Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons "Travel" to Fall Season Opener
September 16, 2005 | Softball
Sept. 16, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University softball team hits the road to begin the fall schedule this weekend, but the trip will be a short one. The Falcons of head coach Leigh Ross will head to Bowling Green's Carter Park to play five games against schools from around the state this weekend (Sept. 17-18).
"We're excited to get the season underway," said Ross. "This weekend's tournament should be especially interesting, as it features a wide range of college teams as well as ASA club teams. It will give us an opportunity to watch some of the region's top college-bound players in action, and it also gives them a chance to see our program in action."
The Falcons of Ross and assistant coach Kyle Jamieson will open the weekend with Saturday's (Sept. 17) 9:00 a.m. game vs. Findlay. BGSU's other Saturday action includes games vs. Hillsdale (12:30 p.m.) and Miami-Hamilton (4:00 p.m.). On Sunday (Sept. 18), the Brown and Orange will meet Toledo at 2:15 p.m. before facing UF at 4:00 p.m.
BGSU's fall slate continues with a trip to Columbus for the Fifth Annual Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic on Oct. 1-2. That tournament will bring together 10 Division I programs from the state of Ohio, with the Falcons facing Dayton, Cleveland State, Kent State, Akron and Wright State.
Falcon greats from the past as well as the present will be on hand at the BGSU Softball Field on Sunday, Oct. 9, as the Alumnae game begins at noon. That game will conclude the fall portion of the schedule.
The 17-woman roster includes four seniors, and that senior group includes the reigning Mid-American Conference Player and Pitcher of the Year. Third baseman Gina Rango (North Lima, Ohio) was the conference's 2005 Player of the Year, while Liz Vrabel (Allison Park, Pa.) was the MAC Pitcher of the Year.
Catcher Abby Habicht (Edwardsburg, Mich.) and 1B/P Lindsay Heimrich (Waterville, Ohio) round out the Falcon seniors.
Fourth-year Falcon Natalie Armintrout (Johnstown, Ohio) also returns, while the other six juniors include outfielders Jeanine Baca (La Habra, Calif.), Emmy Ramsey (New Concord, Ohio) and Kari Steigerwald (Baden, Pa.), second baseman Megan McPherson (Henderson, Nev.), C/OF Lauren Hoffman (Archbold, Ohio) and C/Util. Ashley Zirkle (Gahanna, Ohio).
Pitcher Emily Gouge (Vero Beach, Fla.), SS/OF Dawnjene DeLong (Hamilton, Ohio) and 1B/OF Allison Vallas (Perrysburg, Ohio) enter their sophomore year at BGSU, while the freshman class includes pitcher Hayley Weimer (Sylvania, Ohio), C/IF Desiree Miller (Hartville, Ohio) and C/3B Wendy Sheehan (Orange, Calif.)
The spring schedule will take the Falcons to eight different states, and will be highlighted by four tournaments, several marquee non-conference matchups and a new MAC regular-season format.
The games begin to count when BGSU begins the spring season with a trip to Chattanooga, Tenn., for the Panera Bread Challenge (Feb. 24-26). The Falcons will face UAB, Belmont, East Tennessee State, Maine and Virginia, in addition to the host Mocs.
The following weekend (March 3-5), BGSU will face a daunting task, to say the least. The Falcons will be in Waco, Texas, for the Compass Bank Invitational, hosted by Baylor. BG will play two games each against three NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago; Baylor, Mississippi State and Washington. That weekend marks six of the Falcons' 10 2006 games vs. NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
The Falcons then make back-to-back trips to Florida, for the DoubleTree Worth Classic, hosted by Florida Atlantic on March 10-12 (opponents TBA) and the USF adidas Tournament the following weekend (Mar. 17-19). BGSU's opponents in the latter tournament will include George Mason, Towson and Troy.
The home schedule begins with a March 25 doubleheader vs. Detroit at the BGSU Softball Field. The Falcons are scheduled for a total of 10 home dates, with four twinbills and six single games.
The non-league slate also includes a home double-dip vs. Oakland (April 18) and road games against Notre Dame (March 29), Ohio State (April 5 - DH), Michigan State (April 11) and DePaul (April 26). Both Notre Dame and DePaul made the NCAA Tournament in 2005.
The Falcons return to the MAC's East Division for the 2005-06 academic year, and the '06 season features a balanced league schedule. Each of the 12 teams will play two games against one another, for a total of 22 MAC regular-season matchups. Additionally, the league has gone to a Friday-Saturday-Sunday format, playing Friday doubleheaders, and single games on the other two weekend days.
The Brown and Orange will open the conference portion of the schedule on the last day of March, with a doubleheader at Buffalo. BG opens April with single games at Kent State on April 1-2.
The MAC home opener comes on Friday, April 7, as Akron comes to town for a doubleheader. BGSU also has home dates vs. Ohio (April 8-9), Central Michigan (April 21 - DH), Eastern Michigan (April 22-23) and Toledo (April 29-30), while playing road games at Ball State (April 14 - DH), Miami (April 15-16), Western Michigan (May 5 - DH) and Northern Illinois (May 6-7).
The MAC Tournament will be held May 10-13, with the winner earning the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals.
The 2005 Falcons finished with an overall record of 29-30, and BGSU placed third in the MAC's West Division with a 12-10 league ledger. The Brown and Orange qualified for the MAC Tournament for the third-straight year and the seventh time in the last eight seasons, and BGSU graduated just one senior, Kristen Anderson, from that team.
