Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Baseball Heads To Southern Ohio Again For Weekend Showdown With OU
May 01, 2008 | Baseball
May 1, 2008
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University baseball team, winners of just three of their last nine Mid-American Conference games, will look to right the ship this weekend when they head to Athens, Ohio for a weekend East Division series at Ohio University. Game one of the three-game set will start at 6 p.m. on Friday evening from OU's Bob Wren Stadium. Saturday's game two will then throw out the first pitch at 3 p.m., before the series concludes with a 1 p.m. first pitch in game three on Sunday.
Complete Release in PDF Format
COVERAGE
Live Statistics: Gametracker (www.bgsufalcons.com)
THE OPPONENT
Ohio University comes into the weekend series with the Falcons as losers of four-straight with just a single win in their last five games ... the Bobcats have an overall record of 20-24 and a MAC record of 9-9 ... OU is 10-10 at home this season and 10-14 on the road ... they dropped two mid-week home contests to Marshall (L, 10-3) and Duquesne (L, 7-8) this week after going 1-2 last weekend at Kent State, where they won a 7-2 game last Friday, before dropping back-to-back 6-5 games on Saturday and Sunday ... designated hitter Jeremie Rehak led the way for the Bobcats at the plate this last week going 10-for-16 with four RBI ... on the mound, Friday starter Chris Rigo was named MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week for his complete game victory at Kent State where he allowed just two runs on nine hits and struck out eight ... the Bobcats currently rank third in the MAC in batting average with a .311 team average and are fifth in pitching with a combined team ERA of 5.34 ... they are also seventh in fielding with a fielding percentage of .958 ... Brandon Besl leads OU with a .359 average at the plate and has a team-best 16 doubles ... Matt Stiffler has been the power-hitter on the squad, belting 10 homers and driving in 42 runs ... returning Freshman All-American Marc Krauss is then hitting .347 with 14 doubles, two triples, five homers and 35 RBI ... on the mound, Saturday starter Zach Elmer has a team-best 3.08 ERA, while Rigo has a team-best 57 strikeouts ... the Bobcats are coached by Joe Carbone, who is in his 21st season and owns a career record of 576-490-2.
THE SERIES WITH THE BOBCATS
This weekend's meetings between the Falcons and Bobcats will be the 134th, 135th and 136th all-time meetings between the two programs in a series that first started in 1952 ... BG trails the all-time series 53-79-1, but are an even 5-5 with OU in their last 10 meetings, going back to the 2002 season ... last season the Falcons took 2-of-3 from the Bobcats at Warren E. Steller Field in the final three games of the season, winning 14-4 on Friday and 8-6 on Saturday, before falling 15-0 on Sunday ... BG split with the Bobcats in their first two games at Wren Stadium back 1998, falling 4-1 in game one, before becoming the first visiting team to win at the facility with a 3-1 victory ... In six career games against OU, Brian Hangbers has hit .316 with six hits, two doubles, one homer and eight RBI.
FALCON QUICK HITS
• Derek Spencer has hit .470 in the Falcons last 19 games after hitting .317 in the first 19 games of the year.
• Derek Spencer was 12-for-17 (.706) when leading off an inning during the month of April.
•Derek Spencer hit .447 against right-handed pitching in April, going 21-for-47 at the plate, while dominating left-handers with a .524 average against southpaws.
• The 21 runs scored by the Falcons on April 22nd in their win over Albion were the most runs they've scored in a game since 2003 when they scored 23 runs against the Pennsylvania Quakers. It was the 11th time BG has hit the 20-run plateau in the last 10 seasons and the 12th time this season that they've scored double-digit runs.
• The trio of Andrew Foster, Brian Hangbers and Derek Spencer combined for 36 hits in April with runners in scoring position. Foster collected 11 hits with runners on second or third, while Hangbers had 12 and Spencer had 13.
• Ryan Shay has now recorded a hit in 34 of the Falcons' 38 games this season and in 314of the 37 games he has played in.
• BG has scored a run in the first inning of a game just 11 times this season in 38 total games. However, Ryan Shay has gone 15-for-34 at the plate in the first inning this season as he has a first inning on base percentage of .472.
• The Falcons have hit .334 this season in non-conference play, but their opponents have been just as effective hitting .311. Ryan Shay has a team-best .458 clip in non-conference tilts, while Derek Spencer leads the Falcons in non-conference RBI with 25.
• In 20 wins this season, the Falcons have hit .503 (87-for-173) in leadoff situations.
• In 10 mid-week games (doesn't include Florida trip), the Falcons own a 7-3 record as they've hit .368 as a unit and out-scored their opponents 120-75 in those games.
• The Falcons are 13-10 this season in non-conference action as they are 4-2 at home, 7-4 on the road and 2-4 at neutral sites.
• With their seven Mid-American Conference victories, the Falcons have already equalled their conference win total from last season.
• In 20 wins this season, Derek Spencer has hit .471, collecting 32 hits, eight doubles, one triple, six homers and 30 RBI.
• Junior right-hander Kevin Leady, has yet to allow an earned run in the fourth or sixth innings in 9.0 combined innings of work.
• BG is 10-6 this season when hitting a home run and 10-12 when they don't hit a long ball. On the flip side, they are 13-8 when holding the opposition without a homer and 7-10 when they allow their opponent to go yard.
• Since 2001, the Falcons are 148-4 when leading a game after the eighth inning, including a 18-0 mark this season.
• BG has hit .340 as team this season with runners in scoring position as they have eight batters with 10 or more hits in those situations. Leading the way is Derek Spencer, who has 21 hits with runners on second and third. Mark Galvin then has 16 hits with runners in position, while Andrew Foster, Brian Hangbers and Ryan Shay all have 15.
• Derek Spencer has collected 16 two-out RBI this season. That total alone would place him eighth on the team in RBI.
• BG has hit .336 as a team this season in the ninth inning and .331 in the eighth.
• In pinch hitting situations this season, BG is 20-for-49 (.408). Pacing the pinch hitters is Marty Baird, who is a perfect 4-for-4 on the year when pinch hitting. David Borcherdt then is 3-for-8 (.375).
• Despite being a right-handed pitcher, Nick Cantrell has held his left-handed opponents to just a .220 average in 59 at bats, while he has allowed his right-handed opponents to hit .319 against him in 116 at bats.
• Senior left-hander Brett Browning led the Falcon pitching staff with a 3.86 ERA in the month of April, going 1-1 in seven appearances and two starts.
• Despite being a right-hand dominated lineup, BG has hit .310 against left-handed pitching, collecting 143 hits.
• Friday night starter Frank Berry leads the Falcon pitching staff with 67 ground-ball outs this season as team's have flown out against him just 33 times for a 0.5 fly-out to ground-out ratio.
• Leading the way in fly ball outs for the Falcon pitching staff is Sunday starter Kevin Leady. Leady has a 1.1 fly-out to ground-out ratio as he has 43 fly ball outs and 40 ground-outs.
• BG has been out-scored by its' opponents, 38-18, in the game's first inning, but has out-scored its' opponents, 280-253, in innings two through nine.
IN TWENTY FALCON WINS ....
• BGSU hit .354 as a team and had a team ERA of 4.20.
• BGSU had a fielding percentage of .964.
• Derek Spencer hit .471 with six homers and 30 RBI, while Brian Hangbers hit .438 with six homers and 23 RBI.
• Ryan Shay had eight stolen bases and the Falcons as a team had 27 in 36 attempts.
• BGSU had nine sacrifice flys and 21 sacrifice hits.
• Kevin Leady had a 0.00 ERA and 2-0 record in 13.1 innings of work, while Nick Cantrell had a 0.71 ERA and 6-0 record in 25.1 innings with 28 strikeouts as team's hit .125 against him.
• Opposing teams had a .251 average and ERA of 8.64.
• Opposing pitchers allowed 166 earned runs.
IN EIGTHTEEN FALCON LOSSES ....
• BGSU hit .273 as a team and had a team ERA of 8.49.
• BGSU had a fielding percentage of .952 and committed 34 errors to just 20 for their opponents.
• BGSU had 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts with Ryan Shay going 4-for-5 in stolen base attempts.
• BGSU had five sacrifice flys and 14 sacrifice hits.
• Ryan Shay hit .400, while Clay Duncan hit .389 in 18 at bats.
• Charles Wooten led the Falcon pitching staff with a 4.40 ERA.
• Opposing teams had a .358 average and a team ERA of 3.83.
• Opposing pitchers allowed just 69 earned runs.
HOPING APRIL SHOWERS BRING WINS IN MAY
After a strong month of March that saw the Falcons go 10-5 during the month and start MAC play a perfect 3-0, the month April had its' good times and its' rough times. BG went 9-11 for the month of April, but saw their MAC season take a turn as the Falcons went 4-8 in MAC play and were just 4-7 at home for the month. Below is a comparision of the two months.
March April
Record: 10-5 9-11
Home: 4-0 4-7
Road: 4-1 5-4
Team Average: .312 .318
Team ERA: 3.98 7.30
Fielding %: .961 .957
Opp. B/Avg: .262 .323
MR. APRIL - Derek Spencer
It was a big month of April for Falcon sophomore Derek Spencer. The Oregon, Ohio native hit .471 for the month, going 32-for-68 at the plate in 20 games played and 17 started. He produced seven doubles, one triple, seven homers and 26 RBI for the month as he slugged .912 and racked up 62 total bases. On the season, Spencer has hit .397 as he has 50 hits in 126 plate appearances.
Spencer's Month of April
11-for-21 (.524) against left-handers
21-for-47 (.447) against right-handers
17-for-40 (.425) with runners on base
12-for-17 (.706) when leading an inning off at the plate
13-for-29 (.448) with runners in scoring position
9-for-24 (.375) with two outs and nine two-out RBI
MULTIPLE-HITS AGAIN AND AGAIN
Multiple-hit games have become a common occurence for junior shortstop Ryan Shay this season. Through the Falcons first 38 games, the Garden City, Mich. native has recorded multiple-hits in 23 of those 38 games, as teams have held him below two hits just 15 times. In the 23 games that Shay has collected multiple-hits, BG is 14-9. Those 23 multiple-hit efforts are the most by a Falcon player since Kelly Hunt recorded 26 multiple-hit games in 2003. Below is a look at the top multiple-hit contributers for BG since 2001.
Player Multiple-Hit Games Season
Corey Loomis 29 2001
Aric Christman 27 2002
Len Elias 26 2002
Kelly Hunt 26 2002
Kelly Hunt 26 2003
Lee Morrison 26 2002
Ryan Shay 23 2008
TWO AT BATS, TWO HOMERS FOR GACOM
The Falcons' 21-1 win over Albion on April 22nd will go down as a very memorable game for BG's Chris Gacom. The junior infielder pinch hit for starting second baseman Logan Meisler in the fifth inning and slugged just his second and third career homers in back-to-back at bats on way to collecting a career-high six RBI. Gacom's first at bat in the fifth inning resulted in a two-run shot to left center for his first homer of the season, while his second at bat in the sixth emptied the bases as became the second Falcon this season to hit a grand slam, joining fellow junior, Marty Baird.
ANOTHER FIVE-SPOT IN THE BOOKS
In last Wednesday's victory over Oakland University, the Falcons exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning, which helped them blow the game wide-open on way to a 14-6 win. That seven-run sixth was the 12th time this season that BG has scored five or more runs in an inning and the eighth time that they scored seven or more runs in one frame. Below is a list of the Falcons' big innings this season.
Date Opponent Inning Runs Scored
3/2 Northeastern 9th 7
3/12 at Cincinnati 2nd 8
3/15 at Murray State 3rd 9
4/1 at Youngstown State 5th 7
4/11 at Ball State 6th 5
4/12 at Ball State 2nd 9
4/13 at Ball State 7th 6
4/15 Tiffin 3rd 6
4/16 at Toledo 2nd 7
4/22 Albion 3rd 7
4/22 Albion 6th 5
4/23 Oakland 6th 7
HANGBERS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Thanks to a 10-for-19 week at the plate during the week of April 14th, junior first baseman Brian Hangbers was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week as he helped BG to a 3-2 record for the in their five games during the voting period. A native of Hamilton, Ohio, Hangbers hit .529 that week, recording 10 hits, three homers and 11 RBI as he helped the Falcons to a mid-week win at Xavier and a series win at Ball State over the weekend. The left-handed infielder and pitcher went 10-for-19 at the plate for the week and had a slugging percentage of 1.000, while he also recorded 44 putouts in the field. On the year, Hangbers has a is second on the team with a .380 average as he leads BG with seven homers and is second on the team with 28 RBI. With his Player of the Week honors, he became the first Falcon to earn the honors since sophomore Derek Spencer earned the honor for the week of May 20th last season.
BOMBS OVER MUNCIE
BGSU hit 13 homers in its' April 11th weekend series win at Ball State, including a school-record eight homers in their 18-12 game one win. Recording three of those homers was sophomore Derek Spencer, who finished one homer shy of Andy Tracy's school-record of four homers in one game, which he did back in 1995. Adding two homers then was Brian Hangbers, while Marty Baird, Andrew Foster and Mark Galvin added the others. BG's previous school-record for homers in a game, before that game was seven, which they accomplished on three occasions with the last coming back on April 19th of 2002 against Marshall. When you mix in the four homers that the Cardinals hit in the game, both teams combined for 12 home runs in the contest, which is just five homers shy of the all-time NCAA Division I record of 17 combined homers in a game accomplished on Mar. 23rd of 1991 when Louisville (11) and Western Illinois (6) combined for 17 long balls.
NO ERRORS = WINS
The Falcons have had trouble fielding the ball at times this season as they've had 10 games this season with three or more errors, including four games with four or more. In those 10 games, the Falcons owned a 4-6 record as in most cases, their errors came back to bite them. However, when not committing an error this season, BG is 6-3 as they've had nine total games where they went perfect in the field. In games then where they've committed one or two errors, the Falcons are 10-9. Overall, the Falcons are 14-18 on the year when committing an error in a game.
RBI MACHINE
Sophomore Derek Spencer has been an RBI machine for the Falcons this season, platting 42 Falcon runners in the first 38 games of the year. The Oregon, Ohio native averages 1.10 RBI per game as he has already upped his career-best total by 18. Last season as a freshman, Spencer drove in 24 runs in 21 games as he had a team-best .405 average. With his 42 RBI, Spencer now stands just 11 RBI shy of entering the Falcons' top-10 list for RBI in a single-season. Former Falcon-great, Kelly Hunt, holds the all-time single-season mark for RBI with 84, which he did back in 2002. If Spencer were to continue his current 1.10 RBI per game average, he would threaten the top-5 which starts at 57 RBI. Below is a look at the BGSU single-season list for RBI.
Player Year RBI
1. Kelly Hunt 2002 84
2. Lee Morrison 2001 63
3. Nolan Reimold 2005 62
4. Len Elias 2001 58
5. Andy Hudak 2002 57
Larry Arndt 1985 57
7. Kyle Hockman 1989 55
8. Andy Hudak 2005 54
9. Larry Arndt 1984 53
Bob Niemet 1998 53
SACRIFICES LEAD TO RUNS
In their first 38 games on the season, the Falcons have recorded 35 sacrifice hits to move runners into scoring position at second or third base. Of those 35 sacrifices, 68 percent of them have resulted in the moved runner or runners coming home to score as 24 of the 35 sacrifices resulted in the moved runners scoring. Leading the way in sacrifice hits is sophomore Derek Spencer, who has sacrificed himself six times to move runners with a bunt.
LATE INNING POWER
Though the Falcons haven't always had to worry about batting in the ninth inning, they wouldn't have minded if it were necessary every game. When batting the ninth inning this season, BG owns a team batting average of .336 as they are 38-of-113 at the plate in the game's last inning and have plated 27 runs. Sophomore outfielder T. J. Blanton, sophomore catcher David Borcherdt and sophomore infielder Derek Spencer lead the Falcons with four ninth inning hits.
SHAY IS HIS NAME AND HITTING IS HIS GAME
Few players in the MAC have been as hot at the plate as Bowling Green's Ryan Shay this season. Shay, who comes into the weekend hitting .400, has 64 hits on the season in 160 at bats as he is already 13 hits ahead of his hit total from last season. The Garden City, Mich. native has hit safely in 34 of BG's 38 games this season and has 23 multiple-hit efforts, including five games with three or more hits. Shay also led the MAC coming into the week in hits per game as he averages 1.68 base knocks per contest.
CANTRELL CLOSING IN ON FALCON RECORD BOOKS
With his 78th, 79th and 80th career appearances this past weekend, Falcon senior right-hander Nick Cantrell, who came into the weekend fourth on the all-time BGSU career appearances list, moved into sole possession of third-place, passing Derek Common (1989-92) with 78 appearances. The Waldo, Ohio native stood tied for ninth entering the season and now is just 11 appearances behind all-time Falcon appearance leader, Neil Schmitz (2001-04), who saw the Falcon hill 91 total times in his four-year career.
BIG HITTING CLASS
A big reason why the Falcons have hit a MAC-best .320 this season is due in large part to their sophomore class and its' seven hitters. The seven sophomores: Frank Berry, T. J. Blanton, David Borcherdt, Mark Galvin, Logan Meisler, Derek Spencer and Dennis Vaughn, have combined for an average of .325 (207-for-636), along with combining for 137 total RBI and 65 total extra-base hits. Spencer leads the group with his .397 average and his team-best 42 RBI.
