MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State baseball head coach Rich Maloney woke up Tuesday morning approaching the game against Purdue Fort Wayne just as any other game, but it wasn't just any other game. Rich Maloney had his first chance of reaching win number 1,000.
“Today’s the planned day for it. We had a lot of people in the park today and wanted to get it on this day for him,” senior third baseman Alex Richter explained.
The Cardinals fell to a 5-0 deficit quickly in the first inning but fought back with their bats as they had 13 runs and 16 hits on the day. Those 13 runs gave Rich Maloney and company the 13-10 win over the Mastodons and number 1,000 for Maloney.
“To have 1,000 victories is a great time to reflect on all those great people I have had a chance to work with,” Maloney said.
Maloney, who spent ten years at Michigan and had 341 victories there, and 20 years at Ball State with 659 wins, is the 10th active Division One head coach to reach 1,000 career wins. During those 30 years of baseball, Maloney has had relationships with many players, coaches and athletic staff.
“If my time were to end today, the relationships that I have with so many of my formal players is just an absolute blessing,” Maloney added.
The Cardinals winning six games in a row, finding every way to win a baseball game is something Maloney prides his program on. Ball State opens up their second weekend of MAC Conference play at home starting March 14.
Contact Dakota Atwood with comments at dakota.atwood@bsu.edu.
