After a record-breaking 2024 season that put BGSU baseball back on the map, the Falcons battled adversity throughout the entire 2025 campaign en route to their second consecutive 30-win season, finishing the year in fourth place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with a 33-22 overall and 19-11 in conference play.
“All things considered, it was a success in terms of our ability to still produce a little bit of history given the adversity that the game dealt us this year. Again, all things considered, are we happy with what we did? Yes, in some cases. Are we satisfied with fourth place and the MAC Tournament results? Absolutely not,” head coach Kyle Hallock said. “It’s one of those things that you learn after winning a championship when you have a season that follows it without one; you really don’t want that feeling ever again.”
Season Review and Results
Adversity started from the jump for Bowling Green, losing 18-0 to Middle Tennessee in their season opener. However, the Falcons battled back, winning the second game of a doubleheader before winning the rubber match in 11 innings, marking the first season-opening series victory for BG since 2022.
Overall, the Falcons enjoyed a lot of success in non-conference play, finishing the year 14-11 against non-MAC opponents.
“Anytime you can leave the first three weeks before conference above .500 as a MAC school or a northern school in general, that’s a huge takeaway because if you don’t operate there in the first three weeks, it’s hard to get to 30 wins it’s hard to do it that way,” associate head coach Matt Rembielak said.
At the end of non-conference play and the beginning of the MAC slate, the Falcons pieced together a historic 11-game winning streak for the sixth time in program history, tied for the third longest in program history.
“I didn’t think about it in the moment, but when you show up to the field every day, and you’re playing to win, I think those wins just stack up on their own,” senior infielder Gunner Antillon said. “By setting the tone early in the season, it gave us that momentum even through injuries to push through and get to where we were.”
Their 16-5 overall start was also tied for the second-best start in program history, trailing only the 1944 campaign. Meanwhile, the team started 7-0 in conference play for the second straight season and just the third time in program history.
“The start was huge. The start’s always going to be huge because you can’t win it at that time of the year, but you can surely lose it. You want to get off to a good start, you want to front run and basically take every game as a first-place conference game, and we’ve been doing that,” Hallock said. “We’re the architects of our season. We tell our guys all the time, you know who writes the history books? The winners. They’re the ones that have the pen in their hands because if you and I are talking and we won it and you didn’t, who are you going to believe? That’s kind of what it is; that’s life. The game imitates life.”
However, after the winning streak, the Orange and Brown lost four of their next five series, including dropping two of three games to Kent State, Miami (OH) and Ball State, the three teams which finished ahead of Bowling Green in the conference standings.
“The reality of that is, though, when you’re playing the top half of the league, those series usually do come down to a pitch or an at-bat,” Rembielak said.
Another heartbreaker for BGSU came against their rivals.
After winning the Fifth Third Field game against Toledo, giving the Falcons back-to-back 30-win seasons for the first time since 2001-02.
But Bowling Green lost a doubleheader against the Rockets at Scott Park by a combined score of 16-4.
“Losing to Toledo that one hurts because we value that rivalry, and you always want to beat your rival. That’s how it is,” Rembielak said. “That’s how we operate over here. No matter what the situation is, we’ll always tell the guys that’s your biggest weekend of the year. No matter what’s going on with them or us, we want to beat the rival, we want to beat the top half, but we value what rivalries mean.”
BGSU’s final premiere opponent of the regular season was Notre Dame. The Falcons traveled to South Bend for two games before hosting the Fighting Irish for a contest, marking the first time a Power 5 team visited Steller Field since 2009.
“I thought even playing Notre Dame late in the season was just a good thing,” Hallock said. “Maybe we didn’t win a bunch of these games, but the schedule just forces you to compete and step up.”
Due to weather, Bowling Green played both of their MAC Tournament games on the same day, falling 14-12 to Toledo and 10-7 to Eastern Michigan, the two teams seeded below the Falcons, becoming the first team eliminated in Avon.
“Life is not going to be easy all the time. Life’s not going to be fair with you. The game of baseball can be cruel, but it’s still the greatest game to play,” Hallock said after the two losses.
The weather was a major factor in both games, especially the contest against the Rockets.
After playing just two innings in a windy downpour that resulted in 16 runs scored on four hits, 12 walks, eight wild pitches and six hit-by-pitches, the teams waited through a six-and-a-half hour rain delay. Toledo outscored Bowling Green 9-7 in the harsh weather before holding onto the two-run lead the rest of the game.
“We’re the only team that have to do it (play back-to-back games in the rain). But we also felt we’re the only team capable of doing it. That was just a testament to how we do our business and how our players conduct themselves on a daily basis,” Hallock said after the two losses. “When the rain shows up in October, we’re not canceling practice; we’re out there practicing the hard way to prepare for these moments but have a chance to win, and we did that in both games.”
Injuries
The biggest adversity for the Falcons throughout the season came in the form of injuries.
“Injuries will always be a part of it. It’s tough to get through an entire season, and no one gets hurt, in any sport probably,” Rembielak said. “It’s the nature of the beast. So, anyone’s lucky to get through an entire season and nothing goes haywire that way.”
At least nine players missed time, including eight missing extended time, due to injury: preseason First Team All-American junior two-way player DJ Newman, reigning All-MAC First Team junior infielder Sam Seidel, sophomore first baseman Brady Birchmeier, sophomore center fielder TJ Takats, Antillon, senior right-handed pitcher Nic Good, junior right-handed pitcher Perry Miller, freshman outfielder Chase Chopin and freshman outfielder Carter Mottice.
“I think we could live in a hypothetical world and say, ‘Let’s take everybody else’s three, four, five, six hitters away from them and their Saturday starter away from them.’ But you can’t; the hypothetical world is not a real world,” senior right-handed closer Connar Penrod said.
As the season progressed, the players on the field began playing for those on the bench, adopting a “next man up” mentality.
“Ultimately, our whole goal was to play for those guys that were banged up because we wanted to give them the best experience from where they were at,” Antillon said. “Coach Hallock had a really good saying that nobody knows what you’re thinking until you vocalize it. It’s not that we’re ignoring it or accepting what’s going on, but our whole thing was this is where we’re at, this is what we got, this is what we’re going to play with.”
Although the Falcons had seven starters miss games because of injuries, they were still able to match their win total from last season.
“We did our best; our players did their very best to represent this logo through the good times and the tough times, and I’m really proud of their efforts in this season. I don’t know that many people could have pulled off what they still pulled off this year,” Hallock said. “They continue to compete and show character and represent this university and this baseball program. There should be a lot of people who are very proud of this program, and I’m one of them.”
Youth Movement
The saving grace for the Falcons during the 2025 campaign was the energy and production that the youth movement brought to the field.
“Injuries kind of piled up. You’re asking a lot of the young guys to be able to really get you over the hump. They got better and gave us a shot,” Rembielak said.
Bowling Green resorted to playing 10 freshmen throughout the season: infielders Alex Laird and Brayden Curlis, outfielders Chopin and Mottice, pitchers Carrson Sova, Nate Kress, Titus Lotz, CJ Boudreaux, and Micah Smith and utility player Caden Bates.
“Again, that shows you how good the team is and how talented and special our guys are top to bottom…We had a youth movement in spots, and we had some guys really step up and get hot. Then, scouting reports get out, and you have to make adjustments off the success you’re having because they’re going to adjust on you,” Hallock said. “I think it’s important to show that they have the ability to show, at least in spurts and sometimes in long spurts, they can be successful at this level. On the other side, they also learned how consistently good you have to be every day and in the months leading up to it for when your opportunity comes. Their opportunity came at that midway point, back-half of the season, and I think what they’ll understand is every rep in September matters, every rep in October matters, and because of that, they’ll be more ready to hopefully contribute earlier on in the season next year.”
As more veteran players moved up in the order to fill the lineup holes, BG found themselves with three freshmen at the bottom of the lineup card dubbed the ‘Three Stooges’ — Curly, Moe and Larry — as Curlis, Mottice and Laird rounded out the order.
“You saw a lot of freshmen start in specific games, multiple on the roster at a time once you hit about the midway point,” Penrod said.
Backing up the class of freshmen were veteran seniors who attempted to keep the season afloat while high-impact players missed time.
“The first thing they’re going to lose are great examples of how we do a lot of things and the level at which we set our standards and enforce our standards because standards are only as good as those that enforce them. Willeman, Penrod, Ganun, Nic Good, they’ve enforced our standards in a way this past year that allowed us to still be good,” Hallock said. “If those guys aren’t enforcing it and our team takes the idea of another guy got injured, this isn’t going our way. Baseball can take you down a dark path in a hurry, but they wouldn’t let it happen.”
With starters heading to the trainer’s table weekly, freshmen found themselves as consistent starters, like Sova, who credits his growth to the senior class.
“I feel like just kind of the older guys and the pitching staff (helped mentor me). Connar Penrod and Landon Willeman and Jacob Turner. Those guys especially, I’ve been able to talk to about whatever I’ve been struggling with, doing well with whatever,” Sova said. “They’re very open to helping me out, and they’ve been great, you know, just being able to talk to them and learn and just hear their thoughts on things and their philosophies, all that sort of stuff. I thought it was great getting to talk to them.”
Sova solidified himself as the Friday starter for the Falcons, finishing the year 3-3 with a 5.70 earned run average (ERA) in 17 appearances and 12 starts.
Sova continued improving in every start for the Falcons after being thrown into his first midweek start against Purdue Fort Wayne on March 18.
“I think it’s been pretty awesome. Last year, one thing was velocity. I was topping 89, and now, this year, I’m hitting 92; it’s like my velo has been jumping. It’s great looking at the numbers and seeing there is improvement,” Sova said. “It shows on the field getting the opportunity to play and showing that the hard work is paying off and getting the opportunities because I’ve been able to work hard.”
Records
Although Bowling Green did not completely rewrite the record books like they did last season when they broke 12 team records, the Orange and Brown still stamped their mark in the history books.
The Falcons set a new program record with 431 strikeouts on the mound, breaking the previous mark of 403, which was set last year.
“It’s the only position in sports where you can get complimented for being a ball hog,” Hallock said. “It’s good for the team if you’re striking people out, and the other guys don’t touch it.”
However, there were numerous individual records set throughout the season.
Sophomore catcher Garrett Wright had a historic season, winning MAC Defensive Player of the Year and earning All-MAC First Team and All-MAC Defensive Team honors.
Wright played five positions in the field (catcher, third base, left field, center field and right field) while maintaining a .991 fielding percentage.
“His ability to move around helped us lengthen lineups at times to be able to still make this thing work. That was kind of a big thing to be able to showcase his real abilities. Yeah, he’s probably the best catcher in the country, but that’s not all he’s able to do. He’s a really good outfielder, as we saw in the tournament; like really good. He’s just a good baseball player.”
Wright set program records for the most single-season doubles (20) and hit-by-pitches (28), along with career hit-by-pitches (49).
The Massillon, Ohio, native finished the season with a .406 batting average, a .513 on-base percentage (OBP), a .663 slugging percentage and a 1.176 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) while also tallying 60 runs scored, four triples, eight home runs, 48 runs batted in (RBI) and 24 walks to only 23 strikeouts. Wright led all catchers in the nation in batting average and on-base percentage, with his batting average ranking fifth in program history.
But Wright’s biggest improvement throughout the season may have been his improved and more vocal leadership.
“I think that’s a big reason as to why Bowling Green’s great for him because he gets those opportunities,” Hallock said. “Now, in terms of this season, wasn’t drawn up the way any of us wanted to when the protection in the lineup for him went down, and some of the voices around him forced his voice to be louder because they just weren’t available to go produce on the field for us.”
Another player who had a historic season for the Orange and Brown was Penrod.
The Wauseon, Ohio, native set the program record for single-season saves with 12, which is also tied for the 10th most in the country.
“He played a factor in 17 wins, 12 saves and five wins. He’s in the mix of half of our wins,” Hallock said. “His buy-in was 100%. He got it as much as you can get it over four years. He understood what the coaching staff was trying to do in every way, and he was bought into that idea and that philosophy and fully committed to it, which is why he reached the benefits of being a MAC champion and gets his name in the record books personally so people knew he was here. That’s all we’re asking out of all of our guys, is to just get that level of buy-in.”
Penrod finished the year with a 5-2 record and a 1.65 ERA, which is the fourth-best in program history and best since 1974.
“It was a really cool thing being out a shortstop watching him pitch. I would see a fastball up, and I would be like, ‘Good luck, buddy, you’re not going to hit that,‘” Antillon said. “Defensively, it was a really cool thing to play behind him, and I wanted to make every play for him. That’s the guy you want to go out and make plays and make things happen for him. He was a great leader; once he came into the game, you knew your dude was in there.“
An unfortunate record was set by Ganun, who struck out 75 times, the most in a single season in program history, breaking the previous record of 61 set by Nathan Archer last year.
Successes and Failures
The 2025 season was full of successes and failures for the Falcons.
The most glaring failure from the year is the team coming up short of their ultimate goal of winning a MAC Tournament Championship.
“I’d say it was a good season, but we fell short of what we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year,“ Penrod said.
Bowling Green came into the season as one of the main teams to beat after winning the MAC Regular Season Championship last season and surprising the rest of the conference.
“You can definitely tell this year we were getting everybody’s best shot, and it was hard as it should be being able to win everything, win the championship. It’s not an easy road; you’re not going to just walk into it all the time,“ Rembielak said. “So, I think as soon as we got into conference play, it was right away everybody wanted to beat us as they rightfully should’ve wanted to beat us; that’s how it should go.“
Another shortcoming for the Orange and Brown was their defensive regression.
Although the Falcons had Wright, the MAC Defensive Player of the Year, and other defensive standouts like Birchmeier, they finished the year with a lackluster .964 fielding percentage, which was the second-worst in the conference.
“The regression, the obvious one, I think, if anyone that watched us play, is we just got to play better defense. The team defense has to be at the level that we’re accustomed to playing at. It’s not just the errors, but it’s the 50/50 plays. Then, it’s also learning to play off each other. When someone makes an error or a mistake defensively, that pitcher’s got to get right back in the strike zone,“ Hallock said. “Defensively is the spot that we are going to emphasize in the fall and the preseason next year because, again, outside of the errors, we have to make more of the 50/50 plays; those have to end up on our side, that’s just what championship teams do. Ball goes in their glove; it works out for them. So, we have to design a practice to see which guys the ball goes right in their glove all the time with.“
One of the major successes for the Falcons this season was their ability to come back late in games.
“We’re a tight-knit group, and we’re just tough,“ Penrod said. “We like to win baseball games, so we’ll do whatever it takes to do that.“
Bowling Green’s late-inning magic helped them win five games in walk-off fashion.
“When I look back on some of my favorite moments, it’s all times when we were relentless as a team; those were the really cool games,“ Antillon said. “I think one of our biggest strengths was how close we were as a group. We had guys that were hanging out constantly. Our biggest strength is that we’re a team. I think that’s what helped us get through so many adversities type situations and be able to push through.“
Additionally, BG was 20-13 when the opponent scored first and won nine games when trailing after the sixth inning, eight games when trailing after the seventh and four games when trailing after the eighth.
“We spent a lot of time early playing from behind with the understanding that we tried a lot of things to get off to better starts, be the first to score and not let them score first, but we felt really good about the middle and late innings, and we felt really good if both starters are out that we had the advantage when it came to the bullpen in the middle and late innings, and we knew we were shortening a game with Penrod back there, but even the guys to get there, with Poole, with Roder, with the emergence of Kress and some of these guys,“ Hallock said. “That bridge part of the pitching staff is paramount.“
Another improvement from last year was the pitching staff.
The Falcons finished the season with a 6.31 ERA, the third-best mark in the MAC.
“I thought we pitched it really well the majority of the year. I mean, numbers are numbers, but I think we pitched it better than whatever our ERA is and whatever some of those guys finished with on that side of the ball,“ Hallock said. “That was a step in the right direction coming off last year.“
The rotation and bullpen for Hallock and the Falcons were deeper than in previous years, with 11 arms tossing at least 20 innings throughout the season.
“I think the biggest difference from last year, this year, when it came to pitching was just we were deeper. I think we had more guys that could pitch in high-leverage situations and get a job done,“ Penrod said. “So, I would just say that we were a deeper group, but I would also say that the, the pitching staff was an older group, which definitely helps when it comes to being able to get all the outs and all the situations.“
Another major help for the Orange and Brown was the improvement and breakout campaigns of Antillon and junior catcher/outfielder Zack Horky.
Antillon, who transferred to BG as his fourth team in his sixth year of college baseball, fired on all cylinders at the midway point of the season and never looked back, becoming one of the most consistent hitters in Bowling Green’s lineup.
“Gunner was bought into everything we were doing offensively and, obviously, defensively as well. He continued the whole year to not give in and not coast and tried to learn and didn’t give away at-bats,“ Hallock said. “He got to the point where he was beyond not giving away at-bats. He wasn’t giving away pitches in specific at-bats, which, again, there are levels to this stuff.“
The Rancho Cucamonga, California, native finished the year with a .344 batting average, a .442 OBP, 13 doubles, three home runs, two triples, 27 RBIs and 23 walks to just 22 strikeouts.
“He was just bought into everything we were doing, he’s committed at a high level, he was looking for a place to go end his college baseball career on a high note, and we were the perfect fit for him; that’s what we sold him on in the recruiting process and he bought into that from game one all the way through our last game and his last walk against Eastern Michigan allowed some of those sparks and stuff to happen late in the game,“ Hallock said. “So, he did a great job. He was good for Bowling Green, and Bowling Green was good for him.“
At the end of April, Antillon was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy National Player of the Week, Brooks Wallace Award Player of the Week and MAC Player of the Week honors.
“Just trusting my process and showing up every day, getting my work in and letting it go out on the field. Coach Hallock talks about working hard, and then when it’s time to play, you cash in,“ Antillon said. “I knew what was in front of me. I knew it was the end of the season and the end of my career, especially at BG. Kind of just one of those things that I had nothing to lose, and I was just going all in.“
Horky also had a breakout season for the Orange and Brown.
After batting .167 in his freshman season and not recording a hit in 14 at-bats last year, Horky batted .308 with 10 doubles, a home run and 31 RBIs during his junior campaign.
Horky also made the transition from catcher to right field to be able to earn his spot in the lineup and at-bats at the plate.
“He’s been extremely patient and waited his turn, and he’s battled adversity with injuries and then moving positions to find a way and a role on the field. His athleticism, going back to high school being an all-state wide receiver, allowed us to put him in the outfield,“ Hallock said. “He bought into what it was going to take for him to go out there and be an everyday guy, and his leadership, maturity and growth from really being a quiet guy those first couple years to a vocal leader was huge for us this year. He was a voice of reason when things weren’t going our way. He was a guy you could look to say the right things and obviously do the right things and play in a manner that’s a guy that you want the younger guys to follow.“
Next Up
Although the Falcons did not reach their ultimate goals and fell short at the MAC Tournament, the Falcons continued to rewrite the record books, even through adversity.
“Coach [Hallock] always talks about legacy; that’s the biggest thing we were coached on this year because we wanted to get back-to-back thirty-win seasons because it’s only been done three times. But now we have a really good opportunity for the guys of the future to get the first ever three times in a row with thirty wins,“ Antillon said. “It’s a testament to what the guys did last year before us, leading us with that legacy to be able to do what we did.“
While many people may look at the end result as the only takeaway from the season, the team views the 2025 campaign as another successful year.
“Perspective is very, very important because I know those guys in 2021, 2022 and 2023, they’d kill to experience the MAC Tournament, and they’d kill to win 33 games and have that to talk about for the rest of their lives, and they do because they were a part of it. They do because they helped these younger guys. Even if you’re a senior, you’re not done impacting our program until the freshmen that you were teammates as a senior, until they’re done with the program. Those conversations that our seniors have with our freshmen, they should set the stage for the back half of this decade for those guys if we’re getting this leadership part right.“
Next up, Hallock and the Falcons will begin preparing to make another run at the MAC Tournament Championship next season.
“We’re going to get right back to work on what next year’s roster’s going to look like and how we’re going to get back to playing in the last game of the season at [the MAC Tournament], and we’re going to get this tournament figured out soon,“ Hallock said.
