With an 8-0 record in league play, Ball State remains the only undefeated team in the Mid-American Conference.
The schedule started off strong for Ball State as it completed the sweep against Bowling Green in the first MAC game on the schedule.
Over the course of MAC play, Ball State as a team has recorded 14 home runs, 19 doubles and 72 runs off of 96 hits.
Pitching has strengthened in the MAC as freshmen Nicole Steinbach and Kelsey Schifferdecker have thrown a combined 30 strikeouts with just four walks.
Redshirt junior Audra Sanders has appeared in four MAC games, throwing 15 strikeouts over 13.4 innings in the circle. She also completed her first career save against Western Michigan as she relieved Schifferdecker in the fifth inning.
Offensive highlights of MAC play include offensive leader Jennifer Gilbert improving her personal statistics by collecting her 154th career RBI against Western Michigan and breaking the program record previously held by Amanda Montalto. She has also hit five home runs to add to her program and conference-leading record.
Junior first baseman Taylor Rager showed her strength at the plate in the sweep against Northern Illinois as she smashed two leadoff home runs in the bottom of the second and sixth inning of the second game.
Senior center fielder Amanda Carpenter answered Rager’s slam in the second inning by homering over the center field wall.
Senior catcher Sadie Robertson, sophomore shortstop Jessica Craft and freshman shortstop Selena Reyna have also added to the team home run total over the course of conference play.
The 2012 MAC champs were 6-2 after the first seven league games last year and finished with a 17-3 MAC record.
This year, teams trailing Ball State for MAC leading record are Miami and Kent State, each with 6-2 league records.
“As defending champs we need to make sure that we keep playing our game and not give anyone a reason to doubt how good we are,” Gilbert said.
The Cardinals will return to the schedule on Tuesday at 4 p.m. as they host Butler.
