Ball State University Athletics
Friday, March 6
Muncie, Ind.
1 PM
Ball State University
vs
Central Michigan
Photo by: Kolbi Media
Baseball Set for MAC and Home Opening Series vs Central Michigan
March 05, 2026 | Baseball
The Ball State baseball team is set to host Central Michigan for a trio of 1 p.m. games starting Friday in the Mid-American Conference and home opener at Shebek Stadium.
The Cardinals and Chippewas are schedule to square off on Saturday and Sunday as well to kick off MAC play. Each game will be broadcast on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and on the WMUN app, while Saturday and Sunday's contest are set to be aired on ESPN+. Friday's game will feature a single camera broadcast on the WMUN Facebook page.
Ball State (5-6) is coming off a 1-3 weekend in Hawaii, where the Cardinals beat the Rainbow Warriors 1-0 on Saturday behind a complete game shutout from Brendan Garza.
Central Michigan (5-5) got swept in a three-game set at Louisville last weekend but won series at West Georgia and Belmont to begin the year.
Jake Sabol is in his third season as the head coach of the Chippewas, who were picked to finish seventh in the 12-team MAC preseason poll.
Central leads the league in sacrifice bunts (eight) and ranks second in batting average (.283) and  slugging percentage (.440). The Chippewas score the third-most runs per game (7.4) in the MAC while having the sixth-best ERA (6.17).
Senior outfielder Cole Prout hits .259 with a 1.093 OPS and ranks second in the conference in walks (13) and hit by pitch (seven) and fourth in on base percentage (.574). Freshman right-handed pitcher
Luke Neiswonger boasts a 2-0 record, 4.11 ERA and MAC-most 20 strikeouts in three starts to begin his collegiate career.
Ball State's next scheduled contest after this weekend is a Tuesday night game at Kentucky.
GARZA GOES THE DISTANCE: Sophomore Brendan Garza surrendered only two hits and two walk and didn't allow a runner to advance past first base, in a complete game shutout in Ball State's 1-0 win at Hawaii on Saturday night.
The right-handed pitcher worked 1-2-3 innings five times, as he retired the final 12 batters of the game following a leadoff walk in the sixth. Garza was named the Mid-American Conference pitcher of the week for the performance.
This was Ball State's first complete game since Merritt Beeker allowed one run in 9.0 frames in May 2024 against Toledo at the Mid-American Conference Tournament and first nine-inning shutout in five years (John Baker against Western Michigan in a 2-0 win on March 19, 2021).
LONG TIME RIVALRY: Central Michigan (181 games) is Ball State baseball's second-most commonly played opponent behind Western Michigan (198 games).
The Cardinals took 2 of 3 games against the Chippewas each of the last two seasons. Ball State won the first two games of each series before CMU salvaged the final both in 2025 and 2024.
BALIUS BATS AND RUNS: Senior Gavin Balius had his 10-game hitting streak to begin the season snapped on Sunday at Hawaii but leads the Cardinals in total hits (14) and stolen bases (12) through the first 11 games of the season.
The Flushing, Mich., native has collected multiple hits in three games and multiple steals in four games so far this year. Balius leads the league ranks second in Division I entering this weekend with the 11 steals.
PITCHERS PUTTING IN WORK: Led by Garza (3.00 ERA, 15 strikeouts in 18.0 innings), Owen Quinn (0 runs, nine strikeouts in 12.0 frames), Alex Burden (3.12 ERA, nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings), and John Chambers (3.37 ERA, 10 strikeouts in 10.2 frames), the Ball State pitching staff has been one of the best in the league to start the year.
The Cardinals rank second in the MAC in ERA (5.21) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.62) and third in WHIP (1.46) as a group.
DEFENSIVE DYNAMOS: Ball State finished the 2025 season with the fourth-best fielding percentage in NCAA Division I at .983 (only 34 errors in 1,993 opportunities).
The Cardinals concluded the regular season with the top fielding percentage in the country (.984) but got passed up in the postseason. Ball State has seven errors in 392 chances for a .980 fielding percentage (third in the MAC) to start the season.
NEW LOOK OFFENSE: Balius is the lone returning Ball State hitter with more than 100 at bats last season. Balius produced a .303/.343/.407 slash line in 178 at bats while tallying a team high 22 steals in 2025.
Senior Ben Giovannetti (90 at bats) and junior Max Kalk (46) are the next two Cardinals with the most times to plate last season. Senior Brett Griffiths (40 at bats) and sophomores DJ Scheumann (25), Brayden Huebner (23) and John Colligan (19) will look to get more experience swinging the bat in their second seasons at Ball State.
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The Cardinals and Chippewas are schedule to square off on Saturday and Sunday as well to kick off MAC play. Each game will be broadcast on WMUN 92.5 FM / 1340 AM and on the WMUN app, while Saturday and Sunday's contest are set to be aired on ESPN+. Friday's game will feature a single camera broadcast on the WMUN Facebook page.
Ball State (5-6) is coming off a 1-3 weekend in Hawaii, where the Cardinals beat the Rainbow Warriors 1-0 on Saturday behind a complete game shutout from Brendan Garza.
Central Michigan (5-5) got swept in a three-game set at Louisville last weekend but won series at West Georgia and Belmont to begin the year.
Jake Sabol is in his third season as the head coach of the Chippewas, who were picked to finish seventh in the 12-team MAC preseason poll.
Central leads the league in sacrifice bunts (eight) and ranks second in batting average (.283) and  slugging percentage (.440). The Chippewas score the third-most runs per game (7.4) in the MAC while having the sixth-best ERA (6.17).
Senior outfielder Cole Prout hits .259 with a 1.093 OPS and ranks second in the conference in walks (13) and hit by pitch (seven) and fourth in on base percentage (.574). Freshman right-handed pitcher
Luke Neiswonger boasts a 2-0 record, 4.11 ERA and MAC-most 20 strikeouts in three starts to begin his collegiate career.
Ball State's next scheduled contest after this weekend is a Tuesday night game at Kentucky.
GARZA GOES THE DISTANCE: Sophomore Brendan Garza surrendered only two hits and two walk and didn't allow a runner to advance past first base, in a complete game shutout in Ball State's 1-0 win at Hawaii on Saturday night.
The right-handed pitcher worked 1-2-3 innings five times, as he retired the final 12 batters of the game following a leadoff walk in the sixth. Garza was named the Mid-American Conference pitcher of the week for the performance.
This was Ball State's first complete game since Merritt Beeker allowed one run in 9.0 frames in May 2024 against Toledo at the Mid-American Conference Tournament and first nine-inning shutout in five years (John Baker against Western Michigan in a 2-0 win on March 19, 2021).
LONG TIME RIVALRY: Central Michigan (181 games) is Ball State baseball's second-most commonly played opponent behind Western Michigan (198 games).
The Cardinals took 2 of 3 games against the Chippewas each of the last two seasons. Ball State won the first two games of each series before CMU salvaged the final both in 2025 and 2024.
BALIUS BATS AND RUNS: Senior Gavin Balius had his 10-game hitting streak to begin the season snapped on Sunday at Hawaii but leads the Cardinals in total hits (14) and stolen bases (12) through the first 11 games of the season.
The Flushing, Mich., native has collected multiple hits in three games and multiple steals in four games so far this year. Balius leads the league ranks second in Division I entering this weekend with the 11 steals.
PITCHERS PUTTING IN WORK: Led by Garza (3.00 ERA, 15 strikeouts in 18.0 innings), Owen Quinn (0 runs, nine strikeouts in 12.0 frames), Alex Burden (3.12 ERA, nine strikeouts in 8.2 innings), and John Chambers (3.37 ERA, 10 strikeouts in 10.2 frames), the Ball State pitching staff has been one of the best in the league to start the year.
The Cardinals rank second in the MAC in ERA (5.21) and fewest hits allowed per nine innings (8.62) and third in WHIP (1.46) as a group.
DEFENSIVE DYNAMOS: Ball State finished the 2025 season with the fourth-best fielding percentage in NCAA Division I at .983 (only 34 errors in 1,993 opportunities).
The Cardinals concluded the regular season with the top fielding percentage in the country (.984) but got passed up in the postseason. Ball State has seven errors in 392 chances for a .980 fielding percentage (third in the MAC) to start the season.
NEW LOOK OFFENSE: Balius is the lone returning Ball State hitter with more than 100 at bats last season. Balius produced a .303/.343/.407 slash line in 178 at bats while tallying a team high 22 steals in 2025.
Senior Ben Giovannetti (90 at bats) and junior Max Kalk (46) are the next two Cardinals with the most times to plate last season. Senior Brett Griffiths (40 at bats) and sophomores DJ Scheumann (25), Brayden Huebner (23) and John Colligan (19) will look to get more experience swinging the bat in their second seasons at Ball State.
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