Two weeks removed from a disappointing 0-2 start to the spring season, the Ball State softball team will continue its pre-conference schedule today at the Speedline Tournament in Tampa, Fla. The Cardinals are set to play in the competition hosted by the University of South Florida throughout the weekend. The South Florida Midweek tourney will begin shortly afterward on Tuesday.
Ball State takes on North Carolina at 10 a.m. today and meets the Big Ten's Northwestern Wildcats later at 2 p.m. On Friday, the Cardinals will have to contend with arguably its toughest opponents of the season -- 18th-ranked Massachusetts and No. 4 Washington.
"I would rather go out and play ranked teams," head coach Terri Laux said. "This will make us play on a higher level.
"It helps us understand what we have to do to play at a top level every time out. It's a great challenge."
"(This) will give us an idea of where we're at," senior outfielder Ruth Hjelmeland added. "As long as we play at our level, we can beat any team."
Teams will be split into four pools of six teams at the Speedline Tournament. Round robin competition will take place, where a team must finish as one of the top three teams from its pool to move on into a single-elimination tournament Saturday. In addition to the four teams mentioned earlier, Hofstra will round out Ball State's pool.
Coach Terri Laux said she would make a game-time decision each time out as far as who the starting pitcher would be. The seventh-year coach said she would continue to tinker with the rotation until it becomes clear which pitchers establish themselves.
However, Laux said she had a good idea who would start in defensive positions, although lineups are always subject to change.
"We'll take a look at our opponent's deficiencies and make changes according to that," she said.
After the first set of games, the Cardinals will kick off the Midweek Tournament Tuesday against Temple. Ball State will also meet the host Bulls, Penn State, and Wagner, among other teams during the latter half of play over spring break.
The Cardinals will have two chances to upset a ranked team on Friday after suffering a narrow defeat (6-5) to Virginia Tech in Chattanooga, Tenn., twelve days earlier. Having to face tough opponents early on could work in Ball State's favor or be a disadvantage depending on how the team progresses.
"I think we have a huge advantage at this point," senior pitcher Amy Brownfield said. "It's almost like a gut check to see if you can compete with these players."
The Cardinals did pull off a come-from behind victory last year against then No. 8 Michigan at the Florida State Invitational. The upset was a first of its kind for Ball State and was deemed by some as being the biggest win in the program's history.
Nevertheless, Laux believes her team should not be judged solely upon its record this early in the season.
"I don't base it on wins and losses," Laux said. "Our goals are to compete, get better, and execute on offense and defense."
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