Scheffler Player of the Year; Johnson Freshman of the Year in D1Baseball.com MAC Season Preview
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Ball State baseball senior Decker Scheffler was named the Mid-American Conference Preseason Player of the Year and lefthanded pitcher Keegan Johnson the MAC Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.com.
Scheffler, a 2023 First Team All-MAC and Second Team All-Region outfielder out of Sanborn, Minn., was also ranked as the No. 65 outfielder nationally by the online publication after leading the Cardinals in batting average (.378), on base percentage (.453) and OPS (1.050) while collecting 13 doubles, eight home runs and three triples among his 74 hits. Scheffler tallied 49 RBI, 46 runs scored and five stolen bases last season.
The Cardinals feature 3 of the Top 10 MAC prospects in the 2024 MLB Draft class, including juniors Hunter Dobbins (No. 1), Jacob Hartlaub (No. 6) and Merritt Beeker (No. 7). Junior Michael Hallquist was named the No. 18 MAC prospect.
Dobbins, a local product from Indianapolis, was named to the All-MAC Defensive Team as a sophomore after a breakout freshman season at the plate when he slashed .339/.395/.625 with eight home runs, 26 RBI and 29 runs scored.
Hartlaub, a righthanded pitcher out of Milwaukee, got the final eight outs in the 2023 MAC Championship game against Kent State to earn the win. Beeker and Hallquist transfer in from East Carolina and Minnesota-Crookston, respectively.
Sophomores Blake Bevis (No. 2) and Dylan Grego (No. 10) are considered top prospects for the 2025 draft. Bevis (Brentwood, Tenn.) went for 11 homers, 14 doubles and 39 RBI while scoring 34 runs and posting an .869 OPS in 2023. Grego (Kansas City, Mo.) hit .294 during his rookie campaign.
Johnson and fellow pitcher Zach Kwasny are the projected No. 1 and No. 2 impact freshmen, respectively, in the conference. Johnson's hometown is Frederick, Md., while Kwasny hails from Mokena, Ill.
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Ball State baseball senior Decker Scheffler was named the Mid-American Conference Preseason Player of the Year and lefthanded pitcher Keegan Johnson the MAC Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.com.
Scheffler, a 2023 First Team All-MAC and Second Team All-Region outfielder out of Sanborn, Minn., was also ranked as the No. 65 outfielder nationally by the online publication after leading the Cardinals in batting average (.378), on base percentage (.453) and OPS (1.050) while collecting 13 doubles, eight home runs and three triples among his 74 hits. Scheffler tallied 49 RBI, 46 runs scored and five stolen bases last season.
The Cardinals feature 3 of the Top 10 MAC prospects in the 2024 MLB Draft class, including juniors Hunter Dobbins (No. 1), Jacob Hartlaub (No. 6) and Merritt Beeker (No. 7). Junior Michael Hallquist was named the No. 18 MAC prospect.
Dobbins, a local product from Indianapolis, was named to the All-MAC Defensive Team as a sophomore after a breakout freshman season at the plate when he slashed .339/.395/.625 with eight home runs, 26 RBI and 29 runs scored.
Hartlaub, a righthanded pitcher out of Milwaukee, got the final eight outs in the 2023 MAC Championship game against Kent State to earn the win. Beeker and Hallquist transfer in from East Carolina and Minnesota-Crookston, respectively.
Sophomores Blake Bevis (No. 2) and Dylan Grego (No. 10) are considered top prospects for the 2025 draft. Bevis (Brentwood, Tenn.) went for 11 homers, 14 doubles and 39 RBI while scoring 34 runs and posting an .869 OPS in 2023. Grego (Kansas City, Mo.) hit .294 during his rookie campaign.
Johnson and fellow pitcher Zach Kwasny are the projected No. 1 and No. 2 impact freshmen, respectively, in the conference. Johnson's hometown is Frederick, Md., while Kwasny hails from Mokena, Ill.
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