Mother Nature went a little easier on the Bowling Green baseball team this week, but the Falcons are not expecting their four games with defending Mid-American Conference western division champs Eastern Michigan to be very easy.
The Falcons travel to Ypsilanti, Mich. today to play the Eagles, then return to Bowling Green for a Saturday doubleheader before hitting the road again on Sunday for an afternoon game in Ypsilanti.
The Falcons won’t take a stellar record with them to Ypsilanti but they will take the lowest staff earned run average in the conference, a one-game winning streak and an undefeated record in MAC play.
Bowling Green’s Kyle Knoblauch has been the ace so far this season. Knoblauch will get the ball for today’s game. In his last outing, Knoblauch helped the Falcons defeat Buffalo, 3-1.
“The staff as a whole has pitched really well,” head coach Danny Schmitz said. “Kyle Knoblauch has been lights-out this year. He hasn’t given up an earned run in three or four appearances.”
Tyler Saneholtz and Tom Oestrike will take the mound for tomorrow’s games. The coaching staff will decide on the starter for Sunday’s game after the first three games are completed. The Eagles have started slow this season, compiling a 3-10 start, but recently won, 12-3, at West Virginia.
“All of us northern teams are off to a slow start,” Schmitz said. “I think some of it has to do with the harsh winter that we’ve all had.”
Eastern Michigan returns two of their top players from last season’s west division championship team. Ryan Goleski tied BG’s Kelly Hunt for the league’s home run title last season and is off to a good start this season. Brian Bixler won the conference’s Freshman of the Year Award and is back to play shortstop for the Eagles.
“It’s going to be a crucial series right from the get go,” Schmitz said. “They’re going to be a very solid team. They’re very well-coached, they’re going to be fundamentally sound, they’re going to have some good arms that they’re going to throw at us, they’re going to play good defense and they’re going to be led offensively by Ryan Goleski.”
The Falcons have some freshmen that are contributing to the team’s recent success. Schmitz mentioned Tyler Wasserman’s abilities at third base and right-handed pitcher Tyler Johnson’s success on the mound.
“They’re [the freshmen] getting thrown into the fire, especially on the position player side of it. We lost a lot of key position players last year either due to graduation or the draft and so our youngsters are getting thrown in there right away,” Schmitz said. “I think Bobby Majer has played very, very well as a freshman and he’s starting to establish himself as an everyday player.”
Despite a back injury to veteran infielder Andy Hudak, Schmitz believes the Falcons are filling in nicely. “We play with the hand that we’re dealt and right now the guys are doing a good job.” “They’re the defending western division champions and we’re switching from the east to the west so they’re just going to be a very good team, we’re going to have to play our best baseball,” Schmitz said.
