BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team will head on the road for their next five games with four being this week. The Falcons will start the trip with a midweek against Youngstown State on Wednesday (April 9) with a 5 p.m. first pitch. From there, Bowling Green will transition to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a three-game weekend series with Western Michigan, playing one game each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday (April 11-13). Any schedule changes will be announced on BGSUFalcons.com as well as Twitter/X (@BGSU_Baseball). 

Current Week Schedule
Wednesday, April 9 | at Youngstown State | 5 p.m.
Friday, April 11 | at Western Michigan | 3:05 p.m. | YouTube
Saturday, April 12 | at Western Michigan | 1:05 p.m. | YouTube
Sunday, April 13 | at Western Michigan | 1:05 p.m. | YouTube

What To Watch For

• The Falcons have tallied 323 hits this season, ranking second in the MAC and tied for 47th in the nation. BGSU's program record for hits in a season stands at 712 from the 2001 campaign.
• As a team, Bowling Green has recorded 12 saves this season, matching the program record from the 2010, 2009 and 1994 campaigns. The next save will break the record.
• This year, Bowling Green has maintained a .700 winning percentage with a 21-9 record, ranking first in the MAC for winning percentage and tied for 41st in the nation. 

Scouting Youngstown State
Since the last meeting between Bowling Green and Youngstown State, the Penguins have posted a record of 3-4, moving their season standing to 7-23 while being 4-8 in the Horizon League. They registered two conference wins, claiming both games of a doubleheader against Oakland on April 4. The other win came as a midweek, topping Toledo in a 13-3 final on April 1 at home. When playing at home this year, YSU is 4-4 with all four home wins coming since March 15. In addition to Toledo, they've bested Milwaukee, Mercyhurst and Purdue Fort Wayne at home. 

Series History Against The Penguins

• Bowling Green and Youngstown State will be meeting for the 22nd time in program history, and second time this year, with the Penguins leading the all-time series with a record of 13-8. 
• BGSU won the first meeting this year, claiming a 12-7 win over YSU at home on March 25.
• The Falcons have won the last two meetings between the teams as well as five of the last six. The last BGSU win at Youngstown State came in 2020 with a 2-1 victory on March 10. 

Scouting Western Michigan
The Broncos have posted an 8-21 record on the season while being 4-8 within the MAC this year. They are also scheduled for a midweek on Wednesday (April 9) at home against Goshen before hosting the Falcons this weekend. For WMU, five of their eight wins this year have come at home, including a three-game sweep over Akron in March as well as a win over Eastern Michigan as well. The other home win for WMU was on April 6 over The Citadel. The win over EMU marked their first of the season after an 0-15 start. WMU has also added wins over Michigan, Northwestern and Notre Dame. 

Series History Against The Broncos

• Bowling Green and Western Michigan have met 169 times previously with the series leaning to the Broncos with a record of 99-70
• Last year, the two teams met four times with WMU taking three of the four, including one in the MAC Tournament.
• The last win for BGSU in Kalamazoo came in 2021 while the last series win at WMU was in 2014.

Penrod's Placing In Record Book
Connar Penrod has not only worked his way into the BGSU Baseball record book, but he's found his way to the top. This season, Penrod has logged eight saves for the Falcons, tying him for the program record for saves in a season while being tied for fifth in the nation. In addition to his season rankings, Penrod has also found his way into the career stats as well. With nine career saves, Penrod is tied for ninth in program history with the record sitting at 17 by Neil Schmitz (2001-04). Penrod also enters the week tied for the team-lead in wins with three. Penrod is one of just two pitchers in the nation with at least eight saves and three wins, joined by Alabama's Carson Ozmer with nine saves and three wins on the mound. 

Wright Moving Up National Rankings
Garrett Wright has been on a tear for the Falcons of late, logging a team-best seven-game hitting streak while reaching in 18-straight games and scoring in 17 of the last 18. Wright's hot streak has only bolstered his strong season, placing him inside the Top 50 in the nation for batting average, on-base percentage, total hit by pitches and hit-by-pitches per game. Batting .426, Wright is currently on pace for one of the best batting averages in program history. Additionally, he's been plunked at the plate 15 times this year, tied for second in program history and trailing only his own program record of 21 that he set last season. 

Birchmeier At The Bat 
Brady Birchmeier has placed himself among the MAC's most dangerous hitters this season. So far this year, Birchmeier has recorded 40 RBI for the Falcons with the total ranking first on the team, fourth in the MAC and tied for 48th in the nation. Playing in 27 of BGSU's games this season, Birchmeier is averaging 1.48 RBI per game for the Orange and Brown, which is second in the MAC and ranks 14th in the nation. The national leader is Central Connecticut State's Aidan Redahan with an average of 1.77, totaling 39 RBI in 22 games. As for MAC stats, Birchmeier trails only Ohio's Ben Slanker with an average of 1.50, having logged 45 RBI in 30 games. 

Kress Continues To Impress
Redshirt freshman Nate Kress has cut out a significant role in the BGSU bullpen this season. So far this season, Kress has made 13 appearances for Bowling Green, tying with Connar Penrod for the team lead. Since March 11, Kress has allowed just two earned runs while producing six scoreless outings. During the stretch, he's maintained a 1.10 ERA while totaling 16.1 innings of work while striking out 10. For the year, the recent span has dropped his ERA down to 3.74, which ranks second on the team behind only Penrod. 

Parker Finding Ways On Base
Caden Parker is currently in the midst of a 22-game on-base streak, the longest by a Falcon this season. The streak for Parker stretches back to Feb. 28 against Southern Indiana when he tallied two hits and a walk to start the run. Since then, Parker has totaled 22 hits, 15 walks and four HBPs to keep his on-base streak alive. He's also added 17 runs scored and 14 RBI for the Falcons in addition to one double and one home run during the streak. Four of his five stolen bases have also come during the streak. 

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' baseball team on social media
Twitter - @BGSU_Athletics and @BGSU_Baseball
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsu_baseball'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcons Athletics'