Falcons Travel To Louisville For First NCAA Tournament Game In 14 Years

Bowling Green State University Falcons (24-29)
at
University of Louisville Cardinals (46-12)
Jim Patterson Stadium
Friday, May 31 (6:00 p.m.)
Ways To Follow: WatchESPN.com | Live Audio | Live Stats | Twitter | Tournament Central

Complete Postseason Guide

Friday, May 31 | (ESPN3)

Game 1: No. 2 Miami (Fla.) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State - 2 p.m.

Game 2: No. 1 Louisville vs. No. 4 Bowling Green - 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 1

Game 3: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser - Noon (ESPNU)

Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner - 5 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday, June 2 | (ESPNU)

Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser - Noon

Game 6: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner - 4 p.m.

Monday, June 3 | (ESPNU) - If necessary

Game 7: Game 6 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner - 7 p.m.

The Louisville Regional Schedule
Wednesday: The team will leave the BGSU Ice Arena on Wednesday at 3 p.m., with an official send-off planned. Click HERE to find out more about the send-off. The remainder of Wednesday will be used as a travel day.
Thursday: Thursday will be used as a practice day, with all practices held at UofL's Jim Patterson Stadium. The practices are free and open to the public. The Falcons will practice from 2:30-3:45. Each team will partake in a press conference following practice. The press conference will be streamed live at 'Tournament Central.'
Friday: The Falcons will take on #15 Louisville at 6:00 p.m. Friday night. The game will air live on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
Saturday: BGSU will play either an elimination game at 12:00 p.m. on ESPNU or a winner's bracket game at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
Sunday: BGSU will play an elimination game at 12:00 p.m. on ESPNU or a championship game at 5:00 p.m. on ESPNU. If the Falcons are in the loser's bracket and win the 12:00 p.m. game, they will also play the 5:00 p.m. game.
Monday: Monday's game will only be played if necessary, and will air live on ESPNU at 7:00 p.m.

The Pitching Matchup
BGSU: RHP Mike Frank (Redshirt Junior | Maumee, Ohio | 5-7, 3.61 ERA)
UofL: RHP Chad Green (Junior | Effingham, Ill. | 9-3, 2.09 ERA)

Partying Like It's 1999
The Bowling Green State University baseball program will make its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 1999.

Fourth Time's A Charm
The Falcons will make their fourth trip in school history to the NCAA Tournament in 2013.

MAC Champions
Bowling Green won its third Mid-American Conference Tournament crown in school history, defeating Ball State by a final score of 7-0 in the championship game.

Three Previous Trips
BGSU has an all-time record of 2-6 in the NCAA Tournament. The Falcons have not won a game since 1972, when they went 2-2. In their last two trips (1998, 1999), the Falcons have gone two-and-out.

612 Wins
Head Coach Danny Schmitz has 612 career victories, third most all-time in the Mid-American Conference. Schmitz has also compiled 317 MAC victories.

Sub .500
Bowling Green is the only team in the 2013 NCAA Tournament field of 64 that has a record of under .500. The Falcons enter the tournament with a 24-29 mark.

The Louisville Regional
Arguably one of the best Regional sites in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, the Louisville Regional will include Louisville, Miami, Okalahoma State, and Bowling Green. U of L had the 13th-highest RPI to end the season, while Miami is making its 41st consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Louisville
The Cardinals finished the regular season 46-12, winning 16 straight before falling twice in the Big East Tournament. U of L, coached by Dan McDonnell, compiled a Big East Conference record of 20-4. As a team, the Cardinals bat .293 with a team ERA of 2.52. U of L and BGSU will meet for the seventh time on Friday night. Louisville leads the series 7-0, including a sweep in 2010.

Miami
The Hurricanes enter the NCAA Tournament with a record 36-23, including an Atlantic Coast Conference mark of 14-16. Miami has a team batting average of .260 and an ERA of 3.33. If Miami and Bowling Green were to meet this weekend in Louisville, it would be the 14th all-time meeting. The Hurricanes lead the series 13-0.

Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State enters the Louisville Regional with an overall record of 39-17. The Cowboys finished the Big Twelve Conference with a 13-10 mark. OSU has a team average of .285 and an ERA of 2.93. If the Falcons and Cowboys are to meet this weekend, it will mark just the fifth all-time meeting between the two schools. OSU leads the series 4-0.

First Win
Not only will the Falcons be in search of their first NCAA Tournament win in 41 seasons, but they will also be looking for their first win against the three other schools in the Louisville Regional. Combined, the Orange and Brown has a record of 0-23 against Louisville, Miami, and Oklahoma State.

NCAA Tournament History
Making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1972, the Falcons did not go back for 26 years after that, until 1998. In '72, BGSU went 2-2, winning their first two games before dropping two straight to Iowa. In 1998, the Falcons traveled to Coral Gables, where they lost to Miami and Florida International. The following year, the Falcons were selected for the Columbus Regional, losing two straight to Ohio State and Nebraska.

MAC Tournament MVP
Senior Nick Bruns was named the Mid-American Conference Tournament's Most Valuable Player for his gutsy effort during the past week. At the tournament, Bruns compiled a 2-0 record with one save, capping it off with a complete-game shutout for the championship game win.

National Pitcher Of The Week
For his efforts, Bruns was named National Pitcher of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. On the week, Bruns pitched 12.1 innings, allowing no runs and just five hits. Bruns struck out eight batters on the week.

A Magical Week
With two outs left in their season on May 18, BGSU was trailing Buffalo 4-3. A loss would leave the Falcons on the outside looking in for the MAC Tournament. The Falcons were able to score two in the ninth, getting the walkoff win to qualify for the MAC Tournament. That was just the beginning, as the Orange and Brown would go 4-1 in Avon at the MAC Tournament, clinching the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

MAC Tournament: Game One
The Falcons began their run to the MAC Title by beating No. 3 seed Northern Illinois, 6-4, in 11 innings. Facing a first team All-MAC selection, the Falcons were able to overcome an early 4-0 hole to survive and advance. Ethan McKenney went five innings of one-hit baseball in relief, and Nick Bruns earned the win.

MAC Tournament: Game Two
After a whole day of baseball was washed out due to rain, the Falcons beat their arch-rival, Toledo, for the fourth time in 2013. Advancing to the championship of their bracket with a 4-3 victory, Mike Frank tossed a complete-game for the win.

MAC Tournament: Game Three
Facing elimination, Toledo would come out and give the Falcons their first loss of the tournament on Saturday, defeating BGSU for the first time in 2013, 5-2.

MAC Tournament: Game Four
Starting on two days rest in an elimination game, captain Cody Apthorpe would toss seven scoreless innings for the 1-0 victory. Nick Bruns earned the save earned Toledo.

MAC Tournament: Game Five
Playing in a winner-take-all championship game, the Falcons were able to defeat Ball State 7-0 to win their first MAC Title since 1999. Nick Bruns took the mound for the third time in the tournament, throwing a complete-game shutout to earn tournament MVP honors.

All Tournament Team
Bowling Green had four members named to the 2013 Mid-American Conference all-tournament team. Mike Frank, Ethan McKenney, and Jeremy Shay were named to the team, while Nick Bruns was named MVP. Prior to the 2013 tournament, BGSU had had one member of a MAC all-tournament team since 1999.

First Team All-MAC
Catcher T.J. Losby was named first team All-MAC for his efforts during the 2013 season. Losby is batting .324 heading into the Louisville Regional, with a team-high six home runs and 37 RBI. Losby has thrown out 20-44 runners on the season from behind the dish.

Second Team All-MAC
First baseman Jeremy Shay earned second team All-MAC honors this season. Shay was arguably robbed of first team honors, as he won the triple crown during MAC play, leading the league in batting average (.400), home runs (5), and RBI (28). Shay also had 12 doubles during MAC play this season. The junior from Garden City, Mich. currently leads the team with a .328 batting average and a .514 slugging percentage.

At Bats In 2013
T.J Losby (207) and Patrick Lancaster (205) are currently ninth and 10th in school history for at-bats in a single season.

Most Appearances Ever
With his complete-game shutout in the MAC Championship, Nick Bruns set a school record with his 28th appearance of the 2013 campaign. The previous high was 27, set most recently by Ben Singer in 2012. Bruns is currently second in school history for career appearances (90). He sits just one shy of tying the school's all-time mark set by Neil Schmitz from 2001-04.

Stamina Frankly Not An Issue
Mike Frank has tossed 26.1 innings over his last three starts, moving into third all-time for innings pitched (97.1) in a single season. By recording two outs this weekend at the Louisville Regional, Frank will move into second all-time.

106 Straight
Junior T.J. Losby has played in 106 consecutive games, dating back to the last game of the MAC Tournament in 2011.

Player Spotlight: Nick Bruns
Bruns was recently named National Pitcher of the Week and MAC Tournament MVP. The senior has a 6-2 record with a 2.32 ERA. He also has six saves on the season, combining for four shutouts. In Sunday's MAC title game, Bruns threw a complete-game shutout. Bruns was 2-0 in the MAC Tournament with a save, pitching 12.1 innings without allowing a run.

Player Spotlight: Mike Frank
Frank leads the team in multiple categories, the most impressive being innings pitched (97.1) and strikeouts (77). Frank also leads the pitching staff, allowing opponents to hit just .225. In the MAC Tournament, Frank earned a spot on the all-tournament team with his complete-game win against Toledo on Friday.

Player Spotlight: T.J. Losby
Losby has played in 106 consecutive games, earning first team All-MAC honors in 2013. At one point during the season, Losby had a 16-game hitting streak, stretching from April 13 to May 12. A captain, Losby leads the team in home runs (6) and RBI (37). He is currently 7th in school history for putouts in a career, with 749.

Player Spotlight: Cody Apthorpe
Apthorpe, a two-time captain from Windham, Ohio, doesn't put up the big numbers you might expect of the staff's ace. He has thrown 87.1 innings this season, allowing 103 hits. However, Apthorpe just gets people out. He has only allowed 34 earned runs for an ERA of 3.50. The redshirt junior has a record of 5-4, picking up his fifth win by throwing seven scoreless innings on two days rest to send the Falcons to the MAC championship game.

Player Spotlight: Ethan McKenney
A season after going 1-9 as a starter, McKenney has embraced his role as first out of the pen. The junior from Defiance, Ohio, has bounced back nicely in 2013, going 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 20 appearances. McKenney has earned two saves.

Player Spotlight: Jeremy Shay
Shay has been spectacular since the beginning of MAC play. During league play he compiled league-highs in average (.400), home runs (5), RBI (28), and slugging percentage (.684). Shay earned second team All-MAC this season. Shay starts primarily as a first baseman, also serving as the team's backup catcher. He has thrown out 13-of-20 runners from behind the dish this season.

Player Spotlight: Patrick Lancaster
Lancaster, a native of Woodhaven, Mich., is third on the team with a .298 average.

Player Spotlight: Jesse Rait
Rait has reached base in 12 consecutive games, tied with Jeremy Shay for longest active streak.

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