BGSU baseball will play their final standalone home non-conference game of the regular season against Butler on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Chas McNeil will have the call on Falcon Radio, beginning at 2:45 p.m. for pregame.
The game will feature a “Bark at the Park” promotion, with pet club boxes available while supplies last.
Matchup History
The two teams have faced each other just two times, with Bowling Green winning both games. The Falcons won 3-1 in 2010 and 16-14 in 2015, with both games being part of BG’s spring trips.
Wednesday will mark the first time the teams have faced each other on a non-neutral site.
The Falcons and Bulldogs were scheduled to face each other earlier in the season on Feb. 25, but the game was canceled due to rain.
Scouting Bowling Green
BGSU enters the game in fourth place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings with a 30-16 overall and 17-10 conference record.
The Falcons have won 30 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2001 and 2002 campaigns. They have also clinched MAC Tournament appearances in back-to-back years for the first time since three straight appearances from 2013-15.
Bowling Green is coming off a series loss to Toledo. On Friday, the Falcons defeated the Rockets 8-3 at Fifth Third Field.
However, they lost both games of a doubleheader at Scott Park on Saturday, 8-3 and 8-1.
“Bad day. We just had a bad day,” BG head coach Kyle Hallock said after the doubleheader on Saturday. “That’s pretty much it. We just had a bad day; didn’t play well enough.”
The Falcons committed seven errors across the two losses, including five in the first game, the most in a game since 2022.
BGSU is one of the better offensive teams in the MAC.
The Falcons rank second in the conference with a .300 batting average, 241 walks drawn and 65 stolen bases, third with a .411 on-base percentage (OBP) and fifth with 342 runs scored. However, they rank seventh with just 43 home runs and a .443 slugging percentage.
Pitching has been a mixed bag for the Orange and Brown.
BG ranks fifth in the conference with a 6.19 earned run average (ERA) and sixth with 358 strikeouts.
However, the Falcons have thrown 52 wild pitches, the most in the MAC. They have also allowed 59 home runs and a .304 opponent batting average, the second and third-worst marks in the conference, respectively.
Injuries have ravaged Bowling Green during the second half of the season.
Junior two-way player DJ Newman (leg), junior infielder Sam Seidel (arm), sophomore first baseman Brady Birchmeier (undisclosed), sophomore outfielder TJ Takats (leg) and senior right-handed pitcher Nic Good (undisclosed) are all currently out due to injury. Senior infielder Gunner Antillon also did not play in any of the games against Toledo.
“We just have to play a high level of baseball with who we have available to us. It’s no secret anymore,” Hallock said. “So, we have to get guys ready to go, we have to get them in successful positions, we have to make adjustments to what we’re doing, and everyone’s got to be willing to make those adjustments right now. We can’t spend any more time learning; we have to do it now.”
Scouting Butler
Butler enters the game in seventh place in the Big East standings with a 14-33 overall and 3-12 conference record.
The Bulldogs have lost eight straight games, with their last win dating back to April 19 against Georgetown.
Butler is 4-5 against MAC teams this season. They went 1-2 against Ohio, 0-2 against Ball State and 3-1 against Northern Illinois.
BU has been an up-and-down offensive team this season, with power being a major strength.
They rank second in the Big East with 54 home runs, a .462 slugging percentage and 86 doubles, third with a .285 batting average, fifth with 307 runs scored, seventh with a .380 OBP and last with only 197 walks drawn.
Butler has undoubtedly been the worst pitching staff in the Big East.
The Bulldogs rank last in the conference with a 10.33 ERA, 266 strikeouts, 309 walks, 103 doubles allowed, 19 triples allowed, 69 home runs allowed, a .353 opponent batting average, 63 wild pitches, 95 hit-by-pitches and 12 balks.
Butler has given up double-digit runs 28 times this season, including at least 20 runs three times, with a season-high of 31.
The Bulldogs are also the worst defensive team in the Big East with a .955 team fielding percentage and 21 passed balls.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Garrett Wright (Bowling Green #3)
The sophomore catcher/outfielder is in the running for MAC Player of the Year.
Wright leads the MAC with a .411 batting average and a .521 OBP. He also ranks second in the conference with six sacrifice flies, third with a 1.198 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) and 55 runs, sixth with a .679 slugging percentage and seventh with 14 doubles.
The Massillon, Ohio, native is riding a 10-game hitting streak. He is the only catcher in the nation to rank inside the top-100 in the country in batting average, OBP and hits per game.
The reigning MAC Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-MAC selection and All-MAC Defensive Team honoree also holds a perfect fielding percentage behind the plate.
Zack Horky (Bowling Green #34)
Horky has been a breakout player for the Falcons this season.
The junior catcher is batting .330 with nine doubles, one home run and 28 runs batted in (RBI).
The Blissfield, Michigan, native is riding a nine-game hitting streak. In his past nine games played, Horky is batting .395 with 13 RBI.
The redshirt junior outfielder has been one of the best hitters in the Big East this season.
Moroknek leads the conference with 72 hits. He also ranks second in the Big East with 15 home runs and a .723 slugging percentage, third with a .391 batting average, fourth with a 1.176 OPS, 50 RBI and 14 doubles, seventh with 49 runs scored and 10th with a .453 OBP.
The Carmel, Indiana, native has multiple hits in 25 of his 46 games played this year.
Bello, a two-way player, has been one of the best hitters in Butler’s lineup.
The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, native ranks third in the Big East with 16 doubles, fourth with a .376 batting average, eighth with a .607 slugging percentage and 10th with 39 RBI.
Bello, a left-handed arm, also has a 2-0 record with a 7.85 ERA on the mound.
