The Bowling Green baseball team is set to face off against Western Michigan in a three-game series from Friday through Sunday in a battle between the top two teams in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings.
The first pitch between the Falcons and Broncos is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Another win for the Orange and Brown will mark the most in a season since 2010 (31).
One more win would also give BG its most conference victories since the 2010 season (19), while two more wins would equal the Falcons’ first 20-conference win season since they won a program-record 22 MAC games in the 1999 campaign.
Matchup History
The teams have played each other 165 times since 1947, with Western Michigan leading the all-time series 96-69.
Last year, the Broncos swept the three-game season series against the Falcons in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
However, the Falcons have won the past two games against WMU at Steller Field.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green sits atop the MAC standings with a 25-15 overall and 18-3 conference record.
BG is 12-1 at home this season, with their only loss at Steller Field coming on April 21 against Ohio.
BGSU’s offense has been one of the best in the country this season.
The Falcons score the third-most runs per game (10.4) in the country, trailing only Wofford (10.6) and Austin Peay (11.2).
The Orange and Brown have scored double-digit runs in 21 of their 40 games this year.
BG’s offense leads the MAC and ranks fifth in the nation with a .437 on-base percentage (OBP), 10th with 416 runs scored, 14th with a .317 batting average (BA), 18th with 257 walks drawn, 23rd with a .532 slugging percentage (SLG) and 25th with 1.80 home runs per game.
The 257 walks drawn by the Falcons this season are a program record, surpassing the previous best mark set in 1978.
Bowling Green’s pitching has not been nearly as dominant as their offense this season.
The Falcons rank sixth in the MAC with a 7.25 earned-run average (ERA) and eighth with a .306 opponent batting average (BAA).
However, BGSU pitchers have hit just 51 batters and thrown only 188 walks, the second and third-best marks in the conference, respectively.
BG has also tossed 315 strikeouts this season, 53 behind the program record set in 1999.
Scouting Western Michigan
Western Michigan enters the series in second place in the MAC standings with 23-18 overall and 13-8 conference record.
WMU is coming off an 8-6 victory over Valparaiso on Tuesday in a 15-inning thriller.
The Broncos have dropped their past two MAC series, losing four of a combined six games against Ball State and Akron.
WMU’s offense has been one of the best in the MAC this season.
They rank second in the conference with a .312 BA and a .414 on-base percentage, fourth with 310 runs scored and 211 walks drawn, fifth with a .468 slugging percentage and seventh with 44 home runs.
Western Michigan’s pitching has also been some of the best in the MAC this season.
The Broncos have walked just 169 batters and given up only 250 earned runs this year, the best and second-best marks in the conference, respectively.
They also rank fourth in the MAC with a 6.24 ERA, and fifth with 327 strikeouts and a .294 BAA.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Nathan Archer (Bowling Green #8)
The junior outfielder has been one of the best players in the MAC this season, dominating at the plate for the Orange and Brown.
Archer, currently riding an 11-game on-base streak, leads the MAC with 59 runs scored and 53 runs batted in (RBI), rankings second with 16 home runs, third with 62 hits, 13 doubles and a .672 SLG, ninth with a 1.072 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and tied for 10th with two triples.
The Lagrange, Ohio, native, who has five multi-homer games this season, is tied for fourth in program history in single-season home runs (16) and sixth in program history in career home runs (33).
Jack Krause (Bowling Green #7)
The senior outfielder has mashed the ball for BG this season.
Krause ranks second in the MAC with a .500 OBP, third with 34 walks drawn, fourth with a 1.122 OPS and 46 runs scored, eighth with 10 home runs and 10th with a .356 BA.
The Brighton, Michigan, native, currently riding a 30-game on-base streak, has drawn 95 career walks, the 10th-most in program history.
Cade Sullivan (Western Michigan #36)
The senior infielder has been one of the best batters in the MAC this season.
Sullivan leads the conference with a .418 BA and a .512 OBP. He also ranks second with a 1.167 OPS and 56 runs scored, sixth with 31 walks drawn and ninth with a .655 SLG.
The Naperville, Illinois, native holds the WMU program record with 37 career home runs.
CJ Richmond (Western Michigan #48)
Richmond has been on a tear at the plate this season.
The junior infielder/outfielder ranks third in the MAC with a 1.133 OPS and 49 RBI, fourth with a .372 BA, fifth with a .479 OBP, eighth with 10 home runs and 10th with a .654 SLG.
However, the Indianapolis, Indiana, native also leads the conference with 56 strikeouts.
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