BGSU baseball (13-17, 7-8) is home once again for the weekend, with the Falcons welcoming Central Michigan (11-17, 5-10) to Steller Field for a three-game series.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
The Falcons enter the series riding its longest win streak of the season at five games, which is tied for the longest active winning streak in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
Matchup History
The teams have met 137 times since 1971, with Central Michigan leading the all-time series 82-54-1.
However, the Falcons have won six straight against Central Michigan and are 8-2 in their last 10 meetings.
Central Michigan’s last series win against Bowling Green came in 2022, when they swept the Falcons in four games at Steller Field.
Scouting Bowling Green
The Falcons defeated Lourdes and Ohio State in midweek action after sweeping Akron for their first series win of the season.
Bowling Green’s offense has completely shifted during their five-game winning streak. Prior to the Akron series, the Falcons offensive ranks were in the bottom of the MAC.
In their first 25 games of the season, Bowling Green averaged only 4.6 runs scored per game and ranked last in the conference in batting average (.233), on-base percentage (.320), slugging percentage (.369) and OPS (.689).
In the last five games, the Falcons average 9.2 runs per game, with a .323 batting average, .452 OBP, .494 slugging percentage, and .946 OPS.
The pitching staff has also shown improvement.
Ty Roder had his best outing in the win against Ohio State, throwing 3.2 hitless innings with six strikeouts.
The pitching staff combined for 13 strikeouts in that game and against Lourdes as well, bringing the season total to 281 strikeouts, good for second in the MAC.
Scouting Central Michigan
The Chippewas enter this series coming off a tough loss against Michigan in Ann Arbor, 6-4. They won their last weekend series against Western Michigan, taking two games after being swept by Eastern Michigan in the previous series.
Central Michigan currently sits ninth in the conference standings in a three-way tie with Akron and Eastern Michigan, two games behind Bowling Green.
The Chippewas offensive ranks are decent in the conference, sitting sixth in the MAC in batting average (.277) and hits (274), and fourth in home runs (38), RBIs (207) and slugging percentage (.454).
The pitching, however, ranks towards the bottom of the conference.
Central Michigan is seventh in ERA just behind Bowling Green at a 6.91 and 10th with 211 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .300 against them, which ranks ninth.
Hayden Bailey has started to emerge as the Chippewas top arm. The senior is coming off his best outing last week against Western Michigan, tossing seven innings, allowing one run and striking out four. He leads the team with a 5.21 ERA.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Anthony Mitta (Bowling Green No. 40)
The redshirt senior infielder has been a key factor in Bowling Green’s offensive surge. He enters the weekend on a five-game hitting streak, with three-hit performances in two of his last three games. He is hitting .290 with a .799 OPS, totaling 29 hits, nine doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs.
Ethan Stade (Bowling Green No. 32)
Stade has been the Falcons’ most reliable arm and a consistent strikeout threat. As the Friday starter, he has helped lead Bowling Green to wins in each of his last three starts, recording eight or more strikeouts in all three. He was also named the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week this week, his second honor of the season.
Cole Prout (Central Michigan No. 44)
Prout comes in hot after a standout series against Western Michigan, where he hit a walk-off double in game one and a grand slam in game three. He finished the series with seven RBIs, six hits and three extra-base hits, batting .545 with a .643 OBP.
Harrison Bowman (Central Michigan No. 2)
Bowman has been an offensive juggernaut all season for the Chippewas, leading the team in almost every category. He’s batting .319 and a slugging percentage of .597 with a .994 OPS. He’s tallied 38 hits and 31 runs scored, with nine doubles and eight home runs along with 30 RBIs.
