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I think they can be in a positive way, but they got to be done, so theyвЂ™re still wildcards until theyвЂ™re actually done.' 'Those are the questions, like is Tyler Schweitzer ready to take that next step? Is Ty Johnson ready to take that step? Do we get a wild card in that rookie? Does that rookie end up being a star right off the bat?' Maloney said. If that happens, Ball State could be 'a force,' Maloney said. The biggest question for the Cardinals heading into this season is on the mound, where Ball State lost its top three starters in John Baker (9-3, 2.32 ERA), Chayce McDermott (8-2, 3.05 ERA), who was drafted by the Houston Astros,В and Lukas Jaksich (8-3, 3.45 ERA).Д«ut Maloney is confident in sophomores Trennor O'Donnell,В Tyler Schweitzer and Ty Johnson, along with freshman Nate Dohm and sophomore Sam Klein at closer.В Pitching has always been a strong suit for Ball State, which has had 36 pitchers selected in Major League Baseball's annual draft since 1979.Д«ut While Maloney is confident all the pitchers on staff will develop into great players, he saidВ the key to a great mid-major team is whether they all reach their peak at the same time. The Cardinals graduated four position starts but return a lot of talentВ at the plateВ and in the field in Powell, Peltier, seniorВ Trenton Quartermaine (first baseman), junior Justin Conant (infielder) andВ sophomoresВ Adam Tellier (infielder) and Decker Scheffler (outfielder/first base). The Cardinals play 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Army, Oregon (four games) and Central Michigan (four games),В 2016 National Champion Coastal Carolina (twice) along withВ teams in Iowa, Air Force and UNC Wilmington, which all boasted plus-.500 records last season.

YouвЂ™ve got to come focused and ready to go so you donвЂ™t slip up on any weekend.вЂќД«all State's non-conference schedule is just as challengingВ this season asВ it was a year ago.

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We just have to come focused and no matter who weвЂ™re playing, whether itвЂ™s a top team in the MAC or a team towardВ the bottom, it doesnвЂ™t matter because we know on any day anybody can beat you. 'Just focus and finishing games because, I mean, weВ let some games slip away from us,' Peltier said. Looking back at it, Peltier said the Cardinals lost some winnable games.В This year, they don't plan on making the same mistake.

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Last year, Ball State (38-18, 29-11 MAC) split the season series with Central Michigan (40-17, 31-9 MAC), but fell two games short of ultimately getting the league's automatic bid. They all want to win a MAC Title and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006.В In the preseason coaches poll, Ball State wasВ picked to finish second behind Central Michigan. Looking out at those walls, the goal this season is clear. Talking about theВ season two days before it began, Powell, junior infielder Ryan Peltier and coach Rich Maloney all glanced out at the walls atВ Ball Baseball Field, which lists the NCAA Tournaments and MAC Championships Ball State has won. WeвЂ™re not gonna make that mistake this year.вЂќ

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'I mean, the 2019 season and then last year, the two full seasons, weвЂ™ve come in second and at some point in the season we were in first place and then we just let it slip away.

'I think we all know what it takes and itвЂ™s just putting those pieces together and actually making it happen,' Powell said. Senior outfielder Nick Powell said they have the number 68 on the back of their shirts to remind them how close they were last year and how close they've been in recent years. While the pain of that day, coming up just short of reaching their ultimate goal, lingers, the Cardinals have put it behind themВ вЂ“ literally. Tears were shed, especially for the seniors who came up just short in 2019В as well,В and saw the 2020 season canceled to COVID-19.Д«all State: After finishing 2nd in 2021, BSU softball's eager to contend for a MAC Championship Despite finishing second in the Mid-American Conference, the Cardinals had the 48th-best RPI in the country, a 38-18 record with a series win over Kentucky and a series split against Arizona.Д«ut as the 30-minute selection show went on, the hopes of the players dwindledВ until they finally saw Ball State in the 'first four out' group. It was May 31, 2021, and the Cardinals had putВ together what they, and others, believed was a good enough resume to make the field of 64 and be a scary opponent for some teams if they got there. MUNCIE, Ind.В - Ball State baseball players gathered in the locker roomВ to watch the NCAA selection show. View Gallery: Ball State baseball plays Toledo in doubleheader

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