The BG baseball team will be back in conference action this weekend as it takes on Miami on the road.
Dating back to April 10 against Michigan, the Falcons have won four of five games, including taking two of three games from conference-leading Kent State this past weekend.
Entering the weekend set, the Falcons and RedHawks are tied for fourth in the Mid-American Conference East Division with 4-8 conference records. They trail Kent State by six games.
The Falcons and RedHawks are also in a three-way tie, along with Ball State, for ninth in the conference. Only eight teams qualify for the MAC Tournament
Like BG, Miami has not been able to hit for much power this season. As a team, the RedHawks have hit only eight home runs on the season in 37 games.
However, four of those home runs have come from outfielder Bryce Redeker. He has started every game this season and also leads the team with 32 RBI, a .507 slugging percent and 17 walks.
Instead, Miami has relied more on speed and small ball to score runs. Three RedHawks — Redeker, Matt Honchel and Ryan Brenner — have attempted double digit steals.
They have not always met success on the basepaths, however. Miami has only been successful on 61.9 percent of stolen base attempts this season.
While the Falcons have been strong at home this season, posting an 8-2 record, they have not met much success away from Stellar Field. This is especially true in conference games, where BG is 0-6 in road MAC games.
Matt Malewitz will pitch Friday’s game for BG, while Ethan McKenney will start Saturday. Coach Danny Schmitz has yet to determine a starter for Sunday’s game, with Andrew Lacinak and Cody Apthorpe out with injuries.
Friday’s game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., with Saturday’s game scheduled for a 3 p.m. start and Sunday’s game scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.