INDIANAPOLIS - Butler will travel to Muncie, Ind. to take on the Ball State Cardinals on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch at Shebek Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: March 18
GAME TIME: 3PM
LOCATION: Muncie, Ind.
LIVE STATS: Butlersports.com
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ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

• Butler (4-16) is coming off a 0-4 weekend at Wichita State.
• Against Morehead State, Matthew Rhoades was sensational for Butler. In 16 at-bats, he recorded nine hits, 10 runs scored, one double, five home runs, eight RBIs, one walk and two hit by pitches. Rhoades hit .563 over the course of the week for BU. The junior earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors after his spectacular weekend for the Dawgs.
• David Ayers had a sensational series for Butler against Morehead State that began with the junior tying a program record for most RBIs in a game with eight to his credit in Friday's 20-5 victory over the Eagles. Ayers hit .500 on the week with five runs scored, seven hits, one double, three home runs, 10 RBIs and a hit by pitch. For his efforts, Ayers earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
• Logan Crock was named to the Brooks Wallace Award Watchlist earlier this season. The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. The top 100 shortstops in the country made the list, which featured Butler shortstop Crock. The sophomore has had a solid start to 2026, slashing .292/.479/.854 in 15 games for the Dawgs. Crock has 14 hits, three doubles, two homers and 12 RBIs to his credit on the young season.
• Ayers leads Butler at the dish, slashing .342/.685/1.100 on the season. The junior has 25 hits and 18 runs scored to his credit and leads the team in RBIs (23) and is second on the team in doubles (5) and home runs (6).
• Max Winders has been dominant on the mound for the Bulldogs. In five appearances (two starts), Winders has posted a 3.75 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP. The sophomore leads Butler with 29 strikeouts and has yet to issue a walk.
• Butler returns 17 letterwinners from a year ago and welcomes 21 new faces to the squad for 2026.
• Butler welcomed Ty Neal to the coaching staff this offseason as the program's pitching coach. Neal was an assistant coach at Michigan in 2025, helping the Wolverines post a 33-23 overall record. They went 16-14 in the Big Ten standings and held a 4.92 team ERA. Neal has made stops at Michigan, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Indiana, Miami Ohio, and Southern Illinois. He brings nearly 20 years of coaching experience to the program and has assisted in the recruiting and development of over 50 MLB draft picks.
• Freshman Grayson Bradberry was named the BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball and Perfect Game prior to the start of the season. Bradberry hails from Columbia City, Indiana and earned All-Conference honors (3x), Pre-Season All-State honors, team MVP (2x), NE8 Conference Player of the Year and was chosen as a two-time team captain.
• In 2025, Butler saw Jack Moroknek get drafted in the 11th round by the Washington Nationals. Moroknek led the team in hits (81), batting average (.372), total bases (153), RBIs (57), home runs (18), runs scored (57), slugging percentage (.702) and OPS (1.145) while posting one of the best individual seasons in Butler history. Moroknek was the first Bulldog drafted since Ryan Pepiot was taken in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft.
• Head Coach Blake Beemer enters his fourth season at the helm of the Bulldogs. Beemer helped coach back-to-back BIG EAST Freshman of the Year winners Joey Urban (2023) and Kade Lewis (2024) in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs. Beemer played a pivotal role in developing Jack Moroknek who earned All-BIG EAST second team honors a season ago before being selected by the Washington Nationals in the 2025 MLB Draft.

 
SCOUTING BALL STATE

• Ball State (10-8) is coming off a weekend sweep over Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals won 17-13, 9-4 and 12-9, marking Ball State's first series sweep of the season.
• Jacob Gillis leads Ball State at the plate, slashing .354/.615/1.044. Gillis leads the team in hits (23), home runs (5) and walks (8).
• On the mound, Owen Quinn leads the Cardinals with a 1.89 ERA and a 1-0 record in six appearances. Quinn has tossed 19 innings and has allowed only four earned runs.

 
UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will return to action this weekend as BU travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. Game one is slated for Friday, March 20, with first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. More information will be available on butlersports.com.