Saturday, May 25
Avon, Ohio
6 PM
Ball State University
35-23-1
3
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10
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Western Michigan
32-21
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9
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Ball State
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1
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Western Michigan
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Photo by: Collin Phillips/Ball State Athletics
Cardinals Fall Short in MAC Championship to Western Michigan
May 25, 2024 | Baseball
AVON, Ohio – The Ball State baseball team's run to the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship ended with a 10-3 setback on Saturday night to Western Michigan.
The Cardinals (35-23-1) got an RBI single from Matthew Gonzalez in the third inning after the Broncos (32-21) scored three in the first to cut the deficit to 3-1. Western responded with two in the bottom half of the third and three runs in the fourth to lead 8-1 and would cruise to the MAC Tournament title as the No. 2 seed.
Gonzalez went 3-for-5 at the plate with three RBI after hitting a 2-run double in the ninth and finished the tourney 10-for-15 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI on his way to an All-Tournament Team honor.
Joining Gonzalez on the All-Tournament Team for the Cardinals were pitchers Merritt Beeker (12 strikeouts in a complete game win vs Toledo on Wednesday) and Sam Klein (save on Friday against Toledo and win vs Bowling Green on Saturday).
Ball State baseball posted its fifth straight full season with at least 35 wins while finishing third in the MAC regular season standings and runners up in the conference tournament.
Beeker was voted the league's Pitcher of the Year and Keegan Johnson the Freshman Pitcher of the Year while senior shortstop Michael Hallquist was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Beeker ended the year with the third-most strikeouts in a season in program history (128), while Hallquist's 21 homers stand in a tie for second in program annals.
MAC All-Tournament Team
Garret Pike, Toledo
Jack Krause, Bowling Green
Matt Gonzalez, Ball State
Merritt Beeker, Ball State
Sam Klein, Ball State
Dylan Nevar, Western Michigan
Josh Swinehart, Western Michigan
Cade Sullivan, Western Michigan
Nolan Vlcek, Western Michigan
Brady Miller, Western Michigan
Dylan Nevar, Western Michigan - MVP
The Cardinals (35-23-1) got an RBI single from Matthew Gonzalez in the third inning after the Broncos (32-21) scored three in the first to cut the deficit to 3-1. Western responded with two in the bottom half of the third and three runs in the fourth to lead 8-1 and would cruise to the MAC Tournament title as the No. 2 seed.
Gonzalez went 3-for-5 at the plate with three RBI after hitting a 2-run double in the ninth and finished the tourney 10-for-15 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI on his way to an All-Tournament Team honor.
Joining Gonzalez on the All-Tournament Team for the Cardinals were pitchers Merritt Beeker (12 strikeouts in a complete game win vs Toledo on Wednesday) and Sam Klein (save on Friday against Toledo and win vs Bowling Green on Saturday).
Ball State baseball posted its fifth straight full season with at least 35 wins while finishing third in the MAC regular season standings and runners up in the conference tournament.
Beeker was voted the league's Pitcher of the Year and Keegan Johnson the Freshman Pitcher of the Year while senior shortstop Michael Hallquist was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. Beeker ended the year with the third-most strikeouts in a season in program history (128), while Hallquist's 21 homers stand in a tie for second in program annals.
MAC All-Tournament Team
Garret Pike, Toledo
Jack Krause, Bowling Green
Matt Gonzalez, Ball State
Merritt Beeker, Ball State
Sam Klein, Ball State
Dylan Nevar, Western Michigan
Josh Swinehart, Western Michigan
Cade Sullivan, Western Michigan
Nolan Vlcek, Western Michigan
Brady Miller, Western Michigan
Dylan Nevar, Western Michigan - MVP
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: SHAPIRO, Joe (5-0)
L: Schulfer, Logan (1-4)
Batting:
2B: Gonzalez, Matthew 1
RBI: Gonzalez, Matthew 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Scheffler, Decker 1 ; Hallquist, Michael 1 ; Gregory, Nick 1
HBP: Grego, Dylan 2
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Batting:
2B: HARRITY, Brendan 1
HR: SWINEHART, Josh 1
RBI: SULLIVAN, Cade 1 ; RICHMOND, CJ 1 ; SWINEHART, Josh 2 ; MALONEY, Michael 1 ; BUDIG, Greg 1 ; HARRITY, Brendan 1 ; MEE, Grady 2
SH: HARRITY, Brendan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: KITCHEN, Jackson 1 ; SULLIVAN, Cade 1 ; NEVAR, Dylan 1 ; RICHMOND, CJ 1 ; SWINEHART, Josh 2 ; MALONEY, Michael 2 ; BUDIG, Greg 1 ; HARRITY, Brendan 1
HBP: KITCHEN, Jackson 1 ; BUDIG, Greg 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
0
H
3
RBI
3
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
0
AB
5
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
5
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P
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INF
/ Baseball
P/OF
/ Baseball
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