BGSU softball (3-7) ended off the Norman Tournament on a good note, beating Tulsa 9-4 after nearly achieving one of the greatest upsets in BGSU athletics history in an 8-5 loss to the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners (14-0).
More obstacles stand in their way before the beginning of conference play on March 14, including the Chanticleer Showdown this coming weekend, where the Falcons will play six games in four days, including two matchups against head coach Michelle Gardner’s former employers, Coastal Carolina University, where she served as an associate head coach from 2021-2023.
CCU, UConn, and Wisconsin will all play two each against the Falcons, and with a combined record of 29-13 among the three opponents, BG will be clear underdogs in all six matchups.
The full weekend schedule looks like this:
Friday, Feb. 28
BGSU vs. UConn: 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 1
BGSU vs. Wisconsin: 10 a.m.
BGSU vs. UConn: 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 2
BGSU vs. Wisconsin: 10 a.m.
BGSU vs. Coastal Carolina: 2 p.m.
Monday, March 3
BGSU vs. Coastal Carolina: 6 p.m.
Falcon Forecast
After a tough opening three games on Saturday and Sunday in Norman, where the Falcons were outscored 30-9, they seemed to learn their lesson ahead of the Monday slate, scoring 14 runs while allowing only 12 across both games.
The pitching staff stepped up when needed, with pitchers Mackenzie Krafcik, Scarlet Anderson, and Sydney Marshall allowing four earned runs through 13 combined innings on Monday.
Designated hitter Katie Hutter and infielders Hannah Hunt and Taylor Behrendt all had breakout weekends in Norman, combining for 18 of the team’s 26 total hits at the tournament.
Third baseman Addie Martin started the season on a three-game hitting streak but fell into a slump, going 1-17 before going 3-3 in BG’s Monday victory over Tulsa. Martin, along with outfielder Kendall Matthews and catcher Ashley Chevalier, who earned their first hits of the season on Monday, will look to continue the momentum into a tournament where offense will be vital in the Falcons’ ability to contend with tough competition.
The Falcons sit ninth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with a .242 batting average, but their six home runs and .375 slugging percentage are good enough for sixth in the conference. One of BG’s biggest weaknesses in 2024 has turned into one of their biggest strengths, as the squad is on pace to eclipse their 2024 mark of eight home runs not even a fourth of the way into the 2025 season.
UConn Huskies (8-5)
The Huskies roll into Conway after winning seven of their last nine games, including three victories over the Middle Tennessee Raiders (4-11), where the team scored 16 combined runs. Ohio (9-4) beat UConn 18-14 in the season opener in the only match the team has played against a MAC opponent this season.
A team batting average of .303 is good for third-best in the Big East for the Huskies, while their 4.80 earned run average (ERA) is third worst in the conference, and their 93 hits allowed is only beaten out by Villanova (6-8).
Graduate student Payton Kinney has been a bright spot, however, as she’s following up a 2024 season that earned her a spot on the All-Big East Second Team by throwing her first 16 innings without allowing a run. Kinney is the only perfect pitcher left in the conference and one of five pitchers in NCAA Division I to have a 0.00 ERA in over 10 innings pitched.
Junior catcher Grace Jenkins leads the Big East with five home runs and sits in a tie with freshman infielder Cat Petteys for the fifth most hits in the conference.
The Badgers enter the tournament with a 5-5 record in their past 10 games after a 4-1 start, despite victories over Kansas (7-5) and Louisville (11-5) and a sweep of a two-game series with Seton Hall. The squad has struggled against smaller schools; however, they lost twice while scoring only two combined runs against Florida Gulf Coast (6-13) and falling in games against Omaha (11-2) and Troy (9-6).
Kent State (3-11) suffered an 8-0 loss to the Badgers in the South Florida Showdown, giving us the only insight into what we can expect from Wisconsin against MAC opponents.
Graduate student Gabi Salo has been the leader of a successful Badger pitching staff, throwing 36.2 innings over 10 games while allowing only five earned runs and only one in her last five outings, giving her a team-best 0.95 ERA.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11-2)
The Chanticleers have emerged as the early-season leaders of the Sun Belt Conference after placing only six in the preseason poll and head into a tournament hosted at their very own St. John Stadium on a nine-game winning streak thanks to a well-rounded attack that places them fourth in the Sun Belt in team batting average and third in team ERA.
At the I-75 Tournament the previous weekend, CCU earned a victory over previously ranked Kentucky (10-5) and two wins over Georgia Tech (11-7). Earlier in the year, the squad also managed two victories over Creighton (7-3), where they outscored the team, which ranked fourth in the Big East Preseason Poll, 11-1.
Infielders Georgia Hood and Delaney Keith lead the offensive attack, hitting .513 and .429, respectively, with 38 combined hits. Keith has hit 11 home runs in only 14 games, the most in NCAA Division I.
Senior pitcher Nicolette Picone has thrown 43 of the Chanticleers’ 95 total innings while allowing only eight earned runs, giving her a 1.30 ERA that is good for second-best in the Sun Belt.
