BGSU baseball (8-17, 4-8) had their storybook moments in their first five-game homestretch of the season but have since been free-falling down the Mid-American Conference (MAC) standings.
The Falcons have picked up three wins in their last eight games, with those being both series openers against Ohio and Northern Illinois, along with a walk-off midweek victory over Tiffin.
On the other side of those wins, Bowling Green ended up losing both series against the Bobcats and Huskies, while also picking up their first home midweek loss under head coach Kyle Hallock in a 12-7 game against Findlay.
The Orange and Brown currently sit in ninth place in the conference standings with a must-win series ahead of them against Akron, who slots into the standings at seventh and only a game higher in MAC play.
A possible contributing factor toward the lack of success for the Falcons could be from a few of their key pieces not making appearances in recent series.
The most recent player to not appear in the lineup was junior infielder Vinny Salvione, who did not take the field in the series against Northern Illinois.
Along with Salvione, senior right-handed pitcher Jacob Turner and redshirt junior infielder Brady Birchmeier have not seen action since matchups against Miami (OH) and Kent State, respectively.
With multiple pieces not being able to see the field throughout the past matchups, Bowling Green has pulled all the strings to find solutions.
Throughout their five-game home stretch, the Falcons used 14 of their 18 pitchers. The only four pitchers to not see the mound were redshirt sophomore Carson Lumley, senior Perry Miller, freshman Joey Turner and Jacob Turner.
“We’re looking for guys to compete and execute pitches with two strikes and two outs. Some people separated themselves and they need to be ready to go every weekend,” Hallock said.
Along with the pitching, multiple batting opportunities came up throughout the eight games with players taking advantage of them.
Junior catcher Lance Vickers picked up hits against both Tiffin and Findlay, then split reps with freshman catcher Andrew DiLodovico, notching three hits in the final matchup against the Huskies.
The nicknamed trio of Larry, Curly and Moe—redshirt sophomore Alex Laird, sophomore Brayden Curlis and sophomore Carter Mottice—saw action together in the previous five games.
Laird was able to knock his first two hits of the season, while Curlis picked up the game-winning hit against Tiffin. Mottice has picked up a hit in the last five games, along with batting leadoff in the final game against Northern Illinois.
The multiple storybook moments from Bowling Green’s first few games on their newly renovated Steller Field keep the previous eight games from being all dark and gloomy.
The Falcons were able to defeat Ohio 7-0 in their first game under the lights on the renovated field, which included a poetic grand slam from senior infielder Sam Seidel, who designed the decals that line the outfield wall.
The following matchup against the Bobcats was Field Dedication Day, in which Paul Hooker threw out the first pitch.
The Orange and Brown also picked up a thrilling 7-6 walk-off victory against Tiffin, as Curlis singled down the left field line to score Seidel from second.
While the excitement of the renovated field lifted spirits throughout the losses, Hallock expects the product on the field to improve.
“The crowd has been great and we appreciate their support, the playing surface is outstanding, but we need to be better,” Hallock said.
Bowling Green will look to get back on track as the team heads into a crucial series against Akron this weekend back at Steller Field.
