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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Host Miami For Three Games This Weekend
April 23, 2009 | Baseball
April 23, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, OHIO -
BGSU Baseball Notes/Stats (vs. Miami) 
This Weekend
Fri. - Sun., April 24-26
Miami at Bowling Green
Steller Field (1,100) - Friday (3 p.m.); Saturday/Sunday (1 p.m.)
FALCONS HOST MIAMI IN KEY EAST DIVISION BATTLE
The Bowling Green State University baseball team will host Miami University this weekend in a key Mid-American Conference East Division series. The three-game series will be played at Steller Field with games on Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). Miami begins the weekend in third place in the East with a 10-5 record while the Falcons are 1.5 games behind the RedHawks at 8-6. In addition, while the #3 and #4 teams in the East are playing in Bowling Green, the #1 (Ohio) and #2 (Kent State) teams will battling in Athens.
SERIES INFORMATION
The Falcons are on the short end of an 81-55 series record with Miami...BG won the middle game of the three-game series at Miami last season to break a nine-game losing skid in the series...BG won 6-5 last season while Miami won 9-8 in 11 innings (first game of the series) and 13-4 (final game of the series)...the last time the two programs played a series in Bowling Green (2006), Miami won all three games, two by one run with one of those in extra innings...BG is 4-11 vs. Miami in the last 15 series meetings.
FALCONS BEAT TOLEDO IN ONLY MID-WEEK GAME
After having their Tuesday game at Ohio State rained out, Bowling Green took a 15-9 decision at Toledo in a non-league game on Wednesday. BG built a 13-3 lead after 5.5 innings before UT closed to within 13-9 going into the final frame. Junior Derek Spencer hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth and senior Dusty Hawk retired the Rockets without any further damage in the bottom half of the inning. BG had 19 hits in the game as five different players had three hits with four of those driving in at least two runs. Senior Ryan Shay was a single shy of hitting for the cycle and had the other home run in the game for BG. Sophomore Kyle Atkinson pitched the first four innings to get the win, he was on a pitch count, allowing only four hits and two runs.
WHAT'S AHEAD
The baseball team begins the final portion of their 2009 regular season this weekend. BG is scheduled to 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. He pitched the first complete game of his career in winning for the sixth time this season, a 9-2 decision last Friday at Kent. Smith, who is the probable starter Friday against Miami, scattered eight hits, all in the first five innings, before settling down to retire the last 13 batters he faced without the ball going out of the infield - 10 ground balls and three strikeouts. With his performance, Smith is now 6-3 on the season with a 2.50 ERA, the best in the MAC, while in MAC play, he is 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA, also the best figure in the conference. Opposition hitters are batting .196 off him for the season, and .194 in league play, both MAC-leading averages. In his last eight starts, Smith has a 6-1 record with a 1.80 ERA over 50.0 innings. He has allowed only 30 hits, 23 of those singles, while striking out 48. He is averaging 8.65 strike outs per nine innings while allowing only 5.41 hits per nine innings over that period. Smith has now won six of his last seven starts. The Sandusky, Ohio native has been dominant in the games he has won compiling a miniscule 1.02 ERA in his six wins this season. He has allowed only 24 hits, 19 of those singles, in 44.0 innings of work while striking out 40, an average of 8.18 strike outs per nine innings. In his six wins, he is allowing only 4.91 hits per nine innings. Smith has a 7.10 ERA in his three losses, two of those coming the first two weekends of the season. Smith is 33rd in the country in ERA (2.50), 27th in the nation in wins (6) and 20th in hits allowed per nine innings (6.24). He is third in the MAC innings pitched (57.2) and his six wins ties him with Rex Ingham from Ohio for the most in the league.
ELKINS AMONG BEST IN COUNTRY
Junior Tyler Elkins, who has started at first base, as the designated hitter, and as the catcher this season, continues to swing a hot bat. The Hamilton, Ohio native was 3-for-4 Wednesday against Toledo with a double, his 13th of the season to lead the team and his fifth double in the last four games. Elkins has hit safely in each of the last seven BG contests hitting .500 (15-of-30) with eight RBI and seven runs scored. Elkins, who had a 13-game hitting streak earlier this season, has hit safely in 26 of his last 29 games and leads the team with a .411 batting average. He has multiple hits in 17 of those 26 games he has hit safely in. He is hitting .413 in MAC play, seventh in the conference. He is tied for third on the team with 24 RBI while his 17 RBI in league play leads the team and is tied for fifth in the MAC. Elkins is 38th in the country in the toughest to strike out category averaging one every 15.6 at-bats. Elkins, who transferred to BG from John Logan CC (Ill.) before last season and sat out the 2008 campaign after having surgery, is tied for second on the team with 15 extra-base hits. He led the team last weekend hitting .538 (8-of-15) in the Kent State series. Elkins is hitting .579 (11-of-18) in his last four games with seven runs scored.
GALVIN ON A ROLL
Junior outfielder Mark Galvin is seventh on the team with a .322 average while he is tied for third on the squad with 13 multiple-hit games, including a three-hit effort on Wednesday against Toledo to go along with three RBI. 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 earlier this season during which he hit .400 (22-of-55) with 16 RBI and nine runs scored. Galvin is also third on the team with eight multiple-RBI games this season, including a game with four RBI against Michigan State on March 17 to equal his career high. Galvin has hit safely in 20 of his last 24 contests with a batting average of .378 (34-of-90) over the period. He has hit safely in 22 games this season.
BLANTON A SLUGGING LEADER
Junior outfielder T.J. Blanton, who normally hits ninth in the BG order, is sixth on the team with a .339 average and he is tied for second on the team with 15 extra-base hits, including eight doubles and five home runs. He had a pair of home runs March 25 in the Cleveland State game, the first multi-homer game of his career. His .580 slugging percentage is second on the team. The Sandusky, Ohio native has gone hitless in his last eight at-bats, his longest dry spell of the season. He has 27 runs scored, tied for second on the team, and has hit safely in 21 games this season. He has already established career highs in every offensive category. Blanton is hitting .373 in MAC games, fourth on the team, with 15 runs scored, second on the squad.
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 .394, fifth in the MAC, with 31 RBI and 41 runs scored, tied for fifth in the league. He leads the team with 19 extra-base hits, which includes 11 doubles and six home runs, and a .627 slugging percentage, ninth in the MAC. He also leads the team with 10 stolen bases and a .485 on-base percentage, fifth in the conference. The Garden City, Mich. native was a single shy of hitting for the cycle Wednesday in the Toledo game collecting a double, triple and home run while scoring four times. He has hit safely in 14 of the last 16 games hitting .451 (32-of-71) with 18 RBI and 21 runs scored over the period. In addition, in those last 16 games, he has seven doubles, two triples and three home runs for a .732 slugging percentage to go along with a .524 on-base percentage. For the season, he has hit safely in 27 of the 34 games, and 73 of his last 86 contests dating back to the beginning of last season. He has two or more hits in 52 of the 73 games he has hits in over the last season and a half. Shay has hit .405 (143-of-353) since the beginning of the 2008 season. He is among the BG career leaders in at-bats (679, 2nd), runs scored (148, 7th), hits (226, 4th), doubles (47, 5th), assists (532, 2nd), total bases (317, 9th) and games played (189, 10th). He has hit from the lead off spot in all 34 games this season reaching safely leading off the game for BG in 16 of those games (10 hits (five singles, three doubles, two home run), five 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 first 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 10 of the 16 games, this season, in which Shay has reached safely in his first at-bat. Shay is hitting .393 in MAC play.
SPENCER IS RBI LEADER
Junior Derek Spencer, who was a first-team All-MAC selection a year ago, leads the team with 32 RBI while hitting at a .349 clip. He has hit safely in 25 of the 33 games this season and he has an RBI in 19 contests. Spencer, who leads all BG players with a .366 career batting average, has 12 two-out RBI this season, tying him for the team lead with Ryan Shay. 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 .339 in MAC play. Spencer has six hits in his last 10 at-bats.
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 .308 this season. Hangbers is one of the top fielding first basemen in the MAC and has a .980 fielding percentage with just five errors in 254 chances this season. He has a career .986 fielding percentage in 1037 chances. On the mound, he has pitched in eight games, four of those starts, this season and has one save and a 6.38 ERA in 18.1 innings of work. Hangbers has 43 career appearances covering 107.1 innings with a 4.86 ERA. His 26 career home runs is tied for ninth on the BG career top 10 list. He has hit safely in 23 of the 33 games this season. The Hamilton, Ohio native has five hits in his last 12 at-bats.
MEISLER IS CLUTCH
Junior Logan Meisler is fourth on the team with a .355 batting average. A career .327 hitter, Meisler is fifth on the squad with 21 RBI, 11 of those with two outs. He has hit safely in 25 of the 34 games this season and he has an RBI in 16 contests.
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 is second on the squad in innings pitched (53.1, 5th in the MAC) and ERA (3.88, 5th 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 4.99 ERA. Opposition batters are hitting only .231 against Malewitz this season, third in the MAC. Malewitz had gone at least five innings in seven consecutive starts until last weekend against Kent State when he lasted only 3.1 innings allowing eight hits and five runs in the first game of the doubleheader Saturday. He has gone at least five innings in seven of his nine starts.
BERTI AMONG TOP FROSH
Freshman Jon Berti has become an integral member of the team in his first season. The Troy, Mich. native is third on the team with a .377 batting average and he leads the team in MAC play hitting .459. He has 10 RBI in league play in only 37 at-bats while slugging at a .676 clip and he has a .512 on-base percentage, fifth in the MAC. In his last 15 games, he has hit safely in 11 contests with a .463 (19-of-41) average to go along with 11 RBI and nine runs scored. He has a .738 slugging percentage over his last 15 games and a .556 on-base percentage. Berti is tied for the team lead with three game-winning RBI, including a walk-off three-run homer in the 10th inning against Ball State (April 12), part of a career-best four-RBI game. 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.
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 has not played to date this 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, 604), 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 .329 as a team and averaging 7.4 runs per game while the opposition is hitting .309 and scoring 8.2 runs per outing...the Falcon batting average is the best in the MAC and is 41st in the nation...in MAC play, BG is hitting .338 and averaging 7.4 runs while the opposition is hitting .289 and scoring 6.1 runs...BG's team batting average in MAC play also leads the league...BG has 35 (1.03 per game) double plays this season...they are 38th in the country in double plays per game and 67th 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 12 games this season - BG has scored 10 or more nine times...the Falcons have 10 or more hits in 24 games this season, including 19 of their last 23 games during which they are hitting .343 (296-of-863) as a team...BG has won 12 of this last 16 games and 15 of its last 21...the Falcon starting pitchers have compiled a 4.53 ERA this season while the relievers have a 9.67 ERA...BG is far and away the MAC leader in sacrifices with 32 and they rank 32nd in the nation with that figure...Bowling Green has three of the 10 shutouts recorded this season by MAC teams...since 2001, BG is 175-5 when leading going into the ninth inning.
NEXT WEEK
The Falcons play mid-week games against Toledo (April 28) and Notre Dame (April 29) before hosting Ohio (May 1-3) in an important MAC East Division clash. The Toledo game is at home and scheduled for a 3 p.m. start while BG will play the Irish on the road in a 6 p.m. contest. The Ohio games will start at 3 p.m. (Friday) and 1 p.m. (Saturday and Sunday).
