MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State softball knew the stakes and rose to the occasion.
Needing a strong showing at Akron on April 29-30, the Cardinals won the best-of-three series to clinch the program's first Mid-American Conference tournament birth since 2019. They earned the No. 4 seed plat at No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11.
While BSU hopes to advance, qualifying for the postseason was the team's primary goal heading into this year. The Cardinals finished one-game shy of the fourth seed in 2022 and this spring dropped from an early first-place standing to nearly out of contention before finishing the regular season on a 10-3 stretch.