Iron Man is a term well-used throughout the world of sport.
Most people when hearing the term iron man think of endurance and durability; a player that can be reliable in a team’s effort for consistent success.
For BGSU baseball’s team, that title belongs to junior outfielder Nathan Archer.
Archer was the only Falcon who both played and started in all 50 games last year, something that he believes holds much importance.
“I want to do my best to help this team every day just to make sure I can try to help this team win as many games as I can,” said Archer. “That means consistently making the right choices and trying to be on the field as much as I can to help.”
Consistency is something that the junior outfielder thinks of for every facet of his game, both on and off of the field.
“There are a lot of factors, kind of watch what you eat and put the right things in your body,” said Archer. “Be consistent; maintain a good routine in the weight room, in the training room, and in the kitchen.”
These consistent routines have seemed to pay off for Archer so far in his college career. In the 2023 season, he posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. In that same season, the then-sophomore led the team in both home runs (9) and total bases (90).
Archer would take that streak of perfect fielding percentage into the 2024 season, where it would eventually break off of an error vs Miami. But even with the looming pressure of keeping this perfect percentage streak, he wouldn’t let the idea get to his head.
“It really didn’t come to mind thinking about dropping balls, it was more about what do I need to do in order to help my team win” said Archer. “When the balls hit to me I am not going to be the one to drop it, so its about having trust in myself and having trust in me to make plays out there.”
When Archer was faced with the choice of where he wanted to play as a junior in high school, he decided Bowling Green was the right fit due to their willingness to bet on his ability.
“They took a chance on me when not a lot of other people would so I felt that if they are going to take a chance on me I want to make it the best investment that they have ever made” stated Archer.
One person who was willing to take a chance on the young Archer was none other than head coach Kyle Hallock.
“Nathan is a special talent on both sides of the ball, we are fortunate to have him in our dugout,” said Hallock. “He’s a big-league center fielder right now at 20 turning 21 years old, and every ball that gets hit in the air he seems to catch.”
Hallock believes that Archer doesn’t only play at the center field position, but that he is the center of the team as a whole.
“Nathan is at the center of everything; he plays center field, he bats lead off for us, he is the guy that’s out there present our identity offensively,” said Hallock.
The baseball team has been off to a hot start so far this season which has required a win-first mentality from the team, a state of mind that Archer wears on his sleeve.
“His ability to get done what needs to get done. His willingness to take bunts, to take hit and runs, to steal bases and do whatever it takes to win” stated Hallock. “He puts up impressive numbers both metrically and statistically, but the numbers that matter to Nathan Archer are the ones on the scoreboard.”
Archer is off to a hot start this season- 31 runs, seven home runs, and a team-high 28 RBIs through 22 games played. This is the type of momentum the Falcons will look to continue throughout the season.
For more stories related to BGSU Athletics, follow Falcon Media Sports Network on X (@bg_fmsn).
