Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Georgia State University
Softball To Play In Panther Invitational This Weekend
February 12, 2014 | Softball
| PANTHER INVITATIONAL | ||
| Date | OPPONENT | TIME |
| 2/15/14 | East Tennessee State | 10:00 a.m.. |
| 2/15/14 | Georgia State | 2:00 p.m. |
| 2/16/2014 | Georgia Tech | 10:00 a.m. |
| 2/16/2014 | Tennessee Martin | 12:00 p.m. |
Bowling Green, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team will continue their 24-game stretch away from Meserve Field to begin the 2014 campaign. The Falcons will travel to Atlanta, Ga., to play in the Panther Invitational at the Heck Softball Complex. The Orange and Brown enters the weekend at 0-4 overall. Â
The Weekend's Opponents
The Falcons will continue their opening five pre-conference tournament stretch at the Panther Invitational this weekend (Feb. 15-16). The Orange and Brown will look to bounce back after dropping their first four games of 2014 at the CSU Dome Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio. BGSU will start the tournament with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Falcons will play East Tennessee State at 10 a.m. and finish the day with Georgia State at 2 p.m. The Orange and Brown will conclude the Panther Invitational against Indiana and Tennessee Martin on Sunday, Feb. 16.
The Past Weekend (CSU Dome Invitational)
Day One: CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team lost a pair of games on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 8) to begin their 2014 campaign. Playing in the CSU Dome Tournament at Krenzler Field, the Falcons (0-2) were swept in doubleheader action, losing by a score of 5-3 to host Cleveland State University, before falling to Robert Morris University 3-2 in a hard-fought extra innings game.
Day Two: CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University softball team dropped both games of their doubleheader on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 9). Playing in the final day at the CSU Dome Invitational, the Falcons (0-4) fell to Bucknell University 2-0 in game one, before dropping a close second contest to Canisius College 4-2.
FALCON NOTES
- Coach Shannon Salsburg now has an overall record of 153-176, with a record of 76-73 in MAC play with the Falcons.
- Coach Salsburg has the second most wins in BGSU softball history, trailing only Leigh Ross (237 wins) for the most wins all-time.
- BGSU's Aspen Searle's .364 (4-for-11) batting average led the Falcons last weekend. The freshman's first collegiate hit was a solo home run in the fifth inning of the Falcons' 5-3 loss to Cleveland State.
- Searle also leads the team in slugging percentage (.636) and on-base percentage (.462) after the first weekend of play.
- Falcons' Chelsea Raker's .250 batting average (3-for-12) currently ranks third on the Bowling Green's roster. Raker also recorded a solo home run for her first collegiate hit on Saturday against Cleveland State.
- Senior captain Erika Stratton recorded four hits on the weekend for the Falcons. Stratton has a .333 batting average after the first weekend, including a home run. The senior has nine career home runs, which ranks second on the team behind only fellow classmate Katie Yoho.
- Sophomore Braiden Dillow made four appearances in the circle over the weekend, tossing 12.0 innings. Dillow's 0.58 ERA ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Links to live stats can be found at BGSUFalcons.com for each contests throughout the season. Fans can follow the BGSU softball team through Twitter on the official team account @BGSUSoftball and through the official account of the Athletics Department @BGAthletics.
PRESEASON POLL
BGSU was picked to finish fourth in the MAC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. The Falcons finished fourth in the East Division during the regular season a year ago. Kent State was tabbed to be the favorite in the MAC East Division in 2014, receiving seven first-place votes. Ohio and Miami each received two first place votes and was picked second and third in the East, respectively. After Bowling Green, Akron was selected fifth and, despite receiving a first-place vote, Buffalo was selected to finish last.
MAC East Preseason Poll
1.      Kent State (7 First Place Votes)
2.      Ohio (2)
3.      Miami (2)
4.      Bowling Green
5.      Akron
6.      Buffalo (1)
Â
MAC West Preseason Poll
1.      Central Michigan (6)
2.      Ball State (6)
3.      Northern Illinois
4.      Western Michigan
5.      Eastern Michigan
6.      Toledo
Â
Predicted 2014 MAC Tournament Champions
Central Michigan (4 Votes)
Ball State, Kent State, Ohio (2)
Buffalo, Northern Illinois (1)
