Friday, February 11
Rosemont, Ill.
10:30 AM
Ball State University
vs
St. Thomas
Softball Opens 2022 Season Friday at DePaul Dome Tournament
February 10, 2022 | Softball
| Ball State (0-0; 0-0 MAC) at DePaul Tournament at Rosemont Dome | |
| Game 1 vs. St. Thomas | Friday, Feb. 11 at 10:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. CT Live Stats | Live Video |
| Game 2 vs. Western Illinois | Friday, Feb. 11 at 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT Live Stats | Live Video |
| Game 3 vs. Murray State | Saturday, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. CT Live Stats | Live Video |
| Game 4 vs. Seattle | Saturday, Feb. 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT Live Video |
| Game 5 vs. Western Illinois | Sunday, Feb. 13Â at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT Live Video |
| Tickets Info | $10 Each Day (Ages 3+) | Face coverings required for all fans regardless of vaccinations status | MORE INFO |
| Social Media | Twitter  |  Instagram |
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After months of preparation, it is finally here. The 2022 Ball State softball season begins Friday, when the Cardinals open play in the DePaul Tournament at the Rosemont Dome with games versus St. Thomas (10:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. CT) and Western Illinois (3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT).
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BSU will play two more games Saturday, versus Murray State (1 p.m. ET / Noon CT) and Seattle (8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. CT), before closing opening weekend Sunday with a rematch versus WIU (12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT).
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Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, with a 37-18 overall mark and a program record 31 Mid-American Conference wins, the Cardinals will look to build some early season momentum with several new pieces thrust into the lineup.
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Ball State returns just five position starters and one pitcher from last season's team which produced the longest single season MAC winning streak in program history at 16 games and tied a program record with an 11-game overall winning streak.
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Key among the returning position starters are 2021 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region First Team selection senior Faith Hensley and 2021 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Second Team honoree Kayla Lissy.
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Hensley, a 2021 First Team All-MAC award winner, led the Ball State offense with a .390 batting average last year, including 17 doubles, seven home runs and a pair of triples. Hensley's team-leading 51 RBIs ranked third in the MAC, while her 38 runs scored were 10th. She was also a threat on the base paths, swiping 11 bases on the year to rank 11th in the MAC.
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Lissy, a 2021 Second Team All-MAC honoree, tied for first nationally with nine triples and also recorded an inside-the-park home run. She was just as fast on the base paths, ranking fifth in the MAC with 18 stolen bases, including stealing home twice. She also provided a bit of power, launching a grand slam in the opening game in the Buffalo series. Overall, her 43 runs scored were sixth in the MAC, while she added 18 RBIs.
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In the circle, the Cardinals return 12-game winner junior Deborah Jones who also owned the lowest ERA on the team at 3.64. Jones pitched a team-high 111.2 innings, striking out 79 batters and limiting opponents to a .261 average. She started 16 of her 30 appearances, earning two complete game shutouts and one combined shutout. She also collected three saves on the year.
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While Ball State's roster is relatively young, with 20 of the 28 players owning either freshman or sophomore eligibility, there is still plenty of experience. Two of the players are transfers to the program, four saw action for the Cardinals last season and five gained valuable experience as redshirts last season learning the ropes from BSU's talented group of "super seniors".
FROM THE BALL STATE NOTEBOOK:
- The Cardinals finished the 2021 season ranked seventh nationally with a program record .329 team batting average … BSU's five returning starters played a big role in that success, batting a combined .358 (239-for-668) for the year … Faith Hensley led the way with a .390 average, followed by Kayla Lissy (.366), Delanie Johnson (.363), Haley Wynn (.353), and Amaia Daniel (.307).
- Ball State also finished the 2021 season with a program record .415 on-base percentage, which ranked eighth nationally … BSU's five returning starters from a year ago all finished above the mark, led by Faith Hensley (.478) … Delanie Johnson (.458) was right behind, followed by Amaia Daniel (.437), Haley Wynn (.432) and Kayla Lissy (.432).
- The Cardinals also tallied a program record 101 doubles in 2021, which was the third-best total in the nation last season … Faith Hensley led the way with 17 which ranked 14th nationally.
- Ball State was no stranger to the role of comeback kids last season, trailing at some point during 19 of its program record 31 MAC victories ... Throw in non-conference play, and Ball State trailed in 22 of its 37 wins on the season.
- The Cardinals were also not afraid to score in bulk last season, with four-or-more runs in an inning 29 times ... Ball State scored at least four runs once in each inning, 1-7, over the course of the season, including seven times in the third ... Ball State's biggest inning was a 10-run fifth in the opening game of the doubleheader at NIU (May 12) which saw the Cardinals win 13-4 (5) ... Second on the list was the nine-run onslaught in the third inning of the 14-5 (5) come-from-behind win over Toledo (May 1) ... The Cardinals also produced two eight-run innings and three seven-run innings on the year.
IN THE MAC PRESEASON POLL
- Ball State was selected to finished third among the 11 Mid-American Conference softball programs in the league's annual preseason poll … Defending regular season champion Miami was picked to repeat and garnered all 11 first-place votes … Kent State was picked second, followed by the Cardinals.
- Miami was also selected as the favorite to win the MAC Tournament, which resumes for the 2022 season with six teams and will be hosted by the MAC Regular Season Champion … The RedHawks earned seven of the 11 votes, with Kent State picking up the remaining four.
THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS:
- The Cardinals are a combined 6-6 versus teams it will play in the DePaul Tournament at the Rosemont Dome.
- Ball State will be facing both St. Thomas and Seattle for the first time in the sport of softball.
- The Cardinals are 4-4 all-time versus Western Illinois, with the teams last playing Feb. 19, 2010 in Kennesaw, Georgia … WIU won the game 6-2 … Prior to that, Ball State had won the previous three meetings.
- Ball State is 2-2 all-time against Murray state, with the teams last playing Feb. 17, 2019 at Madeira Beach, Florida … The Racers won the game 5-1.
Players Mentioned
Uti
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C/Uti
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF/OF
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