Baseball Is Back! Falcons Host Penguins Wednesday At Steller Field

Wednesday, March 18

Bowling Green, Ohio

3:05 pm ET

Bowling Green State University

Youngstown State

Baseball Is Back! Falcons Host Penguins Wednesday At Steller Field

March 17, 2015 | Baseball

BGSU hosts 2014 NCAA Tournament participant Youngstown State for home opener

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Bowling Green Falcons (5-9)
vs.
Youngstown State Penguins (3-7)

Wednesday, March 18, 3:05 p.m.
Warren E. Steller Field (Bowling Green, Ohio)
LIVE STATS | LIVE AUDIO

Bowling Green: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Youngstown State: Roster | Schedule | Stats

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio—After playing 14 consecutive games on the road to begin the 2015 season, the Bowling Green State University baseball team will finally get the opportunity to play at home this week when the Falcons host four games at Warren E. Steller Field. The Falcons will host Youngstown State at 3:05 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, marking the 2015 home opener at Warren E. Steller Field.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
Bowling Green enters the home opener with an overall record of 5-9, coming off an eight-game spring break trip to both North Carolina and Florida. Head coach Danny Schmitz is in his 25th season with an overall record of 642-617-5. He is assisted by Rick Blanc, Ryan Shay, and Garrett Gray. The Falcons have a team batting average of .287 with an earned run average of 5.72.

HE SAID IT
"We are excited to finally get the chance to play at home this week in front of our fans and on our home field," head coach Danny Schmitz stated. "After all of the travel and road games we have played to start the season, taking the field at Steller Field will definitely be a welcomed change."

THE ROAD AHEAD
The Falcons begin Mid-American Conference play this weekend, when the Orange and Brown welcomes Ball State to town for a three-game series. The 27-game MAC slate will see the Falcons host the Cardinals, as well as Miami, Western Michigan, Akron and Buffalo. The Falcons will travel to Northern Illinois, Ohio, Central Michigan, and Kent State during conference play.

SCOUTING THE PENGUINS
Youngstown State finished the 2014 season at just 17-38, but made a run to win the Horizon League Tournament and qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Penguins were 12-36 through the regular season, but won four straight in the Horizon League Tournament to qualify for the Bloomington Regional, where they won a game over Indiana State.

The 2015 version of the Penguins are off to a 3-7 start on the season, having had six games cancelled and five games moved to an alternate site thus far. YSU is scheduled to play at Toledo this afternoon, before traveling down Interstate 75 for the matchup with the Falcons on Wednesday afternoon. Steve Gillispie, the head coach of the Penguins, is in his third season at the helm. Gillispie has had stops as an assistant coach with Utah, UAB, Jacksonville State, and as a scout for the Philadelphia Phillies before taking over at YSU prior to the 2013 season.

As a team, the Penguins are hitting .254 with an earned run average of 7.76. Outfielder Jason Shirley (Sr., North Huntingdon, Pa.) leads YSU with a batting average of .385. He has also walked 11 times for an on-base percentage of .553. Frank Califano (Jr., Alpine, Calif.) is the other Penguin hitting over .300 currently, with his average at .316. Left fielder Alex Larivee and shortstop Shane Willoughby have both started all 10 games for the Penguins this season.

THE RUNNING GAME
The running game has been a big part of Bowling Green's success in 2015, as the Falcons are 22-of-33 on stolen base attempts so far this season through 14 games. BGSU is a perfect 5-0 this season, and 23-5 over the past two seasons, when stealing at least two bases in a game. Opponents have not been as successful on the bases against Bowling Green, as the Falcons have only allowed 11-of-25 successful stolen base attempts. YSU, on the other hand, does not rely as heavily on the running game. The Penguins are just 6-for-12 this season, while Youngstown State opponents have been successful on 22-of-23 stolen base attempts.

KEEGAN CONTINUES TO IMPRESS
Redshirt sophomore Trey Keegan has been impressive to begin the season, currently batting .380 to lead the team. Keegan has started all 14 games, and leads the Orange and Brown with 17 runs scored and 17 runs batted in. He is tied for the team lead with 19 hits, and leads the Falcons with six doubles. His .516 on-base percentage also leads the Falcons, while his .560 slugging percentage is second on the team. Keegan has also thrown out nearly 50-percent of would-be base stealers behind the dish (7-for-16). On the spring trip, Keegan scored eight runs and had eight RBI in five games, while recording two doubles and drawing four free passes.

HOWARD AN ALL-AROUND THREAT
Redshirt senior Brandon Howard has started all 14 games this season at second base. He has also batted in the leadoff spot for head coach Danny Schmitz this season in all 14 games. Howard is hitting .309 with an on-base percentage of .406. He has 10 stolen bases already on the year and is fielding .984. On the spring trip, Howard led the Falcons with a .400 batting average. He was successful on 5-of-6 stolen base attempts, including tying his career-high with three in a win over Butler. His 42 career stolen bases are eighth all-time at BGSU, just two shy of a seventh-place tie. Last season, Howard finished tied for sixth all-time with 23 stolen bases.

RIGHTER MAKING AN EARLY IMPACT
Freshman Randy Righter has made an immediate impact for the Falcons. The West Bloomfield, Mich. native is hitting .365 with four doubles, three home runs and 14 runs batted in. His .615 slugging percentage leads the Falcons while his .393 on-base percentage is third. Righter has played a strong first base defensively for the Orange and Brown, leading the team with 105 putouts and having added 11 assists.