Lance Vickers has emerged as one of the most important offensive weapons for BGSU baseball.

The junior catcher spent his first two seasons at Garrett Community College and Allen Community College before transferring to northwest Ohio.

After starting the season on the bench, Vickers has capitalized on his opportunities, hitting a team-best .326 with a .444 on-base percentage in 14 games played.

Vickers’ play has reached the point where head coach Kyle Hallock has made him a solidified part of the batting order.

“I started on the outside looking in and just had to enjoy every moment of it,” Vickers said. “Last year, I was in junior college in the middle of nowhere and didn’t even know if I’d be playing baseball right now. So, just enjoying every moment of it and trusting the process, trusting that God has a plan for me, and he clearly does, and just trusting everything’s going to work out and fit itself out the way it’s supposed to be.”

Vickers biggest moment of the season came Saturday.

After being moved up to second in the batting order for the first time this year with the absence of senior infielder Sam Seidel, he hit 2-for-4 and drove in a team-high three runs. His performance was highlighted by a two-RBI single in the eighth inning to give Bowling Green a lead over Central Michigan they would hang on to for their sixth straight win.

“When our offenses are really good here and scoring a bunch, we have someone normally in the two-hole that can do a variety of things,” Hallock said. “Lance has been a great option. We thought he’d be a great option for the two-hole, and he made us look smart.”

Vickers has caught fire over the past seven games, hitting .417 (10-for-24) with five RBIs, five walks and two stolen bases.

He will look to stay hot at the plate as the Falcons continue their series against Central Michigan at Steller Field at 3 p.m. on Saturday.