Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, April 27
Bowling Green, OH
3:00 PM ET
Bowling Green State University
vs
Kent State
Kent State Comes to Town for Key Conference Series
April 26, 2018 | Softball
BGSU, battling for a MAC Tournament berth, meets the Flashes for three games this weekend
• The Bowling Green State University softball team ends the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule with six games at home, beginning with a three-game series at Meserve Field this weekend. Head coach Sarah Willis and the Falcons face Kent State University in a single game on Friday (April 27), beginning at 3:00 p.m., followed by a 1:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday (April 28).
• Then, the Brown and Orange will step outside of MAC play for one final time, heading to Dayton to face Wright State University on Tuesday (May 1) morning. That contest is set for an 11:00 a.m. start at the WSU Softball Field. BG then closes the regular season with a three-game series vs. Ohio (May 4-5) at Meserve Field.
BGSU SOFTBALL LINKS
BGSU Weekly Release/Notes/Stats: PDF
THE OPPONENTS: KSU Softball | WSU Softball
2018 Schedule | 2018 Record Book | Join the Falcon Club Today!
FOUR THINGS TO KNOW
• Junior Kali Holcomb drove in three runs in Monday's (April 23) 8-0 win over Detroit, breaking the school single-season RBI record in the process. Holcomb now has a total of 44 RBI on the year. She matched the old record of 42, set by Gina Rango in 2004, with a sacrifice fly in the first inning vs. the Titans, and her two-run double in the fifth inning moved her into sole possession of first place on that BGSU single-season list.
• The Falcons dropped a 4-0 decision at Notre Dame Tuesday (April 24), snapping a seven-game winning streak. That win streak was the program's longest in 11 years, since the 2007 team won 10-straight games en route to a 33-12 record.
• During that seven-game winning streak, the Falcons had great success in jumping out to an early lead. BGSU scored in the first inning in six-straight games during the streak, putting a crooked number on the scoreboard in the last five wins during that time. BG had 17 first-inning runs in those six games.
• BGSU has a record of 3-17 against teams ranked 164th or better in the latest RPI rankings, but the Falcons are 22-3 vs. schools ranked lower than 165th. BG's next four games are against teams ranked 172nd or lower in the current RPI.
WELL THEN, THIS WOULD BE MORE, WOULDN'T IT?
• The Falcons are now 25-20 on the season, and BGSU has topped the win total for all of last year. The 2017 team finished with a 24-32 overall record. The current team's victory total is the highest since the 2013 club finished with a 27-24 mark.
WELL THEN, THIS WOULD ALSO BE MORE, WOULDN'T IT?
• BGSU has more than doubled last year's home run total. The Falcons have homered 36 times in the first 45 contests, after hitting a total of 16 homers in 56 games last spring.
• BG's current total is the highest since the 2012 club hit 46 dingers. The school record for homers in a season is 47, set by the 2007 club.
• The current team's total of 36 homers is the third-highest in program history, trailing only the '07 and '12 teams.
• Eight different BG players have hit a round-tripper this season to date. A total of six different BGSU players hit a homer during all of last year.
• In 2017, BGSU's leader in home runs (Chelsea Raker) hit six, and the Falcons had two players with more than two homers on the year. This season, junior Kali Holcomb already has eight homers, and she is one of six players with at least four dingers.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• BGSU enters the weekend with an overall record of 25-20, and the Falcons are 7-9 in MAC play. BG saw a seven-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday at Notre Dame, but the Falcons have won six-straight conference contests heading into Friday.
• That MAC streak began when BGSU won he second game of a home doubleheader vs. Miami (April 11), then went to Buffalo and swept a twinbill two days later, scoring 18 runs vs. the Bulls. BG then captured three-straight games at Akron over the weekend.
• BGSU currently sits in third place in the East Division, and the Falcons are eighth in the overall MAC standings. BG is a game behind seventh-place Northern Illinois (8-8 MAC) and a game and a half behind KSU and Central Michigan (both 9-8). The Falcons are just a half game ahead of Miaim (7-10). The top-eight teams in the final conference standings will qualify for the MAC Tournament.
• BGSU is 4-6 in home games, 8-11 in true road contests and 13-3 in neutral-site games this season to date. The Falcons have hit .298 as a team, while allowing the opponents to bat just .241.
• The Falcons have four starters hitting at least .300, with three others batting over .275. Six of those seven players are slugging .434 or better, and five of those players have at least 10 extra-base hits this year.
• Senior Aspen Searle is batting .391 and has scored a team-high 33 runs. Searle, currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, also has a BG-best 22 extra-base hits, including team-leading totals of 13 doubles and three triples, and she is ranked on the BGSU career lists in nearly every offensive category.
• Junior Alex Sorgi is hitting .347 on the season, and has 51 hits, good for second on the team (behind Searle's 59). Sorgi leads the Falcons in stolen bases (20), and is only the third player in BGSU history to steal as many as 20 bases in a season. She is second on the Falcons in runs (29) and walks (17), in addition to hits.
• Freshman Sammy Dees and junior Kali Holcomb are hitting .319 and .307, respectively. Dees has 12 extra-base hits this year, while Holcomb leads the Falcons with eight homers and a school-record 44 RBI. Holcomb also paces BG with 17 walks, and she has 14 multiple-RBI games, nearly double the total of any of her teammates.
• Senior Laine Simmons and junior Kaylee Parker are each hitting .287, while freshman Sarah Gonzalez is batting .274 and junior Kellie Natham .262. Simmons has five homers among her eight extra-base hits, while Parker is second on the team with 24 RBI.
• Through 45 games, BGSU has a total of 354 hits to the opponents' 264. BG has 97 extra-base hits, compared to 79 for Falcon foes.
• Six Falcons – Dees, Gonzalez, Holcomb, Kaylee Parker, Searle and Alex Sorgi – have started all 45 games this year, while Simmons has made 34 starts and Natham 33.
• In the circle, junior Meredith Miller is 13-12 with an ERA of 3.06, and she is ranked third in the MAC in strikeouts, with a total of 138 in 142 innings of work. Miller has allowed opponents to hit just .239 against her.
• Junior Brooke Parker is 10-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 106 1/3 innings, and has topped her win total for all of last season. Classmate Kiley Sosby has pitched 25 innings and is 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA. Parker has three saves and Sosby one, and Sosby has allowed opponents to hit just .198.
• Freshman Madison French has pitched in 10 games, including six in the MAC, while classmate Olivia Riener has seen action in two games, both in league play. French made her first collegiate start on Monday vs. Detroit Mercy, and fired a one-hitter in BG's run-rule win.
ASPEN SEARLE RECORD WATCH
• Senior Aspen Searle's name is all over the BGSU record book, as she is near the top of nearly every career batting list kept by the school. Searle has moved into second place on the BGSU career lists for hits (253), doubles (47) and total bases (371), and she is third in games played (219), games started (215) and at-bats (699). Searle is ranked fourth in runs scored (125), RBI (155) and batting average (.336).
• Searle is sixth in both home runs (25) and slugging pct. (.531), and she is also on the BGSU lists for sacrifice flies (T-ninth), triples (T-13th) and walks (15).
• Additionally, Searle is ranked among the NCAA's active career leaders in five categories. Among current Division-I players, Searle is ranked 28th or better in career games played, at-bats, hits, doubles and total bases.
ALEX ADDS HER NAME TO SEVERAL LISTS, TOO
• Junior Alex Sorgi has etched her name on several BGSU lists as well. Sorgi has moved into third place in school history with 43 career stolen bases, and she is ranked seventh in hitting, with a career batting average of .320 entering the week.
• Sorgi, as mentioned, is just the third player in BG history – and the first in over two decades – to swipe as many as 20 bases on a season. BGSU Hall-of-Famer Amy Lienhardt did so on three occasions, including a school-record 53 thefts in 1988, while Jenny Ranz stole 29 bases in 1997.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
• Kent State will bring a 23-19 overall record to Meserve Field, and the Golden Flashes are 9-8 in MAC play. KSU scored 33 runs in a three-game sweep of Buffalo last weekend, with at least 10 runs in every game. Senior Holly Speers was named both the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week and the USA Softball Collegiate National P-O-W on Tuesday, and the next day was named one of 25 finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Speers leads the entire nation in batting average (.495), on-base percentage (.649), slugging pct. (1.038) and walks (1.15 per game). Kennadie Goth is batting .420 on the year. In MAC games, KSU is batting .336 as a team, with six starters hitting .349 or higher. Madi Huck paces the pitching staff with a 14-7 record, a 2.99 ERA and 89 strikeouts. Last year, the Flashes finished 33-28 overall and 15-9 in the MAC, and KSU won the MAC Tournament title. Head coach Eric Oakley welcomed back 16 letterwinners, including seven positional starters, from that club.
• Wright State is 14-28 overall, and the Raiders are 8-8 in Horizon League play heading into a three-game weekend series at UIC. WSU is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. Honnah Susor, a two-time All-Horizon League First Team selection, is hitting a team-high .325. In the circle, Ashley Sharp has started 23 games and is 10-16 with a 2.23 ERA to date. Last year, WSU finished 21-31 overall and 14-10 in league play. Laura Matthews is in her first season as the Raiders' coach.
THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Kent State, 67-44-1, in the all-time series between the teams, and the Golden Flashes have won the last 13 meetings. Last year, KSU swept a series in Northeast Ohio on the final weekend of the regular season. Two years ago, the Flashes posted three wins at Meserve Field, capturing the final game in nine innings, 2-1. The Falcons are 20-30 at home, 21-31-1 on the road and 3-6 in neutral-site meetings between Kent/Kent State over the years.
• BGSU leads the series with Wright State, 13-3, and the Falcons have won the last two meetings. BG captured a 5-3 decision in Bloomington, Ind., in the teams' most recent matchup in March of 2015.
COMING UP...
• Following the Wright State game, BGSU will return home for the final weekend of the regular season. The Falcons will host Ohio in a three-game series (May 4-5) at Meserve Field.
• Then, the top-eight teams in the regular-season standings will head to Akron for the MAC Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, May 9, at Firestone Stadium.
• Then, the Brown and Orange will step outside of MAC play for one final time, heading to Dayton to face Wright State University on Tuesday (May 1) morning. That contest is set for an 11:00 a.m. start at the WSU Softball Field. BG then closes the regular season with a three-game series vs. Ohio (May 4-5) at Meserve Field.
BGSU SOFTBALL LINKS
BGSU Weekly Release/Notes/Stats: PDF
THE OPPONENTS: KSU Softball | WSU Softball
2018 Schedule | 2018 Record Book | Join the Falcon Club Today!
FOUR THINGS TO KNOW
• Junior Kali Holcomb drove in three runs in Monday's (April 23) 8-0 win over Detroit, breaking the school single-season RBI record in the process. Holcomb now has a total of 44 RBI on the year. She matched the old record of 42, set by Gina Rango in 2004, with a sacrifice fly in the first inning vs. the Titans, and her two-run double in the fifth inning moved her into sole possession of first place on that BGSU single-season list.
• The Falcons dropped a 4-0 decision at Notre Dame Tuesday (April 24), snapping a seven-game winning streak. That win streak was the program's longest in 11 years, since the 2007 team won 10-straight games en route to a 33-12 record.
• During that seven-game winning streak, the Falcons had great success in jumping out to an early lead. BGSU scored in the first inning in six-straight games during the streak, putting a crooked number on the scoreboard in the last five wins during that time. BG had 17 first-inning runs in those six games.
• BGSU has a record of 3-17 against teams ranked 164th or better in the latest RPI rankings, but the Falcons are 22-3 vs. schools ranked lower than 165th. BG's next four games are against teams ranked 172nd or lower in the current RPI.
WELL THEN, THIS WOULD BE MORE, WOULDN'T IT?
• The Falcons are now 25-20 on the season, and BGSU has topped the win total for all of last year. The 2017 team finished with a 24-32 overall record. The current team's victory total is the highest since the 2013 club finished with a 27-24 mark.
WELL THEN, THIS WOULD ALSO BE MORE, WOULDN'T IT?
• BGSU has more than doubled last year's home run total. The Falcons have homered 36 times in the first 45 contests, after hitting a total of 16 homers in 56 games last spring.
• BG's current total is the highest since the 2012 club hit 46 dingers. The school record for homers in a season is 47, set by the 2007 club.
• The current team's total of 36 homers is the third-highest in program history, trailing only the '07 and '12 teams.
• Eight different BG players have hit a round-tripper this season to date. A total of six different BGSU players hit a homer during all of last year.
• In 2017, BGSU's leader in home runs (Chelsea Raker) hit six, and the Falcons had two players with more than two homers on the year. This season, junior Kali Holcomb already has eight homers, and she is one of six players with at least four dingers.
FASCINATING FALCON FACTS
• BGSU enters the weekend with an overall record of 25-20, and the Falcons are 7-9 in MAC play. BG saw a seven-game winning streak snapped on Tuesday at Notre Dame, but the Falcons have won six-straight conference contests heading into Friday.
• That MAC streak began when BGSU won he second game of a home doubleheader vs. Miami (April 11), then went to Buffalo and swept a twinbill two days later, scoring 18 runs vs. the Bulls. BG then captured three-straight games at Akron over the weekend.
• BGSU currently sits in third place in the East Division, and the Falcons are eighth in the overall MAC standings. BG is a game behind seventh-place Northern Illinois (8-8 MAC) and a game and a half behind KSU and Central Michigan (both 9-8). The Falcons are just a half game ahead of Miaim (7-10). The top-eight teams in the final conference standings will qualify for the MAC Tournament.
• BGSU is 4-6 in home games, 8-11 in true road contests and 13-3 in neutral-site games this season to date. The Falcons have hit .298 as a team, while allowing the opponents to bat just .241.
• The Falcons have four starters hitting at least .300, with three others batting over .275. Six of those seven players are slugging .434 or better, and five of those players have at least 10 extra-base hits this year.
• Senior Aspen Searle is batting .391 and has scored a team-high 33 runs. Searle, currently riding an eight-game hitting streak, also has a BG-best 22 extra-base hits, including team-leading totals of 13 doubles and three triples, and she is ranked on the BGSU career lists in nearly every offensive category.
• Junior Alex Sorgi is hitting .347 on the season, and has 51 hits, good for second on the team (behind Searle's 59). Sorgi leads the Falcons in stolen bases (20), and is only the third player in BGSU history to steal as many as 20 bases in a season. She is second on the Falcons in runs (29) and walks (17), in addition to hits.
• Freshman Sammy Dees and junior Kali Holcomb are hitting .319 and .307, respectively. Dees has 12 extra-base hits this year, while Holcomb leads the Falcons with eight homers and a school-record 44 RBI. Holcomb also paces BG with 17 walks, and she has 14 multiple-RBI games, nearly double the total of any of her teammates.
• Senior Laine Simmons and junior Kaylee Parker are each hitting .287, while freshman Sarah Gonzalez is batting .274 and junior Kellie Natham .262. Simmons has five homers among her eight extra-base hits, while Parker is second on the team with 24 RBI.
• Through 45 games, BGSU has a total of 354 hits to the opponents' 264. BG has 97 extra-base hits, compared to 79 for Falcon foes.
• Six Falcons – Dees, Gonzalez, Holcomb, Kaylee Parker, Searle and Alex Sorgi – have started all 45 games this year, while Simmons has made 34 starts and Natham 33.
• In the circle, junior Meredith Miller is 13-12 with an ERA of 3.06, and she is ranked third in the MAC in strikeouts, with a total of 138 in 142 innings of work. Miller has allowed opponents to hit just .239 against her.
• Junior Brooke Parker is 10-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 106 1/3 innings, and has topped her win total for all of last season. Classmate Kiley Sosby has pitched 25 innings and is 1-2 with a 4.76 ERA. Parker has three saves and Sosby one, and Sosby has allowed opponents to hit just .198.
• Freshman Madison French has pitched in 10 games, including six in the MAC, while classmate Olivia Riener has seen action in two games, both in league play. French made her first collegiate start on Monday vs. Detroit Mercy, and fired a one-hitter in BG's run-rule win.
ASPEN SEARLE RECORD WATCH
• Senior Aspen Searle's name is all over the BGSU record book, as she is near the top of nearly every career batting list kept by the school. Searle has moved into second place on the BGSU career lists for hits (253), doubles (47) and total bases (371), and she is third in games played (219), games started (215) and at-bats (699). Searle is ranked fourth in runs scored (125), RBI (155) and batting average (.336).
• Searle is sixth in both home runs (25) and slugging pct. (.531), and she is also on the BGSU lists for sacrifice flies (T-ninth), triples (T-13th) and walks (15).
• Additionally, Searle is ranked among the NCAA's active career leaders in five categories. Among current Division-I players, Searle is ranked 28th or better in career games played, at-bats, hits, doubles and total bases.
ALEX ADDS HER NAME TO SEVERAL LISTS, TOO
• Junior Alex Sorgi has etched her name on several BGSU lists as well. Sorgi has moved into third place in school history with 43 career stolen bases, and she is ranked seventh in hitting, with a career batting average of .320 entering the week.
• Sorgi, as mentioned, is just the third player in BG history – and the first in over two decades – to swipe as many as 20 bases on a season. BGSU Hall-of-Famer Amy Lienhardt did so on three occasions, including a school-record 53 thefts in 1988, while Jenny Ranz stole 29 bases in 1997.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
• Kent State will bring a 23-19 overall record to Meserve Field, and the Golden Flashes are 9-8 in MAC play. KSU scored 33 runs in a three-game sweep of Buffalo last weekend, with at least 10 runs in every game. Senior Holly Speers was named both the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week and the USA Softball Collegiate National P-O-W on Tuesday, and the next day was named one of 25 finalists for the 2018 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. Speers leads the entire nation in batting average (.495), on-base percentage (.649), slugging pct. (1.038) and walks (1.15 per game). Kennadie Goth is batting .420 on the year. In MAC games, KSU is batting .336 as a team, with six starters hitting .349 or higher. Madi Huck paces the pitching staff with a 14-7 record, a 2.99 ERA and 89 strikeouts. Last year, the Flashes finished 33-28 overall and 15-9 in the MAC, and KSU won the MAC Tournament title. Head coach Eric Oakley welcomed back 16 letterwinners, including seven positional starters, from that club.
• Wright State is 14-28 overall, and the Raiders are 8-8 in Horizon League play heading into a three-game weekend series at UIC. WSU is looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. Honnah Susor, a two-time All-Horizon League First Team selection, is hitting a team-high .325. In the circle, Ashley Sharp has started 23 games and is 10-16 with a 2.23 ERA to date. Last year, WSU finished 21-31 overall and 14-10 in league play. Laura Matthews is in her first season as the Raiders' coach.
THE SERIES
• BGSU trails Kent State, 67-44-1, in the all-time series between the teams, and the Golden Flashes have won the last 13 meetings. Last year, KSU swept a series in Northeast Ohio on the final weekend of the regular season. Two years ago, the Flashes posted three wins at Meserve Field, capturing the final game in nine innings, 2-1. The Falcons are 20-30 at home, 21-31-1 on the road and 3-6 in neutral-site meetings between Kent/Kent State over the years.
• BGSU leads the series with Wright State, 13-3, and the Falcons have won the last two meetings. BG captured a 5-3 decision in Bloomington, Ind., in the teams' most recent matchup in March of 2015.
COMING UP...
• Following the Wright State game, BGSU will return home for the final weekend of the regular season. The Falcons will host Ohio in a three-game series (May 4-5) at Meserve Field.
• Then, the top-eight teams in the regular-season standings will head to Akron for the MAC Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, May 9, at Firestone Stadium.
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