Following their 11-1 seven inning run rule loss against Cincinnati and a weekend series loss to Western Carolina, Bowling Green baseball (1-6) heads into their final non-conference series with more questions than answers.
While the Falcons have found themselves up against highly competitive collegiate programs, their performance has not given enough to blame it all on superior competition.
When looking closer into it, the issues lie within the offensive output so far through non-conference play.
Bowling Green was only able to muster together back-to-back hits once against the Bearcats, coming from senior infielder Sam Seidel and redshirt senior infielder Anthony Mitta in the sixth inning.
The Falcons only managed to stir up six hits against a Cincinnati team that threw four different pitchers through seven innings, including three going just one inning.
Along with that, the Orange and Brown were shutout in the second game of their Saturday doubleheader against Western Carolina.
The only offensive production came from redshirt senior outfielder Zach Horky, junior outfielder Pauly Mancino and Mitta. Each player only had one hit, all coming in different innings.
So far this season, the Falcons have been outhit in every contest besides their 6-5 victory over Western Carolina, when the two teams each tallied 11 hits.
Bowling Green as a team has batted .220 through their seven games in comparison to opponents .407, and is almost halfway behind their opponents in every other major hitting category.
One of the biggest offensive questions lies within the production from senior infielder Brady Birchmeier.
Heading into the season, Birchmeier was arguably the Falcons’ biggest stick in the batting order. So far, through two weekend series and a midweek matchup, Birchmeier is batting .118 with only two hits in 17 at-bats.
If the Falcons want to start Mid-American Conference (MAC) play on a good note, Birchmeier is going to have to break out of his early season slump.
While there are questions to be asked, one answer has been made clear.
Senior infielder Sam Seidel has solidified himself as the most productive player for the team at the plate, hitting .435 early in the season.
“He knows he’s one of the best players in the country in his position,” head coach Kyle Hallock said. “He was our best player in practice in January. So, his start is not surprising.”
Bowling Green will have one more non-conference series to answer any more of the questions around the program with their weekend series against Samford (3-5), with first pitch of the series coming on Friday at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs are coming off a 30-win campaign last year, continuing BG’s competitive non-conference schedule.
