As the school year concludes for many students, summer must wait a bit longer for the BG softball team, but you won’t hear its members complaining about it.
The end of the regular season means the beginning of tournament play, something the Falcons are very excited about.
The last time the Falcons made the Mid-American Conference tournament was 2010 with a 13-29 record, when they were eliminated quickly. They were omitted in 2011 with their 12-32 record. This season brings in lots of hope as the Falcons are 34-17 with four games left to play.
This season is a turnaround for the Falcons and sets them as the most improved team in the country.
“To be honest, I don’t know if the kids all know it yet,” head coach Shannon Salsburg said. “It sounds cliché but we just take it pitch by pitch and game by game.”
The Falcons are currently sitting in second place overall in the MAC but first place in the MAC East and will comfortably make the MAC tournament. The Falcons only trail the Ball State Cardinals, who they will play in two away games this Saturday and Sunday.
The MAC tournament will take the top eight teams and seed them according to win percentage, leaving two teams omitted.
BG is eyeing the No. 1 seed and hopes to win the tournament. The winner of the tournament will get a berth into the NCAA tournament this summer.
Even though their MAC berth is set, however, the Falcons still have four games to play, all of which are on the road. BG has brought in an 11-7 record on the road.
Up first for the Falcons will be a trip to Oxford, Ohio, to play the RedHawks of Miami in a doubleheader on Friday. Miami is currently sitting in second place behind the Falcons in the MAC East and the RedHawks will be looking to take the top spot from the Falcons. Miami is 32-16 overall and 13-5 in conference play.
Following that game the Falcons will travel to Muncie, Ind., to play in two games at Ball State, one on Saturday and one on Sunday.
Ball State is the current leader in the MAC overall with a .815 win percentage and 13-3 conference record. They are 35-13 overall compared to BG’s 34-17 record.
The final two opponents will test the Falcons and give them a final taste at the stiff competition in their way to winning a MAC title.
A strong finish against both these teams could result in a high seed and quite possibly the top seed in the tournament.
