Ball State University Athletics
Whitney Named D1Softball Mid-Major Player of the Week
March 10, 2026 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - For her play at last weekend's Cardinals Classic, Ball State softball senior designated player / pitcher Ella Whitney has been named the D1Softball Mid-Major Player of the Week.
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Whitney turned in a dominating weekend both at the plate and in the circle, helping guide the Cardinals to a 4-1 record at the event. She led the offense with 12 RBIs and three home runs in the event, while earning a 2-0 record and 1.85 ERA in the circle.
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Whitney also finished the tournament with a .471 batting average and four runs scored, while diving in what proved to be the game-winning run versus Bellarmine (March 6) with her second grand slam of the season. She registered a 1.235 slugging percentage and a 1.735 OPS, adding two doubles and one triple to her stat line for 21 total bases.
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Her pitching wins came against host Louisville, which received votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll entering the tournament, and Illinois to help Ball State fly the #MACtion flag twice on the weekend.Â
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She limited foes in a .244 average against and boasted a 1.59 WHIP versus the two Power 4 programs, with Louisville entering the weekend ranked 26th nationally in batting average. She also struck out four total batters between the two games.
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For the season, Whitney leads the MAC in slugging percentage (.857), is second in OPS (1.327) and eighth in batting average (.411). She also holds the No. 3 spot in both RBIs (26) and home runs (6). Pitching wise, she is eighth in the league in both ERA (3.00) and batting average against (.270).
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The Ball State softball team opens both its home and Mid-American Conference slates Friday when it begins a three-game series versus Akron with a 3 p.m. first pitch at the Ball State Softball Stadium. The teams are also scheduled to play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.
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Whitney turned in a dominating weekend both at the plate and in the circle, helping guide the Cardinals to a 4-1 record at the event. She led the offense with 12 RBIs and three home runs in the event, while earning a 2-0 record and 1.85 ERA in the circle.
Â
Whitney also finished the tournament with a .471 batting average and four runs scored, while diving in what proved to be the game-winning run versus Bellarmine (March 6) with her second grand slam of the season. She registered a 1.235 slugging percentage and a 1.735 OPS, adding two doubles and one triple to her stat line for 21 total bases.
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Her pitching wins came against host Louisville, which received votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll entering the tournament, and Illinois to help Ball State fly the #MACtion flag twice on the weekend.Â
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She limited foes in a .244 average against and boasted a 1.59 WHIP versus the two Power 4 programs, with Louisville entering the weekend ranked 26th nationally in batting average. She also struck out four total batters between the two games.
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For the season, Whitney leads the MAC in slugging percentage (.857), is second in OPS (1.327) and eighth in batting average (.411). She also holds the No. 3 spot in both RBIs (26) and home runs (6). Pitching wise, she is eighth in the league in both ERA (3.00) and batting average against (.270).
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The Ball State softball team opens both its home and Mid-American Conference slates Friday when it begins a three-game series versus Akron with a 3 p.m. first pitch at the Ball State Softball Stadium. The teams are also scheduled to play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.
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Players Mentioned
INF / RHP
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