BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team will enter a non-conference week, hosting Butler before a home-and-home series with Notre Dame. The Falcons will begin the week at home against Butler on Wednesday (May 7) with a 3 p.m. first pitch. From there, BGSU will transition to a series against Notre Dame, beginning on the road on both Friday and Saturday (May 9-10) in South Bend. Friday's game is set for a 6:30 p.m. start before Saturday's 2 p.m. first pitch. The series will then shift to Steller Field in Bowling Green on Sunday (May 11) with a 3 p.m. start. The games at Notre Dame will be on ACCNX while the game at BGSU between the Falcons and Fighting Irish will be on BCSN with a simulcast on ESPN+. As always, home games at Steller Field will be free to attend. Any schedule changes will be announced on BGSUFalcons.com as well as Twitter/X (@BGSU_Baseball). 

At The Ballpark

• Wednesday's game against Butler will be Bark at the Park with a special invitation to all four-legged fans to come out to Steller Field and support the Fans. Pet Club Boxes will be available while supplies last. 
• Sunday against Notre Dame will be the second wave of the Orel Hershiser bobblehead giveaway. Giveaways will begin approximately an hour before first pitch at the marketing table. Bobbleheads will be available while supplies last. 
• Prior to Sunday's game, the Falcons will have an on-field recognition for players who will be graduating this semester or over the summer. 

Current Week Schedule
Wednesday, May 7 | vs. Butler | 3 p.m. | Steller Field
Friday, May 9 | at Notre Dame | 6:30 p.m. | Frank Eck Baseball Stadium | ACCNX
Saturday, May 10 | at Notre Dame | 2 p.m. | Frank Eck Baseball Stadium | ACCNX
Sunday, May 11 | vs. Notre Dame | 3 p.m. | Steller Field | BCSN/ESPN+

What To Watch For

• Hosting Notre Dame on Sunday (May 11), the Falcons will welcome the first Power 5 program to Steller Field since March 17, 2009 when Bowling Green topped Michigan State, 16-3. 
• The last Power 5 win for Bowling Green overall came during the 2023 season, besting No. 5 Louisville on the road with a 9-6 victory. 
• The Falcons clinched their spot in the MAC Tournament this past weekend, being played in Avon on May 21-24. The clinched spot marks back-to-back MAC Tournament appearances for BGSU for the first time since three-straight appearances from 2013-15. 
• As a team, the Falcons have recorded 484 hits this season, tied for 42nd in the nation and third in the conference. 
• BGSU has registered 27 sacrifice flies this year, tied for 33rd in the country and second in the MAC.

Scouting Butler
Butler heads into the week with a 14-33 record on the season while being 3-12 within the Big East. The Bulldogs have come up short in their last eight games with their last win coming on the road against Georgetown on April 19 with a 14-10 score. Butler has played a few MAC teams this season as well. They took one of three from Ohio during a weekend series, won three of four against Northern Illinois in a weekend series, have lost twice to Ball State in midweek games and topped Miami (OH) in a midweek as well. Overall, Butler has a record of 5-5 against MAC teams this year while being outscored by the conference 100-86. 

Series History Against The Bulldogs

• Bowling Green and Butler will be meeting for the third time in program history with BGSU holding a 2-0 record in the previous meetings, both coming at neutral sites. 
• The Falcons won the first meeting in 2010, claiming a 3-1 victory, being part of the season's spring trip. Bowling Green won the second meeting as well, being played in 2015, taking a 16-14 final on the spring trip.
• This will mark Bowling Green's first time hosting Butler in program history and the first time either team has served as a true host following the neutral site meetings.
• BGSU and Butler were scheduled to face earlier this season on Feb. 25, but the game was canceled.

Scouting Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish heads into the week with a record of 26-19 on the season while being 12-15 within the ACC. Notre Dame doesn't have a midweek on the schedule, making Bowling Green their next opponent. Notre Dame is coming off back-to-back wins over Louisville, coming at home, and came a run away from a sweep over the Cardinals. This year, the Fighting Irish have posted an 11-10 home record while going 13-9 on the road. They've played one MAC opponent this year, falling to Western Michigan at home on April 1 in a 5-4 final. Notre Dame was also scheduled to play Eastern Michigan on March 5, but the game has been postponed due to weather twice and is now set for May 13. 

Series History Against The Fighting Irish

• Bowling Green and Notre Dame have met 63 times previously in program history with Notre Dame holding the all-time advantage with a record of 39-23-1. 
• The meeting will be the first between the two teams since 2009 when the Fighting Irish claimed an 11-6 final in South Bend.
• Sunday's game will mark the first time Notre Dame has made the trip to Bowling Green for baseball since 1995, a game Notre Dame won with a 17-8 final. 
• The last win for BGSU over Notre Dame came in 2006 with an 11-8 final in South Bend. As for the last home win for the Falcons over the Fighting Irish, that was in 1983, claiming a doubleheader.

Wright One-Of-One In The Nation
Garrett Wright has established himself as one of the most dangerous catchers in the nation at the plate. Wright is currently the only catcher in the nation to rank inside the top 100 in batting average, on-base percentage and hits per game and only one of two inside the top 150, joined by Kent State's Brody Williams. Wright is batting .411 on the season, ranking first in the MAC and 18th in the nation. His on-base percentage, standing at .521, ranks first in the MAC as well while being 17th in the nation. As for hits per game, Wright is averaging 1.53 which is tied for 46th in the country while being third in the MAC. Wright has been strong defensively as well, putting together a perfect fielding percentage behind the dish.

Falcons Secure 30-Win Season
Last week, the Falcons secured a 30-win season, giving BGSU back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since 2001-02. Going back to last season, the Falcons have registered 63 wins, ranking sixth in program history for wins over a two-year span. The record currently sits at 70 wins, set by the 1998-99 teams. Stretches from 1976-77 and 1977-78 both resulted in 69 wins while the 2001-02 span tallied 68. The list concludes with 65 victories over the 1978-79 stretch. As of now, BGSU has eight games left in the regular season plus postseason play. 

Strikingly Close To Repeating History
For the second straight year, the Falcons have a chance to break the program record for strikeouts in a season as a team. After the record stood for 25 years with the 1999 team striking out 368 batters, the 2024 BGSU squad broke the record with 403 strikeouts. Now, the 2025 team is within range to do it again. This year's team has tallied 358 strikeouts so far this season, needing 45 to match the record. Last year, the mark came in bunches with Rigo Ramos tallying 58 K's, Nic Good adding 55, Landon Willeman with 49 and DJ Newman with 42. This year, the effort has come as a pitching unit with only Jacob Turner currently north of 40 strikeouts with 43 and just four others above the 30 mark. 

Horky Heating Up
Zack Horky has hit his stride for the Falcons of late, accumulating a 16-game on-base streak that is the second-longest active streak on the team. Additionally, Horky has produced a nine-game hitting streak, tied for second on the team as well. Over the 16-game on-base streak, Horky has tallied 23 hits, 19 RBI and 12 runs scored while logging seven walks and six doubles. Arguably Horky's best game during the stretch came at Fifth Third Field, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double as well as a team-high and career-high five RBI for the Orange and Brown. The game marked his third game with three or more hits during his hitting streak. 

Penrod's Record Book Pursuit
Connar Penrod has 11 saves this year, becoming the first Falcon in program history with double-digit saves in a season. The total has Penrod leading the MAC and tied for fifth in the nation. For his career, Penrod now has 12 saves, which is tied for fourth in program history with Jeremy Spezia (2018-22). The next step would be tying for second with 15 currently tied between Nick Bruns (2010-13) and Tony Landi (2014-17). The program record for career saves is set at 17 by Neil Schmitz (2001-04). As for the MAC record book for single-season saves, Penrod would need 13 saves this season to enter the Top 10. 

Wright Leans Into Record Book
Garrett Wright has essentially written his own section in the BGSU record book. Just a sophomore, Wright holds BGSU's program record for career hit-by-pitches as well as the top two spots on the single-season list as well. Wright set the single-season record, again, on April 26 now with 23 this year. Over his two seasons, Wright has been plunked 44 times, one of five players in the nation with 44 or more, joined by Clemson's Dominic Listi (47), Boston College's Kyle Wolff (46) and Troy's Steven Meier (45). Portland's JT Landwehr (43), UC Irvine's Chase Call (42) and Utah Valley's Luke Iverson (42) trail closely. Landwehr broke the NCAA single-season record last year with 39 at Mount St. Mary's. Wright's 23 HBPs this year are tied for eighth in the nation. 

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'