Ball State Cardinals baseball

Ball State Cardinals baseball
2026 Ball State Cardinals baseball team
Founded1920 (1920)
UniversityBall State University
Head coachRich Maloney (21st overall season)
ConferenceMid–American
LocationMuncie, Indiana
Home stadiumShebek Stadium, formerly Ball Diamond
(Capacity: 1,500)
NicknameCardinals
ColorsCardinal and white[1]
   
NCAA tournament appearances
1965, 1969, 2006, 2023
Conference tournament champions
2006, 2023
Conference regular season champions
1998, 1999, 2001, 2014, 2022
Conference division regular season champions
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2016 (divisions ended after 2017 season)

Ball State Cardinals Baseball Overview

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

Year Record Pct Notes
1965 0–2 .000 District 4
1969 2–2 .500 District 4
2006 1–2 .333 Lexington Regional
2023 0–2 .000 Lexington Regional
TOTALS
 3-8 .273

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.

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:

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

References

  1. ^ "Brand Colors - Ball State University". Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "2016 Mid-American Conference Baseball Record Book" (PDF). getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
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