Falcons Continue MAC Play This Weekend At Home

Saturday, April 20

Bowling Green, Ohio

12:30 pm

Bowling Green State University

University of Akron

Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications

April 18, 2013 | Baseball

Falcons and Zips will play a three-game series at Warren E. Steller Field

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Bowling Green State University Falcons (11-19; 6-6 MAC)

vs.
University of Akron Zips (8-26; 5-7 MAC)
Steller Field (1,100)
Bowling Green, Ohio

Apr. 20 (12:30 p.m.) Live Stats | Live Audio
Apr. 20 (4:00 p.m.) Live Stats | Live Audio
Apr. 21 (1:00 p.m.) Live Stats | Live Audio

Game Notes

Leading Off: The Bowling Green State University baseball team will play host to the University of Akron this weekend at Steller Field. The Falcons, riding a four-game win streak, will look to continue climbing the ladder in the Mid-American Conference standings.

Scouting The Zips: Akron comes to Bowling Green with an overall record of just 8-26, but they have picked up their play since MAC play started. The Zips are 5-7 in conference play, having taken 2-of-3 against Ball State and Ohio. Akron is coached by Rick Rembielak, who is in his second season at the school. Rembielak previously served a head coaching stint at Kent State. As a team, the Zips are batting .233 with an ERA of 5.30. Akron will start three freshmen on the mound this weekend.

Countdown To 600: In his 23rd season as the head coach at Bowling Green State University, Danny Schmitz has a career record of 599-569-5. Schmitz, who is the second winningest active coach in the Mid-American Conference (behind Ball State's Rich Maloney), has won a school-record 36 games on two different occasions. 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)

The Series: Akron zipped by Bowling Green three times last year at Canal Park, winning on both Saturday and Sunday in walk-off fashion. Friday's contest will be the 63rd all-time meeting, with the Falcons holding a 35-27 series lead.

Last Weekend: BGSU climbed back to .500 (6-6) in the MAC with a weekend sweep on the road at arch-rival Toledo. The sweep was the first for the program since a three-game sweep over Buffalo in May of 2010 clinched the MAC regular season crown. On Friday, the Falcons got eight shutout innings from Cody Apthopre, taking down the 2012 MAC West Division champs by a final score of 5-0. In Saturday's game, Bowling Green set season-highs in runs (14) and hits (18), thrashing UT by a score of 14-1. The Orange and Brown completed the sweep on Sunday with a 6-3 come-from-behind victory.

Closing In: Over the past two seasons, Nick Bruns has been one of the top closers in the Mid-American Conference. With his five saves in 2013, he now sits in second place all-time with 14 career saves. Bruns is just three saves behind Neil Schmitz, who compiled 17 saves from 2001-04.

New Promotion: Each time the Falcons score over 10 runs at home this season, Falcon fans win, too. Call Pizza Hut within 24 hours to receive a deal for a $7 large, one-topping pizza or a $9 specialty pie.

The Ace: Cody Apthorpe is quickly becoming a force on Friday afternoons in the Mid-American Conference, having won three straight starts for the Orange and Brown. Apthorpe has lowered his season ERA to 2.28, and is currently on a 22.2 innings streak without allowing an earned run.

Glanzman Shines: Freshman Nick Glanzman impressed last week, winning MAC East Player of the Week for his efforts. Helping the Falcons to a 4-0 week, Glanzman went 6-for-12 (.500) with three walks during the week. He scored seven runs, drove in four, stole two bases, and stroked his first two career extra-base hits. Glanzman is the second Falcon to win the award this season.

Kubuski Continues To Be A Tough Out: After leading the team in batting average during 2012, Andrew Kubuski got off to a slower-than-expected start in 2013. He quickly found his stride, and has reached base safely in 19 consecutive games, dating back to March 6 at FGCU.

Hitting Their Stride: The Falcons have found their stride recently, winning four straight and seven of the last 11. Bowling Green's offense trails just Kent State in batting average during MAC play, hitting .295 through the first 12 games.

Shay Having His Way: Since Mid-American Conference play has started, Jeremy Shay has had his way with opposing pitchers. Shay is hitting .441 during conference play, which leads the league. He is tied for second in home runs (2), fifth in RBI with 11, sixth in total bases with 26, third in on-base percentage, and first in slugging percentage.

The Three Phases: During the four-game winning streak that the Falcons are currently on, BGSU has executed the three phases. Over the past four games the Falcons have had a team batting average of .320, an ERA of 2.25, and a fielding percentage of .988. Bowling Green has committed just two errors since a disastrous 12-error weekend against Eastern Michigan.

Hot Rockets: Toledo enters the weekend with the MAC's best batting average, but the margin was narrowed after being dominated by the Falcons' pitching staff last weekend. During the three-game series, the Orange and Brown held Toledo to just four runs, with a batting average of just .204 (19-93).

East Versus West: After a 6-6 start to MAC play versus West Division competition, the Falcons will now shift their focus toward the East Division. With just 15 games left in the Mid-American Conference season, Bowling Green will begin to jockey for postseason position.

The March For April: After struggling to a 3-13 record during the month of March, Bowling Green has turned a corner during the early part of April. The Falcons have a record of 5-3 in April, after starting just 1-3.

Remaining Home Games: With just one month left in the 2013 regular season, Falcon fans have a myriad of opportunities to come out to Steller Field and enjoy an afternoon of baseball. Following the weekend series against Akron, the Falcons will host in-state foe Wright State on Wednesday, April 24. The Falcons will wrap up the season with eight of their final 11 at Steller Field, hosting Miami (May 3-5) and Buffalo (May 16-18) in weekend series'. The Orange and Brown will also host Ball State (May 7) and Northern Kentucky (May 14) in midweek games.

“Talon”ted: Once the ball is turned over to the bullpen late in games, opponents have struggled to produce down the stretch. Ethan McKenney has a record of 3-1 and a 1.48 ERA as a setup man, while Nick Bruns has a 2-0 record, 2.49 ERA, and five saves as the closer this season.