The Bowling Green baseball team is set to wrap up their historic regular season against Toledo in the Battle of I-75 from Thursday to Saturday.
The Falcons will have a chance to make more history, currently sitting one win shy of the program record for most conference wins in a season (22).
The Thursday and Saturday games will be played at Steller Field, with the first pitch set for 3 p.m. for both contests.
Meanwhile, the Friday game marks the fourth annual Fifth Third game, as the teams will battle each other at the home of the Toledo Mudhens, with the first pitch set for 7 p.m.
Matchup History
The teams have played each other 236 times since 1921, with Bowling Green leading the all-time series 136-100.
The Falcons won the first game between the teams this season, a non-conference contest, on April 30, 17-9.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green is in the midst of one of the best seasons in program history.
The Falcons have secured their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) Regular Season Championship since 2009, maintaining a 29-18 overall and 21-6 conference record.
The Orange and Brown’s offense is one of the best in the nation.
BG is averaging 9.7 runs scored per game, the third-most in the country, trailing only Austin Peay (11.1) and Wofford (10.6). They have scored double-digit runs in 20 of their 47 games this season.
BGSU ranks 10th in the nation with a .428 on-base percentage (OBP), 13th with 457 runs scored, 19th with 286 walks drawn, 25th with a .309 batting average (BA) and 40th with a .515 slugging percentage (SLG).
However, Bowling Green’s pitching has not been nearly as dominant this year.
The Falcons rank sixth in the MAC with a 7.02 earned run average (ERA), seventh with 355 strikeouts and eighth with a .307 opponent batting average (BAA).
BG has also allowed 97 doubles and thrown 44 wild pitches, the third and fourth-most in the conference, respectively.
However, the Orange and Brown have walked just 215 batters, the third-fewest in the MAC.
The Falcons need just 14 more strikeouts to break the program record for punchouts in a season of 368, set in 1999.
Bowling Green has also been great defensively.
BGSU ranks third in the MAC with a .975 fielding percentage, which is on pace to break the program record of .973, set in 2022.
Scouting Toledo
Toledo enters the series in fifth place in the MAC standings with a 25-27 overall and 16-11 conference record.
UT’s offense ranks in the middle of the pack in the MAC.
The Rockets rank third in the conference with 241 walks drawn, sixth with 338 runs scored and a .457 SLG, eighth with a .265 BA, ninth with a .368 OBP, 10th with 74 doubles and last with just four triples.
However, the Midnight Blue and Gold lead the MAC with 86 home runs.
Toledo’s pitching staff has been the best in the MAC this season.
UT leads the conference with a 5.89 ERA and a .271 BAA. The Rockets also rank second in the MAC with 456 strikeouts and have given up just 71 doubles, the fewest in the conference.
The 456 strikeouts are a new program record.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Nathan Archer (Bowling Green #8)
The junior outfielder is having one of the best seasons in program history.
Archer leads the MAC with 64 runs scored and 62 runs batted in (RBI). He also ranks third with three triples, fifth with 69 hits and 17 home runs, sixth with 14 doubles and ninth with a .636 SLG.
The Lagrange, Ohio, native ranks in the top 10 in program history in five single-season and three career statistics.
With one more RBI, Archer will move into 10th place in program history for career RBI. Meanwhile, with two more RBI, Archer will move into second place in program history in single-season RBI.
Garrett Wright (Bowling Green #3)
The freshman catcher has been a major reason for BG’s success this season.
Wright leads the MAC with a .500 OBP. He also ranks third with a .384 BA and sixth with a 1.116 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
The Massillon, Ohio, native has been hit by 19 pitches this season, ranking second in the MAC and setting a new program record.
The junior outfielder/infielder is one of the best players in program history.
Pike leads the MAC with 20 home runs. He also ranks second with 75 hits, third with a 1.128 OPS and a .694 SLG, fourth with 55 home runs, seventh with 52 RBI, eighth with a .359 BA and ninth with 12 stolen bases.
The Waterville, Ohio, native holds Toledo’s program record for single-season and career home runs with 20 and 41, respectively.
The senior left-handed pitcher has been one of the best on the mound in the MAC this season.
Umberger ranks second in the MAC with a .230 BAA, fourth with a 3.97 ERA, fifth with five wins, seventh with 21 strikeouts looking, eighth with 69 strikeouts and ninth with 65.2 innings pitched.
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