Bowling Green State University Athletics
Tuesday, April 12
Notre Dame, Ind.
4:00 pm
Bowling Green State University
at
Notre Dame
Falcons Play At Notre Dame Tuesday, At Rival Toledo This Weekend
April 11, 2011 | Softball
The Bowling Green State University softball team gets a break from Mid-American Conference play by heading to South Bend to face Notre Dame Tuesday in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. The Falcons will look to build momentum heading into a critical weekend in which the team plays games at Toledo on Saturday and Sunday.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
All games this week can be followed online via live stats. Links can be found on the BGSU softball schedule at BGSUFalcons.com.
THE COMPETITION
Bowling Green opens the week with a doubleheader at Notre Dame Tuesday. The Fighting Irish are 26-7 overall and 7-1 at home on the season. Notre Dame is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll but is not in the top 25. As a team, Notre Dame is hitting .308 and has 26 homers for a .466 slugging percentage. Junior Alexa Maldonado is hitting .417 and four other regulars are hitting at least .350. On the pitching side, the Fighting Irish can throw a toss a slew of pitchers in the circle. Laura Winter leads the way with a 14-2 record and 1.73 ERA, but three other pitchers have thrown at least 15.0 innings and have an ERA below 3.00.
Toledo has struggled out of the gates much like the Falcons have and the Rockets are just 5-28 overall and 1-7 in league play. The team has hit just .231 but has really struggled on the mound with a team ERA of 7.22. The Rockets do have three players hitting over .300, led by Lindsay Tobias at .322. She has added a team-best five homers. Three Toledo pitchers have thrown at least 45.0 innings and Shanna Szypka has been the best of them with a 5.33 ERA in 19 relief appearances.
SHAKING OUT THE MAC
At 0-8 in league play, the Falcons have some work to do to get back in the hunt to make the top eight in the conference and advance to the MAC Tournament. Ohio, Western Michigan, and Buffalo are in a three-way tie for sixth with .500 records in conference play, putting the Falcons four games behind those teams in the standings.
GOTTA HAVE GLOVE
Heading into last week, Bowling Green ranked fifth in the MAC with a .965 fielding percentage but the Falcons improved to .969 after posting just one error on the weekend, including none over the final three games. BGSU's defense has been strong all year as the team has turned six double plays and thrown out 13 would-be base stealers. The Falcons have committed more than two errors in a game just once all year and has committed exactly two errors just four other times. Bowling Green has 12 errorless games this year.
MAC RANKINGS
Listed below are Bowling Green's rankings in the MAC (through April 5):
OVERALL STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Triples – T1. Rachel Proehl, 2
Appearances – T8. Melissa Bott, 17
Team Stats (Top 5)
Fielding Percentage – 5. Bowling Green, .965
Triples – T2. Bowling Green, 3
Hits Allowed – T3. Bowling Green, 170
Runs Allowed – 5. Bowling Green, 115
Earned Runs Allowed – 5. Bowling Green, 93
Doubles Allowed – T4. Bowling Green, 28
Triples Allowed – T1. Bowling Green, 1
Home runs Allowed – T4. Bowling Green, 11
Fielding Double Plays – 5. Bowling Green, 5
Caught Stealing Opponents – T4. Bowling Green, 11
MAC ONLY STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Batting Average – T4. Paige Berger, .565
Slugging Percentage – 9. Paige Berger, .818
ERA – 8. Melissa Bott, 1.91
Innings Pitched – T4. Melissa Bott, 14.2
Appearances – T5. Melissa Bott, 3
Complete Games – T2. Melissa Bott, 2
Opponents Batting Average – 9. Zada Lines, .259
Team Stats (Top 5)
None
ADDING TO THE LEGEND
Freshmen aren't usually legends but when a player breaks a program's single-season home run record in their first collegiate season, exceptions can be made. Paige Berger set the program record with 12 home runs as a freshman a year ago and she has added six more this year for a total of 18 in her career. That total places her in a three-way tie for third in school history with Allison Vallas (18 home runs from 2005-08) and Susan Sontag (18 homers from 2007-10). Current pitching coach Hayley Wiemer holds the school record with 32 career homers from 2006-09.
LOOKING FOR BENCH PRODUCTION
In Bowling Green games this year, neither the Falcons nor opponents have seen much production for their benches. Non-starters are just 1-for-39 (.026) at the plate for BGSU this year but the opponents' bench is only slightly better at 2-for-28 (.071).
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.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
All games this week can be followed online via live stats. Links can be found on the BGSU softball schedule at BGSUFalcons.com.
THE COMPETITION
Bowling Green opens the week with a doubleheader at Notre Dame Tuesday. The Fighting Irish are 26-7 overall and 7-1 at home on the season. Notre Dame is receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll and the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll but is not in the top 25. As a team, Notre Dame is hitting .308 and has 26 homers for a .466 slugging percentage. Junior Alexa Maldonado is hitting .417 and four other regulars are hitting at least .350. On the pitching side, the Fighting Irish can throw a toss a slew of pitchers in the circle. Laura Winter leads the way with a 14-2 record and 1.73 ERA, but three other pitchers have thrown at least 15.0 innings and have an ERA below 3.00.
Toledo has struggled out of the gates much like the Falcons have and the Rockets are just 5-28 overall and 1-7 in league play. The team has hit just .231 but has really struggled on the mound with a team ERA of 7.22. The Rockets do have three players hitting over .300, led by Lindsay Tobias at .322. She has added a team-best five homers. Three Toledo pitchers have thrown at least 45.0 innings and Shanna Szypka has been the best of them with a 5.33 ERA in 19 relief appearances.
SHAKING OUT THE MAC
At 0-8 in league play, the Falcons have some work to do to get back in the hunt to make the top eight in the conference and advance to the MAC Tournament. Ohio, Western Michigan, and Buffalo are in a three-way tie for sixth with .500 records in conference play, putting the Falcons four games behind those teams in the standings.
GOTTA HAVE GLOVE
Heading into last week, Bowling Green ranked fifth in the MAC with a .965 fielding percentage but the Falcons improved to .969 after posting just one error on the weekend, including none over the final three games. BGSU's defense has been strong all year as the team has turned six double plays and thrown out 13 would-be base stealers. The Falcons have committed more than two errors in a game just once all year and has committed exactly two errors just four other times. Bowling Green has 12 errorless games this year.
MAC RANKINGS
Listed below are Bowling Green's rankings in the MAC (through April 5):
OVERALL STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Triples – T1. Rachel Proehl, 2
Appearances – T8. Melissa Bott, 17
Team Stats (Top 5)
Fielding Percentage – 5. Bowling Green, .965
Triples – T2. Bowling Green, 3
Hits Allowed – T3. Bowling Green, 170
Runs Allowed – 5. Bowling Green, 115
Earned Runs Allowed – 5. Bowling Green, 93
Doubles Allowed – T4. Bowling Green, 28
Triples Allowed – T1. Bowling Green, 1
Home runs Allowed – T4. Bowling Green, 11
Fielding Double Plays – 5. Bowling Green, 5
Caught Stealing Opponents – T4. Bowling Green, 11
MAC ONLY STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Batting Average – T4. Paige Berger, .565
Slugging Percentage – 9. Paige Berger, .818
ERA – 8. Melissa Bott, 1.91
Innings Pitched – T4. Melissa Bott, 14.2
Appearances – T5. Melissa Bott, 3
Complete Games – T2. Melissa Bott, 2
Opponents Batting Average – 9. Zada Lines, .259
Team Stats (Top 5)
None
ADDING TO THE LEGEND
Freshmen aren't usually legends but when a player breaks a program's single-season home run record in their first collegiate season, exceptions can be made. Paige Berger set the program record with 12 home runs as a freshman a year ago and she has added six more this year for a total of 18 in her career. That total places her in a three-way tie for third in school history with Allison Vallas (18 home runs from 2005-08) and Susan Sontag (18 homers from 2007-10). Current pitching coach Hayley Wiemer holds the school record with 32 career homers from 2006-09.
LOOKING FOR BENCH PRODUCTION
In Bowling Green games this year, neither the Falcons nor opponents have seen much production for their benches. Non-starters are just 1-for-39 (.026) at the plate for BGSU this year but the opponents' bench is only slightly better at 2-for-28 (.071).
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.
BGSU Softball "Outside the Chalk" - Morgan Beckham (April 21, 2026)
Wednesday, April 22
BGSU Softball Highlights (April 17, 2026)
Friday, April 17
"Outside The Chalk" -- Hannah Simko (April 14, 2026)
Tuesday, April 14
"Outside The Chalk" -- Hannah Hunt (March 30, 2026)
Thursday, April 02