Ohio (22-12, 5-4 Mid-American Conference) will travel to Muncie, Indiana, to play Ball State (14-15, 2-7 MAC) in a triple header. The Bobcats are set to take on the under .500 Cardinals and boost their MAC standings.
The team is coming off a 2-1 series against Central Michigan, in which it scored 21 total runs, capped off with a 12 run win in the third game.
Ohio’s batting was on point, as senior Brenna Farmer hit a home run in each game and senior Colleen Bare had 2 to her name. The Bobcats are currently the top ranked batting team in the MAC, with a .340 batting average as a team, and they also lead the MAC in home runs.
Pitching wise, all pitchers saw gametime last weekend, with graduate student Skipp Miller being a huge factor in the first game and numerous different pitching rotations involving junior Mikie Lieving and senior Keegan Moore. A rotation similar to the one in the Central Michigan series could be seen, as that proved to be vital for the third game victory.
On the other hand, Ball State is coming off of a non-conference game in which it defeated IU Indy with a score of 13-4. While this looks dominant, the Cardinals have struggled against teams in the MAC, losing 2 out of 3 games played against Toledo.
Game Information:
Opponent: Ball State
Times: Friday 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m.
Location: Ball State Softball Stadium (Muncie, Indiana)
Where to watch: ESPN+
Get to know the opponent:
Head coach: Helen Peña (third season)
Statistical leaders:
Batting average: Lindsey DeRoeck (.409)
Hits: DeRoeck (38)
Home runs: Ella Whitney (8)
RBIs: Whitney (38)
Innings pitched: Grace Gray (31.1)
Strikeouts: Skylinn Pogue (14)
ERA: Brinkley Kita (2.77)
Ball State notes:
Despite having a losing record, Ball State has the second highest ERA in the MAC, and typically holds opposing batters to a .291 batting average. Kita does it the best, with her opposing batter average being .261.
Having played in three MAC series so far, Ball State has not won any of them. The Cardinals were swept by Akron and lost 2 games to both Central Michigan and Toledo. This does give Ohio some breathing room, as the Bobcats have won 2 of their MAC series.
Ball State is tied for the second least amount of home runs in the MAC, only totaling 14. Whitney has been by far the Cardinals hardest hitter, as she counts for over half of the home runs.
