The Bowling Green baseball team will wrap up their Tennessee tour this weekend with a three-game series in Knoxville, Tennessee, against the Tennessee Volunteers, currently ranked as the eighth-best team in the county.
A win against the Volunteers would give BG three wins in the nine games of the season since they started 4-5 in the 2016 campaign.
First pitch is set for 4:30 p.m. on Friday, 5 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Matchup History
BG and UT have previously met seven times, with the Volunteers leading the all-time series 6-1.
This weekend will mark the first meeting between the teams since the beginning of the 2003 season.
The Orange and Brown’s only win against Tennessee was a 15-11 victory on Feb. 17, 2002.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green enters this weekend’s series with a 2-4 record through the first six games. The Falcons have gone 1-2 against both Middle Tennessee State and Memphis to begin this year’s campaign.
BG’s offense is off to a fast start.
The Falcons currently lead the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with 8.0 runs per game, 6.7 walks per game, 10 home runs and just 43 strikeouts.
BGSU also ranks second in the conference with 11 stolen bases and a .405 on-base percentage, ranking fourth in the MAC with a .268 batting average and a .432 slugging percentage.
Pitching has been more of a mixed bag for BG through the first six games this season.
Along with having just 44 strikeouts, third-fewest in the MAC, the Falcons also rank fifth in the conference with a 7.41 ERA and eighth with a .313 opponent batting average.
However, Bowling Green has also allowed just 26 walks and three home runs, the fewest in the MAC.
Scouting Tennessee
Tennessee enters the weekend series with an 8-1 record and seven straight wins.
The Volunteer’s only loss came in extra innings against Oklahoma. Meanwhile, UT has notched wins against Texas Tech, ranked 18th in the country, Baylor, UNC Ashville, East Tennessee State, UAlbany and High Point.
Tennessee’s offensive numbers do not jump off the page.
The Volunteers rank fourth in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with 20 doubles, fifth with 17 home runs and sixth with 85 runs, 59 walks and a .544 slugging percentage.
However, Tennessee ranks just eight in the conference with a .292 batting average, 11th with a .419 on-base percentage, 12th with 75 strikeouts and last with four stolen bases.
UT’s pitching numbers stand out a little more.
The Volunteers have thrown just two wild pitches, the second-fewest in the SEC. UT also ranks fourth in the conference with four home runs allowed and fifth with a 3.12 ERA.
Tennessee has also allowed an opponent batting average of 2.19, thrown 32 walks and 90 strikeouts, ranking seventh, eighth and ninth in the MAC, respectively.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
The sophomore outfielder and pitcher is penciled in as BG’s starter for the series-opening game on Friday. The Archbold, Ohio, native has been dominant on the mound and in the batter’s box this season.
At the plate, Newman, who has recorded a hit in every game this season, is second in the MAC with four stolen bases, fifth with nine runs scored, seventh with 11 hits, ninth with a .692 slugging percentage and 10th with a .423 batting average and 1.192 OPS.
Meanwhile, on the rubber, the right-hander is first in the MAC with seven strikeouts looking, third with 16 strikeouts and seventh with a 3.60 ERA.
Newman is the reigning MAC Pitcher of the Week after he allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out 11 in seven scoreless innings last Friday in BG’s win against Memphis.
The junior pitcher is scheduled as Bowling Green’s starter on Saturday.
Good struggled in his last outing last Saturday against Memphis. The left-hander allowed four hits and six runs while walking three, hitting a batter and throwing two wild pitches in just 2.1 innings.
The Grosse Pointe, Michigan, native’s 8.59 ERA is currently the fifth-worst in the MAC.
Nathan Archer (Bowling Green #8)
The junior outfielder is off to a fast start at the plate this season.
Archer has reached base game in every game this season, holds a four-game hitting streak and ranks fifth in the MAC with 10 RBI.
In Saturday’s game against Memphis, the Lagrange, Ohio, native mashed his first grand slam at BG and drove in seven runs, the most by a Falcon since 2012 and one shy of tying the program record for RBI in a game.
Leighton Banjoff (Bowling Green #9)
The senior utility player has caught fire at the plate to start this season and is currently riding a five-game hitting streak.
Banjoff ranks sixth in the MAC with a 1.315 OPS and a .750 slugging percentage, seventh with two stolen bases and ninth with a .565 on-base percentage.
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