After an offseason of changes, BGSU baseball is a week away from returning to the diamond for the start of the 2026 season.
Last Season
Last season, the Falcons achieved 33 wins for the second straight year, finished 33-22 overall and 19-11 in conference play, and placed fourth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings.
Bowling Green lost 14-12 to Toledo in a weather-affected game and 10-7 to Eastern Michigan in extra innings at the MAC Tournament in Avon to end their 2025 campaign.
“We haven’t had too many good showings there in Avon, so that definitely doesn’t sit well with us. Heading into this year, we want to win both of them, and we feel a little disrespected still from the league, and that’s been kind of a chip on our shoulder in practice and stuff,” senior infielder Sam Seidel said.
The losses have fueled the Falcons in the offseason.
“There’s absolutely motivation. We got people to prove wrong, I would say,” senior right-handed pitcher Jacob Turner said. “I think we were done wrong in the MAC Tournament, and it definitely lights a fire under our butt to get going and to go prove some people wrong and to go make it happen and show them what we’re about.”
Losses
Bowling Green lost 14 players from last season through a combination of graduation, the transfer portal and departures from the program—outfielders Carter Gast, Caden Bates, Gavin Ganun and Caden Parker, infielders Garrett Sloan and Gunner Antillon, two-way players DJ Newman and Brock Amelung, right-handed pitchers Owen Poole, Connar Penrod, Landon Willeman and Logan Bell, left-handed pitcher Nic Good and catcher Garrett Wright.
Notably, Newman was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 15th round of the MLB Draft.
The team also lost assistant coaches Joey Gamache and Joey Cooper, who were with the program since the 2022 and 2024 seasons, respectively.
Additions
To fill the open spots, head coach Kyle Hallock and the Falcons added 15 players.
The additions include seven freshmen—right-handed pitcher Joey Turner, left-handed pitchers Jackson Miller and Joey Buchanan, infielders Griffin Scheiderer and Josh Mommers, outfielder John Hughes and catcher Andrew DiLodovico—and eight transfers—right-handed pitchers Andrew Heffernan, Chase Clatur and Ethan Papacek, left-handed pitcher Ethan Stade, infielders Vinny Salvione and Anthony Mitta, outfielder Pauly Mancino and catcher Lance Vickers.
“So, I think they’ve all done what we’ve asked from the team meeting, which is come in and make practice better, have value, provide impact, if there’s a guy, a returning guy, learn from him, and then do it better than him. From there, our returning guys got to push back a little bit, and iron sharpens iron,” Hallock said. “If we can get guys to be competitive with the best interests of the team in mind, we’re in a good spot.”
Willeman has also been added to the coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach until he returns to playing for the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.
Although not a new addition to the team, the Falcons expect junior first baseman and outfielder TJ Takats to return at some point in the season after tearing his ACL last year in the Fifth-Third Field game against Toledo on May 2, 2025.
“I’m hoping it’s obviously in a spot where he’s 100%. That’s where we’re going to take it first, because, you know, he’s a special player and he’s got a bright future after Bowling Green and professional baseball. So, we’re going to make sure he’s 100%. When there’s no limitations, and he can get out there and do the things he does really well on a baseball field, we’ll turn him loose,” Hallock said. “Not a specific timeline with him yet, but the signs of life he’s been showing in practice have been very encouraging, and we have a smile on our face when he goes out there and does some of those things.”
Salvione and Mitta will have a chance to impact the middle of the infield.
“Vinnie Salvione, he’s one in the middle. He’s an older guy, experienced, and has seen a lot. Then, Anthony Mitta from Mount Olive; he’s experienced some Division I baseball before transferring into Mount Olive. But he’s seen a lot of good baseball being a senior,” associate head coach Matt Rembielak said.
Meanwhile, Heffernan and Stade will each have a chance to fight for a weekend starting position on the mound.
“Andrew Heffernan, he’s huge on work ethic, he works really hard, and it’s shown,” sophomore right-handed pitcher Carrson Sova said. “[Stade’s] another guy. He’s kind of come in, and he’s shown that he can compete, and he’s wanting a role in this staff.”
According to Hallock, there are still ongoing position battles for spots in the outfield, the left side of the infield, catcher, weekend starting pitcher spots, closer and high-leverage relief pitcher roles.
“That’s the cool thing about it is we have experience, we have an idea of what some guys will do between the lines, we have a little bit of an understanding through our scrimmages and different games that we’ve done, who can handle what, but, you know, the lights are going to come in Atlanta, and they’re going to come on every place we go, and we’ll find out if our guys’ eyes get big or they get narrow, and we’re hoping that they get narrow and then do a job,” Hallock said.
While there are plenty of new faces on the roster, the team is being led by a veteran group of returners.
“We’ve had great senior leadership. We’ve had guys in the senior class just step up at all the respective positions. The nice thing we have is we do have seniors at each of the four position groups, and guys that have been out there, so they can kind of take the lead in our practices and in our drills,” Hallock said. “Whatever adversity may hit us, our returning guys understand the script of what works here, and they have imparted that wisdom on the new guys, and that has been really neat to see from early September through tonight’s practice.”
Key returners, including Sova, Turner, Seidel and redshirt junior first baseman Brady Birchmeier, have stepped up as more outspoken leaders throughout the offseason.
“I think I’ve gone from more of a silent leader to becoming more of a vocal leader, leader by example, and leading through experience,” Jacob Turner said. “With the new guys and trying to get guys to buy into us, you got to lead by example and you got to make them want to buy into our culture and our standards and it’s been easy, honestly, because of the guys that we have in here, but I think just leading by experience and by example is a big thing.”
Sova and Jacob Turner have also made physical strides from last season. According to the team’s website, Sova is two inches taller (6-foot-10) and 33 pound heavier (230 pounds) than last year, while Jacob Turner is one inch taller (6-foot) and 13 pounds heavier (210 pounds).
Strengths of the Team
Although the team lost multiple key contributors from last season, including their two All-MAC selections (Wright and Penrod), the Falcons pride themselves on their unity.
“I think the recipe for success at BGSU is if the strength of our team is the fact that we are a team, especially in this era of individuality, I believe that we’re in a good spot,” Hallock said. “We’re looking to present a product that plays off one another like a team, instead of just being dressed the same and calling ourselves a team.”
Bowling Green also believes they are deeper overall than last year.
“We’re sound all the way around, depth everywhere,” Birchmeier said. “You don’t want to use the word backup, but at every single position, we have a guy that’s ready to step in, no matter what the situation is.”
The coaching staff believes the team is more athletic than last year and possesses power, both at the plate and on the mound, similar to the 2024 season, when BG won the MAC Regular Season Championship.
“I think we got our athleticism back. I think we can run more. I do think we’re deeper in the power department, as well. Pitching, we’re a lot deeper in that area,” Rembielak said. “But I think overall, it just seems like from top to bottom, from pitching to hitting, I think we got more athleticism from last year to this year. So we’ll see what that looks like.”
Hallock, the 2011 MAC Pitcher of the Year at Kent State, and his staff focused on bulking up the pitching department, which the team now believes is a major strength.
“Hopefully, we have one of our transfers that are going to step up and throw some meaningful innings for us. In terms of starting a rotation, it’s going to be a lot of guys that you’ve seen before, that our fans have seen before, and are just going to have to step up in a way that they have and also haven’t before,” Jacob Turner said. “We got a lot of new, really good arms that are going to contribute, and hopefully we can all stay healthy and contribute all year.”
The team centered more concentration at the start of the school year on establishing culture and expectations early on, which they believe will help them when they take the field.
“I think we’ve done a better job of emphasizing taking care of stuff in the fall. I think last year, we kind of let some stuff slide after the championship year, and it crept into the season. You kind of saw how that affected some wins and losses,” Seidel said. “So, I think we did a good job of shutting stuff down when we first saw it in the fall and help us be better prepared heading into spring.”
The Falcons are aiming to be a well-rounded team to limit their weaknesses.
“We are trying to be as versatile and diversified as possible with how we score offensively and just how we can win games, because if you can only win games one way, teams can scout that, teams can pitch and play you differently, or it’s straight up to that,” Hallock said. “So, for me and for us, if there’s a lot of different ways we can win and we button up on the way that we could possibly lose internally, we should have a nice opportunity to win some games.”
Updated Facility
For the first time in the team’s over 100-year history, the Falcons will play on a turf field under the lights at Steller Field following offseason renovations to the 60-year-old ballpark after millions of dollars in donations from alumni and supporters of the program.
“Dreams becoming reality is always a big deal, especially when you talk about a new facility or improved facility, as we’re talking about. We’re still on the same grounds that we’ve always been, corner of Stadium and Mercer,” Hallock said.
The renovations have injected new energy into the program after multiple years of calls for turf and lights.
“I think anybody that’s been around Bowling Green Baseball or MAC Baseball that has been to Bowling Green for a lot of years are probably excited to just come back and see what it looks like because it is completely different than any alum would be used to or anybody that’s ever been a part of MAC Baseball that has visited Bowling Green State, that it’s just an exciting new look. And we’re going to continue to build and make it even better,” Rembielak said. “Right now, we’re excited to just get to week one, but I know after a couple of weeks, when everybody’s got cabin fever on the bus, and we want to play at home, it’s probably going to double the excitement that we actually get to play on a turf field. So, we’re excited, and hopefully, before the season starts, the weather warms up a little bit so we can at least get out there because I’m sure that day will be crazy energy.”
Challenges
Although the updated facilities provide a much-wanted boost for the program, the updates also bring a new set of challenges.
“I think the neat part about [the Steller Field renovations] is the expectations that come with them. We’ve talked about that. There’ve been over 100 teams here at BGSU, and at least the last couple have been talking about turf and how nice it would be to play on it. We understand the expectations and that this team is fortunate in a way,” Hallock said. “There’s a lot of past alums that would like to field a ground ball on this turf, and it’s our job to go out there and perform and put a team out there that’s as nice as that field. So, we’re looking forward to that challenge.
Unlike previous years when the Falcons were trying to build the program into a contender, Bowling Green has established themselves as a top team in the conference.”
“We’re not sneaking up on anyone. We’ve earned the respect of our peers as the last couple teams, and basically this program has done over the last couple years. We’re not hiding, we’re not sneaking up, we’re not in a spot where anything we do should surprise us,” Hallock said.
The Falcons also expect to face the challenge of not getting too high or low throughout the long and grueling season.
“It’s hard to maintain it at the top, and it’s hard to get out of the low points, too. Being able to stay in the middle with just the mindset of being able to show up consistently every day, that’s always going to be the hard part,” Rembielak said. “You don’t really know how anyone’s going to handle it until you’re in it.”
BGSU is also aiming to stay healthier than last season, which hurt the team down the stretch of conference play.
“That was definitely a point of emphasis is taking care and stuff in the training room and things of that nature. Just whenever you feel something, just being smart with it and not pushing it,” Seidel said. “Just the main thing is staying on the field, that’s the best ability is availability.”
Schedule
Bowling Green’s 54-game schedule, comprised of 21 non-conference and 33 conference games, will begin against Georgia Tech, ranked No. 5 in the country in D1Baseball’s preseason poll, in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, Feb. 13.
Key non-conference matchups include trips to Cincinnati on Tuesday, Feb. 24, Ohio State on Tuesday, April 7, Michigan on Wednesday, April 22 and Michigan State on Tuesday, May 5.
The Falcons open conference play with a three-game road series against Kent State on Friday, March 6.
The team’s home opener will be against Findlay on Tuesday, March 17.
Bowling Green’s rivalry series against Toledo is scheduled for Friday, April 24, through Sunday, April 26, at Steller Field.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green’s annual game against the Rockets at Fifth-Third Field will take place on Tuesday, May 12.
Finally, the MAC Tournament heads back to Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio, from Wednesday, May 20, through Thursday, May 23.
Additionally, there are currently three night games scheduled at Steller Field: Friday, April 10 against Central Michigan, Friday, April 24 against Toledo and Friday, May 8 against Western Michigan. All three games are slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch.
Expectations
Bowling Green has their eyes set on a unified goal—becoming the first team in program history to win both the MAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
“Success for us with our standards and the goals that we have set is to win a regular season championship and win the tournament as well. We want to be the first team (in program history) to do that,” Jacob Turner said. “I think we put the work in for that. I think we have the players and the staff to get that done. I think that’s the main goal for us this year.”
With last year’s early exit from the MAC Tournament still fresh in the team’s mind, the Falcons are eager to once again reach the pinnacle of the conference.
Any year that doesn’t end in championships is a learning experience. So, a lot of us, there’s some hunger to get back to that title spot,” Birchmeier said.
Bowling Green is solely focused on punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history and the first time since 2013.
“We would like to return this program to the NCAA Tournament. I think anything less than that is something we don’t discuss. It’s not something we enter in our minds when we practice or when we meet or when we talk, and we expect to operate standard-wise, and perform on the field and off the field in the community with championship standards and expectations,” Hallock said.
Ultimately, the Falcons plan to put as much effort into what they can control as they seek another magical season.
“If we take care of what happens in Bowling Green, Ohio, I can live with this season and so can our players,” Hallock said.
