If the BGSU baseball team has proven anything this year, it’s that they enjoy a good streak.
After winning their first six games for the first time since 1997, the Falcons went on a matching losing streak, putting them at .500 through their first twelve games.
All six losses came during the team’s spring break trip to Bradenton, Fla.
The Falcons started the trip strong, beating Penn State in dramatic fashion by scoring four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win 5-4. They followed that up with a solid performance the next day, beating Duquesne 11-7.
Suddenly, however, a dark cloud descended upon the Falcons that not even the hot Florida sun could penetrate.
Over the next six days the Falcons dropped as many games, including a double-header against Holy Cross. The streak also included losses to Northeastern, Mt. Saint Mary’s, Valparaiso and St. Francis.
Head coach Danny Schmitz said, “We ran into a hot Northeastern team, and from there I guess we kind of struggled.”
But bad play was not the problem.
“We might have started to think we were better than we are,” said Tyler Wasserman, third baseman. “It shows us we can’t just show up and win.”
Schmitz said that the biggest factor in the losing streak was the Falcons simply lost track of the team concept.
Even though most other college students in Florida last week were partying, Schmitz and Wasserman both said that typical spring break activity was not the reason for the loss of focus.
“We had time to go to the beach but not for any partying,” Wasserman said.
Whatever the reason, it was something Schmitz said is now taken care of.
Wasserman agreed, “We did straighten things out in a team meeting [Monday]. Our team needs to be a family. We’ve finally figured that out.”
Schmitz is hoping that a workhorse mentality can help too.
“It’s got to be a blue collar team, we have to come prepared to every game,” he said.
Another thing they need is some continuity in the lineup.
Schmitz explained that he was playing everybody in Florida, giving the younger guys and players returning from injury a chance to prove themselves. He said he would start working on solidifying a lineup immediately so that every player knows his role before the team starts league play next Friday at Eastern Michigan.
The pitching rotation is also a big question mark right now.
“Alan Brech is definitely our number one, the rest we’re not sure about yet,” Schmitz said. “We need to get some guys cemented in there fairly quickly.”
The Falcons (6-6) are currently in second place in the MAC East behind Kent State (7-5) and in front of Akron (5-7).
The Falcons were set to try to end their losing streak yesterday at Wright State, but the game was canceled due to rain and poor field conditions.
This means they will have to wait a few more days to see if the changes made this week will translate into wins. They travel to Evansville, Ind. to take on the Purple Aces in a three game series this weekend. Evansville (8-9) would also be coming into the weekend with a six game losing streak if they lose their game last night against Louisville.
