Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Samford
Softball is Back: Opens 2023 Friday at Samford
February 16, 2023 | Softball
| Ball State (0-0; 0-0 MAC) at UAB Blazer Bash | |
| Game 1 at Samford | Friday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT Live Stats | Watch On ESPN+ |
| Game 2 as Samford | Friday, Feb. 17 - 30 minutes after Game 1 Live Stats | Watch On ESPN+ |
| Game 3 at UAB | Saturday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT Live Stats | Live Video |
| Game 4 at UAB | Saturday, Feb. 18 - 30 minutes after Game 3 Live Stats | Live Video |
| Game 5 vs. Lindenwood (at UAB) | Sunday, Feb. 19Â at 11Â a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT Live Stats |
| Tickets Info | at Samford - Free | at UAB - $3 Youth / $5-$10 Adult |
| Notes | Ball State | Samford | UAB | Lindenwood |
| Social Media | Twitter  |  Instagram |
» THIS WEEKEND IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team is back on the field Friday, when it opens the 2023 season with a 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT doubleheader at Samford as part of the UAB Blazer Bash ... The Cardinals will also play a 1 p.m. ET / Noon CT doubleheader at UAB on Saturday, before closing its opening weekend versus Lindenwood with an 11 am. ET / 10 a.m. CT first pitch back at UAB.
» LOOKING TO SNAP OPENING DAY STREAK: Ball State enters Friday's doubleheader at Samford with a 27-21 record in season-opening games since the 1975 season ... However, the Cardinals will be looking for its first season-opening win since the 2019 season, as the team has lost its last three openers ... Last season, Ball State suffered a hard-fought 6-5 setback to St. Thomas at the DePaul Dome Tournament.
» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the 2023 season with a 1121-1116-4 (.501) overall record dating back to the 1975 season ... The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark under current head coach Lacy Schurr in 2021 ... Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 15 seasons.
» A QUICK LOOK AT THE CARDINALS: Ball State returns seven of nine players who finished the 2022 season in the starting lineup, along with another regular starter who was injured partway through league play ... BSU also welcomes back two of its top three pitchers from a year ago, including win leader Angelina Russo who threw the program's first recorded perfect game in a 5-0 victory in the nightcap of a doubleheader versus Western Michigan on April 20, 2022.
» ABOUT THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS:
- Samford opened the season by going 1-2 at the USM Tournament ... The Bulldogs topped Seton Hall by a score of 1-0 in its season opener, before dropping a pair of games to tournament host Southern Mississippi by scores of 3-0 and 3-2
- UAB opened the season with a 2-3 mark at the McNeese State Cowgirl Classic ... After falling to Central Arkansas by a score of 6-3 to start the campaign, the Blazers picked up wins over Texas Southern, 8-0, and Idaho State, 7-2 ... However, UAB closed the weekend with losses to Central Arkansas, 4-1, and host McNeese State, 4-2
- Lindenwood opened the year 1-4, with the lone win coming versus Western Michigan by a score of 1-0 in its final game of the Best on the Bayou Classic hosted by Louisiana-Monroe.
BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:
» 14 AND COUNTING: A 2022 First Team All-MAC selection, fifth-year senior Amaia Daniel enters the season having reached base safely in each of her last 14 games ... During the run, Daniel is batting .364, with 16 hits and a pair of home runs ... She also has eight RBI and six runs scored, while boasting a .451 on base percentage over the span.
» MORE ON DANIEL: Amaia Daniel enters the season ranked ninth in program history with a .416 career on base percentage ... She is also 17th on BSU's all-time list in career RBI (89) and career doubles (31), while ranking 18th in career runs scored (94) and home runs (14) ... On defense, she has helped turn 35 career double plays, which ties as the fifth-most in program history.
» SPEAKING OF DOUBLE PLAYS: Senior Haley Wynn has also made her presence felt on defense over her career, tying for 17th in program history with 18 career double plays turned ... Wynn was second on the team last season, having a hand in 12 of BSU's 29 total double plays ... The only player with more double plays last season was Amaia Daniel at 15.
» WYNN BATTING: Senior Haley Wynn has also been solid on offense over her career, ranking 20th in program history with a .481 career slugging percentage ... A .317 career batter, Wynn has tallied 120 career hits, including 27 doubles, nine home runs, and four triples ... She has also scored 87 runs and driven in 52 RBI over her career, while owning a .384 on base percentage.
» ON THE BASE PATHS: Junior Remington Ross made an immediate impact on the base paths in her debut season for the Cardinals in 2022, ranking third in the MAC and 68th nationally with 22 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) … Ross finished the season going 9-for-9, pushing her to 22-for-23 on the year ... The .957 stolen base percentage ranks as the fifth best in a single season in program history, while placing her second on BSU's career charts … Ross has showed off her speed at the plate with eight bunt singles last season.
» PERFECTION: Angelina Russo, the 2022 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a MAC All-Freshman Team selection, threw Ball State's first recorded perfect game in the nightcap of the April 20 doubleheader versus Western Michigan last season ... 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.
» 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 Ball State's pitchers have surrendered no hits in a game dating back through the 1980 season.
» THE RICHARDS FACTOR: After seeing limited time early in the season, Emma Richards was thrust into the everyday lineup after a pair of Ball State injuries at IUPUI last season ... She would go on to start the final 18 games at third base for the Cardinals and rank third on the team with a .321 batting average over the span ... She also led the team with nine doubles over the final 18 games, while ranking second in RBI (11), runs scored (9), and slugging percentage (.536) ... For her play down the stretch, Richards was recognized as a member of the MAC All-Freshman Team.
» NOTHING A-"MATA" WITH HER: Junior Samantha-Jo Mata started her Ball State career with a bang last season, with her first three hits for the Cardinals all being home runs ... Mata would go on to finish the season ranked second on the team with seven long balls ... She also finished the season ranked third on the team with a .529 slugging percentage, while driving in 17 RBI and scoring 16 runs.
» "JAZ"-ING THINGS UP: A two-time career Academic All-MAC selection, redshirt senior Jazmyne Armendariz will look to make a big impact for the squad this season ... Last season, Armendariz started 20 games at catcher, while making 17 starts as the designated player ... In her role behind the plate, Armendariz led the squad by throwing out six runners trying to steal ... She also had a hand in three double plays ... Over her career, Armendariz has thrown out 10 runners trying to steal.
» WELCOME BACK: Redshirt sophomore McKayla Timmons will also look to work her way back in the lineup after ranking second on the squad with a .337 batting average last season ... Timmons, who was one of two regular starters injured at IUPUI last season, finished the 2022 campaign with 23 RBI and 18 runs scored, while blasting four home runs ... She was also second on the squad with a .558 slugging percentage, tying for second on the team with seven doubles.
