Bowling Green baseball (4-2, 0-0 CONF) is looking to return to their winning ways after having their four-game winning streak snapped against USC Upstate on Feb. 23rd. The Falcons will ship out to Carbondale, Illinois, to battle two opponents.
The first team that BGSU will play is Southern Indiana (5-2) on Friday, Feb. 28, to open the series and on Sunday, March 2, separated by Southern Illinois (4-3) on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have four individual recaps of the weekend’s action, with Southern Indiana being handled by Chas McNeil (Friday) and Noah Seeley (Saturday). The games against Southern Illinois will be written by Coyle Withrow (Saturday) and Tyler Kavalecz (Sunday).
Matchup History
Southern Indiana will be an unfamiliar opponent for BGSU since the Falcons and Screaming Eagles have never battled each other in program history.
This marks the second time this season that the Orange and Brown have played an opponent for the first time in their history (USC Upstate).
BG is somewhat familiar with their other opponent, Southern Illinois, as they have played three times in program history, with the Saluki’s holding the current all-time lead 2-1.
In their last meeting, Southern Illinois dominated the Falcons 13-2 on a neutral site three decades ago on March 16, 1985.
Scouting Bowling Green
It has been a young season for the Orange and Brown as they shot out to a 4-1 record last weekend before slightly falling back to earth in a 9-2 loss to USC Upstate.
Despite the fresh loss, the Falcons have a lot to build on heading into their four-game series, as the pitching seems to be finding its footing.
On the mound, BG has a 6.67 earned run average (ERA), allowing the third least walks in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
In terms of record, the Orange and Brown hold the crown of the top team in the MAC with a .667 winning percentage.
The Falcons sit firmly third in the MAC in batting with a third-best batting average (.277), hits (61), total bases (90) and slugging percentage (.409).
Scouting Southern Indiana
In 2024, the Screaming Eagles finished fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) with a conference record of 14-13. Since the beginning of the 2025 campaign, Southern Indiana tops the OVC with a .714 winning percentage.
On paper, the Screaming Eagles are very similar to their bird cousin, the Falcons, due to Southern Indiana ranking third in batting with a .289 batting average, 68 hits and 39 walks.
Pitching is also eerily close to BG, ranking sixth in the OVC with a 6.86 ERA, 49 runs, 46 walks and a second lowest in the OVC, 37 strikeouts.
Scouting Southern Illinois
The Salukis are also no slouches in their respective division, sitting at third in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) standings despite finishing sixth in the standings in 2024.
Southern Illinois are a slightly worse hitting team compared to BGSU and Southern Indiana, with the Salukis having a .267 batting average, which is fourth in the MVC.
On the mound, the Salukis do fare better, ranking second in the MVC, having an ERA of 3.00 while also having the second least hits (46), runs (26), earned runs (20), home runs (two) and opponent batting average (.218).
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Alex Laird (Bowling Green #17)
Laird was one of the candidates to be on “break out” watch to begin the 2025 season, and while he has only played in two games this season, he has shown to be a big-time player.
Against USC Upstate on Sunday, Feb. 23, Laird was one of only two Falcons to score a run, smoking a home run deep that would be his first collegiate homer and one of two runs in the contest.
DJ Newman (Bowling Green #28)v
Newman was the talk of the offseason, with many already writing his name on draft cards for the MLB once the 2025 season concluded.
The star two-way player has yet to take the mound, but if there was any series to do so, it would be this one, as the trip to Carbondale marks the final non-conference weekend series for BGSU.
Above home plate, Newman is still a huge weapon, recording nine runs off of four hits, with one of those hits being a double. He currently has a 0.391 batting average so far this season.
Blake Kimball (Southern Indiana #27)
The junior righty for the Screaming Eagles is the strongest pitching weapon on Southern Indiana’s roster.
Falcon fans should expect to hear Kimball’s name in one of their two matchups against the Screaming Eagles because Kimball is currently second in the OVC with a 0.71 ERA, eight hits and a conference-leading three runs.
Jordan Bach (Southern Illinois #31)
Despite the offense being a step below the Falcons and Screaming Eagles, Bach more than makes up for the deficit with an MVC-leading 13 hits.
The senior comes into the series with a 0.433 batting average that pairs nicely with five runs, four RBIs, four doubles, one triple, two walks and no strikeouts.
