Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, February 11
Baton Rouge, La.
11:30 am
Bowling Green State University
vs
Louisiana Tech
Photo by: Doug Sampson
Softball Opens Season At LSU Tiger Classic
February 09, 2011 | Softball
Bowling Green Falcons (0-0) at Tiger Classic
Feb. 11-13, 2011 • Baton Rouge, La. • Tiger Park
Feb. 11-13, 2011 • Baton Rouge, La. • Tiger Park
More Information: Tiger Classic Tournament Webpage
The Bowling Green State University softball team opens its season this weekend at the LSU Tiger Classic with five games in three days. The Falcons will play two contests against Louisiana Tech, two games against No. 16/19 LSU and a contest against Purdue. With eight starters returning from a team that tied for fourth in the Mid-American Conference a year ago, the Falcons have the pieces in place to compete for a league crown.
Scouting the Competition
Louisiana Tech is coming off of its third consecutive winning season and was picked to finish fifth in the Western Athletic Conference this year. The Lady Techsters went 26-21 a year ago with a mark of 11-10 in the WAC. Senior pitcher Meghan Krieg was selected first team all-conference in the preseason poll after going 18-16 with a 2.24 ERA a year ago.
LSU is ranked No. 16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll and No. 19 in the USA Today/NFCA preseason poll. The Tigers were also picked to finish second in the SEC West Division. Sophomore pitcher Rachele Fico is on the preseason Player of the Year Watch List and she went 20-7 with a 1.15 ERA as a freshman.
Purdue went 27-27 a year ago, returning five positional starters and three starting pitchers. The Boilermakers used speed a year ago to find success, leading the country in stolen bases and ranking 10th in the country in triples.
A Year Ago
Bowling Green finished 13-29 in 2010 and went 9-14 in Mid-American Conference play to advance to the eight-team MAC Tournament. The Falcons exceeded expectations after being picked to finish last in the division. The Falcons found success with youth behind record-breaking freshman Paige Berger, who was named MAC Freshman of the Year after breaking the Bowling Green single-season homerun record with 12. Another freshman, shortstop Hannah Fulk, was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Salsburg Begins Her Fifth Season At The Helm
Head coach Shannon Salsburg has a 78-98 record in four years at Bowling Green, including 45-39 in MAC play. Under Salsburg, the Falcons have used the power game offensively, pounding out at least 30 homers in three of her four years.
Falcons Picked Fourth In MAC East
Bowling Green was picked to finish fourth in the MAC East Division in the preseason coach's poll. Miami was selected first, followed by Ohio and Kent State. After Bowling Green, Buffalo was picked fifth and Akron sixth. In the West Division, Ball State was selected to win the division, followed by Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Toledo.
National Runner-Up
The Bowling Green softball team had the second-highest grade point average in NCAA Division I a year ago, with a 3.571 grade point average. The Falcons had 15 players honored as girls got game/NFCA Scholar Athletes for having at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, the second-most in the country.
Falcons Add Five
BGSU head coach Shannon Salsburg announced that five players have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Falcons in 2012. Shelby Fink (Sunbury, Ohio/Big Walnut High School), Emily McClelland (Union Grove, Wisc./Union Grove High School), Chloe Giordano (White Plains, N.Y./School of the Holy Child), Jamie Kertes (Carnegie, Pa./Bishop Canevin High School), and Paris Imholz (Antioch, Calif./Antioch High School) are set to become Falcons next year.
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