Ohio (5-19 overall, 3-6 Mid-American Conference) plays against the Ball State Cardinals (12-11 overall, 7-2 MAC) this upcoming weekend. Both of these schools are coming off recent series where they each faced conference opponents.
Last weekend, the Bobcats were just in Bowling Green and came away winning two out of three games against the Falcons. With that specific series, Ohio head coach Andrew See picked up his second and third career victories in three conference matchups. The first win was against the Northern Illinois Huskies earlier this month.
Ball State has been producing a solid season under head coach Rich Maloney. As it stands, they are 5-2 at home while holding an impressive 7-2 record in the MAC. The Cardinals rank second overall, one win shy of tying the Kent State Golden Flashes. Their recent conference series was against Western Michigan, where they went 2-1.
In their last 55 games, Ohio has won 23, whereas Ball State has won 32. The last time the Bobcats won against the Cardinals was last season, when they won 5-4 in their first of three games at Bob Wren Stadium.
Game Information
Opponent: Ball State Cardinals
Location: Shebek Stadium at First Merchants Ballpark
Times: Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Follow live stats here
Meet the opponent
Head Coach: Rich Maloney (31 seasons)
Projected Starters
Ball State: Owen Quinn
Ohio: Hunter Winston (4.09 ERA)
Statistical Leaders
Batting Average: Jacob Gillis (.358)
Hits: Gillis (29)
Home Runs: Gillis (7)
RBI: Ryan Muizelaar (21)
ERA: Quinn (1.88)
Strikeouts: John Chambers (30)
Looking at Ball State
Coach Maloney and his players are no strangers to success in the world of collegiate baseball. Last season, they went 36-22 and won 21 out of 30 conference games. They dominated at home with a 15-6 record and had a winning record in away games at 18-12.
They did come up short in the MAC Tournament, losing in tight losses to the Flashes and the Toledo Rockets, but they definitely are a team worthy of respect. With home-field advantage, the Cardinals, like any competitive team, will be hard to beat even once.
Looking at Ohio
The Bobcats are in an odd place at the moment. Through 24 regular-season contests, they rest at an ugly 5-19 record. However, there have been games where they were able to prevail and get an upset win. This is the case when they played Bowling Green.
Ohio needs to keep improving and not get back into old habits. The offense cannot be stagnant, and the pitching needs to be consistent for its chances of winning to be higher.
