Softball Hosts Akron To Close Regular Season

Saturday, May 7

Muncie, Ind.

1 p.m.

Ball State University

Akron

May 06, 2022 | Softball

Ball State (20-30; 13-13 MAC) hosts Akron (17-30; 12-14 MAC)
Game 51 hosts Akron	Saturday, May 7 at 1 p.m. Live Stats \| Watch
Game 52 hosts Akron	Saturday, May 7 at 3:30 p.m. Live Stats \| Watch
Game 53 hosts Akron	Sunday, May 8 at Noon Live Stats \| Watch
Tickets Info	Free Admission
Notes	Ball State \| Akron
Social Media	Twitter \| Instagram

» THIS WEEKEND IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team closes the 2022 regular season this weekend with a three-game home series versus Akron ... The teams are scheduled to play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday and a Noon single game Sunday.

» VERSUS THE ZIPS: The Cardinals have won 14 straight games versus the Zips, including sweeping a four-game series in Akron last season ... The Zips' last win over Ball State was a 4-2 victory in Muncie on April 18, 2014 ... During the Cardinals' current 14-game winning streak in the series, seven of the wins have come by run-rule ... However, the first two meetings last season were each decided by a single run, including a 5-4 (8) thriller to open an April 17 doubleheader ... Ball State then went on to win the final two games of the series by six runs each ... The Cardinals also hold an 18-10 edge in games played in Muncie.

» WHERE WE STAND: Ball State (13-13 MAC) enters the final weekend of MAC play in fifth place in the league standings, 2.5 games behind Central Michigan (15-10 MAC) in the race for the fourth and final spot in the 2022 MAC Softball Championship which will be hosted by Miami April 12-14 ... In order to make the championship, the Cardinals must sweep this weekend's series versus Akron and needs Miami to sweep its three-game set at Central Michigan ... If any of the games are not played due to weather, CMU earns the final spot ... Miami (23-3 MAC), Ohio (16-9 MAC) and Bowling Green (15-9 MAC) have already locked up spots in the tournament, while only BSU or CMU can claim the final tournament berth.

» HOW TO FOLLOW: Free live stats and free live video will be provided for all three of Ball State's games versus Akron this week via courtesy of Ball State Athletics ... Fans can find the links on the Softball schedule page of BallStateSports.com ... Fans can also get updates by following the team on Twitter - @BallStateSB.

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: Including Angelina Russo's perfect game versus Western Michigan (April 20), Ball State pitchers have thrown four complete game shutouts this season ... Junior pitcher Deborah Jones picked up Ball State's first shutout in the 11-0 (5) win at Northern Illinois (April 6) ... Jones also preceded Russo's perfect game with her second shutout of the season in a 5-0 victory in the opening game of the April 20 doubleheader versus WMU ... Jones added one more shutout, limiting Buffalo to two hits and one walk, while striking out nine, in a 4-0 victory April 24.

» 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 Akron series ranked 14th on BSU's all-time list with 226 strikeouts, while her 5.71 strikeouts-per-seven innings ranks seventh.

» 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 also lent a hand on offense, which out-scored opponents 25-0 over the four games, by tying for team-high honors with five RBIs 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 46 of the 49 games she has played, including via a hit in 38 contests … Hensley leads the MAC in walks (35) and on base percentage (.548), while ranking among the top five in the league in: home runs (17, second), slugging percentage (.850, second), triples (3, second), hits (62, second), runs scored (50, second) and RBIs (39, fifth).

» ON BALL STATE'S CAREER CHARTS: A 2021 NFCA All-Great Lakes Region First Team selection, Faith Hensley enters this weekend's Akron series ranked first in program history with a .505 career on base percentage ... She is also second on BSU's all-time charts in both batting average (.396) and slugging percentage (.734) ... Over 323 career at bats, Hensley has 128 total hits, including 25 home runs, 24 doubles and five triples ... She has also drawn 61 walks and been hit by a pitch 11 times, while driving in 96 career RBIs and scoring 96 career runs.

» 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 53 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 Akron series ranked third in the league with 20 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 7-for-7, pushing her to 20-for-21 on the year … Ross has also shown off her speed at the plate with eight bunt singles so far this year.

» 11 AND COUNTING: Senior shortstop Amaia Daniel enters the Akron series riding an 11-game hitting streak, which is Ball State's longest of the season ... Over the last 11 games, Daniel is batting .361 with 13 hits including a pair of home runs ... She also has six RBIs and five runs scored during the streak.

» TURNING TWO: On the defensive front, the Cardinals added one more double play in its midweek series at Miami to enter the weekend tied for fifth nationally with 26 double plays turned this season ... Ball State's 0.52 double plays-per-game average is ninth among the 293 ranked NCAA Division I programs.