After a record-breaking 2024 season, BGSU baseball is off to a successful start in their 2025 campaign.
The Falcons will begin Mid-American Conference (MAC) play with a 6-5 record, marking the first time they have entered conference play with a winning record since 2008.
After a very hot start to the season, Bowling Green had a rough time in South Carolina over the weekend, going just 1-3.
The Falcons split with Southern Indiana, losing the first game in extra innings on Friday before defeating the Screaming Eagles 4-1 on Saturday. The Orange and Brown also fell in both games against Southern Illinois, losing 4-1 on Saturday and 8-6 on Sunday.
The most painful loss of the weekend was the extra innings defeat to Southern Indiana. The Falcons jumped out to a 7-0 lead through the first five innings before giving up eight unanswered runs.
But Bowling Green bounced back on Wednesday, clobbering Dayton 14-4 on the road, run-ruling the Flyers in seven innings. An eight-run fifth inning powered the victory for BG.
BGSU’s offense has been one of the best in the conference early in the season.
The Falcons are tied for first in the MAC with 115 hits. They also rank second in the conference with four triples, third with 20 stolen bases, fourth with a .274 batting average and fifth with a .375 on-base percentage (OBP).
However, BG’s power numbers are down compared to last season, when they were one of the best slugging teams in the conference. The Orange and Brown rank fifth in the MAC with 17 doubles, nine home runs and a .398 slugging percentage (SLG).
Junior infielder Sam Seidel broke through in the win over Dayton, launching two home runs and driving in five runs. Seidel struggled early in the season in the leadoff spot but has settled in since being moved down the lineup card.
Meanwhile, redshirt sophomore first baseman Brady Birchmeier continues to crush the ball for Bowling Green.
Birchmeier leads the MAC with 18 hits, 17 runs batted in (RBI) and 30 total bases. He also ranks seventh in the conference with three homers and ninth with three doubles.
A player who has been flying under the radar but has not had a breakout game this season is sophomore catcher/outfielder Garrett Wright. Wright came into the season with extremely high expectations after winning MAC Freshman of the Year last season.
By no means has Wright struggled. But he has not had a dominant game where he puts his stamp on a win. The Massillon, Ohio, native is batting .325 with five RBI, three doubles and two triples, tied for the most in the MAC.
An interesting note on Wright is his strikeout rate. Last year, he struck out just 11 times in 129 at-bats. Wright has already struck out nine times in 89 fewer at-bats this season.
A hitter that has underperformed so far is sophomore first baseman/outfielder TJ Takats. Takats was predicted by many to be a breakout power bat this season but has not done so yet.
Takats is currently batting .267 with just two RBI this season. He has just one extra-base hit, a double, and is slugging just .300, the second-lowest mark among BGSU’s qualified batters. However, he has continued to get on base, drawing six walks compared to six strikeouts and maintaining a .410 on-base percentage.
After a rocky start to the year, which included giving up 18 runs in their first game, Bowling Green’s pitching staff has started to find a rhythm.
BG pitchers rank fourth in the MAC with a 5.54 earned run average (ERA).
However, after setting a program record for strikeouts last season, they have struck out just 112 batters this year, the second-fewest in the conference. They have also given up 13 home runs, the third-most in the MAC.
The pitching staff recently got a boost with DJ Newman’s return to the mound. After two injuries knocked him out of action at the end of last season, the junior two-way star stepped on the rubber Friday for the first time since Apr. 13, 2024.
In his season debut on the mound, Newman looked like he was in mid-season form, tossing four shutout innings and striking out four batters without allowing a walk.
Another starter who has been solid this season is senior right-hander Landon Willeman.
Willeman does not have a decision in three starts but has a 3.95 ERA, the best out of Bowling Green’s starters and 10th-best in the MAC. He has given up just one extra-base hit in 13.2 innings pitched, striking out 12 and walking seven. Additionally, He ranks fifth in the MAC with a .191 opponent batting average.
Meanwhile, two arms in the bullpen have stuck out early in the season — junior right-hander Ty Roder and redshirt freshman left-hander Titus Lotz.
They both hold a 2.84 ERA in a combined seven appearances. Combined, they have struck out 11 and walked six in 12.2 innings in relief. After redshirting last season, Lotz has been especially impressive, holding opposing hitters to a .186 batting average.
Everything up to this point in the season has served as spring training for the Falcons. While it is great to have a winning record in non-conference action, conference record is all that matters in the MAC — a one-bid conference come tournament time.
The Falcons have major expectations to live up to. Last season, the Orange and Brown won a MAC-record 17 straight games to open conference play and were the last team in the country to be undefeated in conference play en route to winning a MAC Championship.
Any questions that still surround the team will be answered very shortly.
The Falcons will open MAC play against Ohio in Athens on Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
Then, the Orange and Brown will return to Bowling Green for their home opener against Tiffin at Steller Field on Tuesday at 3 p.m. Falcon Media Sports Network will have their first call of the year, with Tyler Kavalecz and Noah Seeley narrating the action on WBGU 88.1 FM, beginning at 2:40 p.m. for pregame.
