DATE:                              Tuesday, March 24
LOCATION:                    Muncie, Ind. / Ball State Softball Stadium
LIVE STATS:                   butlersports.com (statbroadcast)
LIVE VIDEO:                   ESPN+
 
The Butler softball team will travel to Ball State on Tuesday afternoon for a midweek contest. The Bulldogs (13-9, 6-0 BIG EAST) are coming off a three-game series sweep vs. Seton Hall. The Cardinals (12-12, 1-5 MAC) most recently won one of three at Central Michigan.
 
Bulldog Bits                                                            
       (as of 3/23/26)

• As a team, Butler leads the BIG EAST with a .332 batting average, 13 double plays, and 7.55 runs/game.
• Makena Alexander leads the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories:
  .616 on base% (7th), .523 avg. (8th), 1.077 Slug% (8th), and 40 RBI (30th), and 9 home runs (85th).
• Hailey Conger ranks in the BIG EAST and is (ranked nationally) in several categories:
  1st (50th) with 34 runs, 2nd (38th) with .556 on base%, 2nd (39th) with .467 avg. and 2nd with 31 RBIs.
• Cate Lehner leads the BIG EAST (26th nationally) with 18 stolen bases, and she is also 1st (5th) with 83.0 at bats per strikeout.

        vs. Seton Hall

• Cate Lehner led Butler with a .636 avg., seven hits, and four stolen bases. With five runs scored over three games, she broke Butler's career record and now has 126 runs in her career. (Ella White, 124 runs scored, '22-'25)
• Hailey Conger and Lehner each scored five runs. Conger and Makena Alexander led Butler with five RBIs.
• Lehner, Conger, and Alexander each had multiple hits and batted .500 or better.
• Katie Petran (0.00 ERA, 2APP, 8.2-IP) pitched a complete-game shutout victory in game one vs. Seton Hall. She then entered game three in the fifth and closed out the game.
• Conger and Petran were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for their performances over the weekend.
• This was Butler's first-ever sweep over Seton Hall.
   
• The Bulldogs have not started BIG EAST play with six-straight wins since 2023 when they won their first eight conference games. (DePaul, Providence, Creighton).

Series History

• Ball State leads: 22-6
• The Cardinals won last season, 7-0, in Indianapolis.
• Butler's most recent win was in 2021. (5-4, in Indianapolis)
• The teams have alternated victories over the last four contests, but Ball State has won 6 of the most recent 10, dating back to 2013.
   

SCOUTING BALL STATE (12-12, 1-5 MAC)
Wins for Ball State include Memphis, Long Island (3), USI, IU Indy (2), and Bellarmine.
Losses for the Cardinals include Akron (3), Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Kansas City.
BSU split with Louisville and won one of three both vs. Illinois and at Central Michigan.
 
2026 BALL STATE stats* compared to (Butler)
Ave. .291, (.330), Runs 132 (165), Hits 191 (203), RBI 121 (155), SB 25 (44), ERA 3.51 (5.93)