcie Huber holds a 1.31 ERA, but is just shy of the minimum innings pitched total to be ranked.
• Ball State's pitching staff has already thrown nine shutouts this season, which is tied for the 10th-best single season total in program history ... Sarah Venker has had a hand in a team-high six of the shutouts, while closer Alyssa Rothwell has been involved in five ... Venker threw Ball State's first complete game shutout of the season in the win over Delaware (Feb. 16) and picked up two more versus Bethune-Cookman (March 6) and Georgetown (March 9) ... Freshman Tieghan Morio added her first career complete game shutout in the nightcap at Bethune-Cookman (March 6), while combining for another versus Presbyterian (March 9) ... Darcie Huber and senior starter Aeshia Miles have each had a hand in one of BSU's shutout wins.
• A big reason for Ball State's success in the circle this season has been strikeouts ... The Cardinals pitching staff ranks first in the league and 13th nationally with 178 strikeouts ... Aeshia Miles and Sarah Venker lead the way with 51 each over 49.2 and 52.1 innings of work, respectively ... In addition, Alyssa Rothwell has struck out 30 batters over just 18.2 innings, including all seven batters she faced to earn the win in Ball State's 3-2 (8) come-from-behind victory over Quinnipiac (Feb. 17) ... The Cardinals pitching staff is currently averaging 7.00 strikeouts per game, just shy of the program record of 7.01 per game set by the 2010 squad.
• Aeshia Miles became just the 13th player in program history to register 200 career strikeouts when she fanned her first of seven batters at FGCU (Feb. 9) ... She enters the week with 246 career strikeouts which ranks 10th in program history ... She needs 36 more strikeouts to pass Audra Sanders (2010-13) for ninth on the program's all-time list.
• Junior first baseman/designated player Janae Hogg enters the week as one of the top power hitters in the Mid-American Conference, tying for first in home runs (6) and ranking 10th in slugging percentage (.600) ... Three of her home runs this season have driven in what proved to be the game-winning RBI, giving her 17 career game-winning RBI which leads Ball State's active players ... Of the 17 game-winning RBI, 11 have come via the long ball.
• A .334 career batter, junior left fielder Haley Dominique enters the Mercer Bears Classic 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 ... So far this season, Dominique has reached base safely in 22 of Ball State's 27 games, including each of the last nine games which is a team season-high.
• Ball State enters the weekend ranked first among all NCAA Division I programs with 117 walks this season ... No. 8 Georgia is second with 116 walks, followed by No. 3 Florida State (111) and No. 17 Arizona State (110) ... Individually, Janae Hogg tops the MAC with 15 walks, while Haley Dominique, sophomore third baseman Stacy Payton and sophomore shortstop Hailey Demnianiuk is second in the league with 14 free passes each ... Last season, the Cardinals finished the year ranked fifth in the country with 235 walks.
• Ball State enters the weekend ranked first in the MAC and 51st nationally with 19 home runs this season ... A total of 10 different Cardinals have hit a home run so far in 2019, led by Janae Hogg's six and Haley Dominique's three ... At last weekend's JU/UNF Spring Break Classic, sophomore outfielder Kendall Fields blasted her first career home run at co-host North Florida (March 8), while Hailey Demnianiuk smashed her first career bomb in the win over Georgetown (March 9).
• Ball State will see a pair of familiar faces this weekend as Mercer is led by former BSU assistant coach Stephaine DeFeo (2012-16), while former four-year letterwinner Nicole Steinbach (2013-16) is the pitching coach for South Dakota.
