Remaining Home Schedule
Friday, April 22: vs Central Michigan at 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 23: vs Central Michigan at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Friday, April 29: vs Western Michigan at 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 30: vs Western Michigan at 1 p.m., 3 p.m.
The Cardinals have dropped nine of its last 10 games, all of which were against Mid-American Conference opponents, except for Indiana earlier this week.
Head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said a lack of runners on base early in the innings has led to the struggles on the diamond.
“We’re making it hard on ourselves without lead-off hitters getting on,” she said. “It’s very frustrating.”
Other than the 11-5 loss to Eastern Michigan on April 16, Ball State hasn't scored more than five runs in a single game since April 2. In the first two losses to Eastern Michigan last weekend, the team only managed to get three lead-off hitters on base.
Defensive changes are on the way for Ball State. Senior infielder Selena Reyna will take over at second base, joining senior shortstop Emily Dabkowski in the middle of the infield.
Getting more experience on the field, along with adjustments and communication, will be important.
“Switching up the defense will be a good help for us,” Reyna said. “We need to come in positive, adjust better and make sure we’re on the same page.”
Along with those defensive changes, Bartlett will also experiment with the offense.
“We’ll move the lineup around to create momentum for ourselves,” she said. “Getting some senior bats in the lineup will help. When the hits are falling, you have to find ways to manufacture some runs.”
Ball State is fifth in the MAC West Division and will face the team directly above them in the MAC West standings.
The last time Ball State played Central Michigan was on May 8, 2015 in the MAC tournament semifinals. During that game, Ball State knocked Central Michigan out of the conference tournament with a 3-2 win in extra innings.
The series will kick off this weekend at the Softball Field at First Merchants Ballpark Complex in Muncie. The Cardinals open up play on April 22 at 3 p.m. and will finish up with two games on April 23 at 1 and 3 p.m.
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