Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Battle Kent State This Weekend In Key East Division Series
April 16, 2009 | Baseball
April 16, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO -
BGSU Baseball Notes/Stats (vs. Kent State) 
This Weekend
Fri. - Sun., April 17-19
Bowling Green at #24 Kent State
Olga Mural Field at Schoonover Stadium (1,148)
Friday (3 p.m.); Saturday (1 p.m.); Sunday (noon)
FALCONS TRAVEL TO EAST DIVISION LEADER KENT STATE
The Bowling Green State University baseball team will play its first intra-divisional Mid-American Conference series this weekend when they make the trip to Kent to battle the East Division leading Golden Flashes. Games in the three-game series will be played on Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (noon).
SERIES INFORMATION
Kent has won the last nine games with Bowling Green sweeping two three-game series at BG (2006 and 2008) and one in Kent (2007)...BG's last win in the series came in the 2004 season at Kent State by a 7-6 score...BG took two of the three games from KSU in that `04 series...BG is 8-16 against Kent State since 2000, but they have a respectable 6-8 series record since 2000 in games on the road.
FALCONS LOSE ONLY MID-WEEK GAME - TO THE WEATHER
BG's only mid-week game this week at Oakland University was cancelled due to rain/wet grounds.
WHAT'S AHEAD
The baseball team begins a string of five straight games on the road with their contest Friday at Kent. When BG returns home on April 24 for a weekend MAC series against Miami, they begin the final portion of their 2009 regular season in which they will play 11 of their last 15 games at home, including three of their last four league series.
SMITH IN MAC/NCAA LEADERS
Sophomore right-hander Brennan Smith has emerged as one of the top starters in the MAC. Smith, who is the probable starter Friday against Kent State, is coming off a win in his start last Saturday, the first game of the doubleheader with Ball State after Friday's game was rained out. Smith allowed one earned run, on a home run, in eight innings while striking out nine and walking three. Smith is 5-3 on the season with a 2.59 ERA, which leads the MAC. In league play he is 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA, eighth in the MAC. Opposition batters are hitting a paltry .188 against him for the season and .179 in MAC play. Both figures lead the conference. Smith, who has won five of his last six starts, has a miniscule 0.77 ERA in the five games he has won this season. The Sandusky, Ohio native has allowed only 16 hits, 12 of those singles, in 35.0 innings of work while striking out 36, an average of 9.25 strike outs per nine innings, while over the same period he is allowing only 4.11 hits per nine innings. Smith has a 7.10 ERA in his three losses, two of those coming in the first two weekends of the season. In his last seven starts, Smith has a 5-1 record with a 1.76 ERA over 41.0 innings. He has allowed only 22 hits, 16 of those singles, while striking out 44. He is averaging 9.64 strike outs per nine innings and only 4.82 hits per nine innings over that period. Smith is among the national leaders in hits per nine innings (5.91, 17th), wins (5, 75th) and ERA (2.59, 64th).
ELKINS AMONG BEST IN COUNTRY
Junior Tyler Elkins, who has started at first base, as the designated hitter, and as the catcher this season, had his 13-game hitting streak, the second-longest on the team this season, come to end March 24 against Findlay. During the streak he hit .466 (27-of-58). Since then, he has hit safely in nine-of-11 games and is hitting .382 for the season, seventh-best in the MAC. He has hit safely in 22 of the last 24 games he has played and has 13 multi-hit games, a figure that is second on the team. Elkins, who transferred to BG from John Logan CC (Ill.) before last season and sat out the 2008 campaign after having surgery, is second on the team in batting average, second in doubles (8) and hits (42) and he is third in total bases (55) and on-base percentage (.435). Elkins is 23rd in the nation, according to this week's NCAA statistics, in the toughest to strike out category averaging one every 18.3 at-bats. Elkins is hitting .375 in league play, third on the team, while his 15 RBI is the most on the squad.
GALVIN ON A ROLL
Junior outfielder Mark Galvin had another good week hitting .538 (7-of-13) in the four games last week with three RBI and four runs scored. In the Ball State series, the Pickerington, Ohio native hit .545 (6-of-11), the top figure on the team. Galvin has hit safely in 18 of his last 20 contests compiling a batting average of .387 (29-of-75) over the period. He has hit safely in 20 games this season and is hitting .330 with 21 RBI and 17 runs scored. Galvin, who hit safely in only two of his first eight games this season (.125, 3-of-25), had a team-best 14-game hitting streak come to an end April 4. He hit .400 (22-of-55) during his streak with 16 RBI and nine runs scored. He equalled his career high of four RBI in the Michigan State game on March 17. He comes into this weekend having hit .538 (7-of-13) in his last four games.
BLANTON A SLUGGING LEADER
Junior outfielder T.J. Blanton had a pair of home runs on March 25 in the Cleveland State game, the first multi-homer game of his career. He is tied for the team lead with four homers and two triples this season and is second with a .588 slugging percentage. His 13 extra-base hits is two less than the team leader. The Sandusky, Ohio native hit .462 (6-of-13) in the Ball State series last weekend and has hit safely in four of his last five contests hitting .473 (9-of-19) over the period. He is fourth on the team hitting .351 for the season with 16 RBI and 25 runs scored, second on the team. Blanton has hit safely in 19 games this season and has already established career highs in every offensive category. Blanton is hitting .366 in MAC games, fourth on the team.
SHAY AMONG CAREER LEADERS
Senior Ryan Shay, who was a first-team All-MAC and All-Mideast selection in 2008, has picked up where he left off last season. He is hitting .403, third in the MAC, with 26 RBI and 34 runs scored, tied for fifth in the league. He leads the team with 15 extra-base hits, which includes 10 doubles and four home runs, and a .597 slugging percentage. He also leads the team with eight stolen bases. The Garden City, Mich. native hit .625 (10-of-16) last week while collecting the game-winning RBI in both games of the doubleheader with Ball State. Shay has at least two hits in each of his last seven games during which he is hitting .548 (17-of-31) with 10 RBI and 11 runs scored. Shay has hit safely in 24 of the 30 games this season, and 70 of his last 82 contests dating back to the beginning of last season. He has two or more hits in 50 of the 70 games he has hits in over the last season and a half. Shay has hit .409 (137-of-335) since the beginning of the 2008 season. He is among the BG career leaders in at-bats (661, 4th), runs scored (141, t-9th), hits (220, t-4th), doubles (46, 5th), assists (514, 2nd) and total bases (302, 11th). He has hit from the lead off spot in all 30 games this season reaching safely leading off the game for BG in 15 of those games (10 hits (five singles, three doubles, two home run), four walks and one hit by pitch). He hit from the top spot in the order last season 48 times and reached safely 26 times (21 hits, four walks, one error) in his frst at-bat of the game. Shay hit a home run on the first pitch of the first game this season against Western Carolina. BG has scored at least one run in the first inning of nine of the 15 games, this season, in which Shay has reached safely in his first at-bat. Shay is hitting .438 in MAC play, tied for fourth in the league.
SPENCER IS RBI LEADER
Junior Derek Spencer, who was a first-team All-MAC selection a year ago, leads the team with 28 RBI while hitting at a .349 clip. He has hit safely in 22 of the 29 games this season and he has an RBI in 16 contests. Spencer, who leads all BG players with a .367 career batting average, has 11 two-out RBI this season, also the top figure on the squad. Spencer did not start for three games between March 27-31 because of a hamstring pull, but he has fully recovered from that. Spencer is hitting .364 in MAC play.
HANGBERS A TRIPLE THREAT
As he has done throughout his career, senior Brian Hangbers can have an affect on the game at the plate, in the field and on the mound. Hangbers is hitting .295 this season after raising his season average at least 30 points in each of his previous seasons. Hangbers is one of the top fielding first basemen in the MAC and has a .982 fielding percentage with just four errors in 219 chances this season. He has a career .986 fielding percentage in 1002 chances. One the mound, he has pitched in seven games, three of those starts, this season and has one save and a 4.86 ERA in 16.2 innings of work. Hangbers has 42 career appearances covering 105.2 innings with a 4.60 ERA. His 25 career home runs is just one shy of moving into the BG career top 10. He has hit safely in 21 of the 30 games this season. Hangbers is looking to break out of a hitting slump that has seen him hit safely in eight of the last 12 games in which he has an at-bat, but he is hitting only .216 (8-of-37) over the period.
MEISLER EIGHTH IN THE MAC
Junior Logan Meisler is third on the team with a .381 batting average, eighth in the MAC. A career .333 hitter, Meisler is fifth on the squad with 17 RBI. He has hit safely in 22 of the 30 games this season and he has an RBI in 13 contests. He is hitting .397 (25-of-63) over the last 17 games with 10 RBI and 10 runs scored. He is hitting .326 in MAC play.
MALEWITZ AMONG MAC LEADERS
Sophomore Matt Malewitz has become one of the starters for the Falcons in MAC play this season, normally drawing the starting assignment in the middle game of the series. He leads the squad in innings pitched (50.0, 3rd in the MAC) and is second in ERA (3.24, 6th in the MAC). Malewitz was the East Division Pitcher of the Week (week of March 9-15) for his complete game one-hitter against Northern Iowa on the spring trip. Malewitz was part of a second shutout, on March 28, as he combined with sophomore Charles Wooten on a three-hitter against Northern Illinois. Malewitz, who is 2-1 this season, is 1-0 in MAC play with a 3.95 ERA. He has gone at least five innings in seven of his eight starts. Opposition batters are hitting only .208 against Malewitz this season, third in the MAC. He is 50th in the nation according to the latest NCAA statistics allowing 6.66 hits per nine innings.
BERTI AMONG TOP FROSH
Freshman Jon Berti has become an integral member of the team in his first season. Berti did not start last Sunday's game against Ball State, but in only two late at-bats become the central figure in the Falcon victory. He ended the game with four RBI in one official at-bat after driving in a run with a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning before hitting a three-run walk-off home run in the 10th to propel BG to the 9-7 victory. He has three game-winning RBI this season, the top figure on the team. Berti, a 36th-round draft choice of Oakland in last summer's amateur draft, has showed his versatility this season making starts in left and right field, at shortstop and as the designated hitter. The Troy, Mich. native is hitting .348 for the season and is tied for the team lead hitting .438 in MAC play, which is tied for fourth in the league.
BERRY TO MISS SOME TIME
Junior Frank Berry II, who was expected to be the #1 starter this season, had bone spurs removed from his pitching elbow and is expected to miss the early part of the season. Berry made 11 starts in his first year in the program last season after transferring from Longwood University. He led the staff with 70.0 innings of work and compiled a 7-1 record to go along with a 4.76 ERA. He was the opening game starter in all eight MAC series last season and he started the first game of the MAC Tournament for the Falcons. He went five or more innings in seven of his nine starts against MAC teams. His seven wins was the second-best total in the conference. He also is a career .264 hitter.
SCHMITZ REACHES 500
Head coach Danny Schmitz reached a milestone on March 31 in BG's 8-3 win over Michigan that not many in Mid-American Conference history have. The win was his 500th victory, all at Bowling Green, joining four other MAC baseball coaches in the small club of people who have won 500 games. Schmitz joins Western Michigan's Fred Decker (1976-04, 791 wins), Ohio's Joe Carbone (1989-present, 601), Toledo's Stan Sanders (1970-81/1983-92, 534) and Central Michigan's Dean Kreiner (1986-98, 516) as the only baseball coaches in the 62-year history of the Mid-American Conference to reach the 500-win milestone.
RETURNING ALL-LEAGUE
Bowling Green has two players returning this season who were All-MAC choices last season. Senior shortstop Ryan Shay and junior third baseman Derek Spencer were both first-team all-conference selections in 2008. Shay led the league and was 22nd nationally with a .412 batting average while Spencer was eighth in the league hitting .360. Shay, whose average last season was 155 points higher than his career average coming into the season, hit safely in 46 of the 52 games setting school records for batting average, hits (87) and doubles (19). He had a 16-game hitting streak and a 17-game hitting streak, fourth-best in school history. Shay was also a first-team All-Mideast selection last season. Spencer led the team with 54 RBI (third in the MAC, tied for eighth on BGSU single-season list) and in extra-base hits (25) and two-out RBI (21). He did not go more than two games at any point in the season without getting a hit.
FALCON CAPTAINS
Seniors Ryan Shay (SS), Dusty Hawk (RHP), Brian Hangbers (1B) and Kevin Leady (RHP) will serve as captains of the 2009 team. Leady will not play this season after having surgery in the fall.
EARLY SEASON HONORS
Senior shortstop Ryan Shay was picked as one of the top seven shortstops in the country by the web site Ping!Baseball. The web site picked the top players in the country for their preseason All-American list and included Shay among the best shortstops in the land. Shay also was named to the preseason All-MAC team by Baseball America. In the same publication, freshman Jon Berti was picked as the second-best newcomer in the MAC.
BGSU BLOOP SINGLES
The Falcons are hitting .327 as a team and averaging 7.1 runs per game while the opposition is hitting .303 and scoring 8.2 runs per outing...the Falcon batting average is the best in the MAC and is 34th in the nation...in MAC play, BG is hitting .346 and averaging 7.4 runs while the opposition is hitting .269 and scoring 5.7 runs...BG's team batting average in MAC play also leads the league...BG has 32 (1.07 per game) double plays this season...they are 42nd in the country in double plays per game and 54th in the nation in number of double plays...last season the Falcons led the MAC in twin-killings (59) and were 14th in the nation with a 1.13 average per game...the BG opposition has scored 10 or more runs in 11 games this season - BG has scored 10 or more seven times...the Falcons have 10 or more hits in 15 of their last 19 games and are hitting .343 (240-of-699) as a team over the period...the Falcon starting pitchers have compiled a 4.28 ERA this season while the relievers have a 9.93 ERA...BG hitters have struck out only 190 times this season, the fourth-best figure in the MAC behind only Ohio (180), Buffalo (186) and Toledo (187)...BG is far and away the MAC leader in sacrifices with 31 and they rank 25th in the nation with that figure...they also have 13 sacrifice flies this season with their total of 44 combined sacrifices the top figure in the MAC, just ahead of Kent State (40)...16 different BGSU players have a sacrifice of some type this season...BG is second in the league in team on-base percentage at .401...Bowling Green has three of the eight shutouts recorded this season by MAC teams...senior Ryan Shay is tied for the MAC lead in league play with 21 hits...his per game average of 1.91 is the best in the conference...freshman Jon Berti's two triples in MAC play is tied for the top figure among the 12 teams in the league...senior Brian Hangbers has drawn 12 walks in league play, that ties him with Anthony Gallas from Kent State for the top spot...Shay is tied for third and Berti is fifth in the MAC in slugging percentage in loop action....sophomore Charles Wooten has pitched in five of the last six games to take over the team lead with 14 appearances...since 2001, BG is 173-5 when leading going into the ninth inning.
NEXT WEEK
The Falcons play mid-week games at Ohio State (April 21, 6:35 p.m.) and Toledo (April 22, 3 p.m.) before hosting Miami for a three-game MAC weekend series (April 24-26).
