Friday, March 22
Toledo, Ohio
3 PM
Ball State University
at
Toledo
Photo by: Butler Athletics
Baseball Set for First MAC Road Series of 2024 at Toledo
March 21, 2024 | Baseball
*Schedule Update: Saturday's game at Toledo has been pushed back to 3 p.m.
The Ball State baseball team is scheduled to play its first road Mid-American Conference games of the year when it travels to Toledo this weekend.
Game times are set for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Friday and Saturday games will be streamed on ESPN+, and links to the video streams and live stats can be found above.
The Cardinals (12-10, 1-5 MAC) are coming off a 7-6 win at Butler on Wednesday where they rode a 5-run first inning and strong start from Will Jacobson to the midweek triumph. Toledo (8-12, 4-2 MAC) last played on Saturday when the Rockets split a doubleheader with Western Michigan. The Rockets swept Akron on the road in their first MAC series of 2024.
SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Rockets finished 26-29 (14-16 MAC) last year in head coach Rob Reinstetle's fourth season leading the program.
The Toledo pitching staff ranks third in the league in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.62) and WHIP (1.83).
Senior Owen Jackson's six home runs ranks fifth in the MAC, while he has hit .313 on the season.
QUICK CARDINALS: Ball State stole seven bases in Wednesday's 7-6 win at Butler, the first time the Ball State offense has accumulated five steals in a game since March 17, 2018 against Dayton.
Nick Gregory was the first Cardinal to swipe three bases in a game since Aaron Simpson did so against Miami (OH) on April 19, 2019.
WINNING WILL: Senior left-handed pitcher Will Jacobson tossed 5.0 inning of 1-run ball with six strikeouts on Wednesday against the Bulldogs to earn his first win at Ball State.
The tall lefty is third on the Cardinals' pitching staff in ERA (4.60) and sixth in innings pitched (15.2) through the schedule's first 22 games.
BEVIS AND HALLQUIST STAY HOT: Sophomore Blake Bevis and senior Michael Hallquist have each posted nine multiple hit games, while Hallquist has seven multi-RBI games including 3-RBI, 4-RBI and 5-RBI performances already this year.
Bevis is riding a seven-game hitting streak and has increased his batting average by 130 points since Feb. 25 (up to .338).
LEAGUE LEADERS: Multiple Cardinals pace the MAC in various categories including Hunter Dobbins (seven doubles), Hallquist (eight home runs and 64 total bases), Nick Gregory (11.2 percent strikeout rate), Tanner Knapp (four saves) and Zach Kwasny (three wins).
WINNING TRADITION: The Ball State baseball program has finished first or second in the Mid-American Conference regular season standings every year since the MAC did away with divisions in 2018 (five years in a row).
The Cardinals won the league tournament in 2023 a year after claiming the regular season crown in 2022. Ball State has finished in the Top 3 of the division or overall standings every year under Maloney except for his first in 1996.
KAMINS IS CLUTCH: Junior Matthew Kamins leads the Cardinals in batting average with runners in scoring position (.526, 10-for-19) and with runners on base (.393, 11-for-28).
The infielder from Goodyear, Ariz., hits .310 overall with three doubles, 11 RBI and nine runs scored so far in his first year at Ball State.
STARTING STRONG: The Cardinals have outscored opponents 68-35 in the first three innings of games so far this year (1.5 more runs per game).
Ball State's best inning by run differential in 2024 has been the second, when the Cardinals are plus-18 (26-8).
Up Next
Ball returns home to host Southern Indiana at 3 p.m. on Tuesday before an Easter weekend series at home against Ohio.
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The Ball State baseball team is scheduled to play its first road Mid-American Conference games of the year when it travels to Toledo this weekend.
Game times are set for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Friday and Saturday games will be streamed on ESPN+, and links to the video streams and live stats can be found above.
The Cardinals (12-10, 1-5 MAC) are coming off a 7-6 win at Butler on Wednesday where they rode a 5-run first inning and strong start from Will Jacobson to the midweek triumph. Toledo (8-12, 4-2 MAC) last played on Saturday when the Rockets split a doubleheader with Western Michigan. The Rockets swept Akron on the road in their first MAC series of 2024.
SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Rockets finished 26-29 (14-16 MAC) last year in head coach Rob Reinstetle's fourth season leading the program.
The Toledo pitching staff ranks third in the league in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7), strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.62) and WHIP (1.83).
Senior Owen Jackson's six home runs ranks fifth in the MAC, while he has hit .313 on the season.
QUICK CARDINALS: Ball State stole seven bases in Wednesday's 7-6 win at Butler, the first time the Ball State offense has accumulated five steals in a game since March 17, 2018 against Dayton.
Nick Gregory was the first Cardinal to swipe three bases in a game since Aaron Simpson did so against Miami (OH) on April 19, 2019.
WINNING WILL: Senior left-handed pitcher Will Jacobson tossed 5.0 inning of 1-run ball with six strikeouts on Wednesday against the Bulldogs to earn his first win at Ball State.
The tall lefty is third on the Cardinals' pitching staff in ERA (4.60) and sixth in innings pitched (15.2) through the schedule's first 22 games.
BEVIS AND HALLQUIST STAY HOT: Sophomore Blake Bevis and senior Michael Hallquist have each posted nine multiple hit games, while Hallquist has seven multi-RBI games including 3-RBI, 4-RBI and 5-RBI performances already this year.
Bevis is riding a seven-game hitting streak and has increased his batting average by 130 points since Feb. 25 (up to .338).
LEAGUE LEADERS: Multiple Cardinals pace the MAC in various categories including Hunter Dobbins (seven doubles), Hallquist (eight home runs and 64 total bases), Nick Gregory (11.2 percent strikeout rate), Tanner Knapp (four saves) and Zach Kwasny (three wins).
WINNING TRADITION: The Ball State baseball program has finished first or second in the Mid-American Conference regular season standings every year since the MAC did away with divisions in 2018 (five years in a row).
The Cardinals won the league tournament in 2023 a year after claiming the regular season crown in 2022. Ball State has finished in the Top 3 of the division or overall standings every year under Maloney except for his first in 1996.
KAMINS IS CLUTCH: Junior Matthew Kamins leads the Cardinals in batting average with runners in scoring position (.526, 10-for-19) and with runners on base (.393, 11-for-28).
The infielder from Goodyear, Ariz., hits .310 overall with three doubles, 11 RBI and nine runs scored so far in his first year at Ball State.
STARTING STRONG: The Cardinals have outscored opponents 68-35 in the first three innings of games so far this year (1.5 more runs per game).
Ball State's best inning by run differential in 2024 has been the second, when the Cardinals are plus-18 (26-8).
Up Next
Ball returns home to host Southern Indiana at 3 p.m. on Tuesday before an Easter weekend series at home against Ohio.
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Players Mentioned
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