BGSU To Conclude Homestand Tuesday Before Weekend Road Trip To Mount Pleasant
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team is scheduled for four games this week, beginning at home before hitting the road. On Tuesday (March 25), the Falcons will conclude a six-game homestand, hosting the Youngstown State Penguins for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Steller Field. From there, Bowling Green will transition to the road for a three-game weekend series at Central Michigan.As always, admission is free for Tuesday's home game at Steller Field, as it is for all home games this season.
Current Week Schedule
Tuesday, March 25 | vs. Youngstown State | 3 p.m.
Friday, March 28 | at Central Michigan | 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 29 | at Central Michigan | 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 30 | at Central Michigan | 1 p.m.
Scouting Youngstown State
The Penguins will enter the week with a 4-18 record on the season while being 1-14 when playing on the road. Youngstown State is coming off a weekend series against Purdue Fort Wayne at home, taking one game in the series with a 12-11 final during the first game of a Sunday (March 23) doubleheader. With the win, YSU has claimed three of their last five games, also beating Milwaukee and Mercyhurst. Their lone road win of the season came on Feb. 23 with an 8-5 victory over Abilene Christian.
Series History Against The Penguins
- Bowling Green and Youngstown State will be meeting for the 21st time in program history with the Penguins leading the all-time series with a record of 13-7.
- BGSU won the lone meeting between the two last season with a 12-9 final at home.
- The meeting will be the first of two between the teams this season with the second scheduled for April 9 at YSU.
Scouting Central Michigan
The Chippewas go into the week with a 9-15 record on the season while being 5-1 within the MAC and a midweek scheduled for Tuesday (March 25) against Grace Christian. CMU is coming off a weekend sweep over Northern Illinois after taking two of three from Ohio in their first conference series of the season. The series against Bowling Green will mark the first home conference series of the season for Central Michigan. The Chippewas started the season off with a 2-14 record, but have regrouped, winning seven of their last eight with the only loss being to Ohio, 15-12, on March 15.
Series History Against The Chippewas
- Bowling Green and Central Michigan have met 136 times previously with the series leaning to the Chippewas with a record of 83-52-1.
- The Falcons swept the series at home last year against Central Michigan and took two of three in the last trip to Mount Pleasant.
- CMU will play a midweek game on Tuesday (March 25) against Grace Christian before facing the Falcons.
What To Watch For
- The Falcons enter the week with a 16-9 record on the season, resulting in a .696 winning percentage which ranks first in the MAC and is tied for 49th in the country.
- Connar Penrod has registered five saves for the Falcons this season, tied for first in the MAC and 12th in the nation. He needs just one more to enter the BGSU record book's top 10 for single-season saves and three more for the career standings.
- The week slate will close out the month of March for the Falcons, currently at 12-4 in the month.
Wright Snaps Program Record
Garrett Wright is in the process of rewriting the BGSU baseball record book section for hit-by-pitch. Last year, Wright took the top spot for hit-by-pitch in a single-season with 21. This past weekend he claimed the top spot on the career list as well, now with 33 HBPs as a Falcon. Through the first 23 games of the season, Wright is already on his way to challenging his own single-season record as well. This year, Wright has been plunked 12 times, tying him for fifth in program history for a single season. The mark has also tied him for 15th in the nation and second in the MAC. He's currently averaging 0.52 HBPs per game, ranking third in the conference and tied for 24th in the nation.
Falcons Finding Offensive Success
As a team, the Bowling Green offense has been firing on all cylinders during the homestand. Across the five games played so far, the Falcons are averaging over 10 runs per game. During the last five games, Bowling Green has produced 63 hits, averaging 12.6 per game, to go along with a team batting average of .350. The offensive surge has pushed BGSU's team batting average for the season to .305, placing the Falcons inside the nation's top 50 at 48 while being second in the MAC. Additionally, the Orange and Brown now have 250 hits as a team, which not only leads the conference, but is ranked 31st in the country.
Birchmeier At The Bat
Brady Birchmeier has placed himself among the MAC's most dangerous hitters this season, moving into the national ranks for multiple stats. Birchmeier has blasted a team-leading eight home runs this year, averaging 0.40 per game. The average has placed Birchmeier third in the MAC while being tied for 35th in the nation. The power at the plate has helped produce a team-high 31 RBI this year for Birchmeier, averaging 1.55 per game. Birchmeier is second in the conference for both total and RBI per game while being 18th in the nation for RBI per game and tied for 46th in total RBI. Birchmeier is the only player in the MAC maintaining an average of .330 or better while also tallying at least five doubles, seven home runs and 25 RBI this season.
No Place Like Home For Kress
After going to Bowling Green High School, Nate Kress is rather familiar with baseball within Bowling Green city limits. Redshirting last season, Kress has found his rhythm during the home series for the Falcons, sparking a stretch of 8.2 scoreless innings across four outings, three of which have been at home. Over the same stretch, Kress has recorded seven strikeouts for the Orange and Brown and has brought his ERA down to 4.50, which is tied for the third best on the team.
TJ Takats At The Top
The Falcons have moved TJ Takats into the leadoff spot and have witnessed a strong return from the sophomore. When leading off an inning, Takats is batting .448, reaching base 13 times on 29 attempts. He's also been able to belt three home runs in the last week, including a home run in the first BGSU plate appearance of the day against Purdue Fort Wayne. Takats also scored the game-tying run against PFW and then made contact for the walk-off against Kent State.
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Latest Men's Baseball News
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- BGSU Baseball Lands Four On CSC Academic All-District® TeamBOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Four members of the Bowling Green State University baseball team have been named to the 2024-25 Academic All-District® Team, selected by College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA). Gavin Ganun, Luke Krouse, Landon Willeman and Garrett Wright all were named to the team with Wright being selected as a finalist for CSC Academic All-America status. The Academic All-America teams will be announced on July 1. As for BGSU, the four selections are the second-most for the Falcons in a single season in program history behind only last year's five recipients.
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- BGSU-Toledo MAC Tournament Game Postponed To Thursday At 9 a.m.AVON, Ohio – Due to current weather conditions and continuing weather conditions through the night, today's game between Bowling Green and Toledo in the first round of the MAC Tournament has been postponed to Thursday (May 22) at 9 a.m. From there, the tournament will proceed as planned, attempting to play four games on Thursday. Any changes will be announced on BGSUFalcons.com as well as the BGSU_Baseball Twitter/X page.
