Wednesday, May 22
Avon, Ohio
12:30 PM
Ball State University
vs
Toledo
Photo by: Samantha Blankenship (Ball State Creative Services)
Baseball Opens MAC Tournament Wednesday Afternoon vs Toledo
May 21, 2024 | Baseball
The Ball State baseball team is scheduled to begin the Mid-American Conference in Avon, Ohio, with an opening round game at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday against No. 6 seed Toledo.
Links to the ESPN+ broadcast, live stats, tickets and the double elimination tournament bracket can be found above.
The No. 3 seed Cardinals (32-21-1, 18-12 MAC) most recently took a series at Kent State last weekend to secure the third spot in the league's postseason tourney, which will take place at the home of the Frontier League's Lake Erie Crushers. The Top 6 teams in the conference qualified for the tournament.
The No. 6 seed Rockets (25-30, 16-14) were swept at regular season champion Bowling Green last weekend but took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals from March 22-24 in Toledo.
SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Rockets went 26-29 (14-16 MAC) last year in head coach Rob Reinstetle's fourth leading the program. Toledo finished sixth in the league standings to miss out on the four-team conference tourney.
Toledo's pitching staff leads the MAC in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (9.44) and ranks second in ERA (5.78), WHIP (1.58) and strikeouts per nine innings. Rocket bats are second in the league in home runs (86), third in walks (257) and seventh in scoring (6.3 runs per game) this year.
Senior left-handed pitcher Grant Umberger paces the MAC in ERA (3.82) while junior Garret Pike leads the league in hits (80) and home runs (20) and ranks second with 150 total bases.
MAC Tournament Field
1. Bowling Green (32-18, 24-6 MAC)
2. Western Michigan (29-21, 19-11 MAC)
3. Ball State (32-21-1, 18-12 MAC)
4. Miami (OH) (26-25, 17-13 MAC)
5. Kent State (27-25, 17-13 MAC)
6. Toledo (25-30, 16-14 MAC)
REIGNING MAC TOURNEY CHAMPS BACK IN NORTHEAST OHIO: The 2023 Cardinals beat Central Michigan once and Kent State twice last May in Kent to win the program's second Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Ball State's previous tournament championship was in 2006 when the Cardinals also won it at Kent. This group will be seeking the program's third MAC Tournament title and fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
HALLQUIST HITTING THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior shortstop Michael Hallquist's 20 home runs this year are the third-most in Ball State history behind Thomas Howard's 23 in 1986 and Brad Miller's 21 in 2006.
Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins is right behind in a tie for fourth with Ed Farris (1997) with his 18 homers.
CARDINALS CLEAN UP POSTSEASON AWARDS: Junior Merritt Beeker was recently named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year, while Hallquist was voted Defensive Player of the Year and Keegan Johnson Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
All three student-athletes were on the All-MAC First Team, while Blake Bevis (first base) and Dobbins (catcher) were voted to the Second Team.
BEEKER STRIKEOUTS: Beeker leads the league and has the eighth-most strikeouts in NCAA Division I (116), while his 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings paces the MAC and ranks No. 7 nationally. Beeker is three punchouts away from the third-most in Ball State history.
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Ball State pitching staff paces the MAC with 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking No. 31 nationally, and stands at fourth in the league in ERA (6.12). The Cardinals' bats lead the league in doubles (107) and home runs (87, No. 40 nationally) and rank second in slugging percentage (.507, No. 48) and fourth in hits (536) and batting average (.299) as a team.
Hallquist is near the top of the MAC leaderboards in total bases (153, No. 1), doubles (17, No. 2) slugging (.692, No. 2), home runs (20, No. 1) and hits (71, No. 5). Dobbins is fourth in slugging percentage (.671) and fifth in homers (18) entering the conference tournament.
CARDS ON A TEAR: The Ball State baseball team has won seven straight MAC series, including taking 2 of 3 on the road at Miami (OH), Western Michigan and most recently Kent State.
The Cardinals fell to No. 1 seed Bowling Green and No. 6 seed Toledo at the beginning of conference play when they started 1-7. Ball State finished the year 17-5 in MAC games with winning the seven consecutive sets.
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Links to the ESPN+ broadcast, live stats, tickets and the double elimination tournament bracket can be found above.
The No. 3 seed Cardinals (32-21-1, 18-12 MAC) most recently took a series at Kent State last weekend to secure the third spot in the league's postseason tourney, which will take place at the home of the Frontier League's Lake Erie Crushers. The Top 6 teams in the conference qualified for the tournament.
The No. 6 seed Rockets (25-30, 16-14) were swept at regular season champion Bowling Green last weekend but took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals from March 22-24 in Toledo.
SCOUTING TOLEDO: The Rockets went 26-29 (14-16 MAC) last year in head coach Rob Reinstetle's fourth leading the program. Toledo finished sixth in the league standings to miss out on the four-team conference tourney.
Toledo's pitching staff leads the MAC in fewest hits allowed per nine innings (9.44) and ranks second in ERA (5.78), WHIP (1.58) and strikeouts per nine innings. Rocket bats are second in the league in home runs (86), third in walks (257) and seventh in scoring (6.3 runs per game) this year.
Senior left-handed pitcher Grant Umberger paces the MAC in ERA (3.82) while junior Garret Pike leads the league in hits (80) and home runs (20) and ranks second with 150 total bases.
MAC Tournament Field
1. Bowling Green (32-18, 24-6 MAC)
2. Western Michigan (29-21, 19-11 MAC)
3. Ball State (32-21-1, 18-12 MAC)
4. Miami (OH) (26-25, 17-13 MAC)
5. Kent State (27-25, 17-13 MAC)
6. Toledo (25-30, 16-14 MAC)
REIGNING MAC TOURNEY CHAMPS BACK IN NORTHEAST OHIO: The 2023 Cardinals beat Central Michigan once and Kent State twice last May in Kent to win the program's second Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Ball State's previous tournament championship was in 2006 when the Cardinals also won it at Kent. This group will be seeking the program's third MAC Tournament title and fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
HALLQUIST HITTING THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior shortstop Michael Hallquist's 20 home runs this year are the third-most in Ball State history behind Thomas Howard's 23 in 1986 and Brad Miller's 21 in 2006.
Junior catcher Hunter Dobbins is right behind in a tie for fourth with Ed Farris (1997) with his 18 homers.
CARDINALS CLEAN UP POSTSEASON AWARDS: Junior Merritt Beeker was recently named the Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year, while Hallquist was voted Defensive Player of the Year and Keegan Johnson Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
All three student-athletes were on the All-MAC First Team, while Blake Bevis (first base) and Dobbins (catcher) were voted to the Second Team.
BEEKER STRIKEOUTS: Beeker leads the league and has the eighth-most strikeouts in NCAA Division I (116), while his 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings paces the MAC and ranks No. 7 nationally. Beeker is three punchouts away from the third-most in Ball State history.
LEAGUE LEADERS: The Ball State pitching staff paces the MAC with 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking No. 31 nationally, and stands at fourth in the league in ERA (6.12). The Cardinals' bats lead the league in doubles (107) and home runs (87, No. 40 nationally) and rank second in slugging percentage (.507, No. 48) and fourth in hits (536) and batting average (.299) as a team.
Hallquist is near the top of the MAC leaderboards in total bases (153, No. 1), doubles (17, No. 2) slugging (.692, No. 2), home runs (20, No. 1) and hits (71, No. 5). Dobbins is fourth in slugging percentage (.671) and fifth in homers (18) entering the conference tournament.
CARDS ON A TEAR: The Ball State baseball team has won seven straight MAC series, including taking 2 of 3 on the road at Miami (OH), Western Michigan and most recently Kent State.
The Cardinals fell to No. 1 seed Bowling Green and No. 6 seed Toledo at the beginning of conference play when they started 1-7. Ball State finished the year 17-5 in MAC games with winning the seven consecutive sets.
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