With two regular season matches left, Ball State is tied with Bowling Green in the bid to host the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship, but Ball State holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the Falcons Oct. 29. If the Cardinals can win out, they will host the MAC Championship at Worthen Arena.
Fans need to realize athletes go through everyday struggles and mental blocks just like everyone else. They are allowed to express their feelings and speak up. Almost every time an athlete sidelines themselves, there are ‘fans’ who call them soft, which I think is unacceptable.
Head coach Brady Sallee said not using the term “newcomers” brings all his players together as one. He also said the Cardinals are positionless because of their offensive versatility.
Ball State Football fell short to Northern Illinois in a battle for the Bronze Stalk Trophy. The Huskies 30-29 win eliminated the Cardinals from contention in the Mid-American Conference Championship game. With two games remaining for Ball State, there is still a bowl game to play for.
The loss officially eliminated the Cardinals from the MAC Championship, but they're still in the hunt for bowl eligibility. They must win at least one of their next two games to earn a bowl berth.
It took overtime to decide Ball State Women’s Basketball's season-opening win against Milwaukee-Wisconsin.
Junior guard Luke Bumbalough scored a career-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. He made a team-high five 3-pointers, including four in the first half. He led Ball State in minutes played (34).
Prior to Ball State Men’s Basketball’s 82-71 loss to Georgia Southern, head coach James Whitford was walking with assistant coach Linc Darner around the city of Statesboro, Georgia.
The Cardinals were driven by a mixture of veteran and new players, including freshman Ally Becki, who scored a team-high 17 points in 24 minutes. She also converted 3-of-5 shots from three, another team-high. In her first collegiate game, Becki said she felt comfortable.
Ball State Swimming and Diving was able to get its first Mid-American Conference (MAC) win, defeating Toledo 172-128.
The Cardinals played their final regular-season home match of the 2021 season against Central Michigan (11-16, 5-10 MAC) Nov. 5, defeating the Chippewas in four sets by scores of 25-19, 19-25, 25-18 and 25-17 respectively.
Forward Lexi Fraley stepped into a key rotation role this season for the Cardinals, making the most of her time on the field. Despite not starting any of her 16 games played, Fraley scored a team-high four goals and ranked second on Ball State in points with eight.
Head coach Kelli Miller Phillips grabs the attention of the group and emphasizes the game plan while assistant coaches Brad Kline, Tiffany Koors and Fritz Rosenberg tend to specific points of the court with players individually. Working quickly within their allotted time, the group performs almost telepathically together.
Bumbalough is one of the longest tenured Cardinals and averaged 29.1 minutes per game in 2020-21, which is the highest among all returners. Bumbalough believes the freshmen and transfers have acclimated to the program quickly, which has helped bridge the gap on the court.
After the COVID-19 pandemic kept Ball State fans from attending basketball games in the 2020-21 season, they were welcomed back with open arms for the Cardinals’ exhibition game against Oakland City.
The Cardinals fell to Michigan Tech 70-69 in the only exhibition game of the season so their record remains 0-0.
It was game of firsts for the Cardinals. It was their first game in front of a full capacity Worthen Arena crowd since the 2019-2020 season, but it was also their first game in a new offensive scheme.
In the first week night Mid-American Conference game of the season where temperatures were in the 30s, it was freshman running back Carson Steele who put together a career night in Ball State Football’s 31-25 win over Akron.
After losing to Miami-Ohio 10 days ago after a defensive turnover on its final drive, Ball State (5-4, 3-2 MAC) defeated Akron (2-7, 1-4 MAC) 31-25 Nov. 2, but this time forced the turnover.
Ball State Women’s Tennis finished it’s fall season this past weekend at the Louisville Classic at the University of Louisville. With Ball State winning more matches than it's lost, they believe the future is bright.
