The top of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings have shaken up this week after Bowling Green lost their weekend series to Kent State and Central Michigan continued their winning streak.
On the other hand, Northern Illinois and Akron struggled, each getting swept in their conference series.
1. Ball State (17-9, 5-1 MAC)
The Cardinals are back in first place because Bowling Green dropped its first two conference games of the season. However, Ball State had a tough week of its own, getting swept by Xavier in a MAC-Big East matchup.
Ball State had its worst offensive week of the season, scoring just 13 runs over four games. This decreased their run total to the fourth-most in the MAC this season.
Ball State will hope to bounce back offensively against last-place Akron this weekend.
2. Central Michigan (10-15, 5-1 MAC)
The Chippewas’ season has completely flipped around after going 7-1 in their last 8 games. CMU swept Northern Illinois this week and clobbered Grace Christian University 26-1 to move from sixth to second place in the MAC.
Redshirt sophomore third baseman Bryson Webb had an incredible week at the dish, going five-for-twelve with two home runs and five RBIs (runs batted in).
CMU is already just three MAC wins away from tying their total from last season. They’ll have the opportunity this weekend against Bowling Green.
3. Bowling Green (17-7, 7-2 MAC)
The Falcons’ winning streak ended at 11 games after getting annihilated 20-4 against Kent State on Saturday. Bowling Green dropped two of three against the Golden Flashes while giving up a whopping 39 runs in the three-game span.
The Orange & Brown’s defense also diminished this week, collecting seven errors in four games.
Bowling Green will look to get back on track against the scorching hot Chippewas this weekend.
4. Miami (12-12, 7-2 MAC)
Miami won two of three against Eastern Michigan this week to remain in fourth place in the MAC. As expected, the Redhawks won the series with outstanding offense, scoring 44 runs against the Eagles’ pitching staff.
Redshirt junior first baseman Evan Appelwick continued to mash the baseball this week, going three-for-three with three runs, a home run, and six RBIs in their 18-7 victory over EMU. Appelwick is also currently the MAC home run and RBI leader.
Miami’s explosive offense will look to stay strong against Western Michigan this weekend.
5. Eastern Michigan (11-10, 6-3 MAC)
The Eagles’ pitching staff gave up 52 runs in four games this week, which dropped them from third to fifth in the MAC standings.
Eastern Michigan’s pitching will need to improve if they want to stay amongst the top teams in the conference, especially with their pitch command. The Eagles rank dead last in the MAC with 6.95 walks per game.
EMU will travel to Athens this weekend to face ninth-place Ohio.
6. Kent State (11-11, 4-2 MAC)
Kent State continues to be Bowling Green’s kryptonite. The Golden Flashes have now beaten the Falcons in every series since 2012!
Kent State’s 20-4 win was the most runs they’ve scored in a game all season. Leading the charge was graduate student third baseman Hayden Jatczak. The Saginaw Valley State transfer had a double, home run, and four RBIs in the victory.
Kent State will look to build on their three-game winning streak this weekend against Toledo.
7. Toledo (9-14, 4-5 MAC)
Toledo had their best week of the season, going 3-1 with two MAC wins against Ohio.
Toledo’s pitching continues to be their biggest strength. The Rockets got their first shutout win of the season over Ohio on Sunday, they now have the second-best E.R.A in the MAC.
Toledo will need to continue this stellar pitching if they want to beat one of the best offenses in Kent State.
8. Western Michigan (6-16, 4-5 MAC)
Don’t look now but the Broncos are hot! Western Michigan swept Akron and beat Northwestern 2-1 to extend their winning streak to five games.
Western Michigan is now 2-2 against BIG-10 opponents after an impressive combined pitching performance from redshirt freshman Adam Lehmann and graduate student Reese Gaber resulted in eight scoreless innings against the Wildcats.
The Broncos’ pitching will continue to be tested as they play Miami this weekend, the MAC leader in home runs, RBIs, runs, and slugging percentage.
9. Ohio 6-17, 2-7 MAC)
Ohio started the week with a 16-4 beatdown over Toledo. However, it was all downhill from there. The Bobcats lost the other two games to the Rockets and a Horizon League matchup against Northern Kentucky.
Despite the team struggling, freshman second baseman Matt Ineich and sophomore right fielder Ben Slanker are arguably the best offensive duo in the conference right now. Ineich leads the league in average (.443) while Slanker is second in home runs (11), slugging percentage (.772), and RBIs (33).
Ohio will face fellow offensive-heavy Eastern Michigan in their upcoming series.
10. Northern Illinois (8-13, 1-8 MAC)
The Huskies went a rough 1-4 this week, including a three-game sweep against Central Michigan. Northern Illinois’ lone win was a 15-14 victory over the struggling 9-13 Eastern Illinois Panthers.
NIU’s offense has plateaued this season, averaging 7.52 hits per game which ranks last in the conference.
The Huskies offense will have a chance to regroup as they have the week off from MAC play, facing Butler in a four-game weekend series before traveling to West Lafayette on Wednesday to play Purdue.
11. Akron (6-18, 0-9 MAC)
The Zips have extended their losing streak to eight games after getting swept by WMU and losing 8-2 against the 6-20 Oakland Grizzlies.
Akron’s offense struggled yet again, especially their bottom three hitters in the order. The 7-8-9 spots combined to go an abysmal 7-44 (.159), with five RBIs in the four games combined.
Akron will have a tall task in front of them as they face first-place Ball State this weekend.
