Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, February 15
Bowling Green, KY
3:00 pm CST
Bowling Green State University
at
Western Kentucky University
Falcons Begin Season Friday At WKU
February 13, 2013 | Baseball
BGSU and WKU will meet up for a three-game series beginning Friday afternoon
Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers
Nick Denes Field (1,500)
Bowling Green, Ky.
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The Bowling Green State University baseball team takes to the road to begin the 2013 season at Western Kentucky University on Friday afternoon. The three-game set with the Hilltoppers will mark the beginning of a season-long 14 game road trip for the Falcons.
Leading Off
--Bowling Green State University begins its 94th season of varsity baseball, with an all-time record of 1,539-1,314-27.
--The Falcons finished the 2012 season with an overall record of 20-33.
--After making the MAC tournament for four consecutive seasons, the Falcons failed to qualify in 2012.
--The Falcons return 21 letter winners from the 2012 roster, including 10 returning starters.
--Brian Bien was named second-team All-MAC a season ago.
--Cody Apthorpe was named a captain for the second straight season. No Falcon has ever been a three-time captain.
--The Falcons welcome nine newcomers to the team for 2013, including eight freshmen.
--Danny Schmitz enters his 23rd season as the skipper. For the sixth straight season, his staff will consist of assistants Rick Blanc and Spencer Schmitz. Volunteer assistant Mike Huling will join the staff this season.
--Cody Apthorpe will return to the rotation after missing the second half of the season with a fractured forearm. This will be the second straight season that Apthorpe will be the opening-day starter for the Falcons.
--Mike Frank returns after sitting out the 2012 season. Saturday will mark his first appearance in a Falcon uniform since May 26, 2011 in the MAC Tournament.
--The Falcons were tabbed third in the East Division in the MAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
Scouting The Hilltoppers
Western Kentucky comes off a season in which they went 25-33, finishing eighth in the Sun Belt. The Hilltoppers return 17 letterwinners from last season, including 10 starters. Western Kentucky is coached by Matt Myers, who is entering his second season at WKU. As a team, the Hilltoppers batted .251 last season and had a team-ERA of 4.81. Scott Wilcox, who batted .276 in 2012, will lead the charge for WKU in 2013. Wilcox had 15 extra-base hits to go along with his 28 RBI. Western Kentucky returns all three starting pitchers from 2012, including Tim Bado who tossed a team-high 85.2 innings.
The Series
Friday afternoon's matchup will be the 11th all-time matchup between Bowling Green and Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers lead the all-time series 8-2. The last time the two teams met came in 2011, when WKU swept the Falcons in a three-game set to open the year. The Falcons last win over the Hilltoppers came on Feb. 23, 2008. In that game, the Falcons defeated the Hilltoppers 12-9 in 12 innings.
On The Road
Beginning with Friday's contest, the Falcons will spend the first month of the season on the road. With trips to Bowling Green, Ky., Murray Ky., Cookeville, Tenn., Florida (for Spring Break), and Normal, Ill., the Falcons will play 18-of-19 on the road to begin the season. According to Google Maps, the road trips during the first month of the season will cover 4,905 miles, making the Falcons road tested.
Captains
Juniors Cody Apthorpe and T.J. Losby will serve as captains during the 2013 season. When the season opens on Friday, this combination will likely serve as battery mates, as well.
First Time Outside
Friday will mark the first time that the Falcons have been able to get outside for baseball activity since the fall practice schedule wrapped up. Over the past few seasons, the rust has shown during the first weekend of baseball. In fact, the Falcons have not won an opening weekend contest since a win over Western Kentucky on Feb. 23, 2008.
Young But Experienced
The Falcons return a starter at all nine positions from the 2012 squad, putting them amongst the most experienced teams in the country. The Falcons also return six of their top eight pitchers.
Senior Leadership
The 2013 roster consists of only two seniors, in Nick Bruns and Matt Pitzulo. Bruns will look to build upon his solid 2012, a year in which he posted a team-best 2.53 ERA. On top of his seven saves, he also won three games in 26 appearances. Pitzulo will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2012, when he hit just .165.
Offense Returns
The Falcons return the majority of their offensive production from a season ago, a year in which they hit .290 as a team. All seven players that hit over .300 return to the team, as well. Andrew Kubuski led the team in 2012 with a .367 batting average. Also returning is Brian Bien, who hit .345 as a freshman, and was named second team All-MAC. Bien led the Falcons with a .357 average during MAC play. T.J. Losby, who led the team in RBI (37), and Jeremy Shay return to anchor the middle of the lineup.
Defensive Woes
After setting a school-record for fielding percentage in 2011, the 2012 Falcons struggled to field the ball cleanly, committing 110 errors. While the Falcons improved slightly during MAC play, they still committed 52 errors in just 27 league contests.
Record Watch
Despite a disappointing season in 2012, the Falcons managed to turn in a few record-setting performances:
--Jake Thomas - school-record six hits vs. Malone (Mar. 14)
--Four players (Rait, Losby, Kubuski, Thomas) - tied school-record with seven at-bats in a game
--Team - school-record 30 hits vs. Malone (Mar. 14)
--Team - tied school-record with 15 innings pitched vs. Central Michigan (Apr. 1)
--Ben Singer - tied school-record with 27 appearances in 2012
--Nick Bruns - tied for second in school history with seven saves in 2012
Countdown To 600
Entering his 23rd season as the head coach at Bowling Green State University, Danny Schmitz has a career record of 588-550-5. Schmitz has won a school-record 36 games on two different occasions, and his teams have qualified for the MAC tournament 11 times. He has been named MAC Coach of the Year on three different occasions (1994, 1995, 2009). Below are Schmitz's career milestone victories:
--1st win: March 9, 1991 at Eastern Kentucky (6-3)
--100th win: April 26, 1995 at Ball State (3-1)
--200th win: March 6, 1999 vs. Pittsburgh (9-8 in Homestead, Fla.)
--250th win: April 15, 2000 vs. Marshall (8-4)
--300th win: February 17, 2002 at Tennessee (15-11)
--400th win: April 29, 2005 vs. IPFW (5-0)
--500th win: March 31, 2009 at Michigan (8-3)
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