The Ball State baseball program is one with a storied success steered by Rich Maloney, who is in season 19 of his head coaching tenure.
Maloney began coaching at Ball State in 1996 before he left for a 10-year stint at the University of Michigan. Since returning to the university in 2013, Maloney-coached teams have never finished outside of the top three in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
“Some teams in the league have only had one 30-win season in a long time,” Maloney said. “We expect to win. We truly expect to win. We talk about it. We have a high standard, a high bar.”
Maloney is just 12 wins away from eclipsing 1,000 wins as a head coach.
“I've surrounded myself with a lot of great staff members and coaches who come and go,” he said. “A lot of them are out there coaching, and my coaching tree is doing pretty darn good.”
During Maloney’s tenure, Ball State has had six first-round picks and one player go number one overall.
“We've recruited very good players with high upsides,” Maloney said. “We develop players, but I'm just as big on developing the person. When [a player] leaves college, he can be productive in society. That's why we do what we do. We've been able to be successful because we've identified good talent.”
“Keep it simple, stupid”
Roster turnover, players getting drafted, and now, the transfer portal, and name, image and likeness may have made things a bit more complicated in collegiate sports, but Maloney continues to believe in the system and culture he has developed.
“We're very peculiar in details. So, some of my guys would say I'm anal,” he said. “I believe in ‘keep it simple, stupid.’ I don't believe in doing anything real radical. I just have a system that we drive home, and we drive home, and we drive home, and drive home, and drive home, and then drive home again, and then again, and again and again.”
The recurring success — six MAC West Division titles, five overall MAC titles, and two MAC Tournament titles — come down to one simple vision, Maloney said: believe.
“That's always been our motto. It all starts with you got to believe. The guys have to believe in their coaches, their teammates, themselves, and, for me, my faith,” Maloney said. “To me, that leads to success and are the disciplines of life.”
Maloney holds his players to the same standard he holds himself to. Attention to detail, perfecting the basics and staying simple are engrained in his players.
“It's challenging,” junior first baseman Blake Bevis said. “Coach [Maloney] pushes us to be the best and to perform at the maximum of our ability. He's going to be nit-picky at times, and I love that about him. He holds a set standard that gets the best out of us in everything we do.”
The players who have been around his program understand the standard, but the transfers he has pulled in were quick to learn Maloney’s coaching style.
“Coach Maloney talks about a lot of things that most coaches don't,” senior pitcher and Indiana Wesleyan transfer Drue Young said. “He focuses a lot on the little things. He always tells us that we have something or somewhere to improve, and I think that's been awesome.”
The Pitching Staff
Maloney said he has had the privilege of some high-level pitchers coming through his program. From Bryan Bullington to Zach Plesac or Merritt Beeker, the Cardinals have had high-end arms in the system.
Although most of the rotation is yet to be set, the Cardinals have 2024 MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year Keegan Johnson heading the staff.
“I can tell you this: Keegan Johnson's a horse. He won Freshman Pitcher of the Year last season, and he's a bonafide horse. He's an amazing talent,” Maloney said.
Johnson, coming off his freshman campaign, still has things to work on. He has spent the offseason trying to build his offspeed and improve on the mechanics.
“I've pretty much thrown every changeup grip in existence,” Johnson said. “I'm trying to find something that works for me, and that’s just part of it. I’ve been working on mechanics, getting stronger and trying to get faster.”
Another arm that could see more innings this spring is senior Jacob Hartlaub. Although Hartlaub's stats do not jump off the page, he has the size, potential and arm talent to be a top pitcher in the MAC.
“He got up to 99 this summer, and he was throwing more 94-96 in the fall,” Maloney said. “But now the question is, can he do it in between the lines, and rise and miss enough bats? Can he throw enough stuff to create swing-and-miss? So, he would be a big one.”
Transfer additions, although not many, will have an impact on the Cardinals. Senior pitchers Garrett Harker and Drue Young are projected to be two impact pieces.
“[Harker] is hungry, and he's got something to prove. We tried getting him a few different times, but we never did land him. He’s been at two programs now, and finally, we got him,” Maloney said. “… Drue has come in and done a nice job. [He’s] fit right in because he’s just a quality guy who works hard and believes in himself and has something to prove.”
The Position Players
Spearheading the runs batted in (RBI) charge over the last two seasons has been Bevis. Bevis led MAC first baseman in home runs and RBIs while being 12th in the conference in runs scored.
“I’ll be a guy that drives in runs,” Bevis said. “That's my job in the lineup. Whether that be the home run total that I'm looking to achieve or just getting on base, I'm trying to do my role that helps the team win, and that role is to drive in as many runs as I can.”
Baseball is a game of failure, even Hall of Famers had batting averages of .300. Being consistent and staying high, even during the lows, separates the good teams from great ones, Bevis said.
“I think [we] just need to be as consistent as possible through the ups and downs of the season,” Bevis said. “Every team has highs and every team has lows. The best teams can respond to the lows and not let them dwell and forecast the rest of the season.”
The old saying goes, “Defense wins championships,” and that rings true with the players Maloney has recruited he said.
“John Colligan, who is a freshman outfielder, won't be in the starting lineup, but he's going to come in [the] late game for defensive purposes,” Maloney said. “He's been phenomenal in the outfield, making plays like a big leaguer. He truly is a ball player.”
The End-goal
For Maloney, reaching the NCAA tournament has been circled on the whiteboard every season he has been at the head of the program. They have been able to win the conference, but the tournament push has been the summit of the climb.
The team was voted the No. 1 in the MAC in the pre-season coaches poll Feb. 12.
“There hasn’t been a year that we didn't expect to be in the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “We've only been there one time, but we've won all those MAC regular season championships. So, about every fourth year we've been able to win a championship, which is something we're proud of.”
Maloney said it will be another winning season for Ball State baseball. The MAC continues to improve, Ball Diamond continues to shine and the production on the field is not going anywhere.
“If fans come out to the games, they're gonna see a beautiful ballpark and see a team playing to win,” he said. “There are a lot of good teams, and the MAC has had a lot of great players over the years, and this year will be no different.”
Contact Logan Conor via email at logan.connor@bsu.edu or via X @_loganconnor.
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