The afternoon of April 30 will be the last time Ball State's five softball seniors step on the field in Muncie. For Emily Dabkowski and Sammi Cowger, it will be an emotional few days.
“It’s the last time to have close family watch me,” Dabkowski said. “It’s sad and exciting; it’s the last time to play with this team on the field.”
“It’s all four of your years running through your head, looking back on everything,” Cowger said. “There’s a lot of pressure to do well on senior night, but it’s fun to step out there one last time with your other seniors.”
Ball State softball currently sits last in the Mid-American Conference West Division, 1.5 games behind fifth-place Toledo (15-31, 6-11 MAC). Only the top four teams in each division qualify for the MAC Tournament, so Cowger said the Cardinals will need a strong push to finish off the season.
“From a senior class standpoint, we have high standards and want to leave a mark on this team. We want to go out on top,” Cowger said. “We need a pretty good run here at the end the season so we have a chance to.”
Finishing strong is not a necessity only to qualify for the MAC Tournament, but also to be successful once you get there.
“One team gets hot and stays hot all weekend,” Cowger said. “We have to qualify for it and take the momentum from the season with one final push.”
Last year, when the Cardinals won the tournament, they won their last seven out of ten to finish off the MAC season and went undefeated on their way to the MAC Championship.
This season, they've won only two of their last ten games.
Ball State finishes off its home schedule with three games this weekend against Western Michigan (18-23, 9-7 MAC) who is second in the MAC West. Toledo, the team above Ball State, will also play three at home but against the top-ranked team in the MAC: Northern Illinois (32-13, 12-5 MAC).
The Cardinals will finish off their MAC regular season next weekend with a trip to Toledo for a three-game series that could have a major impact on the final standings.
This weekend’s games begin on April 29 with a doubleheader. The games start at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. with game three at 1 p.m. April 30.
