Ball State University Softball

NOTES ENTERING 2026 SEASON - 62-47 Overall Record - 28-22 Mid-American Conference Record - Six Total All-MAC Honors - 2025 MAC Player of the Year - 2025 MAC Defensive Player of the Year - Four Total NFCA All-Great Lakes Region Honors - 22 Total Academic All-MAC Selections - 34 Total Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete Awards - 10 CSC Academic All-District® Softball Team Accolades Helen Peña enters her third season as Ball State’s head softball coach in 2026 looking to continue the program’s trajectory back to the top of the Mid-American Conference standings. Over Peña’s first two years at the helm, the former collegiate standout pitcher has guided the program to a 62-47 overall record, including a 28-22 ledger in MAC play. The Cardinals advanced to the championship series of the MAC Tournament in her first season, while falling in the final game of the elimination bracket to the eventual tournament champion last season. The 2025 season saw the Cardinals produce a 33-18 overall record and earn the No. 4 seed in the MAC Softball Championship with a 16-9 MAC mark. It was the program’s most wins since the 2021 squad went 37-18 (31-8 MAC) in a schedule heavy with league games coming off the COVID-19 global pandemic. Ball State’s success was exemplified by the pitching staff which boasted a 3.96 ERA and saw Ella Whitney become just the seventh pitcher in program history to record at least 20 wins in a season. A two-time MAC Pitcher of the Week, Whitney led all MAC pitchers with

Fresh off a strong collegiate playing career at Middle Tennessee (2022-25), Ava Tepe enters her first season as a graduate assistant coach for the Ball State softball program in 2026. A four-year starter for the Blue Raiders, Tepe played for then-MTSU associate head coach Helen Peña during the team’s magical run in the 2023 season. A starter in 51 games at catcher that season, Tepe helped guide MTSU to a program record 42 wins, the program’s second-ever Conference USA tournament title and a berth in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Final. Middle Tennessee earned three wins in regional play, including knocking off host and fifth-seeded Alabama to force a decisive seventh game. While the Crimson Tide won the final contest by a score of 1-0 and eventually advanced to the Women’s College World Series, the Blue Raiders’ three regional wins were the most by a Conference USA team since 2014. Overall, Tepe finished her career as the program’s all-time leader in times hit by a pitch (40). She compiled a .219 career batting average with 12 total home runs, six each in her junior and senior seasons. One of those home runs, a two-run blast to center field, came in MTSU’s 4-3 victory over the Pena-led Cardinals on Feb. 28, 2024. One of three catchers at MTSU her freshman season, Tepe became the everyday catcher for the Blue Raiders a month into the regular season. From there, she would not leave the lineup, starting in 182 of the 188 games she played for the Blue Raiders, including time at ca

A proven winner on the field, earning a pair of NFCA All-Region honors as a player at Illinois, Avrey Steiner enters her third season as an assistant coach for the Cardinals in 2026. In her first two seasons with the program, the Cardinals have registered a 62-47 overall record, including a 28-22 ledger in MAC play. Ball State advanced to the championship series of the 2024 MAC Tournament, while falling in the final game of the elimination bracket to the eventual tournament champion last season. Ball State’s first base coach, Steiner has been instrumental in the team’s success on the base paths. In helping the team to a 33-18 (16-9 MAC) record in 2025, the Cardinals ranked first in the league and 29th nationally with 87 stolen bases. It was the ninth-most stolen bases in a season in program history and helped the squad rank 22nd nationally in scoring average at 6.59 runs per game. Overall, 14 different players stole at least one base during the 2025 campaign led by McKayla Timmons who ranked third in the MAC and 83rd nationally with 21. Timmon’s total was the 16th-most in a single season in program history and helped her finish her career ranked 11th in program history with 44 stolen bases. On the defensive front, her tutelage helped the Cardinals rank second in the MAC and 89th nationally with 18 double plays. Ball State also limited opposing squads to just 20 stolen bases, to rank 11th nationally, while throwing out 10 runners attempting to steal. In her first season, Stein

Matt Burns enters his third season as a member of the Ball State softball coaching staff in 2026 and his second as associate head coach. He serves as the tea...