by The 2026 college baseball season is just around the corner, and for Ball State, it’s a campaign that will see many new names wear the Cardinal jersey.
In total, 23 new faces have joined the program. This comes after Ball State posted a 36-22 overall record while finishing 21-9 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. The team finished the year with a 13-10 loss to Toledo in the conference tournament.
Returning for his 21st season as head coach, Rich Maloney said he is excited and interested to see what the team has in store for the future.
“We got a lot of guys that we think will give us a chance … You’re hoping out of the seven or eight guys that are like that, a couple of them emerge,” Maloney said. “If that happens, then we’ll have a chance to be really good.”
The Cardinals finished fall ball undefeated, topping two in-state opponents: Indiana State and Indiana University. During those games, new acquisitions like junior Jacob Gillis made their mark by making contributions right away.
A former first baseman for Bossier Parish Community College, Gillis appeared in 33 games last year. He had a .388 batting average while recording 29 RBI and scoring 36 times.
Gillis said he came to Ball State because of the way the program presented itself, and he noted that new transfers have adopted the mindset that has led to successful seasons in the past.
That includes the opportunity to be named MAC champions.
“The exact mindset is to just do it,” Gillis said. “I do not think there is anything holding us back. It is on us, and we have the ability to do so.”
Another new member Maloney was pleased with in fall ball included junior outfielder Charlie Keller.
Keller redshirted at Jacksonville State for the 2025 season. Before that, he spent two seasons with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. In his sophomore season, he had a .264 batting average with seven home runs, 24 RBI and 31 walks.
Despite so many new players, Ball State will also have 15 returners from 2025, and Maloney highlighted senior infielder Brett Griffiths as one of those pieces. Griffiths made nine starts and played in 32 games last season, recording six hits and seven RBI.
“He came back after gaining 20 pounds in the summer,” Maloney said. “He really did what he’s supposed to do.
He came back as a different player, and he looks really good.”
Sophomore outfielder John Colligan comes back to Muncie after playing in 43 games as a freshman. He ended the year with three hits and eight runs, and Maloney said he has made strides to continue his development. The pitching staff will see senior pitcher Alex Burden — 29 strikeouts in 16 appearances — return, as well as senior Zach Leduc. Last season, Leduc was 3-0 when starting, and in 19 games, struck out 17 batters in 22.2 innings.
The unit will also feature junior Zach Kwansy, who had 17 strikeouts in 17.1 innings. Senior John Chambers will also be back. Named a member of the 2025 MAC All-Tournament team, Chambers pitched in 17 games and had 35 strikeouts in 33 innings.
Maloney believes the Cardinals feature a roster who has the talent to compete. However, he said the name of the game is showing up when it matters the most. That is one question that he said will be answered when the season gets going.
“I’m definitely cautiously optimistic,” he said. “It’s a great group of guys. I think there’s a lot of good skill set here, and they just got to get out there and perform. With 23 new guys, the question is, are you going to be able to do it consistently?
“Can we consistently play the game the way it needs to be played? If you do that and you’re not beating yourself, you’ll end up beating a lot of teams.”
Ball State will open the 2026 season with back-to-back games against St. John’s Friday, Feb. 13, and Thursday, Feb. 14. The first game will begin at noon, followed by a 2 p.m. first pitch the next day.
The Cardinals will begin the MAC season March 6 as they host Central Michigan for their first home game at Shebek Stadium.
Though Maloney said he is eager and ready to start the year, he said he enjoyed his fall as multiple former Cardinals made their Major League Baseball debuts. But the one moment he celebrated the most was when former Ball State player Alex Call won the 2025 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Maloney said this scenario is just one way the Cardinals’ program is prominent, and he said he hopes this type of accomplishment shows the team’s newest players that anything is possible if they play up to the Ball State standard.
“You got to drive that standard home …
If you don’t have standards, then what’s going to happen is you’re gonna be less than your best. When you set a bar really high, and even if you fall short, you’re better than most,” Maloney said. “We expect to compete for a MAC championship every year, and for the most part, we’ve been doing that.
“There was only one mid-major that had more big leaguers than we had [in 2025.] That’s a big statement … That’s the standard, because we’ve been doing it a long time. This isn’t something that’s new.”
Contact Zach Carter via email at zachary.carter@bsu.edu, zachcarter039@gmail.com or via X @ZachCarter85.
