Ball State University
Indiana State
Softball Takes on Indiana State Tuesday
March 24, 2025 | Softball
| Ball State (18-8; 4-2 MAC) at Indiana State (9-19; 4-1 MVC) | |
| Game 27 at Indiana State | Tuesday, March 25 at 3 p.m. ET Live Stats |  ESPN+ |
| Tickets Info | FREE ADMISSION |
| Notes | Ball State |  Indiana State |
| Social Media | Twitter  |  Instagram |
» THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE SOFTBALL: The Ball State softball team returns to action Tuesday, when it heads to Indiana State for a 3 p.m. first pitch on ESPN+ at Price Field ... From there, the Cardinals travel to Bowling Green for a three-game series with a single game scheduled for Friday (3 p.m.) and a doubleheader set for Saturday (1 p.m.).
» NEXT TIME IN MUNCIE: After playing its next four games on the road, the Cardinals return to the Ball State Softball Stadium on Tuesday, April 1 for a 1 p.m. league doubleheader versus Northern Illinois ... The twinbill will serve as Faculty / Staff Appreciation Day with members of the team honoring members of the Ball State community who have made an impact in the collegiate lives.Â
» THE OVERALL RECORD: Ball State enters the week with a 1195-1179-4 (.503) overall record dating back to 1975 ... The Cardinals have tallied 30-or-more wins in 16 seasons, most recently a 37-18 mark in 2021 ... Of the 16 seasons with 30-or-more wins, 11 have come in the past 17 years.
» QUOTING COACH PEÑA: "Our goal this season is to have fun competing. If we can compete every single pitch, and have fun doing it, I believe we are going to have a really good season. It's truly about getting better every weekend and not putting so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect."
» AGAINST THE SYCAMORES: Ball State holds a 35-25 lead in the all-time series versus Indiana State having won the last four meetings, including a 6-5 victory last season (March 8) in the Marshall March Madness tournament ... While ISU holds a slim 9-7 advantage in games played on its home field, the Cardinals earned a hard-fought 2-1 (8) victory in its last trip to Terre Haute on March 29, 2017, to start the four-game winning streak.
BALL STATE NEWS & NOTES:
» MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: Ball State was picked to finish fourth among 11 teams in the Mid-American Conference's annual preseason poll ... The Cardinals, who finished sixth in the league last season with a 12-13 MAC record, are looking for a third consecutive  MAC Softball Championship berth, with the league's top six teams advancing to Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio, for the three-day event which runs May 7-10 ... BSU also picked up one of the 11 votes to win the MAC Tournament title.
» WATCH OUT FOR TIMMONS: McKayla Timmons was named a player to watch this season, ranking 36th on the Softball America Top 100 Preseason list and as the No. 8 ranked utility/designated player in the country by D1Softball.com ... Most recently, Softball America named her the nation's seventh-best catcher in its March position rankings while D1Softball.com named her the nation's fifth-best catcher in its player power rankings ... Timmons enters the week ranked first on Ball State's career list in on base percentage (.515), second in slugging percentage (.799), second in home runs (52), third in batting average (.387), third in RBI (159) and ninth in runs scored (136) ... She also owns the program record for being hit by a pitch at 39.
» EARNING THE ACCOLADES: So far, McKayla Timmons has earned the accolades, entering the week ranked first in the MAC and seventh nationally with a .516 batting average ... Timmons, who is currently on a 17-game hitting streak and a 52-game streak of reaching base safely, has blasted 11 home runs so far this season including at least one home run in eight of the last 13 games ... In addition to her solid batting average, she leads all NCAA Division I players in on base percentage (.703), ranks second in the nation in slugging percentage (1.161) and is 44th in runs scored (33) and 54th in RBIs (34).
» FREE PASSES: McKayla Timmons received a big boost to her on base percentage in the weekend series versus Toledo, reaching base in all 14 of her plate appearances over the three games ... She started the series with a two-run home run Friday and was walked in each of her next eight plate appearances ... The Rockets gave her one more opportunity to swing in the series finale and she blasted the ball to the wall in right center for a first inning single ... She then drew four more walks, bringing her weekend total to 12 ... The 12 walks helped her climb to second in the nation at 1.12 walks per game ... She is also tied for eighth in the nation at 29 total walks.
» SHINING BEHIND THE PLATE TOO: In addition to pacing the offense, McKayla Timmons has proven to be one of the nation's top threats behind the plate and finished the 2024 season ranked as one of the nation's best catchers by Softball America ... She was fifth on SA's final catchers list and 47th among the nation's top 100 players ... The effort was aided by Timmons throwing out 11 of the 37 runners attempting to steal a base on her last season ... She has already caught seven runners trying to steal this season, while surrendering just 10 stolen bases.
» ON THE BASES: Ball State has also proven to be one of the nations' craftiest teams on the base paths, ranking first in the MAC and 32nd nationally with a 1.96 stolen bases per game average … The Cardinals have successfully stolen 51 of the 55 bases it has attempted to steal, led by a MAC-leading 13 stolen bases from McKayla Timmons… Overall, 12 different Cardinals have stolen at least one base, with redshirt junior second baseman McKenna Mulholland ranking second on the squad and third in the MAC with 10 ... Conversely, Ball State has limited opposing squads to just 11 stolen bases in 18 attempts this season ... Only 12 teams in the country have limited teams to less stolen bases, with the next best MAC school being Miami at 15.
» ON THE OFFENSIVE FRONT: Ball State has been putting on an offensive clinic so far this season, ranking 16th nationally by averaging 7.58 runs per game ... The Cardinals have earned seven run-rule victories so far this season and have scored 10-or-more runs in seven games ... Overall, Ball State is out-scoring opponents 197 to 112 this season and owns a 15-4 record when scoring at least five runs.
» THE WHITNEY EFFECT: Ella Whitney, who played her first two seasons of collegiate softball at FIU, leads the MAC and ranks 25th nationally with her 11 pitching victories … Over 84.1 innings of work, the two-time MAC Pitcher of the Week honoree has compiled a 1.99 ERA which ranks 67th in the country ... Whitney has also limited opposing batters to a .231 average against which ranks fourth in the league.
» MORE ON WHITNEY: A two-way player for the Cardinals, Ella Whitney is also a big offensive threat, boasting a .326 average and ranking second on the team in both home runs (4) and RBIs (27) … She recorded Ball State's first triple of the season and leads the squad with six doubles ... Whitney also enters the week ranked second on the squad with a 14-game streak of reaching base safely.
» SHUTTING 'EM OUT: Freshman Breanna Severino picked up her first collegiate complete game shutout in last Tuesday's 7-0 victory at Butler ... She limited the Bulldogs to just seven hits over her 7.0 innings of work in the game ... She also struck out one batter and worked out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth.
» LONG BALL NUMBERS: The Cardinals currently rank second in the MAC with 32 home runs, trailing only Miami's 46 ... Timmons leads the way and is second among all league players and 24th nationally with her 11 home runs ... On the opposite spectrum, Ball State's pitching staff ranks first in the MAC and tied for 37th nationally by allowing just 11 home runs ... Toledo and Ohio are tied for second in the league with 18 home runs allowed.
» SOME OF THE NATION'S TOUGHEST: Sophomore shortstop Maia Pietrzak and senior outfielder Kara Gunter enter the week as two of the nation's toughest batters to strike out ... Pietrzak is fourth in the MAC and 45th nationally at one strikeout per every 28.3 at bats, while Gunter is sixth in the MAC and 55th nationally at one strikeout per every 25.3 at bats.
» D-FENSE: Ball State enters the week ranked second in the MAC and 40th nationally with a .972 fielding percentage this season ... The Cardinals have committed just 21 errors in its first 26 games, including 12 games without an error ... The current program record for best fielding percentage in a season is .974 for the 2010 squad which committed just 40 errors.
