BGSU baseball, after defeating Central Michigan 5-4 Friday, have put together a six-game winning streak to begin April.

A six-game BGSU winning streak to begin a month has not occurred since 2009, while a six-game winning streak to start April has not occurred since 1976.

Over the six games, the Falcons have hit .314, which has raised their batting average on the season to .249. The team has also averaged 8.5 runs per game.

Individual players have begun to see improvements in their own work throughout the course of the season. Before April, junior Lance Vickers was batting .292, which has since increased to .326. He hit the game-winning, two-RBI single Friday.

“I started on the outside looking in and just had to enjoy every minute of it,” Vickers said. “It’s just awesome to be a part of this, be a part of this group of guys, this team.”

Pitchers have also seen growth portrayed in their success. As a whole, the pitching staff has a 4.00 earned run average across the six games.

Head coach Kyle Hallock credited the pitching success to assistant coach Landon Willeman.

“He’s had a hand in the bullpens and getting guys ready,” Hallock said. “We’re fortunate to be surrounded by elite-level people.”

The three-game series sweep over Akron to begin April has been the turning point that the Falcons needed. Bowling Green’s wins over the Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponent allowed the Falcons to recognize and fix a negative mindset.

“I think we were putting a lot, too much pressure on ourselves,” redshirt sophomore pitcher Titus Lotz said. “We know we’re pretty good. So, I think it’s just about going out there and doing our jobs.”

Hallock, however, believes there is still room for improvement in BGSU’s mental game.

“It’s an important series for this team to get over the hump; improve things that we need to prove to ourselves,” Hallock said.

With the win over Central Michigan, the Falcons have bettered their record in MAC competition to 8-8. They are currently in position to be the first team out of the six-team MAC Tournament.

“We started off kind of poorly and we’ve worked our way into a dangerous hole for the MAC,” said Lotz. “I think, for us as a whole, we’ve gotten a lot grittier and a lot tougher in this situation.”

The Falcons host the Chippewas for the second game of the weekend series Saturday. The game’s first pitch is set for 3 p.m.