There is no need to sugar-coat it, Bowling Green had a difficult weekend against the Miami RedHawks, which saw the Orange and Brown fall to fourth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings, as well as losing their second conference series of the year.
This time last year, BGSU was riding the high of a 12-game conference winning streak on the way to a groundbreaking 17-game winning streak in MAC play.
While this year has not been as eye-popping as last season’s start, don’t get any wires crossed, the Falcons are arguably even more powerful than 2024’s team with their biggest strength, youth, shining bright.
No matter how you break things up, BGSU has a young core full of players that are ready to explode onto the scene as they get more playing time, with a few exceptions that are mainstays on their roster.
Two sophomores, catcher Garrett Wright and first baseman Brady Birchmeier in particular, are playing like veterans despite not being on the team as long as some other players.
Wright is a finalist for MAC Player of the Year halfway through the season.
The Massillon, Ohio, native opened up Friday’s action in game one with a solo homer that went far over the left field fence at Steller Field during the fourth inning. Despite the game being a low scoring event, the sophomore catcher recorded both scoring hits in the game with a single that poked through the right side of the infield, giving him two runs batted in (RBI) in a game BGSU would lose 5-2.
Wright is currently leading the MAC with a .524 on-base percentage (OBP), a 1.230 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and five sacrifice flies.
The other face that has been surging, Birchmeier, is currently the main power bat in the lineup for BGSU, with arguably his biggest play of the season happening in the 10th inning against Miami on Sunday, with a walk-off single that prevented a RedHawk sweep.
In addition to Wright and Birchmeier, a new face has emerged out of the dugout in the form of freshman outfielder Carter Mottice, who had an unforgettable college debut against Youngstown State on Tuesday.
While it may not have been a surprise to the team and coaching staff, Mottice definitely turned heads by tallying back-to-back doubles that resulted in three RBIs in four at-bats.
“He was banged up a little bit in the fall, and he had a little setback right before the season started. But he had been practicing at a high level, and we talked about utilizing him for the back half of the season,” head coach Kyle Hallock said. “Whatever we got to see out of him today is what we have been seeing in practice.”
Though all of this youth is coming out of the woodwork, the older players have managed to show up in times they were needed.
Junior infielder Sam Seidel smoked his first home run since March 8 against the Penguins on Tuesday, recording multiple hits for the second time this month.
With a few steady hands to help stabilize the young core of players that BGSU runs, there is a lot of talent that is oozing from the Falcons.
They will also need this talent to continue to shine as BGSU has been without star two-way player DJ Newman who went down in game one against Miami (OH) on Friday. It is unclear when he will make his return.
Overall, the Orange and Brown have all of the ingredients to maintain the success that has been building for the past few years, as well as maybe even top 2024’s results.
Statistically, BGSU is first in the conference in batting average at .303 while also sustaining a solid 6.03 earned run average (ERA), which ranks fourth in the MAC.
Pitching continues to be anchored by a seemingly infinite number of clutch performances by senior pitcher Connar Penrod, who is climbing up leaderboards in the MAC and across the nation. He is currently tied for fifth in the country with eight saves, which is also tied for the most in a season in BGSU history.
All of this measured success will be needed for BGSU, as they face the reigning MAC Tournament champions, Western Michigan, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in a weekend series.
“It’ll be big for the players going into this weekend,” Hallock said. “But as long as they feel good, they have a chance to play good.”
Falcon Media Sports Network will have coverage of all three games as the Falcons look to carry their momentum back into conference play. Chas McNeil, Kaden Knapp and Tyler Kavalecz will have Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s recaps, respectively, on bgfalconmedia.com.
