Bowling Green baseball squares off in their fifth Mid-American Conference (MAC) series of the year this weekend, hosting a series against the Central Michigan Chippewas starting on Saturday.
The Falcons sit atop the MAC with a conference record of 12-0, while the Chippewas are towards the bottom of the MAC with a 5-10 conference record.
With this series, the Falcons continue their nine-game home stretch in Bowling Green at Steller Field, with the double header on Saturday set at 12 p.m. and a Sunday game at 1 p.m.
Matchup History
Central Michigan has had lots of success in this series history, going 83-49-1 against the Orange and Brown.
With a series win, the Falcons could manage to take two straight series away from the Chippewas as BGSU won two games in Mount Pleasant last year.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcon offense continues to find their stride as they are ranked 24th in the country in homeruns hit per game (1.74).
While offense is rolling, BGSU is not as successful above the mound. Besides sophomore two-way player DJ Newman, Bowling Green has struggled to find reliable pitching in later innings, which nets them a team earned run average (ERA) of 6.90.
Scouting Central Michigan
The Chippewas tend to be seen towards the bottom of the MAC in every statistic, starting with a batting average of .256, earning them eighth in the conference and 179 runs, which is second worst.
On the mound, CMU has managed to put together a 7.53 ERA, placing them back in eighth, with the Chippewas playing the most games of an MAC team (33).
The team has won only one series in MAC play, a two-game series win against Ohio on March 23.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Jack Krause (Bowling Green #7)
The senior outfielder has provided consistent production at the plate for BGSU, exploding onto the scene after hosting a batting average of .153 in 2023.
The Brighton, Michigan, native has 31 runs on 31 hits with two doubles and seven homeruns, along with 27 runs batted in (RBI’s).
Krause leads the team with a batting average of .352, paired with a slugging percentage of .625 and on base percentage of .491.
Tyler Ross (Bowling Green #18)
The senior infielder has been another massive part of the Falcons’ explosive offense, winning two MAC player of the week awards on March 11 and 25.
The Lewis Center, Ohio, native has collected 28 hits so far this year which have played a part in scoring 24 runs. He has also totaled six doubles, three triples and five homeruns with 20 RBI’s.
Ross finds himself third on the team with a batting average of .341 and slugging and on base percentages of .671 and .440 respectively.
Jacob Donahue (Central Michigan #8)
The senior outfielder is the leader in the batting order, coming to the plate 122 times, which is second on the team, Donahue also has a .377 batting average, the best of any Chippewa.
A native of Joliet, Illinois, he has 24 runs on 46 hits with six doubles and one triple contributing to his 11 RBI’s. He he has yet to hit a homerun.
Donahue tallies a slugging percentage of .443 and an on base of .458 with his on base percentage being a team high.
Adam Mrakitsch (Central Michigan #11)
The junior lefty pitcher has started in eight games so far this season with a win-loss of 2-4 in 44 innings pitched.
The Howell, Michigan, native has struck out the most batters in the MAC (63) with 21 of those batters caught looking.
Mrakitsch has allowed 23 runs, 22 of which were earned, on 41 hits. He also threw 18 walks and had eight doubles and three homeruns hit on him.
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