Alex Burden brings left-handed depth and swing-and-miss flashes for Ball State
In the 2026 season, graduate left-hander Alex Burden has been a versatile arm for Ball State, making 16 appearances and 7 starts while striking out 31 in 32.1 innings. His best trait is bat-missing ability when he’s on—he fanned 6 over 6.0 one-run innings at Stetson and showed relief value with 4 strikeouts in 3.1 innings at Indiana. He’s the kind of veteran pitcher who can stabilize a staff, but his year-to-year run prevention has been inconsistent, so he profiles more as a useful matchup piece than a sure-thing ace.
