BGSU baseball (33-20, 19-11) returns to Avon, Ohio, home of the Lake Erie Crushers, for their second Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament berth in two seasons.
The Falcons, who were MAC regular season champions in 2024, enter this tournament as the fourth seed with their first game scheduled for 6 p.m. against the Toledo Rockets (28-27, 17-13), in what is game two of Wednesday’s first round.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Tyler Kavalecz and Chas McNeil will have a broadcast of the event starting at 5:45 p.m. for pregame and 6:00 p.m. for first pitch on Falcon. With a recap by Noah Seeley after the game concludes.
The MAC Tournament is a double-elimination tournament, meaning that each of the six qualifying teams will need two losses to be disqualified from play, with a winner and loser brackets that combine in the championship.
Matchup History
In terms of the six teams that made the MAC Tournament, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Toledo and Eastern Michigan, there is no bigger rivalry in the tournament than the Falcons and the Rockets.
Throughout the regular season, the Battle of I-75 was scheduled four times, with three conference games and one non-conference game, which was cancelled due to weather.
While Bowling Green did take the opening match at Fifth Third Field on May 2, Toledo ended up winning the series in a doubleheader victory at Scott Park on May 3.
BGSU’s battle with the University of Toledo remains one of the oldest in the conference, with the first game between the two taking place on May 4, 1921, which resulted in an opening series tie 4-4.
Historically, the Orange and Brown hold a dominant grip on the series with a 142-99-3 record in over a century of play.
Despite playing in 244 games in 104 years, the rivals have only matched up four times in the MAC Tournament, with the Falcons leading three games to one.
BGSU MAC Tournament Record
Bowling Green has participated in the MAC tournament 16 times in their baseball program’s history, sitting in a three-way tie for third for the most MAC Championships with three dating back to 1998, 1999 and 2013.
Between their three championships, the Falcons have only won one MAC Championship in Avon, in 2013 at All Pro Freight Stadium, the former name for Crushers Stadium.
Toledo MAC Tournament Record
The Toledo Rockets are currently looking for their first MAC Tournament Championship with 13 all-time appearances in the tournament.
In 2013, the Rockets did make the championship game, however, they ended up falling to Bowling Green with a final score of one to nothing in what was BGSU’s most recent championship run.
Scouting Bowling Green
Above the dish, the Falcons remain one of the hottest batting orders in the conference with a fourth-place .293 batting average, which pairs with a high amount of contact at third place, 535 hits.
One flaw for the Falcons in their batting order so far this season has been their strikeouts, which rank second in the conference with 407.
Pitching for the Orange and Brown continues to impress with the unit heavily improved from their 2024 tournament appearance, as BG currently ranks third in earned run average (ERA) at 6.16.
Bowling Green is strong at closing out a game with their pitching staff. BG’s 17 saves so far this season rank first in the entire MAC.
Scouting Toledo
It remains a polarizing battle for the Rockets statistically, as they are statistically the worst batting team in the conference while also being the best pitching team simultaneously.
Toledo has the worst MAC batting average at .260 and the second-lowest number of hits (461) and doubles (87) in the conference.
This low contact rate also results in a bottom of the MAC .361 on base percentage, which ties them for last with Central Michigan.
Where the Rockets soar is on the bump as they currently lead all other MAC teams in ERA with a 5.13 standing.
Toledo’s pitching staff also ranks first in the conference in shutouts (3), hits (459), runs (299), and earned runs (263), resulting in the lowest opponent batting average allowed in the MAC at .260.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Garrett Wright (Bowling Green #3)
It’s no secret that Wright has been arguably the most consistent player in the entire conference, being named MAC Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.
The sophomore leads the conference in several batting statistics, including batting average (.406) and on-base percentage (0.514), as well as a fourth-place ranking of .672 slugging percentage.
Connar Penrod (Bowling Green #12)
Wright was not the only Falcon player to receive honors on Tuesday, as Penrod got the nod for best closer in the MAC, being named First Team All-MAC in the single relief pitcher position.
Penrod’s 12 saves so far this season lead every individual pitcher in the conference, with the senior also sitting tied for fourth in the conference for wins this season at five.
Despite being statistically the worst batting team in the conference, Toledo did find themselves with a few in their batting order receiving honors, including Conczak, who received Second Team All-MAC in the outfield.
The senior leads his team with power, notching 10 home runs so far this season, which ranks first on his team and eleventh in the conference.
Toledo’s roster is not just built on experience, as several team members for the Rockets have excelled as freshmen, including Sasse, who took home the MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year award on Tuesday.
Sasse not only earned freshman honors for his strong season but was also given Second Team All-MAC distinction as a starting pitcher.