BGSU baseball returns to Steller Field to battle Ball State, the top team in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), in a three-game series on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
First pitch is set for 3 p.m. on Thursday before 1 p.m. starts for the final two games.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have a call of all three games. Tyler Kavalecz and Noah Seeley will have the call on Thursday, Kavalecz and Chas McNeil will have the call on Friday and McNeil and Coyle Withrow will narrate the action on Saturday, with all three games broadcast on Falcon Radio, which can be streamed on bgfalconmedia.com.
Matchup History
The teams have faced each other 140 times, with Ball State barely leading the all-time series 71-67-2.
Last season, BGSU swept the regular season series over the Cardinals in Muncie, Indiana, including a 34-8 win. However, Ball State knocked the Falcons out of the MAC Tournament, defeating the Orange and Brown 10-5 in Avon.
Ball State has won seven of the last 10 games against Bowling Green at Steller Field.
Scouting Bowling Green
BGSU enters the series in fourth place in the MAC standings with a 24-11 overall and 12-6 conference record.
Bowling Green has lost back-to-back MAC series against Miami (OH) and Western Michigan. However, the Orange and Brown are coming off a 15-5 win over Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday.
The Falcons have been great at getting on base this season, leading the MAC with a .300 batting average. They also rank second in the conference with 178 walks drawn and third with a .409 on-base percentage (OBP).
But the power has regressed from last season. The Orange and Brown rank fifth in the conference with 69 doubles, sixth with 38 home runs and seventh with a .458 slugging percentage.
Bowling Green’s pitching has been a mixed bag.
The Falcons lead the MAC with 13 saves. They also rank third with a 5.83 earned run average (ERA) and fifth with 281 strikeouts while allowing just 157 walks, the fourth-fewest in the conference.
However, BG has allowed 385 hits and thrown 43 wild pitches, the most in the MAC. They have also allowed opponents to hit .306 against them and launch 41 home runs, the third-worst marks in the conference.
Scouting Ball State
Ball State enters the series atop the MAC standings with a 27-11 overall and 13-2 conference record.
The Cardinals are on a four-game winning streak and have not lost a conference series this season.
BSU’s offense is one of the best in the MAC. They rank second in the conference with a .296 batting average and 50 home runs, fourth with a .473 slugging percentage and fifth with a .386 OBP.
However, the Cardinals have struck out 290 times this season, the second-most in the conference.
Ball State’s biggest strength this season has been their pitching.
The Cardinals have a 5.01 ERA and 330 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .247 batting average and 299 hits, which all rank as the best marks in the MAC.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Gunner Antillon (Bowling Green #41)
Antillon has been solid in his first season with Bowling Green, hitting .302 with a .388 OBP. He is one of four Falcons hitting above .300 this season and has driven in a run in three of the past four games.
The senior infielder is coming off a monster game against Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday, where he went 4-6 at the plate with two doubles, a home run and four runs batted in (RBI).
Connar Penrod (Bowling Green #12)
The senior right-handed closer has been dominant this season for the Orange and Brown.
Penrod has nine saves this season, the most in a single season in program history.
The Wauseon, Ohio, native has a 0.93 ERA, allowing just two earned runs across 19.1 innings pitched. He has 27 strikeouts to only eight walks, with opponents batting just .192 against him.
Keegan Johnson (Ball State #24)
Johnson is half of a dynamic starting pitching duo for the Cardinals.
The sophomore left-hander earned MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-MAC honors last season.
The Frederick, Maryland, native ranks first in the MAC with a .192 opponent batting average, second with six wins, third with a 3.08 ERA and 50 strikeouts, fourth with 49.2 innings pitched and tied for eighth with 14 strikeouts looking. Johnson does not have a loss on his record this season.
Jacob Hartlaub (Ball State #14)
The senior right-hander is the other half of the electric duo on the mound for Ball State.
Hartlaub leads the MAC with 52 strikeouts and 54.1 innings pitched. He also ranks second in the conference with a 2.98 ERA and third with five wins and a .215 opponent batting average.
The Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native has thrown over 100 pitched in three straight outings.
