Welcome Home; Softball Hosts Akron This Weekend
March 21, 2019 | Softball
• THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: After 32 road games to start the 2019 season, the Ball State softball team will play its first games at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex this weekend when it opens Mid-American Conference action with a three-game series versus Akron ... The teams will play a 3 p.m. single game Friday and a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday.
• THE SCHEDULE:
Game 33 - Friday, March 22 hosts Akron - 3 p.m.
Live Video | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 34 - Saturday, March 23 hosts Akron (DH - GM1) - 1 p.m.
Live Video | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
Game 35 - Saturday, March 23 hosts Akron (DH - GM 2) - 3:30 p.m.
Live Video | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateSB)
• ALL-TIME: Ball State softball enters the weekend with a 1032-1048-4 (.496) 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).
• IN #MACTION: 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.
• ALL-TIME VS. AKRON: Ball State holds a 34-22 advantage in the all-time series versus Akron, including seven straight wins ... In fact, the Cardinals have won 22 of the last 27 meetings ... Last season, Ball State swept a three-game set at Akron with a 5-2 win March 30, 2018 and a pair of run-rule victories the following day; 9-1 (5) and 16-5 (5) ... The Zips' last win in the series was a 4-2 victory April 18, 2014 in Muncie ... The Cardinals rebounded to take the nightcap, however, by a score of 15-2 (5) ... Overall, Ball State holds a 15-10 edge in games played in Muncie, winning eight of the last nine on its home field.Â
BALL STATE TEAM/PLAYER NOTES
• The Cardinals opened the 2019 season with 32 straight games away from the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex, which ties with the 2016 season for the second-longest road stretch in program history ... The longest road swing came in 2018, when Ball State played its first 33 games on the road.
• With its 10-3 win over Cleveland State (March 16), Ball State became the first MAC team to reach 20 wins this season ... The Cardinals enter the weekend with a league-best 22-10 record this season, with the 22 wins also tying for 17th nationally.
• 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 111-89 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.
• 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 2019 MAC season with 23 career saves, which is seven more than the previous MAC record ... Her 23 career saves are also the most among active NCAA Division I players, with the next closest player at 18, and are 10 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 58th nationally with a 2.58 team ERA ... Leading the charge is freshman starter Sarah Venker who owns a 2.22 ERA and has three complete game shutouts ... Junior closer Alyssa Rothwell leads the nation with nine saves and boasts a 1.78 ERA, while redshirt sophomore starter Darcie Huber holds a 1.31 ERA ... Both are 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 ninth nationally with 209 strikeouts ... Sarah Venker leads the way with 69 strikeouts over 66.1 innings of work, while Aeshia Miles is right behind with 60 strikeouts over 60.2 innings pitched ... In addition, Alyssa Rothwell has struck out 30 batters over just 19.2 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 6.90 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 255 career strikeouts which ranks 10th in program history ... She needs 27 more strikeouts to pass Audra Sanders (2010-13) for ninth on the program's all-time list.
• By earning the win in Ball State's 11-3 (6) victory over Fordham (March 17), freshman starting pitcher Sarah Venker became the first player from the MAC to reach 10 wins this season ... In fact, she is one of only 33 pitchers nationally to have reached 10 wins entering the weekend.
• Junior first baseman/designated player Janae Hogg enters the week as one of the top power hitters in the Mid-American Conference, tying for third in home runs (6) and tying for 11th 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 .343 career batter, junior left fielder Haley Dominique enters the Akron series ranked fourth on Ball State's career list with a .453 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 26 of Ball State's 32 games.
• One new role for Haley Dominique this season appears to be power hitter ... Dominique is currently tied for the team lead with six home runs this season, more than doubling her career total of four entering the season ... She has also doubled her career total with two triples this season, and is six shy of her previous season high with eight doubles in 2019.Â
• Ball State enters the weekend ranked first among all NCAA Division I programs with 131 walks this season ... No. 4/3 Alabama is second on the list at 129, with both No. 3/4 Florida State and No. 12/15 Georgia are right behind at 126 ... Individually, sophomore infielder Stacy Payton leads the squad and is tied for third in the MAC with 17 walks, while Haley Dominique is right behind with 16 to rank fourth in the league ... Last season, the Cardinals finished the year ranked fifth in the country with 235 walks.
• Ball State enters the weekend ranked 28th nationally with 31 home runs this season ... A total of 13 different Cardinals have hit at least one home run so far in 2019, led by six each from Janae Hogg and Haley Dominique ... At last weekend's Mercer Bears Classic, freshman second baseman Amaia Daniel hit her first three career home runs, while freshman pitcher Sarah Venker and freshman outfielder Faith Hensley each added their first career long balls.
• Freshman outfielder Kim Manuel enters the week leading the MAC with 11 stolen bases this season ... In fact, Manuel is a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts so far in 2019 and is the only MAC player with more than seven attempts with a perfect stolen base percentage ... Manuel is looking to become just the fourth player in program history to finish a season with a perfect stolen base mark with at least 10 attempts, with the previous three being Rachel Houck (2017, 16-for-16), Roshelle Lee (1998, 13-for-13) and Loren Cihlar (2013, 11-for-11).
