This Week in Ball State Sports

This Week in Ball State Sports is built around the week-to-week life of Ball State athletics. It has the shape of a Thursday morning radio check-in, with Mick Tidrow guiding listeners through what just happened, what is coming next, and who is shaping the Cardinals' calendar. The show covers a wide athletic department rather than settling into one flagship sport. One episode can move from men's volleyball postseason positioning to spring football, baseball, softball, golf, swimming and diving, or women's basketball tournament preparation. The pace is brisk. It often starts with a practical rundown: schedules, ticket information, postseason dates, recent wins, and where fans can find more details. Then the conversations stretch out. Jeff Mitchell returns frequently for department-level context, including football scheduling, One Ball State Day, the Coach Capko hiring, women's basketball in Cleveland, baseball's early MAAC form, and the wider uncertainty around college athletics policy. Coaches bring the sport-specific layer. Gene Orlando talks about men's tennis and the meaning of relationships through a long coaching journey, while Mike Iandolo breaks down men's volleyball from the perspective of a first-year full-time head coach navigating late-season matchups. Student-athlete segments give the show its most immediate texture. Brendan Garza talks through a no-hitter with attention to fastballs, first-pitch outs, defense, and mound presence. Ava Molina joins after NCAA Regionals with the tone of an athlete processing a long season and looking toward a senior year. The show is also unmistakably local. Muncie, WMUN, the Gainbridge Ball State Cardinals Sports Network, ticket office reminders, sponsor reads, and BallStateSports.com are part of the format rather than background noise. Its value is continuity. Fans get a running record of the athletic department in season, from headline hires to midweek preparation details that rarely travel far outside a Ball State audience. The show suits committed Cardinal followers, alumni, families, and local sports listeners who want context without losing the basic utility of schedules and matchups. It is less about debate and more about access. The best episodes feel like stepping into the booth between games, hearing how the department explains itself while the spring calendar keeps moving.