By: Alec Runyan | Ball State Sports Link
Trenton Quartermaine – Baseball
Trenton Quartermaine had a career game on Friday in the Cardinals first meeting against Bowling Green. The fifth-year senior went 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and eight RBIs in the 17-1 victory.
In Monday’s contest, Quartermaine had another very strong outing, going 3-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Quartermaine has had a strong start to the 2022 season, leading the MAC in both home runs (7) and RBIs (24) with a .292 batting average through the teams first 20 games. The fifth-year first basemen has provided a heavy bat for the Cardinals, nearly doubling his home run total already from a season ago (4).
The Cardinals currently stand at 12-8 (7-1 MAC) after a four-game sweep over Bowling Green.
Next up for Ball State is a trip to Kalamazoo for a series with Western Michigan Friday through Sunday. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4pm with a doubleheader Saturday afternoon with the series concluding Sunday afternoon at 1pm.
Angelos Mandilaris – Volleyball
The Ball State men’s volleyball team took down longtime rival Ohio State not once, but twice last week.
On Wednesday, the Cardinals traveled to Columbus and came away with a 3-2 victory after winning the fifth set 17-15 over the Buckeyes. Graduate student and first-year Cardinal, Angelos Mandilaris led the Cardinals with 23 kills, nearing his season-high 25 against Hawai’i. Mandilaris has posted 20 plus kills in three matches this season.
The Cardinals returned to Worthen Arena on Saturday for match number two with Ohio State, but not before honoring the life of Ball State legend Dr. Don Shondell. In front of a packed crowd, the Cardinals came away with a 3-1 win.
Once again Mandilaris led the Cardinals with 14 kills, this time adding a season-high seven blocks. Mandilaris has totaled 34 blocks on the season, averaging 0.83 blocks per set – 10th best in MIVA.
Ball State will head to Illinois on Friday to continue MIVA action taking on Quincy University before continuing their trip west to Missouri for a match with Lindenwood Saturday.
Suki Pfister – Gymnastics
The Ball State gymnastics team finished in fourth place at MAC Championships over the weekend, coming in just .375 points behind leader Central Michigan. The Cardinals posted the third highest team score in program history at 195.900.
Sophomore Suki Pfister was named MAC Specialist of the Year after scoring a 9.850 on beam, tying for second place with teammate Victoria Henry. Pfister led the MAC with four scores of 9.900 or higher posted during the season.
“I am so glad Suki was named the MAC Specialist of the Year,” head coach Joanna Saleem said. “She’s worked so hard to be consistent this year and make her vault so much better. It’s impressive to watch. It’s a well-deserved honor.”
The Fort Wayne native was also named to the All-MAC First Team last week prior to the Championship meet.
Pfister along with a few other teammates now wait for the chance to compete at the NCAA Regionals March 31-April 2. The selection show will air Tuesday at noon on NCAA.com.
Kaitlyn Matthews – Softball
The Ball State softball team wrapped up non-conference action on Sunday with a thrilling 4-3 win over the No. 18 Missouri Tigers.
The Cardinals trailed 3-2 heading into the sixth inning but managed to even the score thanks to an RBI double from sophomore Kaitlyn Matthews. After advancing to third via a wild pitch, Matthews would score what would go on to be the game-winning run from a sac fly by Mackenzie McCarty. It was the Cardinals first victory over a ranked opponent since 2015 when Ball State knocked off Notre Dame in South Bend.
Matthews went 2-for-3 at the plate against Missouri on Sunday as well as a perfect 2-for-2 against No. 14 Northwestern in game one on Sunday.
Ball State will travel to Central Michigan this weekend for a three game series with the Chippiwas. Action will get underway on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 3pm and a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1pm.
