Friday, February 16
Charleston, S.C.
1 PM
Ball State University
vs
Lehigh
Baseball Opens 2024 Season in Charleston, SC
February 15, 2024 | Baseball
Saturday Matchup vs No. 20 Iowa Headlines Four-Game Slate
The Ball State baseball team plays two Big Ten opponents, including No. 20 Iowa, this weekend in Charleston, S.C., at the season-opening Swig & Swine College Classic.
The reigning Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Cardinals play Lehigh on Friday at 1 p.m. before taking on the Hawkeyes (noon) and Merrimack (4 p.m.) on Saturday and Michigan State (9 a.m.) on Sunday. Friday's game will be at Shipyard Park's Wando River Field, while the rest are scheduled to take place at Detyens Field.
Ball State went 36-23 (19-11 MAC) in 2023 to earn the No. 3 seed in the MAC Tournament and beat host and top seed Kent State twice to clinch the championship and fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Head coach Rich Maloney begins his 19th season leading the Cardinals and has 953 career wins in 28 seasons as a head coach.
The Cardinals were recently voted second in the MAC Preseason head coaches poll.
Live stats will be available for Saturday and Sunday's games at the links above. A subscription to watch the live streams costs $19.99 for one stream or $29.99 for four simultaneous streams.
SEASON OPENER: Ball State begins the 2024 schedule at Shipyard Park in Charleston against Lehigh, a university in Bethlehem, Pa.
This will be the two programs' first ever matchup against each other. The Thunder Hawks were picked fourth in the six-team Patriot League preseason poll, while senior shortstop Tyler Young landed on the Preseason All-Patriot League team.
HOT HAWKEYES: Iowa earned the No. 3 seed in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament and made a run to the championship game where it fell to top-seeded Maryland. The Hawkeyes beat North Carolina twice in the NCAA Tournament, but fell to host Indiana State in the Terre Haute regional.
Iowa was voted the favorite in the Big Ten preseason poll and ranks No. 20 in both the D1Baseball.com and USA Today Coaches Poll to start the year.
FAMILIAR FACE: Michigan State head coach Jake Boss Jr. was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Rich Maloney at Michigan from 2004-07.
The Cardinals are 8-14 against the Spartans in the series history but sport a 2-1 record in neutral site games.
STACK THE DECK: Senior outfielder Decker Scheffler returns after leading the 2023 team in batting average (.378) and OPS (1.050) on his way to being named First Team All-MAC.
The left-handed hitter out of Sanborn, Minn., tallied 13 doubles, eight home runs and three triples among his 74 hits while scoring 46 times and driving in 49 runs. Scheffler was named the D1Baseball.com Mid-American Conference Preseason Player of the Year and No. 65 outfielder nationally in the online publication's season preview.
DON'T DOUBT DOBBINS: Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins earned All-MAC Defensive Team recognition in 2023 and is considered the top prospect in the league by D1Baseball.com for the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft class.
The Indianapolis native had a breakout offensive season in 2022, hitting .339 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in 29 games before hitting nine home runs and 29 RBI last year.
Up Next
The Cardinals enjoy another weekend in the Palmetto State, playing Cincinnati and Illinois on Friday, Feb. 23 and Coastal Carolina on Saturday in Conway, S.C.
Â
The reigning Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Cardinals play Lehigh on Friday at 1 p.m. before taking on the Hawkeyes (noon) and Merrimack (4 p.m.) on Saturday and Michigan State (9 a.m.) on Sunday. Friday's game will be at Shipyard Park's Wando River Field, while the rest are scheduled to take place at Detyens Field.
Ball State went 36-23 (19-11 MAC) in 2023 to earn the No. 3 seed in the MAC Tournament and beat host and top seed Kent State twice to clinch the championship and fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Head coach Rich Maloney begins his 19th season leading the Cardinals and has 953 career wins in 28 seasons as a head coach.
The Cardinals were recently voted second in the MAC Preseason head coaches poll.
Live stats will be available for Saturday and Sunday's games at the links above. A subscription to watch the live streams costs $19.99 for one stream or $29.99 for four simultaneous streams.
SEASON OPENER: Ball State begins the 2024 schedule at Shipyard Park in Charleston against Lehigh, a university in Bethlehem, Pa.
This will be the two programs' first ever matchup against each other. The Thunder Hawks were picked fourth in the six-team Patriot League preseason poll, while senior shortstop Tyler Young landed on the Preseason All-Patriot League team.
HOT HAWKEYES: Iowa earned the No. 3 seed in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament and made a run to the championship game where it fell to top-seeded Maryland. The Hawkeyes beat North Carolina twice in the NCAA Tournament, but fell to host Indiana State in the Terre Haute regional.
Iowa was voted the favorite in the Big Ten preseason poll and ranks No. 20 in both the D1Baseball.com and USA Today Coaches Poll to start the year.
FAMILIAR FACE: Michigan State head coach Jake Boss Jr. was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator under Rich Maloney at Michigan from 2004-07.
The Cardinals are 8-14 against the Spartans in the series history but sport a 2-1 record in neutral site games.
STACK THE DECK: Senior outfielder Decker Scheffler returns after leading the 2023 team in batting average (.378) and OPS (1.050) on his way to being named First Team All-MAC.
The left-handed hitter out of Sanborn, Minn., tallied 13 doubles, eight home runs and three triples among his 74 hits while scoring 46 times and driving in 49 runs. Scheffler was named the D1Baseball.com Mid-American Conference Preseason Player of the Year and No. 65 outfielder nationally in the online publication's season preview.
DON'T DOUBT DOBBINS: Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins earned All-MAC Defensive Team recognition in 2023 and is considered the top prospect in the league by D1Baseball.com for the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft class.
The Indianapolis native had a breakout offensive season in 2022, hitting .339 with eight home runs and 26 RBI in 29 games before hitting nine home runs and 29 RBI last year.
Up Next
The Cardinals enjoy another weekend in the Palmetto State, playing Cincinnati and Illinois on Friday, Feb. 23 and Coastal Carolina on Saturday in Conway, S.C.
Â
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
OF/1B
/ BaseballBaseball // 5 AM Workouts
Tuesday, August 26
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01
Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses NCAA vs. House Settlement & Bill Richards Thank You
Friday, June 27
Baseball // Day 1 MAC Tournament Recap: Win vs. EMU
Thursday, May 22