Friday, March 28
Akron, Ohio
10 AM
Ball State University
at
Akron
Photo by: Mya Cataline, Ball State Athletics
Baseball Back to MAC Play with Friday Morning Series Opener at Akron
March 27, 2025 | Baseball
The Ball State baseball team is set to play a three-game series at Akron starting at 10 a.m. on Friday.
There will be an ESPN+ broadcast for each game, and links to the broadcast and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State (17-9, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) is coming off a 5-4 win over Southern Indiana on Tuesday afternoon in Muncie. The Cardinals rallied back from a 4-1 deficit, scoring three runs in the eighth inning including a go-ahead two-run single by Clay Jacobs. Blake Bevis had two solo home runs in the triumph.
Akron (6-18, 0-9 MAC) has lost eight games in a row after falling 8-2 at Oakland on Tuesday afternoon and being swept at Western Michigan last weekend. The Zips in their second season being led by head coach Bryan Faulds.
The Akron pitching staff is second in NCAA Division I in hitting batters with 65 so far this year. The Zips' batters have taken the most walks (136) in the league.
Projected Saturday starter Jared Schaeffer has 36 strikeouts, which is the third-most in the MAC, while right-handed pitcher Josiah Ross has made the most pitching appearances in the league at 12.
Ball State will next return home to face Bellarmine at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
1,000 CAREER WINS: Head coach Rich Maloney hit the 1,000-win milestone with the 13-10 triumph over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 11.
Maloney is the 10th active skipper to reach the milestone among NCAA Division I coaches. The group consists of Paul Mainieri (South Carolina, 1,522 wins), Danny Hall (Georgia Tech, 1,432), Elliott Avent (NC State, 1,277), Dave Van Horn (Arkansas, 1,277), Rich Hill (Hawaii, 1,191), Steve Owens (Rutgers, 1,057), Rick Heller (Iowa, 1,055), Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt, 1,047), and Mike Bianco (Ole Miss, 1,025). Of the nine ahead of Maloney, only Hall, Mainieri, Avent, Van Horn and Bianco have more wins at the Division I level.
CLUTCH CLAY: Graduate outfielder Clay Jacobs hit a go-ahead two-run single in the eight inning on Tuesday against Southern Indiana, which proved to be the game-winner in a 5-4 decision over the Screaming Eagles.
The Huntsville, Ohio native also hit his first two home runs of the year over the weekend at Xavier and bats .295 with a league-best 11 stolen bases.
PICKING UP THE POWER: Ball State had its first two multi-home run performances of the season in the span of a week, with Ty Davis hitting three homers on March 18 against Valparaiso and Blake Bevis blasting two last Tuesday vs USI.
Bevis leads the team with eight home runs as Davis follows in second at six. The Cardinals are second in the league and 33rd nationally with 36 total long balls.
CATCHERS CRUSH: The trio of Garrett Arnold, Max Kalk and DJ Scheumann have proven to be dangerous with the bat in the first month-and-a-half of the season.
Arnold is batting .377 and hit a walkoff on March 15 against Toledo, while Kalk went 4-for-4 on March 19 vs Butler to raise his season batting average to .500. Scheumann hit a go-ahead home run in the Feb. 15 win over Maryland.
HIT MAN: Junior Dylan Grego is the MAC leader with 35 hits so far this year while batting .347 with a .960 OPS.
The everyday shortstop has four home runs, 16 RBI, and eight steals and hit a walkoff homer in the March 9 win over Western Michigan.
FINDING A WAY TO GET ON BASE: Senior Alex Richter has been hit by a pitch 15 times this year, which leads the MAC and ranks No. 5 in NCAA Division I.
The third baseman is third in the conference with 20 walks and reaches base at a .437 clip.
CLEAN FIELDING AND TURNING TWO: The Cardinals enter the weekend ranking third in the country with a .986 fielding percentage.
Ball State has committed 13 errors in 910 opportunities this year through the first 26 games. Ball State paces the nation in double plays turned at 26.
PROFICIENT PITCHING: The Ball State pitching staff paces the league in ERA (5.66), WHIP (1.50), strikeouts per nine innings (9.7) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.90).
Keegan Johnson (4-0, 2.86 ERA, 32 strikeouts in 34.2 innings) and Jacob Hartlaub (3-2, 3.73 ERA, 37 strikeouts in 31.1 innings) have been leading the starting staff while Owen Quinn (3.43 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 27 strikeouts in 21.0 innings) has been coming on strong out of the bullpen including picking up his first win of the year on Tuesday vs Southern Indiana.
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There will be an ESPN+ broadcast for each game, and links to the broadcast and live stats can be found above and on the schedule page.
Ball State (17-9, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) is coming off a 5-4 win over Southern Indiana on Tuesday afternoon in Muncie. The Cardinals rallied back from a 4-1 deficit, scoring three runs in the eighth inning including a go-ahead two-run single by Clay Jacobs. Blake Bevis had two solo home runs in the triumph.
Akron (6-18, 0-9 MAC) has lost eight games in a row after falling 8-2 at Oakland on Tuesday afternoon and being swept at Western Michigan last weekend. The Zips in their second season being led by head coach Bryan Faulds.
The Akron pitching staff is second in NCAA Division I in hitting batters with 65 so far this year. The Zips' batters have taken the most walks (136) in the league.
Projected Saturday starter Jared Schaeffer has 36 strikeouts, which is the third-most in the MAC, while right-handed pitcher Josiah Ross has made the most pitching appearances in the league at 12.
Ball State will next return home to face Bellarmine at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
1,000 CAREER WINS: Head coach Rich Maloney hit the 1,000-win milestone with the 13-10 triumph over Purdue Fort Wayne on March 11.
Maloney is the 10th active skipper to reach the milestone among NCAA Division I coaches. The group consists of Paul Mainieri (South Carolina, 1,522 wins), Danny Hall (Georgia Tech, 1,432), Elliott Avent (NC State, 1,277), Dave Van Horn (Arkansas, 1,277), Rich Hill (Hawaii, 1,191), Steve Owens (Rutgers, 1,057), Rick Heller (Iowa, 1,055), Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt, 1,047), and Mike Bianco (Ole Miss, 1,025). Of the nine ahead of Maloney, only Hall, Mainieri, Avent, Van Horn and Bianco have more wins at the Division I level.
CLUTCH CLAY: Graduate outfielder Clay Jacobs hit a go-ahead two-run single in the eight inning on Tuesday against Southern Indiana, which proved to be the game-winner in a 5-4 decision over the Screaming Eagles.
The Huntsville, Ohio native also hit his first two home runs of the year over the weekend at Xavier and bats .295 with a league-best 11 stolen bases.
PICKING UP THE POWER: Ball State had its first two multi-home run performances of the season in the span of a week, with Ty Davis hitting three homers on March 18 against Valparaiso and Blake Bevis blasting two last Tuesday vs USI.
Bevis leads the team with eight home runs as Davis follows in second at six. The Cardinals are second in the league and 33rd nationally with 36 total long balls.
CATCHERS CRUSH: The trio of Garrett Arnold, Max Kalk and DJ Scheumann have proven to be dangerous with the bat in the first month-and-a-half of the season.
Arnold is batting .377 and hit a walkoff on March 15 against Toledo, while Kalk went 4-for-4 on March 19 vs Butler to raise his season batting average to .500. Scheumann hit a go-ahead home run in the Feb. 15 win over Maryland.
HIT MAN: Junior Dylan Grego is the MAC leader with 35 hits so far this year while batting .347 with a .960 OPS.
The everyday shortstop has four home runs, 16 RBI, and eight steals and hit a walkoff homer in the March 9 win over Western Michigan.
FINDING A WAY TO GET ON BASE: Senior Alex Richter has been hit by a pitch 15 times this year, which leads the MAC and ranks No. 5 in NCAA Division I.
The third baseman is third in the conference with 20 walks and reaches base at a .437 clip.
CLEAN FIELDING AND TURNING TWO: The Cardinals enter the weekend ranking third in the country with a .986 fielding percentage.
Ball State has committed 13 errors in 910 opportunities this year through the first 26 games. Ball State paces the nation in double plays turned at 26.
PROFICIENT PITCHING: The Ball State pitching staff paces the league in ERA (5.66), WHIP (1.50), strikeouts per nine innings (9.7) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.90).
Keegan Johnson (4-0, 2.86 ERA, 32 strikeouts in 34.2 innings) and Jacob Hartlaub (3-2, 3.73 ERA, 37 strikeouts in 31.1 innings) have been leading the starting staff while Owen Quinn (3.43 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 27 strikeouts in 21.0 innings) has been coming on strong out of the bullpen including picking up his first win of the year on Tuesday vs Southern Indiana.
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