While the snow continues to fall in Ohio, the Falcons baseball team will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to start the season.
Bowling Green will play a three-game series beginning on Friday and ending on Sunday afternoon against Belmont University.
The reigning Mid-American Conference champions face a tough task taking on the Bruins, who went 38-20 last season. The Falcons will face their ace Dan Ludwig this weekend. Ludwig is a left-handed pitcher who went 11-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 2013. The Falcons starting pitchers this weekend will follow as: Cody Apthorpee, Mike Frank and Andrew Lacinak. This will be Apthorpe’s third season as the Falcons number-one starter in the rotation.
Second team All-MAC Jeremy Shay returns where he led the Falcons in batting average at .330, and runs scored with 35. Shay also earned All-Tournament team of the NCAA Louisville Regional in 2013.
Bowling Green will feature 12 seniors, in which three of them are captains this upcoming season. The captains include of: T.J. Losby Jeremy Shay and Cody Apthorpe.
“We expect them to lead by example,” said head coach Danny Schmitz.
This season will be Schmitz’s 24th season for the Falcons.
Although the Falcons have not been able to practice on a real diamond since mid-October, coach Schmitz still sees progress this past winter.
“This offseason, our guys have been really focused and they have been working really hard and now they are anxious to get outside and play,” he said.
Due to the poor weather, the Falcons will play their first 19 games of the season on the road this season. During the road trip, the Falcons will travel over 6,000 miles in the span of 31 days.
The Falcons are ranked second in the 2014 MAC preseason poll, just behind Kent State. As expectations might be high for them, there is no doubt that the MAC competes at a high level.
“In our conference you better bring it everyday,” said Schmitz.
