The Ball State Cardinals represent Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, as a varsity intercollegiate athletic team. The program competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a member of NCAA Division I. Since fielding its first team in 1920, Ball State has established a rich baseball tradition, currently led by head coach Rich Maloney. The Cardinals play their home games at Shebek Stadium (formerly known as Ball Diamond) in Muncie.
Ball State in the NCAA Tournament 1965 0–2 District 4 1969 2–2 District 4 2006 1–2 Lexington Regional 2023 0–2 Lexington Regional 3-8
First-round MLB draft picks
Ball State holds the record for the most first-round MLB draft picks in Mid-American Conference (MAC) history with eight selections. The program's most historic milestone came in 2002 when Bryan Bullington was selected No. 1 overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates—marking the first time in MAC history that an athlete in any sport was taken with the top overall pick. Pick Player Team Position Year 11 Thomas Howard San Diego Padres OF 1986 41 Jeff Urban San Francisco Giants LHP 1998 21 Larry Bigbie Baltimore Orioles OF 1999 1 Bryan Bullington Pittsburgh Pirates RHP 2002 32 Luke Hagerty Chicago Cubs LHP 2002 18 Brad Snyder Cleveland Indians OF 2003 20 Kolbrin Vitek Boston Redsox RHP/2B 2010 34 Drey Jameson Arizona Diamondbacks RHP 2019
Players to reach the Major Leagues
Ball State Baseball has produced 17 Major Leaguers throughout its history.
Merv Rettenmund Mike Roesler Thomas Howard (baseball) Larry Bigbie Sam McConnell Bryan Bullington Brad Snyder Dean Anna Jeremy Hazelbaker Perci Garner Zach Plesac Alex Call Drey Jameson Kyle Nicolas CJ Alexander Chayce McDermott Zach Cole
MAC awards Ball State: A Legacy of Excellence Ball State has established itself as the premier program for individual player development in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals hold the conference record for the most MAC Player of the Year selections (8).
Here is the list of all the MAC Player of the Year awards won by Ball State:
MAC Player of the Year Name YearThomas Howard 1986Ed Farris 1996Larry Bigbie 1999Shayne Ridley 2000Brad Snyder 2003Kolbrin Vitek 2010Sean Godfrey 2014Alex Call 2016
MAC Freshman of the YearLarry Bigbie 1997Justin Wechsler 1999Bryan Bullington 2000Ben Snyder 2005Jarett Ridfleisch 2014Drey Jameson 2018Ryan Brown 2022Keegan Johnson 2024
MAC Pitcher of the Year Name YearBryan Bullington 2001, 2002Erik Morrison 2005Scott Baker 2013Drey Jameson 2019Tyler Schweitzer 2022Merritt Beeker 2024
MAC Coach of the Year Name YearRich Maloney 1998, 2001, 2014, 2022
MAC Defensive Player of Year Name YearChase Sebby 2019, 2021Ryan Peltier 2022Michael Hallquist 2024
Head coaching history
Ball State has employed 17 head coaches since the program began in 1920. Rich Maloney is the program's all-time leader in both wins and tenure, having served two separate stints (1996–2002 and 2013–present). During his 2025 campaign, Maloney reached the milestone of 1,000 career NCAA victories. Other notable long-term coaches include Ray Louthen and Bob Briner, who each led the program for 12 seasons. Year(s) Coach Seasons Wins Losses Ties Pct. 1920–1921 Orville Sink 2 7 5 0 .583 1922–1926; 1928–1943; 1945–1958 Paul Williams 35 32 24 1 .570 1927 Norman Wann 1 3 6 0 .333 1959–1970 Ray Louthen 12 158 127 1 .554 1971–1982 Bob Rickel 12 201 226 3 .471 1983–1995 Pat Quinn 13 323 415 9 .438 2003–2010 Greg Beals 8 243 202 0 .546 2011–2012 Alex Marconi 2 29 71 0 .290 1996–2002, 2013–present Rich Maloney 20 683 424 2 .617 Totals 9 Coaches 105 1,679 1,500 16 .527 Rank Name Seasons 1 Paul Williams 35 2 Rich Maloney 20 3 Pat Quinn 13 Rank Name Wins 1 Rich Maloney 683 2 Pat Quinn 323 3 Greg Beals 243 Rank Name Pct. 1 Rich Maloney .617 2 Orville Sink .583 3 Paul Williams .570
See also List of NCAA Division I baseball programs
References
External links