Friday, April 19
Kalamazoo, Mich.
3 PM
Ball State University
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Western Michigan
Photo by: Amber Pietz, Ball State Creative Services
Baseball Set for Showdown at Western Michigan
April 18, 2024 | Baseball
Battle Between Two of the Hottest Teams in the MAC
The Ball State baseball team is set to play a three-game series at Western Michigan this weekend in a battle of two of the hottest teams in the Mid-American Conference.
First pitch Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday games will be at 1 p.m. Links to the video streams and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
The Cardinals (23-14, 10-8 MAC) have won 8 of 9 in league play while the Broncos (20-14, 11-4) boasted the longest active winning streak in NCAA Division I (eight games) before falling 12-2 at Michigan State on Wednesday.
Ball State most recently fell 13-3 at Purdue on Tuesday afternoon after sweeping Akron over the weekend. Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins had a big series against the Zips to land a MAC Player of the Week recognition.
Western starts the weekend second in the MAC regular season standings, while the Cardinals are fourth. Bowling Green (15-0) has the longest undefeated stretch to begin conference play in league history.
The Broncos and Cardinals have played common opponents Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio and Toledo so far in conference play, with Ball State going 7-5 collectively against the quartet of teams and WMU going 9-3. Western Michigan is 3-6 against Big Ten Conference teams this year including 3-2 versus Michigan.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos went 21-31 (18-11 MAC) last year in head coach Billy Gernon's 13th leading the program. Western earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and lost both of its games.
The Broncos lead the MAC in batting average (.319, No. 17 nationally), on base percentage (.426, No. 19), sac bunts (27, No. 19), total hits (373, No. 44), walks (187) and ERA (6.07).
Senior infielder Cade Sullivan paces the league and ranks Top 50 nationally in NCAA Division I with a .420 batting average (No. 12), 58 hits (No. 21), 45 runs scored (No. 38) and .512 on base percentage (No. 38). Saturday starter Nolan Vlcek's 3.04 ERA is second in the MAC among qualifiers, while redshirt junior outfielder Dylan Nevar leads the league with 42 RBI and seven sac flies (No. 2 nationally).
DOBBINS DOMINATES: Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins went 8-for-9 with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI in the weekend sweep of Akron on his way to a MAC Player of the Week honor.
Among NCAA Division I players, Dobbins led the country last week in batting average (.889) and slugging percentage (2.444) while ranking second in home runs per game (1.33), third in on base percentage (.833), fifth in RBI per game (3.33) and sixth in total home runs. Dobbins raised his batting average 52 points with the explosive weekend at the plate.
CARDINALS SOARING: Ball State has won 11 of its past 13 games and 8 of 9 against Mid-American Conference opponents to move from tenth place to fourth place in the league standings over the last three weekends.
The Cardinals took 2 of 3 games at Miami (OH) sandwiched around home series sweeps over Ohio and Akron to enter the stretch run as one of the hottest teams in the conference.
LEADING LEFTIES: Left-handed pitchers Merritt Beeker and Keegan Johnson have solidified the front end of the Ball State weekend rotation.
Friday starter and junior transfer Beeker was named the MAC Pitcher of the Week on April 1 and leads the league in strikeouts per nine innings (14.4) and total strikeouts (71), while the true freshman Saturday starter Johnson has earned a pair of MAC weekly honors.
SERIES HISTORY: The Cardinals have played the Broncos more than any other opponent, as Ball State leads the all-time series 103-87.
Ball State is 45-18 in the series under the direction of head coach Rich Maloney having been winners of 15 of the past 19 matchups (since 2017).
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Ball State pitching staff's 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings paces the MAC and ranks No. 39 in NCAA Division I, while its 6.08 ERA and 10.1 hits allowed per nine innings rank second in the league.
The Cardinals' bats rank second in the MAC in doubles (64), home runs (60) and slugging percentage (.497) and third with 348 hits.
BLAIN LOCKING IT DOWN: Junior right-handed pitcher Nate Blain leads the Cardinals in ERA (3.48) and is second with 41.1 innings pitched while embracing the closer role in the last few weeks.
Blain has a trio of multi-inning saves in his last three appearances, striking out six in 8.2 scoreless innings after making three weekend starts early in MAC play including a complete game effort at Toledo.
MOMENTOUS OCCASIONS: Senior outfielder Decker Scheffler recorded both his 100th career RBI and 100th career run scored with a 3-run home run in Saturday's 17-7 win against Akron.
Ball State set a team record the next day in a 14-9 sweep-clinching win by hitting four sacrifice flies, with one each by Scheffler, Dobbins, Michael Hallquist and Nick Gregory.
Up Next
The Cardinals are set to play at Victory Field in Indianapolis against Indiana at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
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First pitch Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday games will be at 1 p.m. Links to the video streams and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
The Cardinals (23-14, 10-8 MAC) have won 8 of 9 in league play while the Broncos (20-14, 11-4) boasted the longest active winning streak in NCAA Division I (eight games) before falling 12-2 at Michigan State on Wednesday.
Ball State most recently fell 13-3 at Purdue on Tuesday afternoon after sweeping Akron over the weekend. Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins had a big series against the Zips to land a MAC Player of the Week recognition.
Western starts the weekend second in the MAC regular season standings, while the Cardinals are fourth. Bowling Green (15-0) has the longest undefeated stretch to begin conference play in league history.
The Broncos and Cardinals have played common opponents Eastern Michigan, Miami (OH), Ohio and Toledo so far in conference play, with Ball State going 7-5 collectively against the quartet of teams and WMU going 9-3. Western Michigan is 3-6 against Big Ten Conference teams this year including 3-2 versus Michigan.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos went 21-31 (18-11 MAC) last year in head coach Billy Gernon's 13th leading the program. Western earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and lost both of its games.
The Broncos lead the MAC in batting average (.319, No. 17 nationally), on base percentage (.426, No. 19), sac bunts (27, No. 19), total hits (373, No. 44), walks (187) and ERA (6.07).
Senior infielder Cade Sullivan paces the league and ranks Top 50 nationally in NCAA Division I with a .420 batting average (No. 12), 58 hits (No. 21), 45 runs scored (No. 38) and .512 on base percentage (No. 38). Saturday starter Nolan Vlcek's 3.04 ERA is second in the MAC among qualifiers, while redshirt junior outfielder Dylan Nevar leads the league with 42 RBI and seven sac flies (No. 2 nationally).
DOBBINS DOMINATES: Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins went 8-for-9 with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI in the weekend sweep of Akron on his way to a MAC Player of the Week honor.
Among NCAA Division I players, Dobbins led the country last week in batting average (.889) and slugging percentage (2.444) while ranking second in home runs per game (1.33), third in on base percentage (.833), fifth in RBI per game (3.33) and sixth in total home runs. Dobbins raised his batting average 52 points with the explosive weekend at the plate.
CARDINALS SOARING: Ball State has won 11 of its past 13 games and 8 of 9 against Mid-American Conference opponents to move from tenth place to fourth place in the league standings over the last three weekends.
The Cardinals took 2 of 3 games at Miami (OH) sandwiched around home series sweeps over Ohio and Akron to enter the stretch run as one of the hottest teams in the conference.
LEADING LEFTIES: Left-handed pitchers Merritt Beeker and Keegan Johnson have solidified the front end of the Ball State weekend rotation.
Friday starter and junior transfer Beeker was named the MAC Pitcher of the Week on April 1 and leads the league in strikeouts per nine innings (14.4) and total strikeouts (71), while the true freshman Saturday starter Johnson has earned a pair of MAC weekly honors.
SERIES HISTORY: The Cardinals have played the Broncos more than any other opponent, as Ball State leads the all-time series 103-87.
Ball State is 45-18 in the series under the direction of head coach Rich Maloney having been winners of 15 of the past 19 matchups (since 2017).
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Ball State pitching staff's 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings paces the MAC and ranks No. 39 in NCAA Division I, while its 6.08 ERA and 10.1 hits allowed per nine innings rank second in the league.
The Cardinals' bats rank second in the MAC in doubles (64), home runs (60) and slugging percentage (.497) and third with 348 hits.
BLAIN LOCKING IT DOWN: Junior right-handed pitcher Nate Blain leads the Cardinals in ERA (3.48) and is second with 41.1 innings pitched while embracing the closer role in the last few weeks.
Blain has a trio of multi-inning saves in his last three appearances, striking out six in 8.2 scoreless innings after making three weekend starts early in MAC play including a complete game effort at Toledo.
MOMENTOUS OCCASIONS: Senior outfielder Decker Scheffler recorded both his 100th career RBI and 100th career run scored with a 3-run home run in Saturday's 17-7 win against Akron.
Ball State set a team record the next day in a 14-9 sweep-clinching win by hitting four sacrifice flies, with one each by Scheffler, Dobbins, Michael Hallquist and Nick Gregory.
Up Next
The Cardinals are set to play at Victory Field in Indianapolis against Indiana at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
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