BGSU Softball competes in its final weekend of the 2026 season in Oxford, Ohio. The Falcons, eliminated from MAC tournament contention, play their final overall and MAC series against Miami (OH).
Bowling Green comes off a successful mid-week doubleheader against Oakland. The two-win day served as the Falcons’ first doubleheader sweep in over a year, arguably the team’s best single-day performance of the season
The Oakland series also bumped BG to the 20-win mark for the program’s first time since 2022. Every player on the roster was in high school, and none were in college when BG last won 20 games or more.
Senior pitcher Mackenzie Krafcik continues to lead the Falcons on the field, making a start and relief appearance in the circle, taking a win and a save. She has appeared in five-straight games (16.2 innings) and has allowed not a single earned run.
Playing in their final home games against Oakland, Bowling Green seniors had some of the best individual performances. Second baseman Hannah Hunt, catcher Ashley Chevalier and designated player Katie Hutter had a combined eight hits in their 14 at-bats, and Delaney Davis pinch-ran and scored a run.
In addition to Krafcik, senior pitcher Alivia Roth started game two and pitched five innings of a shutout before her exit. It stands as one of the best starts in her career.
The Falcons sit at 20-26 overall and 6-17 in conference play. With one win in the three-game series against Miami (OH), BG would tie the 2025 season’s MAC win total. It would also extend a four-game improvement overall from last season.
Miami Redhawks
Head coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate and her squad have played to a 35-win record, the most overall wins of any team in the conference. In MAC play, they are 16-8, third in the standings, and have lost just two series in conference play.
The Redhawks program has won four straight MAC softball tournament titles and has finished first in the regular season every year since 2017, when the conference converted to divisionless standings.
To win the regular season in 2026, Miami needs to sweep Bowling Green and hope No. 1 Akron and No. 2 Northern Illinois lose all three of their games this weekend.
Despite not controlling their tournament-seeding destiny, Miami is statistically the best team in the conference.
The team’s 3.44 season-long ERA is over half a run better than the next closest team (Bowling Green, 4.06). They own the best two-pitcher crew in MAC overall statistics with seniors Presley Hosick and Lea Chevrier combining for 37 overall starts and an under-3.0 ERA.
More impressive is Miami’s red-hot bats that have a MAC -leading .359 batting average and 1.026 OPS. They lead all teams in hits, runs, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
Senior transfer Bailey Manos is third in the MAC in conference batting average and first in OPS and home runs. Three other Redhawks are in the top 10 of MAC-play OPS, contributing to the best offensive team by a large margin.
Conversely, Bowling Green has consistently led MAC play in pitching. Krafcik and sophomore Morgan Beckham have started 16 of 23 games, and each has an ERA below 3.05.
Bowling Green’s arms meet Miami’s bats at Miami Softball Stadium on Friday at 3 p.m., and Saturday for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Recaps of both games will be available on bgfalconmedia.com
