MUNCIE, Ind. -- April 1, the day Ball State softball had marked on the calendar since their season began. April 1 marks the day that their streak of 28-straight away games came to an end. The Cardinals have not played a single game at First Merchants Ball Park since May 4 of last year. This past weekend, the team got to showcase its skills in front of a home crowd, and it did not disappoint.
Head Coach Lacy Schurr explains how it felt to finally be back playing at Ball State for the first time in a long time.
“Pretty darn good. It’s always nice to be on your home field. [Your home turf is] something that you practice on all the time and it’s been a long time coming for these kids right now,” Schurr said.
For the players, it was a home field advantage that they desperately missed. Relief pitcher Emma Eubank talks about what it was like to finally pitch on her home mound.
“It felt so good. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for forever. It felt amazing,” Eubank said.
Not only did the Cardinals get the luxury of playing at First Merchants Ball Park, but they came out of the series with a sweep winning two games on Friday and one on Saturday against Kent State.
Ball State scored 28 runs and hit the ball over the wall six times in three games with the Saturday matchup ending in a 5-inning mercy rule.
“It’s exactly what this team needed. We were bouncing back from Central Michigan and going back to the drawing board, going to work. They put in the time and effort this week so it feels good to see it pay off,” Schurr said.
From here, the Cardinals will do what they do best, hit the road again as they travel to DeKalb to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies.
“After every series, we go back to practice and we work on the things we need to work on and continue to get better,” Schurr said “We’re not going to rest on our laurels at all, we’re going to go to work, and then go play Northern Illinois.”
