Friday, March 24
Ypsilanti, Mich.
3 p.m.
Ball State University
at
Eastern Michigan
Photo by: BSU Photo Services
Ball State Travels to Eastern Michigan for First MAC Road Test
March 23, 2023 | Baseball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team returns to action for its first Mid-American Conference road series against Eastern Michigan. The three-game series begins on Friday with first pitch at 3 p.m.
The Cardinals are coming off a series sweep over the Toledo Rockets and a midweek victory over Butler. Ball State enters with a 14-6 overall and 5-1 in MAC play. Eastern Michigan boasts a 10-7 record and are 4-2 in league games.
Gold Glove Peltier
At the conclusion of last season, Ryan Peltier was honored as the best defensive third baseman in the NCAA and received an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove. After being named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and earning a spot on the All-MAC Second Team for back-to-back seasons, Peltier was awarded the first Gold Glove in BSU history. He was a 2023 Preseason All-American honoree from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Peltier leads the Cardinals with a .436 batting average. He has pelted a team-best six homers and has a team-high 21 RBIs. His six home runs are tied for 106th in the NCAA and tied for fifth in the conference. He has a slugging percentage of .782, which is 49th in the country and second in the MAC. Peltier has scored 29 runs, which is tied for 20th in the NCAA and is tied for first the MAC.
What Can Brown Do for You?
Ryan Brown was named the No. 49 prospect in college baseball by D1 Baseball. Brown was the only Mid-American Conference player selected to the top-100 list. He was also tabbed as one of the top mid-major prospects for the 2023 season. Brown also landed on the 2023 MLB Draft: Rising Righthanded Pitchers watch list. Last season, Brown earned recognition as a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American along with the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He also earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team.
Brown is currently tied for 66th in the NCAA with 35 strikeouts. He his 3-1 on the year and has thrown 17 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .150 against him for the season.
Scouting the Cardinals
Matthew Rivera is second on the team with a .370 batting average. He has 18 RBIs, 10 runs scored, six doubles, and four home runs. He has a slugging percentage of .761. Adam Tellier is tied for third on the squad with a .347 average. He has 20 runs scored, 11 walks, 10 RBIs, six doubles, two triples, and one home run. Decker Scheffler is tied for third on the squad with a .347 batting average. He has 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three doubles, two homers, and one triple. Scheffler is tied for the 94th toughest player to strikeout in the NCAA and is tied for fourth in the MAC. Blake Bevis is hitting .333. He is tied for second on the team with 18 RBIs and is tied for second in home runs with four. He has scored 14 runs and has seven doubles. Andrew Wilhite is batting .323 with 10 runs scored, nine RBIs, and two home runs. Nick Gregory might only be hitting .244, but he leads the team with 19 walks. He has scored 19 runs and driven in five runs.
The Cardinal pitching staff is led by Trennor O'Donnell with a 1.95 ERA, which is tied for 45th in the NCAA and leads the MAC. He has 32 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings of work. Tanner Knapp as added 20 1/3 innings in seven relief appearances for the Cardinals. Knapp has 21 strikeouts on the year. Jacob Hartlaub is third on the team with 24 strikeouts. Logan Schulfer and Ty Johnson are tied for fourth on the team with 21 strikeouts.
Ball State vs. Eastern Michigan: The Series
Ball State and Eastern Michigan will meet for the 167th time on Friday. The Cardinals are 82-83-1 against the Eagles. BSU is 34-45 at EMU. Ball State is 44-15 against Eastern Michigan under Head Coach Rich Maloney.
Scouting the Eagles
EMU is led Josh Kross who's hitting .373. He is tied for the team lead in home runs with four. He paces the squad with 23 RBIs. He is the 18th toughest batter to strikeout in the NCAA at 16.8. He has added 14 runs scored and has five doubles. Cory Taylor is second on the team with a .346 average he is tied for the team lead in homers with four. He has 14 runs scored, 12 RBIs, four doubles, and one triple. Matt Kirk is also tied for the team lead in home runs with four. He is third on the team with a .338 batting average. He is tied for a team-best 18 runs scored. He has 17 RBIs, a team-best nine doubles, and one triple. Cole Wilcox is hitting .325 with 11 runs scored, seven RBIs, four doubles, and one home run. Glenn Miller his hitting .300. He is the 12th toughest to strikeout in the nation at 17.5.
The Eagle pitching staff is led by Bobby Jones with a 3.18 ERA. He has appeared in six games in relief. Luke Russo has a team-best 29 strikeouts in 22 innings of work. He is a perfect 3-0 on the season and has a 4.91 ERA. Thomas House has a 5.79 ERA in 18 2/3 innings for EMU. He has tallied 19 strikeouts. Nick Chittum has only thrown 15 innings on the season but has a 1.80 ERA.
MAC Standings
1. Kent State – 15-5, 3-0
2. Ball State – 14-6, 5-1
3. Eastern Michigan – 10-7, 4-2
4. Central Michigan – 11-8, 2-1
5. Toledo – 9-10, 3-3
6. Akron – 8-11, 3-3
7. Ohio – 5-13, 3-3
8. Bowling Green – 6-12, 2-4
9. Western Michigan – 5-13, 2-4
10. Miami – 4-18, 2-4
11. Northern Illinois – 4-15, 1-5
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The Cardinals are coming off a series sweep over the Toledo Rockets and a midweek victory over Butler. Ball State enters with a 14-6 overall and 5-1 in MAC play. Eastern Michigan boasts a 10-7 record and are 4-2 in league games.
Gold Glove Peltier
At the conclusion of last season, Ryan Peltier was honored as the best defensive third baseman in the NCAA and received an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove. After being named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year and earning a spot on the All-MAC Second Team for back-to-back seasons, Peltier was awarded the first Gold Glove in BSU history. He was a 2023 Preseason All-American honoree from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Peltier leads the Cardinals with a .436 batting average. He has pelted a team-best six homers and has a team-high 21 RBIs. His six home runs are tied for 106th in the NCAA and tied for fifth in the conference. He has a slugging percentage of .782, which is 49th in the country and second in the MAC. Peltier has scored 29 runs, which is tied for 20th in the NCAA and is tied for first the MAC.
What Can Brown Do for You?
Ryan Brown was named the No. 49 prospect in college baseball by D1 Baseball. Brown was the only Mid-American Conference player selected to the top-100 list. He was also tabbed as one of the top mid-major prospects for the 2023 season. Brown also landed on the 2023 MLB Draft: Rising Righthanded Pitchers watch list. Last season, Brown earned recognition as a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American along with the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year. He also earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team.
Brown is currently tied for 66th in the NCAA with 35 strikeouts. He his 3-1 on the year and has thrown 17 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .150 against him for the season.
Scouting the Cardinals
Matthew Rivera is second on the team with a .370 batting average. He has 18 RBIs, 10 runs scored, six doubles, and four home runs. He has a slugging percentage of .761. Adam Tellier is tied for third on the squad with a .347 average. He has 20 runs scored, 11 walks, 10 RBIs, six doubles, two triples, and one home run. Decker Scheffler is tied for third on the squad with a .347 batting average. He has 14 RBIs, 11 runs scored, three doubles, two homers, and one triple. Scheffler is tied for the 94th toughest player to strikeout in the NCAA and is tied for fourth in the MAC. Blake Bevis is hitting .333. He is tied for second on the team with 18 RBIs and is tied for second in home runs with four. He has scored 14 runs and has seven doubles. Andrew Wilhite is batting .323 with 10 runs scored, nine RBIs, and two home runs. Nick Gregory might only be hitting .244, but he leads the team with 19 walks. He has scored 19 runs and driven in five runs.
The Cardinal pitching staff is led by Trennor O'Donnell with a 1.95 ERA, which is tied for 45th in the NCAA and leads the MAC. He has 32 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings of work. Tanner Knapp as added 20 1/3 innings in seven relief appearances for the Cardinals. Knapp has 21 strikeouts on the year. Jacob Hartlaub is third on the team with 24 strikeouts. Logan Schulfer and Ty Johnson are tied for fourth on the team with 21 strikeouts.
Ball State vs. Eastern Michigan: The Series
Ball State and Eastern Michigan will meet for the 167th time on Friday. The Cardinals are 82-83-1 against the Eagles. BSU is 34-45 at EMU. Ball State is 44-15 against Eastern Michigan under Head Coach Rich Maloney.
Scouting the Eagles
EMU is led Josh Kross who's hitting .373. He is tied for the team lead in home runs with four. He paces the squad with 23 RBIs. He is the 18th toughest batter to strikeout in the NCAA at 16.8. He has added 14 runs scored and has five doubles. Cory Taylor is second on the team with a .346 average he is tied for the team lead in homers with four. He has 14 runs scored, 12 RBIs, four doubles, and one triple. Matt Kirk is also tied for the team lead in home runs with four. He is third on the team with a .338 batting average. He is tied for a team-best 18 runs scored. He has 17 RBIs, a team-best nine doubles, and one triple. Cole Wilcox is hitting .325 with 11 runs scored, seven RBIs, four doubles, and one home run. Glenn Miller his hitting .300. He is the 12th toughest to strikeout in the nation at 17.5.
The Eagle pitching staff is led by Bobby Jones with a 3.18 ERA. He has appeared in six games in relief. Luke Russo has a team-best 29 strikeouts in 22 innings of work. He is a perfect 3-0 on the season and has a 4.91 ERA. Thomas House has a 5.79 ERA in 18 2/3 innings for EMU. He has tallied 19 strikeouts. Nick Chittum has only thrown 15 innings on the season but has a 1.80 ERA.
MAC Standings
1. Kent State – 15-5, 3-0
2. Ball State – 14-6, 5-1
3. Eastern Michigan – 10-7, 4-2
4. Central Michigan – 11-8, 2-1
5. Toledo – 9-10, 3-3
6. Akron – 8-11, 3-3
7. Ohio – 5-13, 3-3
8. Bowling Green – 6-12, 2-4
9. Western Michigan – 5-13, 2-4
10. Miami – 4-18, 2-4
11. Northern Illinois – 4-15, 1-5
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