Falcons Host Ball State To Begin MAC Play

Bowling Green Falcons (5-10, 0-0 MAC)
vs.
Ball State Cardinals (12-7, 0-0 MAC)
March 20-22 (Warren E. Steller Field)
Friday (3:05 p.m.) LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO
Saturday (1:05 p.m.) LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO
Sunday (1:05 p.m.) LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO
Complete Game Notes (.pdf)

The Weekend Ahead
The Bowling Green State University baseball program begins Mid-American Conference play this weekend when the Falcons welcome the Ball State Cardinals to town for a three-game series at Warren E. Steller Field. BGSU enters the weekend with an overall record of 5-10 on the season, while Ball State comes in with a 12-7 mark.

About Bowling Green Baseball
Bowling Green is in the middle of its 95th season of varsity baseball, with an all-time record of 1,593-1,382-27. The Falcons have won seven MAC East championships, five MAC regular season titles, and have won the MAC Tournament on three occasions. Bowling Green has qualified for the MAC Tournament 11 times since 1994, including six times in the last seven seasons.

Head Coach Danny Schmitz
Bowling Green State University head baseball coach Danny Schmitz is in his 25th season at the helm of the Orange and Brown. Schmitz, who has an all-time record of 642-618-5, is the winningest coach in program history. His 642 overall wins and 332 wins in the MAC are third-most in conference history.

Schmitz turned around the Falcons' baseball program from the time he stepped on campus in the fall of 1990. The Falcons have won four MAC regular season titles under Schmitz, and have won the MAC East seven times. Schmitz has been named MAC Coach of the Year three times and currently has four players in the professional ranks.

Schmitz's Coaching Staff
Danny Schmitz has a familiar coaching staff for the 2015 season, as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator Rick Blanc returns for his eighth season with the Falcons. Blanc was a pitcher in 1997-98 for the Falcons, and led the team to an NCAA Regional in 1998.

Ryan Shay is in his first season as an assistant coach under Schmitz, serving as the hitting coach and also working with the infielders. Shay played for Schmitz from 2006-09, and was a two-time All-MAC shorstop.

Volunteer coach Garrett Gray returns under Schmitz for his second season. Gray works with the hitters and catchers for the Falcons.

Scouting Ball State
Ball State enters the weekend with an overall record of 12-7 on the season, coming off a 6-2 win at home on Wednesday against Rutgers. The Cardinals have won five consecutive games coming into this weekend, sweeping Dayton on the road over the weekend and defeating Miami University in a midweek game last week.

BSU is coached by Rich Maloney, who is in his third season of his second stint with the Cardinals. Maloney coached at Ball State from 1996-2002 before accepting the head coaching job at University of Michigan, where he coached from 2003-12. Maloney has a career record of 679-437-1. He is assisted by Scott French, Tood Linklater, and Rhett Goodmiller.

As a team, the Cardinals enter the weekend with a batting average of .277 and earned run average of 4.32. Elbert Devarie (Kissimmee, Fla.) leads BSU with a batting average of .382. He has 29 hits and three home runs, which also leads the Cardinals. Alex Call (River Falls, Wis.) is another name to watch for. Call is batting .363 with 19 runs scored and two triples.

The Cardinals pitching staff is also strong, as their top three relievers all feature ERAs below 1.30 entering the weekend. Zach Plesac, who the Falcons will see on the mound Friday, was named National Freshman Pitcher of the Year by several publications following last season. 2013 MAC Pitcher of the Year Scott Baker will throw on Saturday, ,and the Falcons will face freshman Brendan Burns (3-0, 3.74 ERA) on Sunday.

They Said It
Head coach Danny Schmitz on facing Ball State this weekend to begin MAC play: "We have a great challenge ahead of us this weekend when Ball State comes to town. We are going to need to play well in all three phases to beat Ball State. They are a well-coached program and will definitely play the game the right way and wont beat themselves."

Pitcher Andrew Lacinak on the excitement of starting MAC play: "MAC play is the start of a new season. No matter what happened prior to now, our focus is on game one against Ball State and everyone will be ready for that."

Lacinak Sets the Tone
Andrew Lacinak has been Bowling Green's Friday starter this season, making four starts thus far for the Orange and Brown. A native of Reading, Ohio, Lacinak owns a record of 1-1 on the season. He has struck out 16 batters in 22.1 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a batting average of just .268.

Link Takes The Ball Saturday
Jason Link, a senior from Hamilton, Ohio, will take the ball and start Saturday's game for the Falcons on the mound. After starting the season as a reliever, Link has moved into a starting role. Saturday will mark his third start of the season. He has struck out 10 batters in 9.0 innings of work so far in 2015.

Say Hello To Spring
Bowling Green has welcomed spring weather in Northwest Ohio this past week, after playing their first 14 games of the season on the road. The Falcons have played just 15 games, after having five cancelled due to winter weather. BGSU's 15 games are among the fewest in the Mid-American Conference. Kent State has also only played 15 games thus far, while Buffalo has played the fewest in the MAC with 13.

Preseason Prepares BG For Success
Head coach Danny Schmitz has always done a good job early in the season of preparing his team for late-season success, as the Falcons usually play their best baseball during MAC play and the later portions of the season. Since 1995, head coach Danny Schmitz has just a .477 winning percentage through the spring trip, but his teams have turned it on and been prepared for the conference season upon return from the warmer weather. Schmitz has a record of 450-376 (.546) after the spring trip since 1995, and the Falcons will be looking for 2015 to be no different.

First Career Starts
Eight players have made their first career starts for the Falcons so far this season, as the 2015 roster features 14 newcomers. Junior college transfer Kory Brown made his first career start in a Falcon uniform on Feb. 13 at Southeast Missouri, while freshmen Cody Callaway and Randy Righter also started that game. Pitcher Zac Carey started against SEMO as well that weekend. Tyler Greiner, Hunter Clanin, Justin Mott and Kody Brown have all made their first career start this season, as well.

Keegan An All-Around Player
Redshirt sophomore Trey Keegan has led the Falcons' offense through the first 15 games of the season, batting .370 with a .500 on-base percentage. The Sandusky, Ohio native was tasked with replacing the MAC's best catcher in T.J. Losby from 2014, and has stepped into that role nicely. Keegan leads the Falcons with 17 runs scored, 17 RBI, and six doubles. Additionally, he has reached base safely in 14-of-15 games this season. Behind the dish, Keegan has picked off two runners and caught 44-percent (7-for-16) of would-be base stealers.

Righter Of His Own Story
True freshman Randy Righter has stepped onto campus and not disappointed, starting 14 games to date, including the last 13. A native of West Bloomfield, Mich., Righter is batting .357 which is second on the team. His seven extra-base hits are tied for the team lead, and his .589 slugging percentage leads the Falcons. Righter has hit three home runs already this season and is the Falcons' active leader in the category.

On Base B-How
Redshirt senior Brandon Howard enters the weekend with a six-game on-base streak, having reached base safely in every game dating back to March 10 versus Bucknell. Howard has hit leadoff and started at second base in all 15 games this season, hitting .293 with an on-base percentage of .397. Howard has stolen 10 bases this season, including tying his career-high with three versus Butler in a 16-14 win on March 10.

The Ohio Connection
Bowling Green features a roster of 32 players for the 2015 season, and has done an outstanding job over the past several years of recruiting their own backyard. 25 players on this year's roster hail from the Buckeye state, making up over 78-percent of the team. The Falcons also have players from Michigan, Illinois, New York, and Pennsylvania.

A Youthful Roster
The 2015 Falcons feature a roster of 14 newcomers, including 10 true freshman. 20 players on the roster entered the season with three-or-more years of eligibility remaining, which will turn youth into talented experience in the years to come.

The Going Rait
Senior Jesse Rait got off to a slow start in 2015, but has picked things up as of late. Despite having just a .239 batting average, Rait has a .314 on-base percentage and has hit safely in five consecutive games.

Basalyga Comes Into Weekend Hot
Sophomore Greg Basalyga comes into the weekend on a hot streak, having hit safely in six straight games and reached base in each of the last seven games. Basalyga is hitting .326 on the season with eight runs scored and six RBI. The Pickerington, Ohio native tripled in a win over Bucknell last week - the first of his career - and also doubled against Youngstown State on Wednesday.

Smith Cleaning Up
Junior Matt Smith has batted in the cleanup spot of Danny Schmitz's lineup for most of the 2015 season. A native of Johnstown, Ohio, Smith is hitting .283 with an on-base percentage of .381. He has three doubles and one triple on the season, and is one of three Falcons with double-digit RBIs. Coming into the season, Smith had three extra-base hits (all doubles) in 116 career at-bats. So far this season in 53 at-bats, Smith has four extra-base hits (three doubles and a triple). The Falcons' centerfielder enters this weekend riding a six-game hitting streak.

Bucking The Trend
BGSU enters this weekend with a 2-9 record on the season against right-handed pitchers. The Falcons will look to reverse that trend as they will face three righties on the mound for BSU this weekend.

Running For the Win
A key factor for Bowling Green this season has been the running game, as the Falcons are 22-for-33 in stolen base attempts so far this year. However, 16 of those stolen bases have come in Bowling Green's five wins, as the Falcons are 5-0 when stealing at least two bases in a game this season. In the Falcons' 10 losses, BGSU has combined to steal just six bases.

Fast Start Keys Falcon Wins
While scoring first hasn't guaranteed a win for the Falcons in 2015, leading after six innings has. Bowling Green is 3-0 this season when leading after six innings, but 0-9 when trailing after six. The Falcons will look to get off to a strong start this weekend against Ball State.

Callaway A Two-Sport Falcon
Cody Callaway, a freshman from Midview, Ohio, is Bowling Green's only male, two-sport athlete. A third baseman on the baseball team, Callaway is also a quarterback on the Falcons' football team. With spring football practice underway, Callaway's time will be split between football and baseball for the next several weeks. After being drafted out of high school in the 34th round by the Cleveland Indians, Callaway decided to attend BGSU to play both sports. He will compete for the starting QB job during spring drills while also competing for time at third base for the Falcon baseball team.

Offense Propels Falcons To Wins
In Bowling Green's five wins this season, the offense has been clicking and featured a balanced approach. In the Falcons' wins, BGSU is averaging 13.6 hits per game and has had at least 10 hits in every win. Bowling Green is averaging 12.0 runs per game in their wins, as well. In their losses, though, the Falcons are averaging just 7.8 hits per game and 3.7 runs per game.

Falcon Bats Break Out vs. Butler
Bowling Green's bats broke out in a big way on March 10 against Butler, as the Falcons and Bulldogs battled during the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, Fla. The Falcons scored 16 runs in the game and had 17 hits. However, in the four games since that win, the Falcons have scored just 19 runs and had 31 hits. All four games have resulted in losses, although the biggest margin of defeat came on Wednesday in just a four-run loss to Youngstown State.

Outhitting The Opposition
BGSU has found success in 2015 when outhitting the opposition, as Bowling Green has done so in all five wins this season. The Falcons are 5-3 when outhitting their opponent, but 0-7 when getting outhit.

The Six-Run Difference
The Falcons pitching staff has shown its youth at times in 2015, but has done a nice job of giving the offense a chance to win games this season. When the offense has scored at least six runs this year, the Falcons are 5-2. In fact, Bowling Green is 5-1 when scoring at least seven runs this season, with the lone loss coming in a bottom-of-the-ninth heartbreaker against Illinois State on March 11 in the RussMatt Invitational.

It's Good To Be Home
After playing their first 14 games of the season on the road, Bowling Green was finally able to play a home game when they hosted Youngstown State on Wednesday afternoon at Warren E. Steller Field. The first month of the season saw the Falcons travel nearly 5,000 miles to play their 14 games, and also saw five games cancelled due to winter weather. Another series (at Eastern Kentucky) was moved to Emerson, Ga. because of unplayable field conditions.

Chasing The Records
Several Falcons enter this weekend of play with a chance to enter, or move up, the career record books at Bowling Green.
• Brian Bien enters the weekend with 585 career at-bats. He is 50 shy of entering the all-time top 10.
• Bien also has 188 career hits and is just 21 shy of entering the top 10 for most hits in a career.
• Brandon Howard comes into this weekend 8th all-time with 42 stolen bases. He is just two shy of moving into a 7th-place tie with 44 stolen bases.
• Both Howard and Bien should end their careers inside the top 10 for most games played. Howard has played 167 career games, while Bien has played in 160. 190 career games would move them into a 10th-place tie.
• Bien continues to move up the record book with 476 career assists. He currently sits 4th all-time in assists and is just 32 shy of moving into a 3rd-place tie.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Greg Basalyga

Brian Bien

Kody Brown

Kory Brown

Cody Callaway

Zac Carey

Hunter Clanin

Tyler Greiner

Brandon Howard

Trey Keegan

Andrew Lacinak

Jason Link

T.J. Losby

Justin Mott

Jesse Rait

Randy Righter

Matt Smith

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics