Bowling Green State University Athletics
Softball Opens 10-Game Homestand Tuesday
April 26, 2011 | Softball
The Bowling Green State University softball team closes out the regular season with 10 consecutive home games, six of which take place this week. The Falcons will host IPFW Tuesday in a non-conference doubleheader before facing league-foe Miami (Ohio) Friday in a doubleheader. Bowling Green will then host single games against Ball State on Saturday and Sunday.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Please visit BGSUFalcons.com for links to live stats and any audio and video opportunities for all games. Links can be seen on the softball schedule page or in the schedule box on the front page of the softball website. Also, follow the Falcons on twitter (twitter.com/BGAthletics) for the latest on the softball team and all Falcon teams.
THE COMPETITION
IPFW enters the week with a record of 23-10-1 and the Mastodons feature a potent offense with players hitting at least .340 on the season. Sarah Swanson is hitting .386 and is perfect on 12 steal attempts but has only four extra-base hits (all four doubles) on the year. Ashleigh Bousquet is at .369 and Rachel Staschuk is hitting .345 with six homers. On the mound, Courtney Cronin is 15-7 with five shutouts and a 2.01 ERA.
Miami (Ohio) is 24-18 overall and 7-7 in MAC play as the RedHawks are led by the strong pitching of Jessica Simpson. She is 20-12 with a 1.52 ERA, ranking in the top five in the country with 13 shutouts. Miami also fields the ball well behind Simpson with a .967 percentage on the year. While the RedHawks have hit just 10 homers on the year, Miami does boast six players hitting at least .298. Jenna McGivney has blasted four of the team's home runs.
Ball State is an explosive offensive team with a record of 30-17 overall and 10-3 in MAC action. The Cardinals rank in the top 20 in the country in batting average at .323 and also rank in the top 30 in doubles and stolen bases. Jennifer Gilbert and Amanda Montalto both have nine home runs, while Alyssa Collins is batting .403. Four different players have at least 10 stolen bases.
SERIES HISTORY
Bowling Green is 3-1 all-time against IPFW and the Falcons swept the Mastodons 4-0 and 8-0 in a doubleheader back in 2005, the last time the two teams met. Against Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green is 50-40 all-time but the RedHawks have won five consecutive meetings. The Falcons are also 47-33 all-time against Ball State, but the Cardinals have won six consecutive contests, including a 9-6 win in Kennesaw, Ga. earlier this year.
SHAKING OUT THE MAC
At 1-12 in league play, Bowling Green has not been mathematically eliminated from postseason action but the Falcons will likely be left out of the eight-team MAC Tournament. Ohio and Miami (Ohio) are tied for seventh in the league with a .500 record, 5 ½ games in front of the Falcons. Ball State is leading the league at 10-3, while Northern Illinois and Western Michigan are right behind at 10-4.
ADDING TO THE LEGEND
Sophomore Paige Berger has put up some remarkable numbers for having played less than two years at the collegiate level. As a freshman, she was named MAC Freshman of the Year after setting the program record with 12 home runs. Against No. 24 Notre Dame earlier this year, she had the second multi-home run game of her career with two in game one of a doubleheader. Those blasts gave her eight this season and 20 for her career, moving her into third place all time at Bowling Green. She is six behind Gina Rango (26 homers from 2003-06) and just 12 behind current pitching coach Hayley Wiemer-Bradford (32 homers from 2006-09) for the all-time school record.
MAC ATTACK
Mid-American Conference play has brought the best out of junior Rachel Proehl. The outfielder is hitting a team-best .395 in conference action and has not struck out in 38 league at-bats. She is 8-for-16 with a five-game hitting streak in the last five MAC contests.
APRIL SHOWERS
Since the calendar turned to April, sophomore Paige Berger has been one of the hottest hitters in the Mid-American Conference. In 17 games since April began, she is 21-of-51 (.412 batting average) hitting. Prior to the start of the month, she was only 12-of-51 (.235) from the plate.
GOTTA HAVE GLOVE
With a .969 fielding percentage, Bowling Green ranks in the top three in the MAC defensively. BGSU's defense has been strong all year as the team has turned eight double plays and thrown out 14 would-be base stealers. The Falcons have committed more than two errors in a game just once this year and has had 17 errorless games.
MAC RANKINGS
Listed below are Bowling Green's rankings in the MAC (through April 18):
OVERALL STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Home runs – T5. Paige Berger, 8
Triples – T1. Rachel Proehl, 2
Slugging Percentage – 6. Paige Berger, .616
Appearances – T8. Melissa Bott, 17
Team Stats (Top 5)
Fielding Percentage – 3. Bowling Green, .968
Triples – T2. Bowling Green, 5
Hits Allowed – 4. Bowling Green, 237
Triples Allowed – T3. Bowling Green, 4
Home runs Allowed – 5. Bowling Green, 17
Fielding Double Plays – T4. Bowling Green, 7
Caught Stealing Opponents – 4. Bowling Green, 14
MAC ONLY STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Complete Games – T7. Melissa Bott, 3
Team Stats (Top 5)
Fielding Percentage – 5. Bowling Green, .966
Home runs Allowed – T3. Bowling Green, 5
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
Please visit BGSUFalcons.com for links to live stats and any audio and video opportunities for all games. Links can be seen on the softball schedule page or in the schedule box on the front page of the softball website. Also, follow the Falcons on twitter (twitter.com/BGAthletics) for the latest on the softball team and all Falcon teams.
THE COMPETITION
IPFW enters the week with a record of 23-10-1 and the Mastodons feature a potent offense with players hitting at least .340 on the season. Sarah Swanson is hitting .386 and is perfect on 12 steal attempts but has only four extra-base hits (all four doubles) on the year. Ashleigh Bousquet is at .369 and Rachel Staschuk is hitting .345 with six homers. On the mound, Courtney Cronin is 15-7 with five shutouts and a 2.01 ERA.
Miami (Ohio) is 24-18 overall and 7-7 in MAC play as the RedHawks are led by the strong pitching of Jessica Simpson. She is 20-12 with a 1.52 ERA, ranking in the top five in the country with 13 shutouts. Miami also fields the ball well behind Simpson with a .967 percentage on the year. While the RedHawks have hit just 10 homers on the year, Miami does boast six players hitting at least .298. Jenna McGivney has blasted four of the team's home runs.
Ball State is an explosive offensive team with a record of 30-17 overall and 10-3 in MAC action. The Cardinals rank in the top 20 in the country in batting average at .323 and also rank in the top 30 in doubles and stolen bases. Jennifer Gilbert and Amanda Montalto both have nine home runs, while Alyssa Collins is batting .403. Four different players have at least 10 stolen bases.
SERIES HISTORY
Bowling Green is 3-1 all-time against IPFW and the Falcons swept the Mastodons 4-0 and 8-0 in a doubleheader back in 2005, the last time the two teams met. Against Miami (Ohio), Bowling Green is 50-40 all-time but the RedHawks have won five consecutive meetings. The Falcons are also 47-33 all-time against Ball State, but the Cardinals have won six consecutive contests, including a 9-6 win in Kennesaw, Ga. earlier this year.
SHAKING OUT THE MAC
At 1-12 in league play, Bowling Green has not been mathematically eliminated from postseason action but the Falcons will likely be left out of the eight-team MAC Tournament. Ohio and Miami (Ohio) are tied for seventh in the league with a .500 record, 5 ½ games in front of the Falcons. Ball State is leading the league at 10-3, while Northern Illinois and Western Michigan are right behind at 10-4.
ADDING TO THE LEGEND
Sophomore Paige Berger has put up some remarkable numbers for having played less than two years at the collegiate level. As a freshman, she was named MAC Freshman of the Year after setting the program record with 12 home runs. Against No. 24 Notre Dame earlier this year, she had the second multi-home run game of her career with two in game one of a doubleheader. Those blasts gave her eight this season and 20 for her career, moving her into third place all time at Bowling Green. She is six behind Gina Rango (26 homers from 2003-06) and just 12 behind current pitching coach Hayley Wiemer-Bradford (32 homers from 2006-09) for the all-time school record.
MAC ATTACK
Mid-American Conference play has brought the best out of junior Rachel Proehl. The outfielder is hitting a team-best .395 in conference action and has not struck out in 38 league at-bats. She is 8-for-16 with a five-game hitting streak in the last five MAC contests.
APRIL SHOWERS
Since the calendar turned to April, sophomore Paige Berger has been one of the hottest hitters in the Mid-American Conference. In 17 games since April began, she is 21-of-51 (.412 batting average) hitting. Prior to the start of the month, she was only 12-of-51 (.235) from the plate.
GOTTA HAVE GLOVE
With a .969 fielding percentage, Bowling Green ranks in the top three in the MAC defensively. BGSU's defense has been strong all year as the team has turned eight double plays and thrown out 14 would-be base stealers. The Falcons have committed more than two errors in a game just once this year and has had 17 errorless games.
MAC RANKINGS
Listed below are Bowling Green's rankings in the MAC (through April 18):
OVERALL STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Home runs – T5. Paige Berger, 8
Triples – T1. Rachel Proehl, 2
Slugging Percentage – 6. Paige Berger, .616
Appearances – T8. Melissa Bott, 17
Team Stats (Top 5)
Fielding Percentage – 3. Bowling Green, .968
Triples – T2. Bowling Green, 5
Hits Allowed – 4. Bowling Green, 237
Triples Allowed – T3. Bowling Green, 4
Home runs Allowed – 5. Bowling Green, 17
Fielding Double Plays – T4. Bowling Green, 7
Caught Stealing Opponents – 4. Bowling Green, 14
MAC ONLY STATS
Individual Stats (Top 10)
Complete Games – T7. Melissa Bott, 3
Team Stats (Top 5)
Fielding Percentage – 5. Bowling Green, .966
Home runs Allowed – T3. Bowling Green, 5
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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