Tuesday, March 18
Muncie, Ind.
3 PM
Ball State University
vs
Valparaiso
Photo by: Josh Brunette
Baseball Wraps up Nine-Game Homestand Hosting Valpo Tuesday and Butler Wednesday
March 17, 2025 | Baseball
*Wednesday's game against Butler will now start at 1:30 p.m.
The Ball State baseball team is set to host midweek baseball games at 3 p.m. against in-state opponents Valparaiso on Tuesday and Butler on Wednesday at Shebek Stadium.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and have a free audio broadcast option. Links to those and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State (14-6, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) took a series win over the weekend against Toledo with a 12-2 win on Friday and 8-7 win in Saturday's game that finished up on Sunday. The Rockets salvaged the set with a 6-3 triumph on Sunday that snapped the Cardinals' eight-game winning streak.
Valpo claimed a 9-6 decision last March 19 at home in the only game of the season against the Beacons for Ball State. The Beacons (4-11) have yet to begin Missouri Valley Conference play but have taken single games in recent series at Ohio State and Illinois.
Brian Schmack is in his 12th season as the head coach at Valpo. The Beacons went 14-38 (6-21 MVC) last season to finish in a tie for ninth in the 10-team conference.
Valpo ranks fourth in the Valley in on base percentage (.385) while ranking eighth in scoring (5.5 runs per game) and 10th in ERA (10.60).
Senior outfielder Ryan Maka has the top OBP (.516) in the MVC and the fifth-best batting average (.375) while pacing the Beacons with three home runs. Graduate catcher Liam Patton has hit two homers and a team-high 14 RBI.
Ball State beat Butler 7-6 last March 20 in Indianapolis before run-ruling the Bulldogs 24-7 on May 7 in Muncie. Former Ball State player and assistant coach Blake Beemer is in his third season leading the Butler program.
The Bulldogs (6-13) have also yet to begin conference play in the Big East and have lost six in a row heading into Tuesday's game at Notre Dame. Butler took one of three games at MAC foe Ohio a couple of weekends ago.
Butler has the top batting average (.315), OBP (.396) and slugging percentage (.552) in the Big East while also leading the league in home runs (33) and doubles (42). Redshirt junior outfielder Jack
Moroknek ranks near the top of the NCAA Division I leaderboards in batting average (.486, No. 2), slugging percentage (1.041, No. 2), home runs (11, No. 3), hits (36, No. 8) and runs scored (30, No. 11).
Up next for the Cardinals is a three-game series at Xavier starting at 3 p.m. on Friday in Cincinnati.
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The Ball State baseball team is set to host midweek baseball games at 3 p.m. against in-state opponents Valparaiso on Tuesday and Butler on Wednesday at Shebek Stadium.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and have a free audio broadcast option. Links to those and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State (14-6, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) took a series win over the weekend against Toledo with a 12-2 win on Friday and 8-7 win in Saturday's game that finished up on Sunday. The Rockets salvaged the set with a 6-3 triumph on Sunday that snapped the Cardinals' eight-game winning streak.
Valpo claimed a 9-6 decision last March 19 at home in the only game of the season against the Beacons for Ball State. The Beacons (4-11) have yet to begin Missouri Valley Conference play but have taken single games in recent series at Ohio State and Illinois.
Brian Schmack is in his 12th season as the head coach at Valpo. The Beacons went 14-38 (6-21 MVC) last season to finish in a tie for ninth in the 10-team conference.
Valpo ranks fourth in the Valley in on base percentage (.385) while ranking eighth in scoring (5.5 runs per game) and 10th in ERA (10.60).
Senior outfielder Ryan Maka has the top OBP (.516) in the MVC and the fifth-best batting average (.375) while pacing the Beacons with three home runs. Graduate catcher Liam Patton has hit two homers and a team-high 14 RBI.
Ball State beat Butler 7-6 last March 20 in Indianapolis before run-ruling the Bulldogs 24-7 on May 7 in Muncie. Former Ball State player and assistant coach Blake Beemer is in his third season leading the Butler program.
The Bulldogs (6-13) have also yet to begin conference play in the Big East and have lost six in a row heading into Tuesday's game at Notre Dame. Butler took one of three games at MAC foe Ohio a couple of weekends ago.
Butler has the top batting average (.315), OBP (.396) and slugging percentage (.552) in the Big East while also leading the league in home runs (33) and doubles (42). Redshirt junior outfielder Jack
Moroknek ranks near the top of the NCAA Division I leaderboards in batting average (.486, No. 2), slugging percentage (1.041, No. 2), home runs (11, No. 3), hits (36, No. 8) and runs scored (30, No. 11).
Up next for the Cardinals is a three-game series at Xavier starting at 3 p.m. on Friday in Cincinnati.
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