Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, February 11
Cleveland, OH
8:00 AM
Bowling Green State University
at
Cleveland State
Falcons Head to Cleveland as 2017 Season Gets Underway
February 09, 2017 | Softball
BGSU to play four games in this weekend's CSU Dome Tournament
LEADING OFF
• The Bowling Green State University softball team opens the 2017 season this weekend, heading to Cleveland for four games in the CSU Dome Tournament. The Falcons will face host Cleveland State and Niagara on Saturday (Feb. 11), and BG will meet Canisius and Robert Morris on Sunday (Feb. 12) in the Krenzler Dome.
• The CSU Dome Tournament is the first of six tournaments in as many weekends for the Falcons. BGSU will participate in tourneys in Charlotte, N.C.; Lafayette, La.; Louisville, Ky.; Oxford, Miss.; and Bloomington, Ind. before Mid-American Conference play begins on March 24.
BGSUÂ SOFTBALLÂ LINKS
NOTES/WEB SITE:Â BGSU (PDF Notes)Â | CSU | Canisius | Niagara | Robert Morris
BGSU 2017 Quick Facts
THIS WEEKEND
• The Falcons are opening the season inside Cleveland State's dome for the fourth consecutive February. Three years ago, BGSU went 0-4 in the Vikings' tourney. The following year, playing three of the same four teams they met in 2014, the Brown and Orange went 3-1 at the CSU Dome Tournament.
• Last year, BGSU went 1-3 in the tourney, concluding weekend action with a 7-1 win over Robert Morris. The Falcons will meet Robert Morris in Cleveland for the fourth-straight season, and BG will be facing each of the other three teams (Canisius, Niagara and CSU) under the dome for the third time in the last four years.
CSU DOME TOURNAMENT
(links to live stats of BGSU's games are available here at BGSUFalcons.com)
Saturday, Feb. 11
Bowling Green at Cleveland State, 8:00 a.m.
Canisius at Cleveland State, 10:30 a.m.
Niagara vs. Bowling Green, 1:00 p.m.
Robert Morris vs. Canisius, 3:30 p.m.
Robert Morris vs. Niagara, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 12
Canisius at Cleveland State, 8:00 a.m.
Niagara at Cleveland State, 10:30 a.m.
Bowling Green vs. Canisius, 1:00 p.m.
Niagara vs. Robert Morris, 3:30 p.m.
Bowling Green vs. Robert Morris, 6:00 p.m.
NOTING THE FALCONS
• Head coach Sarah Willis enters her second year at the BGSU helm. She and her staff – assistant coaches Katie Reiff and Lauren Gambone, volunteer assistant Lyndsey Clark and alumnae coordinator Kolleen Kopchak – welcome back 12 letterwinners, including five starters, from a year ago.
• The Falcons return the entire infield, as senior Haley Schrock, redshirt junior Chelsea Raker and true juniors Kayla Gregory and Katee Hinkle each started at least 32 games last spring. Schrock was one of two players to start all 54 contests last year, while Raker made 52 starts and Hinkle 49.
• Schrock led the team with a .316 batting average, while Raker hit .286 last year. Raker's five homers and 23 runs batted in ranked her second on the 2016 Falcons and are the top totals among 2017 returnees.
• In addition to Gregory and Hinkle, another middle infielder returns with starting experience in redshirt junior Aspen Searle. Searle owns a .320 career batting average in 118 games as a Falcon, but missed nearly all of last season due to injury. She hit .344 as a sophomore in 2015, with 22 extra-base hits and a .618 slugging percentage that spring.
• BGSU's entire starting outfield from a year ago has graduated, as Marisa Shook (54), Molly Holliday (50) and Marina Cobbs (39) each started at least 39 games. And, pitcher/utility player Braiden Dillow has graduated after leading the Falcon pitchers with 10 complete games and hitting .312 at the plate last season.
• A trio of pitchers return in senior Briana Combs and sophomores Brooke Parker and Kiley Sosby. Combs had four complete games among her 13 starts and is the lone hurler with more than one year of collegiate experience on the staff.
• Sosby led the 2016 Falcons in wins, ERA and opponent batting average. She had a 9-8 record and allowed BG foes to hit just .225 against her. Parker paced the team in relief appearances, coming out of the bullpen for 19 of her 21 appearances, and posted the team's lone save in 2016.
• BGSU was picked to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference East Division according to the MAC's preseason coaches' poll.
• Among the Falcons' six newcomers to the 2017 roster are a pair of NCAA Division-I transfers. Junior catcher Laine Simmons joins the Falcons after two years at Morehead State University, while sophomore pitcher Meredith Miller spent the 2016 season at the University of Southern Mississippi.
• Simmons faced the Falcons in CSU's dome last season, making a pinch-hit appearance in a 6-5 MSU win over BGSU. Simmons made a much more eventful pinch-hit appearance that same weekend, hitting a walk-off, three-run homer as the Eagles topped host Cleveland State by that same 6-5 score.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
• All four BGSU opponents, like the Falcons, begin the 2017 season this weekend.
• Cleveland State finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 21-32 and a Horizon League mark of 12-12. Head coach Becky Norris and the Vikings were picked to finish sixth in the HL this season. Norris returns 11 letterwinners, including five starters, from a year ago.
• Niagara went 10-38 overall, and the Purple Eagles finished with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference record of 8-12 in 2016. Head coach Larry Puzan's team was predicted to finish ninth in the MAAC in 2017.
• Niagara returns 15 of 19 players from last year's roster.
• Canisius finished with a 23-32 overall record a year ago, and the Golden Griffins went 13-7 in MAAC play. Coach Kim Griffin's team was picked to finish fourth in the MAAC this year.
• Canisius returns six positional starters and three pitchers from a year ago, including senior Lindsay Silfer. Silfer was named the MAAC's Preseason Co-Player of the Year after earning league P-O-Y honors in 2016. She led the MAAC with a .417 batting average a year ago.
• Robert Morris finished with a 23-33 overall record last season, and the Colonials went 10-6 in Northeast Conference play to finish third in the league standings. Head coach Craig Coleman enters his 27th year at the helm.
THE SERIES
• BGSU leads Cleveland State,19-8, in the all-time series between the teams. But, for the first time in series history, the Vikings have won two-straight games over the Falcons. CSU captured a 5-3 win in the dome tourney three years ago (Feb. 8, 2014), and the Vikings won, 8-5, on the opening weekend last season (Feb. 14, 2016). The teams met at least once in every year from 1997 to 2004, then went a decade without facing off.
• BGSU and Niagara are tied, 1-1, in that series, with both meetings coming in Cleveland. Two years ago, the Falcons picked up a 9-1 win in the season opener (Feb. 7, 2015). Last year, though, the Purple Eagles captured a 4-1 decision on opening day (Feb. 13, 2016).
• BGSU is also tied with Canisius, 1-1, in that series. Both meetings have come in Cleveland, with the Golden Griffins earning a 4-2 victory three years ago (Feb. 9, 2014). The Falcons, however, scored 10 runs in the first inning en route to a 16-1, five-inning win the following year (Feb. 8, 2015).
• The Falcons hold a 4-2 series lead over Robert Morris. All six meetings have come at neutral sites, including the last three in Cleveland. Three seasons ago (Feb. 8, 2014), the Colonials came away with a 3-2 win. Then, exactly a year later, the Falcons returned the favor with a 3-2 victory at the CSU tourney. Last year, BGSU closed weekend action under the dome with a 7-1 win over RMU, with Kiley Sosby firing a complete game for her first collegiate win (Feb. 14, 2016).
COMING UP...
• Following the four games in Cleveland, the Falcons will head to Charlotte, N.C., to take part in the First Pitch Classic (Feb. 17-19). BGSU will play a total of five games in that tourney, which also includes Canisius, Charlotte and St. Bonaventure.
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• The Bowling Green State University softball team opens the 2017 season this weekend, heading to Cleveland for four games in the CSU Dome Tournament. The Falcons will face host Cleveland State and Niagara on Saturday (Feb. 11), and BG will meet Canisius and Robert Morris on Sunday (Feb. 12) in the Krenzler Dome.
• The CSU Dome Tournament is the first of six tournaments in as many weekends for the Falcons. BGSU will participate in tourneys in Charlotte, N.C.; Lafayette, La.; Louisville, Ky.; Oxford, Miss.; and Bloomington, Ind. before Mid-American Conference play begins on March 24.
BGSUÂ SOFTBALLÂ LINKS
NOTES/WEB SITE:Â BGSU (PDF Notes)Â | CSU | Canisius | Niagara | Robert Morris
BGSU 2017 Quick Facts
THIS WEEKEND
• The Falcons are opening the season inside Cleveland State's dome for the fourth consecutive February. Three years ago, BGSU went 0-4 in the Vikings' tourney. The following year, playing three of the same four teams they met in 2014, the Brown and Orange went 3-1 at the CSU Dome Tournament.
• Last year, BGSU went 1-3 in the tourney, concluding weekend action with a 7-1 win over Robert Morris. The Falcons will meet Robert Morris in Cleveland for the fourth-straight season, and BG will be facing each of the other three teams (Canisius, Niagara and CSU) under the dome for the third time in the last four years.
CSU DOME TOURNAMENT
(links to live stats of BGSU's games are available here at BGSUFalcons.com)
Saturday, Feb. 11
Bowling Green at Cleveland State, 8:00 a.m.
Canisius at Cleveland State, 10:30 a.m.
Niagara vs. Bowling Green, 1:00 p.m.
Robert Morris vs. Canisius, 3:30 p.m.
Robert Morris vs. Niagara, 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 12
Canisius at Cleveland State, 8:00 a.m.
Niagara at Cleveland State, 10:30 a.m.
Bowling Green vs. Canisius, 1:00 p.m.
Niagara vs. Robert Morris, 3:30 p.m.
Bowling Green vs. Robert Morris, 6:00 p.m.
NOTING THE FALCONS
• Head coach Sarah Willis enters her second year at the BGSU helm. She and her staff – assistant coaches Katie Reiff and Lauren Gambone, volunteer assistant Lyndsey Clark and alumnae coordinator Kolleen Kopchak – welcome back 12 letterwinners, including five starters, from a year ago.
• The Falcons return the entire infield, as senior Haley Schrock, redshirt junior Chelsea Raker and true juniors Kayla Gregory and Katee Hinkle each started at least 32 games last spring. Schrock was one of two players to start all 54 contests last year, while Raker made 52 starts and Hinkle 49.
• Schrock led the team with a .316 batting average, while Raker hit .286 last year. Raker's five homers and 23 runs batted in ranked her second on the 2016 Falcons and are the top totals among 2017 returnees.
• In addition to Gregory and Hinkle, another middle infielder returns with starting experience in redshirt junior Aspen Searle. Searle owns a .320 career batting average in 118 games as a Falcon, but missed nearly all of last season due to injury. She hit .344 as a sophomore in 2015, with 22 extra-base hits and a .618 slugging percentage that spring.
• BGSU's entire starting outfield from a year ago has graduated, as Marisa Shook (54), Molly Holliday (50) and Marina Cobbs (39) each started at least 39 games. And, pitcher/utility player Braiden Dillow has graduated after leading the Falcon pitchers with 10 complete games and hitting .312 at the plate last season.
• A trio of pitchers return in senior Briana Combs and sophomores Brooke Parker and Kiley Sosby. Combs had four complete games among her 13 starts and is the lone hurler with more than one year of collegiate experience on the staff.
• Sosby led the 2016 Falcons in wins, ERA and opponent batting average. She had a 9-8 record and allowed BG foes to hit just .225 against her. Parker paced the team in relief appearances, coming out of the bullpen for 19 of her 21 appearances, and posted the team's lone save in 2016.
• BGSU was picked to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference East Division according to the MAC's preseason coaches' poll.
• Among the Falcons' six newcomers to the 2017 roster are a pair of NCAA Division-I transfers. Junior catcher Laine Simmons joins the Falcons after two years at Morehead State University, while sophomore pitcher Meredith Miller spent the 2016 season at the University of Southern Mississippi.
• Simmons faced the Falcons in CSU's dome last season, making a pinch-hit appearance in a 6-5 MSU win over BGSU. Simmons made a much more eventful pinch-hit appearance that same weekend, hitting a walk-off, three-run homer as the Eagles topped host Cleveland State by that same 6-5 score.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
• All four BGSU opponents, like the Falcons, begin the 2017 season this weekend.
• Cleveland State finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 21-32 and a Horizon League mark of 12-12. Head coach Becky Norris and the Vikings were picked to finish sixth in the HL this season. Norris returns 11 letterwinners, including five starters, from a year ago.
• Niagara went 10-38 overall, and the Purple Eagles finished with a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference record of 8-12 in 2016. Head coach Larry Puzan's team was predicted to finish ninth in the MAAC in 2017.
• Niagara returns 15 of 19 players from last year's roster.
• Canisius finished with a 23-32 overall record a year ago, and the Golden Griffins went 13-7 in MAAC play. Coach Kim Griffin's team was picked to finish fourth in the MAAC this year.
• Canisius returns six positional starters and three pitchers from a year ago, including senior Lindsay Silfer. Silfer was named the MAAC's Preseason Co-Player of the Year after earning league P-O-Y honors in 2016. She led the MAAC with a .417 batting average a year ago.
• Robert Morris finished with a 23-33 overall record last season, and the Colonials went 10-6 in Northeast Conference play to finish third in the league standings. Head coach Craig Coleman enters his 27th year at the helm.
THE SERIES
• BGSU leads Cleveland State,19-8, in the all-time series between the teams. But, for the first time in series history, the Vikings have won two-straight games over the Falcons. CSU captured a 5-3 win in the dome tourney three years ago (Feb. 8, 2014), and the Vikings won, 8-5, on the opening weekend last season (Feb. 14, 2016). The teams met at least once in every year from 1997 to 2004, then went a decade without facing off.
• BGSU and Niagara are tied, 1-1, in that series, with both meetings coming in Cleveland. Two years ago, the Falcons picked up a 9-1 win in the season opener (Feb. 7, 2015). Last year, though, the Purple Eagles captured a 4-1 decision on opening day (Feb. 13, 2016).
• BGSU is also tied with Canisius, 1-1, in that series. Both meetings have come in Cleveland, with the Golden Griffins earning a 4-2 victory three years ago (Feb. 9, 2014). The Falcons, however, scored 10 runs in the first inning en route to a 16-1, five-inning win the following year (Feb. 8, 2015).
• The Falcons hold a 4-2 series lead over Robert Morris. All six meetings have come at neutral sites, including the last three in Cleveland. Three seasons ago (Feb. 8, 2014), the Colonials came away with a 3-2 win. Then, exactly a year later, the Falcons returned the favor with a 3-2 victory at the CSU tourney. Last year, BGSU closed weekend action under the dome with a 7-1 win over RMU, with Kiley Sosby firing a complete game for her first collegiate win (Feb. 14, 2016).
COMING UP...
• Following the four games in Cleveland, the Falcons will head to Charlotte, N.C., to take part in the First Pitch Classic (Feb. 17-19). BGSU will play a total of five games in that tourney, which also includes Canisius, Charlotte and St. Bonaventure.
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1B
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3B
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SS
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OF
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C
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P/Util.
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