BGSU baseball (28-14, 16-8) is looking for their longest winning streak in a month against the Findlay Oilers (23-21, 15-11) on Wednesday, after the game was moved from its original Tuesday slot due to rain.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Noah Seeley and Coyle Withrow will have the call on Falcon Radio on bgfalconmedia.com, starting at 2:45 for pregame and 3 p.m. for the first pitch. A recap will be posted following the game by Tyler Kavalecz with video highlights by Kaden Knapp on bgfalcomedia.com.
Matchup History
BG has a long history with the Oilers, dating back to a 1919 matchup in Bowling Green, which saw the Oilers take a 26-20 road victory.
Despite the primary victory by Findlay, the Orange and Brown have a tight grip on the series, dominating 64-17 while being 45-6 on home turf.
Their last matchup has also added some dust, with the most recent battle between Bowling Green and Findlay taking place at Steller Field on March 29, 2016, that featured a 5-4 BGSU victory.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Orange and Brown come into the matchup on a three-game winning streak, sweeping the Central Michigan Chippewas to solidify their spot at fourth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), two games behind the Miami (OH) RedHawks.
BG bats remain towards the top of the conference with a .308 batting average, which is second in the MAC. However, they lead the conference in hits with 460.
Where the Falcons struggle is extra-base hits, as they rank seventh in the MAC with a .459 slugging percentage.
On the mound, the Orange and Brown rank in the middle of the pack in the MAC, sitting in fifth with a 6.34 earned run average (ERA) while also allowing the most home runs at 59.
Scouting Findlay
Findlay ranks third in the Great Midwest Atlantic Conference (GMAC) with a conference record of 15-11 and an overall record of 23-21.
While Bowling Green hasn’t faced Findlay yet this season, they have battled against the Oilers’ fellow GMAC college, the Tiffin Dragons (20-26, 11-17), who BGSU dispatched 8-7 at Steller Field.
At the plate, the Oilers rank towards the bottom of the GMAC with a .262 batting average, which ranks second to last out of 12 teams.
Pitching fares a bit better for Findlay, as they rank eighth in the GMAC with a 6.31 ERA but give up the third most hits in the conference with 401.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Garrett Wright (Bowling Green #3)
It’s no secret that Wright has been the heart of the team this season. He has back-to-back three-RBI games and two multi-hit games in the last four contests.
The sophomore catcher ranks first in the MAC with a .430 batting average, a .542 on-base percentage (OBP) and a 1.244 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
Carter Mottice (Bowling Green #17)
Mottice may just be a freshman, but since entering the lineup against Youngstown State on April 9, he has starting 12 straight games.
In those 12 games, the outfielder has recorded a hit in nine, totaling six runs batted in (RBI). He is part of the Three Stooges at the bottom of the BG lineup alongside fellow freshman Brayden Curlis and Alex Laird.
While the Falcons have a strong on-base threat in Wright, Findlay has their own version in Daniel, who has the highest OBP on the Oilers at .538.
The junior outfielder has tallied 35 hits with 22 runs scored, six doubles, one triple and two home runs this season.
Maruniak is who Findlay will look at for a big play, as he ranks sixth in the GMAC with eight home runs.
During this season, Maruniak has notched 46 hits with 34 runs scored, six doubles and 22 walks.
