Friday, March 7
Muncie, Ind.
2 PM
Ball State University
vs
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Western Michigan
Photo by: Kolbi Media
Baseball Hosting Western Michigan this Weekend to Begin MAC Play
March 06, 2025 | Baseball
The Ball State baseball team begins Mid-American Conference play with a rematch of last year's MAC Tournament title game against Western Michigan.
The Cardinals and Broncos are set to play Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the newly-named Shebek Stadium.
Links to live stats and the video stream can be found above and on the schedule page. AJ Swiatek will be on the call for the stream.
Ball State (8-5) went 4-1 on its Florida trip, first going 2-1 at North Florida in Jacksonville over the weekend before sweeping a doubleheader at Florida A&M in Tallahassee on Tuesday. The Cardinals currently have the most wins among MAC schools.
Western Michigan (0-11) has lost multiple games to Michigan State, Dayton, Louisville and Georgia Tech. The Broncos most recently fell 9-5 at Lipscomb on Tuesday.
Sophomore infielder Tanner Mally paces the league with a .533 on-base percentage while topping the Broncos with 15 hits, a .417 batting average and 1.005 OPS. Projected Saturday starting pitcher Joey Wizceb has the most innings pitched (15.2) and best ERA (4.60) on the team.
This is the start of a nine-game homestand for the Cardinals, who are next scheduled to host Purdue Fort Wayne at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
CLEAN FIELDING: The Cardinals enter the weekend leading all of NCAA Division I in fielding percentage with a .991 average.
Ball State has committed only four errors in 453 opportunities this year through the first 13 games. No one on the team has had more than one error.
BACK AGAINST THE BRONCOS: Ball State and Western Michigan met up last May 25 in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game, with the No. 2 seed Broncos claiming a 10-3 decision to win the tournament.
The Cardinals took two out of three games in Kalamazoo in mid-April and went 2-3 overall against Western Michigan last season, as the Broncos beat Ball State earlier in the MAC Tournament as well.
CLOSING IN ON NO. 1,000: Head coach Rich Maloney is currently four wins away from 1,000 in his career as a collegiate head coach, which is in the early stages of his 30th season.
Maloney (996) is 10th on the career wins leaderboard among active NCAA Division I coaches. The group consists of Paul Mainieri (South Carolina, 1,516 wins), Danny Hall (Georgia Tech, 1,422), Elliott Avent (NC State, 1,268), Dave Van Horn (Arkansas, 1,266), Rich Hill (Hawaii, 1,183), Steve Owens (Rutgers, 1,051), Rick Heller (Iowa, 1,046), Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt, 1,037), and Mike Bianco (Ole Miss, 1,017). Of the nine ahead of Maloney, only Hall, Mainieri, Avent, Van Horn and Bianco have more wins at the Division I level.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS: The 2025 Cardinals were picked to finish first in the recently released Mid-American Conference preseason poll. Ball State got six first place votes for the regular season and five to win the MAC Tournament.
The Ball State baseball program boasts the best winning percentage both overall (.636) and in conference play (.647) among MAC teams since 2019 entering the 2025 campaign.
QUICK CARDINALS: Ball State leads the MAC and ranks No. 47 nationally in stolen bases with 25.
Seven different Cardinals have swiped a bag this year, led by Gavin Balius who is 9-for-10 on steal attempts. The nine steals are the ninth-most in NCAA Division I.
BEATING THE BIG BOYS: The Cardinals beat Maryland 5-3 on Feb. 15 at the Swig & Swine Classic in Charleston, S.C., to extend the Ball State baseball program's streak of winning against at least one Power Four conference opponent to 14 seasons in a row.
Ball State has notched such a triumph in every season since 2012, with nine of those seasons featuring wins against multiple opponents from the Power Four.
HARKER HOLDING IT DOWN: Senior Garrett Harker has solidified the closer role for the Cardinals, beginning the year with 14 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched, a 1.59 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
The right-hander has four saves, which ranks in a tie for second place among NCAA Division I pitchers.
MIX OF NEW AND OLD: Ball State's 2025 roster features 17 returning players from last year's team, seven true freshmen and 13 incoming transfers.
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The Cardinals and Broncos are set to play Friday at 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the newly-named Shebek Stadium.
Links to live stats and the video stream can be found above and on the schedule page. AJ Swiatek will be on the call for the stream.
Ball State (8-5) went 4-1 on its Florida trip, first going 2-1 at North Florida in Jacksonville over the weekend before sweeping a doubleheader at Florida A&M in Tallahassee on Tuesday. The Cardinals currently have the most wins among MAC schools.
Western Michigan (0-11) has lost multiple games to Michigan State, Dayton, Louisville and Georgia Tech. The Broncos most recently fell 9-5 at Lipscomb on Tuesday.
Sophomore infielder Tanner Mally paces the league with a .533 on-base percentage while topping the Broncos with 15 hits, a .417 batting average and 1.005 OPS. Projected Saturday starting pitcher Joey Wizceb has the most innings pitched (15.2) and best ERA (4.60) on the team.
This is the start of a nine-game homestand for the Cardinals, who are next scheduled to host Purdue Fort Wayne at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
CLEAN FIELDING: The Cardinals enter the weekend leading all of NCAA Division I in fielding percentage with a .991 average.
Ball State has committed only four errors in 453 opportunities this year through the first 13 games. No one on the team has had more than one error.
BACK AGAINST THE BRONCOS: Ball State and Western Michigan met up last May 25 in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game, with the No. 2 seed Broncos claiming a 10-3 decision to win the tournament.
The Cardinals took two out of three games in Kalamazoo in mid-April and went 2-3 overall against Western Michigan last season, as the Broncos beat Ball State earlier in the MAC Tournament as well.
CLOSING IN ON NO. 1,000: Head coach Rich Maloney is currently four wins away from 1,000 in his career as a collegiate head coach, which is in the early stages of his 30th season.
Maloney (996) is 10th on the career wins leaderboard among active NCAA Division I coaches. The group consists of Paul Mainieri (South Carolina, 1,516 wins), Danny Hall (Georgia Tech, 1,422), Elliott Avent (NC State, 1,268), Dave Van Horn (Arkansas, 1,266), Rich Hill (Hawaii, 1,183), Steve Owens (Rutgers, 1,051), Rick Heller (Iowa, 1,046), Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt, 1,037), and Mike Bianco (Ole Miss, 1,017). Of the nine ahead of Maloney, only Hall, Mainieri, Avent, Van Horn and Bianco have more wins at the Division I level.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS: The 2025 Cardinals were picked to finish first in the recently released Mid-American Conference preseason poll. Ball State got six first place votes for the regular season and five to win the MAC Tournament.
The Ball State baseball program boasts the best winning percentage both overall (.636) and in conference play (.647) among MAC teams since 2019 entering the 2025 campaign.
QUICK CARDINALS: Ball State leads the MAC and ranks No. 47 nationally in stolen bases with 25.
Seven different Cardinals have swiped a bag this year, led by Gavin Balius who is 9-for-10 on steal attempts. The nine steals are the ninth-most in NCAA Division I.
BEATING THE BIG BOYS: The Cardinals beat Maryland 5-3 on Feb. 15 at the Swig & Swine Classic in Charleston, S.C., to extend the Ball State baseball program's streak of winning against at least one Power Four conference opponent to 14 seasons in a row.
Ball State has notched such a triumph in every season since 2012, with nine of those seasons featuring wins against multiple opponents from the Power Four.
HARKER HOLDING IT DOWN: Senior Garrett Harker has solidified the closer role for the Cardinals, beginning the year with 14 strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched, a 1.59 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
The right-hander has four saves, which ranks in a tie for second place among NCAA Division I pitchers.
MIX OF NEW AND OLD: Ball State's 2025 roster features 17 returning players from last year's team, seven true freshmen and 13 incoming transfers.
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