2014: Rae Ball was named the MAAC Pitcher of the Year and earned a berth to the All-MAAC first team in 2014. finished the season with a 12-10 overall record and an 8-2 mark against MAAC opponents. After starting the season with a 2-6 record, Ball won 10 straight decisions, beginning with a win over Quinnipiac on April 2 through a decision over Saint Peter’s on April 26. She owned a 5.38 ERA before the streak and finished into the season with a 2.96 ERA. Ball fanned six or more batters in five games as a senior, highlighted by a nine-strikeout performance against Quinnipiac. She tossed shutouts in consecutive starts against Niagara and Canisius. She picked up a shutout in four of her eight MAAC wins this season. She was named the MAAC Pitcher of the Week on April 22 after recording two wins and a save as the team won four of five games that week. As a hitter, Ball owned a .178 batting average with one homer and five RBI in 73 at-bats. Six of her 13 hits this year went for extra bases – five doubles and one home run.
2013: Ball split time between the pitcher’s circle and the batter’s box, serving both as a starting pitcher and a designated player. The junior ranked second on the team with five home runs and 33 RBI, registering an RBI in 16 games. She drove home a base runner in six of the last 10 regular-season games, including seven RBI in the doubleheader against Rider. She hit a home run in both ends of that twin bill, picking up four RBI in the first game and three more RBI in the nightcap. She also drove home four runs in the first game against Siena, hitting a grand slam that helped the Stags post a 5-4 win over the Saints. It was the first of two times that she hit a home run in a game she pitched, also accomplishing the task against Rider. Four of Ball’s five home runs came against MAAC opponents, the lone exception coming against Maryland. She put together a string of five games in which she had at least one RBI, driving in 10 runs between April 17-25. As a pitcher, Ball also led the team with 32 appearances, 14 wins and a 1.77 ERA. She also picked up two shutouts, the first coming against Long Beach State and the second versus Connecticut. She posted a season-high seven strikeouts against Marist in the team’s first MAAC tournament game against Marist.
2012: Rae Ball contributed both as a pitcher and as a hitter, spending time as the team’s designated player when not in the pitching circle. The sophomore led the team with eight home runs, just two off the school record for a single season (Erin Frank in 2006). Ball averaged a home run every 20 at-bats last season, her last coming against Saint Peter’s on April 21. Her .462 slugging percentage was best on the team, buoyed by her eight doubles. She recorded at least one hit in 33 of her 58 appearances. As a pitcher, Ball owned a 14-11 record and a 2.99 ERA overall, but a mere 1.90 ERA against MAAC opponents in the regular season. She was two strikeouts shy of 100 for the season, averaging 4.3 strikeouts per seven innings pitched. She fanned a season-high seven hitters in a win over Saint Peter’s, one of eight games in which she struck out five or more hitters in a game. Ball had two saves to her credit, the first coming against Gardner Webb on February 25 and the second against UConn on March 22
2011: Ball contributed both as a pitcher and as a hitter this season, as she posted a .270 batting average with a 6-2 overall record and a 3.83 ERA. The freshman tied for second place among her teammates with four home runs, three of which came against non-conference opponents. She had a hit in 26 of her 52 appearances this season, which includes a six-game hitting streak from March 26 through April 2. The streak ended in the second game of a doubleheader at Iona. She batted .500 during that stretch with 10 hits in 20 at-bats. As a pitcher, Ball split her appearances down the middle with eight starts and eight relief efforts. She allowed no more than one earned run in five of her eight starts, highlighted by a five-inning shutout at Rhode Island. She struck out a season-high three hitters on three occasions, last accomplishing the task against Marist in four innings of work.
Before Fairfield: Ball was one of the top student-athletes at Chaparral High School, where she posted 40 wins and a 0.90 ERA as a pitcher. She completed her career with a .380 batting average. For her efforts, Ball was named the team's most valuable player during her career, and was selected to the All-City team. As a senior, Ball collected the Scottsdale Player of the Year award. Ball lists nursing as her major.
Career Pitching G/GS W-L SHO SV IP H R ER ERA BB/K
2014 25/18 12-10 4 1 116.0 118 62 49 2.96 35/71
2013 32/21 14-10 3 2 158.0 161 58 40 1.77 35/68
2012 33/22 14-11 2 2 159.1 159 84 68 2.99 62/98
2011 16/8 6-2 1 0 56.2 77 34 31 3.83 14/23
Totals 106/69 46-33 10 5 490.0 515 238 188 2.69 146/260
Career Hitting G AB R H Avg. 2B 3B HR RBI BB/K SB/A
2014 33 73 5 13 .178 5 0 1 5 8/21 1/1
2013 44 122 15 25 .218 3 1 5 33 15/29 2/2
2012 58 158 21 41 .259 8 0 8 36 22/43 3/5
2011 53 151 13 40 .265 6 0 4 22 13/45 7/8
Totals 186 504 54 119 .236 22 1 18 96 58/138 13/16
