BGSU baseball begins Mid-American Conference (MAC) play on the road against Kent State in a three-game series from Friday through Sunday.
First pitch at Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium is set for 3 p.m. on Friday, with a 1 p.m. start on Saturday and Sunday.
Falcon Media Sports Network will have a radio call of all three games on Falcon Radio, streaming on bgfalconmedia.com.
Matchup History
The teams have faced each other 205 times since 1936, with Kent State leading the series 135-70.
The Golden Flashes won two of three against the Falcons last season at Steller Field.
The last time Bowling Green won a series against KSU was in 2014. The Falcons have not won a series in Kent since 2004.
Scouting Bowling Green
BGSU is off to a slow start, beginning the season 2-8.
The Falcons have faced the toughest schedule of any MAC team and the 44th hardest in the country. Every opponent Bowling Green has faced—No. 5 Georgia Tech, Western Carolina, Cincinnati and Samford—won at least 30 games last season, and they have a combined record of 34-15 to begin this season.
BG head coach Kyle Hallock graduated from Kent State, winning MAC Pitcher of the Year in 2011. Now in his sixth season leading the Falcons, Hallock is just 4-13 against his alma mater.
Bowling Green has won its MAC opener in three straight seasons, sweeping the first conference series of the season in back-to-back campaigns.
A win on Friday would mark the first time the Falcons have won their first conference game of the year in four straight seasons since the 2003-05 seasons. Bowling Green has never swept their first conference opponent of the year in three straight seasons since joining the MAC in 1953.
Last year, BGSU started its conference schedule 7-0 after opening MAC play 17-0 in 2024, a conference record.
Bowling Green’s offense has struggled against tough competition.
The Falcons have scored just 34 runs, the fewest in the MAC. They also rank sixth in doubles (17), eighth in home runs (eight), 10th in batting average (.233) and slugging percentage (.362) and 11th in on-base percentage (OBP) (.307).
Junior infielder Sam Seidel has anchored Bowling Green’s offense, emerging as one of the best hitters in the MAC early in the season.
Seidel, who is hitting .378 through 10 games, ranks fourth in the conference with five doubles and seven stolen bases, sixth with a .676 slugging percentage and seventh with a 1.153 OPS.
BG’s pitching has been equally rough.
The Falcons have a 9.27 ERA and .390 batting average against, the second-worst and worst marks in the conference, respectively.
Bowling Green’s pitching staff has thrown 79 strikeouts compared to 49 walks. BG has allowed double-digit runs in five of their 10 games this season.
The Falcons are still searching for consistent options out of the bullpen, including high-leverage arms and a closer.
Scouting Kent State
Kent State sits atop the MAC standings with a 9-3 record.
The crown jewel of the young season for the Golden Flashes is a series win over No. 13 Tennessee, taking two of three games from the Volunteers.
Kent State has won four straight games, the longest active winning streak in the MAC.
The Golden Flashes were co-MAC regular season champions last year, finishing with a 38-18 overall and 23-7 conference record, including an incredible 23-2 mark at home.
KSU’s offense has been solid to start the year.
Kent State ranks second in the MAC in runs scored (96) and home runs (14), fourth in walks (66), fifth in stolen bases (19), sixth in slugging percentage (.404) and OBP (.389), seventh in doubles (16) and eighth in batting average (.259).
However, the Golden Flashes have struck out 137 times, the most in the conference.
Sophomore utility player Sawyer Solitaria has dominated after winning MAC Freshman of the Year last season.
Solitaria leads the MAC with 17 runs scored and 20 hits. He also ranks second in the conference with six home runs, third with a 1.366 OPS and a .833 slugging percentage, and eighth with a .417 batting average and 12 RBIs.
Kent State’s biggest strength has been their elite pitching.
The Golden Flashes lead the MAC with a 4.38 ERA, 98 strikeouts and five saves.
They have also thrown just 37 walks and held opponents to a .253 batting average, the second-best marks in the conference.
Senior right-handed pitcher Ciaran Caughey has been lights out for Kent State.
He holds a 1-0 record and a 0.71 ERA, striking out 17 batters and walking just five in 12.2 innings across three starts. Caughey blanked nationally ranked Tennessee for four innings.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Brady Birchmeier (Bowling Green No. 43)
The junior first baseman has started to find his groove after a slow start to his 2026 campaign.
Although he is hitting just .241 with two extra-base hits through eight games, Birchmeier is on a four-game hitting streak, batting .400 with four RBIs in that span.
The New Lothrop, Michigan, native hit 3-for-12 with four runs scored, two RBIs and two home runs in three games against Kent State last season.
Jacob Turner (Bowling Green No. 30)
The senior right-handed pitcher has been Bowling Green’s best starter so far.
Turner is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA, 13 strikeouts and four walks in 14 innings pitched across three starts. The St. Clair, Michigan, native has a 1.80 ERA across 10 innings over his last two starts.
Brody Williams (Kent State No. 22)
The senior catcher has been raking to start his 2026 campaign, batting .294 with 12 RBIs.
He is on a five-game hitting streak, hitting .524 with four RBIs and three doubles during that span.
Last year, he crushed the Falcons, hitting 6-for-10 with three RBIs and two doubles.
However, he does lead the MAC with 21 strikeouts.
Nick Guidas (Kent State No. 33)
The redshirt senior left-handed pitcher has been a very solid arm for the Golden Flashes.
Guidas is 1-0 with a save, a 3.18 ERA, eight strikeouts and just two walks in 11.1 innings pitched across four relief appearances.
The Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, native is holding opponents to a .256 batting average and holds a 1.15 WHIP.
