Bowling Green baseball had a lot to be proud about last week, notching a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Player of the Week in senior shortstop Gunner Antillon, who broke out as a top batter on the team, recording 14 hits in 20 at bats with two home runs and five doubles.
The issue is that through four games, even with the combined offensive explosion of 38 runs in that span, the Orange and Brown only managed to take the opening game in a weekend series against Ball State, losing the other two as well as a mid-week match against the Michigan Wolverines.
This puts the Falcons on a three-game losing skid as well as keeping them in a tight race against Eastern Michigan, who sit just one spot behind BG at fifth place in the MAC standings with a conference record of 9-9, just one spot behind the Orange and Brown, who are 13-8 in the conference.
Additionally, with the series loss to the Cardinals, BGSU have now lost series to the three teams above them in the MAC standings (Kent State, Ball State and Miami (OH)).
So, this poses the question, what’s next for the Falcons? The answer is fairly simple: win and pick up momentum.
Anyone that played baseball at anytime in their life knows that of all the sports you could possibly play, America’s pastime is one of the most mentally taxing.
Bowling Green is just in need of some solid momentum, and with a weekend series coming up against Eastern Michigan at Steller Field, there is no better time to get right.
The Orange and Brown still have a top roster in the MAC with players like sophomore catcher Garrett Wright, who currently leads the conference in batting average (.423) and on base percentage (.530).
Meanwhile, there have been some anomalies like senior pitcher Connar Penrod, who has been one of the most consistent closers in the country.
While there can be some apprehension with a player like Penrod, who recently blew a save against Ball State, there should not be any doubts that him, and this team as a whole, will adjust as the roster still contains several MAC All-Conference Team players, the reigning MAC Freshman of the Year (Wright) and MAC Coach of the Year, Kyle Hallock.
The focus for this team now becomes no longer leading the conference and keeping everyone else behind you, which is okay because sometimes finding a bit of a new identity can put yourself in stride in the future. All this BGSU team needs to do is show off the talent that fills the Orange and Brown’s roster.
