The Bowling Green baseball team finally returns to Steller Field for a nine-game homestand, starting with a battle against Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday.
The first pitch between the Falcons and Mastodons is set for 3 p.m.
Matchup History
The teams have played each other 19 times since 2002, with Bowling Green leading the all-time series, 14-5.
BG has won five straight and eight of the last nine contests against the Mastodons.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green enters the game atop the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings with a 15-11 overall and 12-0 conference record.
While the Falcons have won all three home games this season, they are coming off a 6-4 road loss to Ohio State on Tuesday, which ended their season-long four-game winning streak.
BG’s offense has been the team’s biggest strength. It has been arguably the best in the MAC this season and one of the best in the country.
Although the Falcons have played just 26 games so far, the fewest of any MAC team, they lead the conference with 245 runs scored and a .506 slugging percentage (SLG).
The Orange and Brown also rank second in the MAC with a .302 batting average (BA), 45 home runs and a .414 on-base percentage (OBP).
However, BG’s pitching has not been nearly as dominant this season.
The Falcons rank just fifth in the MAC with a 7.02 earned run average (ERA) and seventh with a .303 opponent batting average.
BGSU’s pitching has especially struggled in non-conference play.
Bowling Green holds just a 9.66 ERA against non-MAC opponents.
Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the game in sixth place in the Horizon League with a 12-19 overall and 6-6 conference record.
The Mastodons are fresh off a series win, having taken two out of three against Northern Kentucky last weekend.
PFW’s offense has been solid this season.
The Mastodons rank fourth in the Horizon League with a .275 BA, a .410 SLG, a .361 SLG, 184 runs scored, 50 doubles and 26 home runs.
However, Purdue Fort Wayne’s pitching has not been as strong this season.
PFW ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a .328 opponent batting average and fifth with an 8.78 ERA, 170 walks allowed and 188 strikeouts.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Nathan Archer (Bowling Green #8)
The junior outfielder has been dominant recently, riding an eight-game hitting streak.
Over the past games, Archer has batted .474 (18-38), scoring 13 times, driving in 10 runs, hitting four doubles and blasting five home runs.
The Lagrange, Ohio, native ranks third in the MAC with 34 runs scored, fifth with nine home runs and a .659 SLG, sixth with nine doubles and two triples, seventh with 32 runs batted in (RBI) and ninth with 41 hits.
Sam Seidel (Bowling Green #21)
The sophomore infielder has been an on-base machine for Bowling Green.
The Greenwich, Ohio, native has reached base in all 25 games he has played this season. If you include last season, Seidel has reached base in 36 consecutive games.
Justin Osterhouse (Purdue Fort Wayne #17)
The freshman infielder/outfielder has been a nightmare for opposing pitchers this season. Osterhouse ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a .377 BAA, fifth with 43 hits, sixth with eight home runs and 11 stolen bases, seventh with 32 RBI and eighth with a .445 OBP, a .649 SLG and a 1.094 on-base plus slugging percentage.
Nick Sutherlin (Purdue Fort Wayne #20)
The junior infielder has been a key piece for PFW this season.
Although he has struck out 34 times this season, the second-most in the Horizon League, Sutherlin has belted 10 doubles, the sixth-most in the conference.
The Greencastle, Indiana, native blasted a walk-off home run in Purdue Fort Wayne’s series-winning victory on Saturday.
