Ball State University
Bowling Green
Softball Welcomes Bowling Green; Celebrates Seniors Friday
April 28, 2022 | Softball
| Ball State (19-25; 12-8 MAC) hosts Bowling Green (25-14; 11-8 MAC) | |
| Game 45 hosts Bowling Green | Friday, April 29 at 1 p.m. Live Stats | Watch |
| Game 46 hosts Bowling Green | Friday, April 29 at 3:30 p.m. Live Stats | Watch |
| Game 47 hosts Bowling Green | Saturday, April 30 at 1 p.m. Live Stats | Watch |
| Tickets Info | Free Admission All Weekend Saturday: First Merchants Ballpark Fan Day |
| Notes | Ball State  |  Bowling Green |
| Social Media | Twitter  |  Instagram |
» THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team begins the most important 10-day stretch of the season Friday, when it opens a three-game home series versus Bowling Green at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex ... Due to the threat of more wet weather, the teams are now slated to play a doubleheader Friday at 1 p.m. and a single game Saturday also starting at 1 p.m.
» WHERE WE STAND: Ball State enters the week fourth in the Mid-American Conference standings with its 12-8 league record ... It is a key spot, as only the top four teams will advance to the 2022 MAC Tournament hosted by the No. 1 seed ... Miami currently leads the league at 17-3, while Central Michigan (13-7) and Ohio (14-8) are both a game ahead of the Cardinals ... A half-game behind BSU in the standings is this weekend's opponent Bowling Green at 11-8 ... Akron is also within striking distance, 1.5 back of Ball State with a 12-11 league ledger.
» THE NEXT 10 DAYS: The next 10 days will be key for the Cardinals, as they battle both teams directly behind them in the standings, as well as the league leader, looking to secure a spot in the MAC Tournament ... After hosting BGSU this weekend, the Cardinals travel to Miami for a midweek series before closing the regular season at home against Akron.
» SENIOR FRIDAY: The Ball State softball team will honor its outgoing seniors Friday following the series opener versus Bowling Green.
» BALLPARK DAY: Saturday, Ball State Athletics will host First Merchants Ballpark Fan Day ... It's the fourth edition of gathering the community to support Ball State baseball and softball which are both in MAC title hunts ... The usual exciting trip to the ballpark will be infused with more fun thanks to First Merchants Bank, as the following deals and promotions will be in play:
 - First 300 spectators to arrive will receive a lunch package: hot dog, chips, and Pepsi drinkÂ
 - First 200 spectators at each venue will receive an event T-Shirt (one shirt per fan)
 - There will be drawings for prize packs during each inning
» HOW TO FOLLOW: This weekend's series versus Bowling Green will be streamed LIVE on BallStateSports.com ... In addition, live stats will be provided courtesy of Ball State Athletics ... Fans can also get regular updates by following the team on Twitter - @BallStateSB ... Links can be found on the softball schedule page on BallStateSports.com.
BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:
» PERFECTION: Freshman pitcher Angelina Russo threw Ball State's first recorded perfect game in the nightcap of the April 20 doubleheader versus Western Michigan ... In helping lead the Cardinals to a 5-0 victory, Russo retired all 21 batters she faced over the 7.0 inning game ... She struck out 10 total batters, including eight of WMU's first nine … She also helped herself out on defense by registering a pair of assists, including fielding a soft grounder for out 20 of 21.
» NEAR PERFECTION: Ball State's pitchers had flirted with perfect games before Angelina Russo's gem, falling a walk shy of perfection on four occasions, most recently in a combined no-hitter by Aeshia Miles (3.0 innings) and Alyssa Rothwell (2.0 innings) in a 15-0 (5) victory over St. Bonaventure on March 17, 2018 … BSU has also been both an error shy and a hit batter shy of perfection as well.
» HOW ABOUT NO HITTERS: In addition to being the first recorded perfect game in program history, Angelina Russo's effort marked just the 17th time BSU's pitchers have surrendered no hits in a game dating back through the 1980 season.
» SHUTOUTS ARE GOOD TOO: In addition to Angelina Russo's perfect game, each of Ball State's last three wins have come via shutout ... Junior Deborah Jones started off the April 20 doubleheader versus Western Michigan with a 5-0 shutout victory, allowing just three hits and a pair of walks to go along with six strikeouts ... Jones added a second shutout last Sunday versus Buffalo, limiting the Bulls to two hits and one walk, while striking out nine ... BSU pitchers have four complete game shutouts on the season, with Jones adding a third in the 11-0 (5) win at Northern Illinois on April 6.
» 200 CAREER Ks: With her fourth of six strikeouts in the April 20 win over WMU, Deborah Jones also became just the 15th pitcher in program history to register 200 career strikeouts … Jones enters the Bowling Green series ranked 15th on BSU's all-time list with 214 strikeouts, while her 5.81 strikeouts-per-seven innings ranks sixth.
» BEHIND THE PLATE: One constant in all four of Ball State's shutout wins this season, including the first perfect game in program history, has been senior catcher Delanie Johnson ... She's caught all four games, leading the squad with 29 putouts to go along with a pair of assists ... Johnson has also lent a hand on offense, which out-scored opponents 25-0 over the four games, by tying for team-high honors with five RBI and adding a double and home run.
» VIDEO GAME NUMBERS: Senior outfielder Faith Hensley has picked up right where she left off last season, leading the Ball State offense with a .422 batting average this season ... The mark currently ranks second in the MAC and 30th among all NCAA Division I players … She has reached base safely in 41 of the 43 games she has played, including via a hit in 34 contests … Hensley leads the team and ranks first in the MAC in walks (31) and on base percentage (.552), while ranking second in the league in RBIs (37), runs scored (45), home runs (17), hits (54), triples (3), slugging percentage (.898).
» ON BALL STATE'S CAREER CHARTS: A 2021 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region First Team selection, Faith Hensley enters the Bowling Green series ranked first in program history with a .504 career on base percentage ... She is also second on BSU's all-time charts in both batting average (.395) and slugging percentage (.747) ... Over 304 career at bats, Hensley has tallied 120 total hits, including 25 home runs, 22 doubles and five triples ... She has also drawn 57 walks and been hit by a pitch 11 times.
» HENSLEY GOING YARD: Faith Hensley's 25 career home runs currently tie for eighth on BSU's career charts with her 17 in 2022 ranking as the fourth-most in a season in program history … The only player with more home runs in a single season in a Ball State uniform is two-time All-American and 2021 Olympic medalist Jennifer Gilbert (23 in 2013, 19 in 2014 and 18 in 2012).
» GOING YARD - PART 2: Ball State's sluggers have blasted 51 total home runs this season, with 11 different players getting into the action … The newest addition to the Ball State Softball #BombSquad came April 23 at Buffalo when freshman Emma Richards blasted her first career home run in the opening game of a doubleheader versus Buffalo ... She wasted little time picking up her second blast, adding another in the nightcap against the Bulls.
» ON THE BASE PATHS: Sophomore outfielder Remington Ross enters the Bowling Green series ranked third in the league with 19 stolen bases … She started the season a perfect 13-for-13 before being narrowly thrown out when attempting to steal third versus Kent State (April 1) … Since then, Ross has gone 6-for-6, pushing her to 19-for-20 on the year … Ross has also shown off her speed at the plate with eight bunt singles so far this year.
» MATHEWS HEATING UP: Sophomore Kaitlyn Mathews has been on fire as of late, leading the Cardinals over the last 10 games with a .393 batting average ... She has 11 hits over the span, including her first two career home runs, and ranks second on the team with seven RBIs.
» TURNING TWO: On the defensive front, the Cardinals enter the week tied for ninth nationally with 22 double plays turned this season ... Ball State's 0.50 double plays-per-game average is 11th among the 293 ranked NCAA Division I programs.
Players Mentioned
