Ball State University Athletics
Photo by: Mike Janes Photography
Offensive Explosion Results In Awards
March 25, 2019 | Baseball
Simpson on CBN's national list, Ricotta named MAC batter of the week
Ball State baseball enjoyed a 5-0 week and now national and conference awards have followed.Â
Aaron Simpson found himself on the Collegiate Baseball News list of national players of the week after hitting .654 and scoring 12 runs. The team's leadoff hitter had a .679 OBP, drove in 6 runs and stole 3 bases. Simpson has had 3+ hits and scored 2+ runs in each of the last 5 games. The hot streak has lifted his batting average 102 points in 15 days, from .294 to .396.
John Ricotta batted .591 and slugged 1.045 during the week, which featured wins over two in-state teams and a series sweep over Western Michigan. He hit a pair of home runs and drove in 11 and had 10 hits in the weekend sweep. He went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs on Saturday, then added a 4-for-6 effort with 4 runs scored on Sunday.
As a team, the Cardinals scored 56 runs on 80 hits during the week. That included 28 XBH and a team slash line of .410/.465/.636. Five Ball State players batted at least .500 during the week. In addition to the production from Simpson and Ricotta, Ross Messina hit .500 with 3 home runs and 12 RBIs and William Baker hit .500 and scored 8 runs. Freshman Mack Murphy also hit .500 in 12 at-bats.
Ball State (15-9), which has now won six games in a row and seven of eight will play four home games this week. Valparaiso visits Ball Diamond Wednesday and then Kent State comes to town for a weekend showdown March 29-31. Fans can follow the Ball State baseball program on Twitter and Instagram at @BallStateBB.
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Aaron Simpson found himself on the Collegiate Baseball News list of national players of the week after hitting .654 and scoring 12 runs. The team's leadoff hitter had a .679 OBP, drove in 6 runs and stole 3 bases. Simpson has had 3+ hits and scored 2+ runs in each of the last 5 games. The hot streak has lifted his batting average 102 points in 15 days, from .294 to .396.
John Ricotta batted .591 and slugged 1.045 during the week, which featured wins over two in-state teams and a series sweep over Western Michigan. He hit a pair of home runs and drove in 11 and had 10 hits in the weekend sweep. He went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs on Saturday, then added a 4-for-6 effort with 4 runs scored on Sunday.
Congrats to Aaron Simpson on being selected as one of Collegiate Baseball's National Players of the week! Â Also, congrats to teammate John Ricotta on being named MAC Player of the Week. Â Way to go guys! Â I would also like to acknowledge Ross Messina he was deserving as well.
— Rich Maloney (@CoachMaloney) March 25, 2019
As a team, the Cardinals scored 56 runs on 80 hits during the week. That included 28 XBH and a team slash line of .410/.465/.636. Five Ball State players batted at least .500 during the week. In addition to the production from Simpson and Ricotta, Ross Messina hit .500 with 3 home runs and 12 RBIs and William Baker hit .500 and scored 8 runs. Freshman Mack Murphy also hit .500 in 12 at-bats.
Ball State (15-9), which has now won six games in a row and seven of eight will play four home games this week. Valparaiso visits Ball Diamond Wednesday and then Kent State comes to town for a weekend showdown March 29-31. Fans can follow the Ball State baseball program on Twitter and Instagram at @BallStateBB.
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