Falcons Host Dayton To Begin Final Homestand Tuesday

Tuesday, May 12

Bowling Green, Ohio

3:05 pm ET

Bowling Green State University

Dayton

May 11, 2015 | Baseball

By: by Scott Swegan, BGSU Athletic Communications

Bowling Green Falcons (19-27)
vs.
Dayton Flyers (14-36)
Tuesday | 3:05 p.m.
Warren E. Steller Field
Live Stats | Live Audio

The Week In Falcon Baseball
BGSU returns to Warren E. Steller Field this week for the final four games of the regular season. On Tuesday, the Falcons take on Dayton in the final non-conference game of the season. Then, Bowling Green welcomes Buffalo to town for the final MAC series, beginning on Thursday afternoon. Thursday's first pitch will be at 3:00 p.m., while both Friday and Saturday will begin at 1:00 p.m.

Promotions This Week
Thursday | First 50 fans will receive a Falcon prize pack
Friday | First 50 fans will receive a voucher for free popcorn/soda
Saturday | Senior Day (12:45) – Head Men's Basketball Coach Michael Huger first pitch

Ways To Follow
All four games this week will be available via audio stream courtesy of Todd Walker – Voice of the Falcons. Links to follow live stats or listen to the audio broadcast can be found at BGSUFalcons.com under the baseball schedule page. Fans in the Northwest Ohio area can watch Saturday's Senior Day game on BCSN. All games can also be followed on Twitter @WEAREBGBaseball.

Senior Day Saturday
Bowling Green will celebrate the careers of five Falcon seniors on Saturday prior to the regular season finale against Buffalo. Brian Bien, Trevor Blaylock, Brandon Howard, Jason Link, and Jesse Rait will all be recognized before their final game at Steller Field.

They Said It
"We are excited to get back home and get the bad taste out of our mouth," head coach Danny Schmitz said. "We are putting this last weekend behind us and focusing on how we can improve going forward to be playing our best baseball over the next few weeks. That starts Tuesday against Dayton."

BGSU Coaching Staff
Bowling Green is coached by Danny Schmitz, who is in his 25th season at the helm of the Orange and Brown. Schmitz owns 655 career wins and 343 Mid-American Conference wins in his career, both of which are the third-most in MAC history. He is assisted by Rick Blanc, who is in his eighth season in charge of BGSU's pitchers and recruiting. Ryan Shay coaches the hitters and infielders, while Garrett Gray coaches the catchers under Schmitz.

About Falcon Baseball
The BGSU baseball program is in the midst of its 95th season playing varsity baseball, with an all-time record of 1,607-1,399-27. The Falcons have won seven MAC East championships, five MAC regular season titles, and have won the MAC Tournament on three occasions. Bowling Green has qualified for the MAC Tournament 11 times since 1994, including six times in the last seven seasons.

Scouting Dayton
Dayton enters Tuesday's game with an overall record of 14-36 on the season. The Flyers have struggled to a 3-18 record in Atlantic 10 play. Tuesday's game will be the 12th game against a MAC opponent this season for UD. The Flyers have played Ball State, Buffalo, Toledo, Ohio, and Akron with a combined record of 6-5 to date. Dayton has won four straight over MAC opponents. Tony Vittorio is the head coach of the Flyers, in his 16th season at the helm of the red and blue. He is assisted by coaches Matt Talarico, Ryne Romick and Terry Bell. UD is hitting .240 on the season, led by Mitch Coughlin's .278 average. The Flyers have a team ERA of 5.54.

The MAC Tournament Race
If the MAC Tournament were to start today, the Falcons would hold the No. 8 seed and play No. 1 seed Central Michigan in the first round. But, with still three games left to play there is a long way to go. The Falcons lead No. 9 seed Miami by a game, but also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the RedHawks. The No. 10 seed Northern Illinois holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Falcons, but trails BGSU by two games entering the final weekend. Two wins this weekend against Buffalo will guarantee Bowling Green a spot in next week's MAC Tournament.

EAST DIVISION	MAC	Remaining Games
Kent State	16-8	AKRON
Ohio	14-10	at Miami
Akron	12-12	at Kent State
Bowling Green	11-13	BUFFALO
Miami	10-14	OHIO
Buffalo	7-17	at Bowling Green

WEST DIVISION	MAC	Remaining Games
Central Michigan	17-7	at Western Michigan
Toledo	14-10	at Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan	13-11	CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Ball State	12-12	NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Northern Illinois	9-15	at Ball State
Eastern Michigan	8-16	TOLEDO

Smith Shines At Kent State
Junior Matt Smith (Johnstown, Ohio) led the Falcons with six hits over the weekend at Kent State, including his first career home run in Friday's game. On Saturday, Smith went 2-for-4 and on Sunday he was 3-for-4 with two RBI. The Falcons left fielder now has six three-hit games this season to lead the Orange and Brown.

A Look Back
Despite getting swept at Kent State this past weekend, BGSU has won 5-of-8 series in Mid-American Conference play this season. The Falcons, after losing their first two series, won five straight prior to this past weekend at KSU. Bowling Green (11-13) controls their own destiny to qualify for next week's MAC Tournament which begins on Wednesday, May 20.