Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, February 15
Spartanburg, SC
11:00 AM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Boston University
Sammy Dees (7) & the Falcons head to South Carolina to begin the 2019 season
Falcons Head to USC Upstate as 2019 Season Gets Underway
February 13, 2019 | Softball
BGSU to open campaign at Upstate Classic
THIS WEEK IN BGSU SOFTBALL
Upstate Classic – Cyrill Stadium; Spartanburg, S.C.
* * * R E - R E V I S E DÂ Â S C H E D U L E * * *
Date      Opponent      First Pitch
Fri., Feb. 15  vs. Boston Univ.   11:00 a.m.
Fri., Feb. 15  at USC Upstate    1:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 16  vs. Boston Univ.   11:00 a.m.
Sat., Feb. 16  vs. Connecticut    3:00 p.m.
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Bowling Green State University softball team begins the 2019 season this weekend. Head coach Sarah Willis and the Falcons travel to Spartanburg, S.C., to playfive four games in the Upstate Classic from Friday through Sunday Saturday (Feb. 15-17 15-16). (NOTE: THE SCHEDULE HAS BEEN REVISED. For the most up-to-date schedule, click the "Tournament Central" link at right.)
• BGSU is slated to face Boston University along with the host school, USC Upstate, in back-to-back games on Friday, with the BU contest starting at 11:00 a.m. Then, on Saturday, the Falcons play a morning contest vs. BU and an afternoon matchup with Connecticut.
• All games will be played at Cyrill Stadium.
THE 2019 FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
• Head coach Sarah Willis enters her fourth season at the helm of the Falcons. She and her staff welcome back 14 letterwinners, including six positional starters, from a year ago. Those six players include four – sophomore infielders Sammy Dees and Sarah Gonzalez and senior outfielders Kali Holcomb and Alex Sorgi – who started all 52 of the team's games in 2018.
• The returning hitters combined for 66.2 percent of the team's at-bats, 61.8% of the hits, 72.8% of the runs scored and 64.8% of the RBI in 2018.
• Four of the five pitchers who saw action last season return, and that quartet combined to pitch 99.2% of the team's innings a year ago. The group also combined for 100% of the pitching staff's wins and strikeouts.
• Those pitchers include a trio of seniors in Meredith Miller, Brooke Parker and Kiley Sosby. Miller led the staff in numerous categories, including wins (14), earned-run average (2.94), complete games (16) and strikeouts (151). Parker had 10 victories and a team-high three saves, while Sosby allowed opponents to hit just .191 against her in 2018.
• Additionally, Willis and Company also welcome a total of eight newcomers to the 2019 roster.
LAST SEASON...
• The Falcons wrapped up the 2018 schedule with an overall record of 26-26. BGSU posted the program's highest win total in five years, since the 2013 club went 27-24, and the Brown and Orange finished with a .500 record for the first time since that '13 campaign as well.
• The Falcons went 8-14 in Mid-American Conference play, finishing fourth in the East Division.
HIT PARADE
• The 2018 Falcons threatened the school single-season records in multiple hitting categories. BGSU hit .286 on the season, the second-best average in program history and just three percentage points shy of the school record (.289 in 2002).
• Last year's team also posted the second-best totals/averages in total bases (582), slugging percentage (.424) and runs batted in (196 - tied for second).
• BGSU shattered a pair of school records, as Falcon hitters had 19 sacrifice flies and were hit by pitches 35 times on the season.
• BG sluggers hit 37 home runs, the third-highest total in program history. For only the second time in school history, six different Falcons hit at least four homers apiece. The 2007 club also had six players hit four or more dingers.
• The 2018 club also posted numbers that ranked sixth or better in the following categories: runs, hits, runs per game, doubles and on-base percentage.
FALCON PITCHERS, FIELDERS MAKE THE LIST AS WELL
• BGSU posted a team fielding percentage of .963 in 2018, the sixth-best mark in school history. Last season's club fell just four percentage points shy of matching the school record (.967 in 2012).
• And, BGSU pitchers combined to strike out 268 opposing batters in 2018, also ranking sixth in program history. The school record of 378 strikeouts was set by the 2006 pitching staff.
INDIVIDUALLY...
• In her first season as a Falcon, senior Kali Holcomb set a school record with 46 runs batted in. Holcomb broke the old record of 42, set by Gina Rango in 2004.
• Holcomb had six sacrifice flies in 2018, the second-highest total in school history. She fell just one shy of the BG record of seven, set by Haley Schrock in 2017.
• Holcomb led the MAC and tied for fifth in the nation in sac flies in 2018.
• Senior Alex Sorgi stole 20 bases in 2018 to rank second in the MAC. Sorgi became only the third different player in school history, and the first in over two decades, to steal as many as 20 bases in a season.
• Senior Meredith Miller ranked third in the MAC with a total of 151 strikeouts, the ninth-highest number in school history. Miller had 6.17 K's per seven innings in 2018, also ranking ninth in BG history.
ON THE CAREER LISTS
• Entering her senior season at BG, Alex Sorgi already ranks third in school history with 43 stolen bases as a Falcon. Her career batting average (.310) currently ranks her 12th on that list, and she is tied for 15th with 83 runs scored.
• In addition to Searle, several other Falcons are on the BGSU list for career sacrifice flies. Senior Kali Holcomb, after just one year at BG, is tied for sixth with six career sac flies, while classmate Kellie Natham has four to tie for ninth on that list. Holcomb is just three sac flies shy of Haley Schrock's school-record total of nine.
• Senior Meredith Miller is ranked third in school history in career strikeouts per seven innings, with 5.74. She trails only BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel (7.12 from 2003-06) and Emily Gouge (6.64 from 2005-08).
• Miller is also ranked on the BGSU career lists for strikeouts (269; ninth), complete games (323; T-11th), winning pct. (.519; 13th) and games started (52; T-14th).
• Senior Brooke Parker has five career saves, tying her for seventh in school history.She is 14th on the BGSU list for strikeouts per seven innings, with 3.19).
• Fellow senior Kiley Sosby is 16th in BG history with 176 career strikeouts. She has averaged 6.93 strikeouts per seven innings, an average which would rank her second on that list, but falls just shy of the minimum number of innings needed to qualify.
THE OPPONENTS
• Boston University went 2-3 at the Kickin' Chicken Classic, hosted by Coastal Carolina, over the weekend. The Terriers picked up two wins over Rider, and one of the three losses came to a top-10 opponent in Tennessee.
• Emily Morrow is hitting .471, while pitcher Ali DuBois is a Preseason All-American.
• Ashley Waters, the 2018 Patriot League Coach of the Year, guided BU to a 39-20 overall record and a 15-3 league mark in 2018. The Terriers won the league tourney.
• USC Upstate will be hosting a tournament for the second-straight weekend, having gone 3-1 in the Spartan Classic. Upstate's wins included a 3-1 victory over a MAC opponent, Miami.
• Brittany Case batted .500, while Christina Biggerstaff went 2-0 with an 0.54 ERA and an opponent batting average of .093 on the weekend.
• Coach Chris Hawkins welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including seven starters, from a team that went 35-19 overall and 10-6 in Big South Conference action.
• Virginia Tech went a perfect 5-0 at the Cougar Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston, last weekend. Those wins included victories over a Wichita State team that was receiving votes in a national poll and a MAC foe in Central Michigan.
• After the hot start, the Hokies are now receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball national poll.
• Caitlyn Nolan went 10-for-14 (.714) at the plate with two homers and nine RBI, while Keely Richard was 3-0 with an ERA of 0.00 on the weekend.
• First-year head coach Pete D'Amour has 13 letterwinners, including six starters, back from a team that went 23-30, including 7-16 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Connecticut went 3-1 at the FIU Tournament in Miami, with a pair of wins over Bryant along with a victory against Michigan State.
• Coach Jen McIntyre's club went 20-35 overall and 5-16 in the American Athletic Conference a year ago.
• Thirteen players on the 22-woman roster are either freshmen or sophomores.
THE SERIES
• BGSU and Boston University are tied, 1-1, in the all-time series between the teams.
• And, the Falcons are also 1-1 vs. Virginia Tech and UConn.
• BG has played a pair of extra-inning games vs. BU, with a win in 2000 and a loss in 2007. The Falcons lost a 2001 meeting vs. Virginia Tech, but downed the Hokies in 2010.
• The Falcons have not played UConn in a quarter of a century. BG lost to the Huskies back in 1985, but evened the series with a victory in 1994.
• BGSU and USC Upstate have never met in softball.
DOWN THE ROAD...
• Following the Upstate Classic, BGSU will return to the Carolinas for five more games next weekend. The Falcons will participate in the GWU Softball Tournament, hosted by Gardner-Webb next Friday through Sunday (Feb. 22-24).
• In that tourney, BGSU is scheduled to play two games vs. both Saint Francis (Pa.) and GWU, along with a single contest against East Tennessee State.
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Upstate Classic – Cyrill Stadium; Spartanburg, S.C.
* * * R E - R E V I S E DÂ Â S C H E D U L E * * *
Date      Opponent      First Pitch
Fri., Feb. 15  vs. Boston Univ.   11:00 a.m.
Fri., Feb. 15  at USC Upstate    1:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 16  vs. Boston Univ.   11:00 a.m.
Sat., Feb. 16  vs. Connecticut    3:00 p.m.
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Bowling Green State University softball team begins the 2019 season this weekend. Head coach Sarah Willis and the Falcons travel to Spartanburg, S.C., to play
• BGSU is slated to face Boston University along with the host school, USC Upstate, in back-to-back games on Friday, with the BU contest starting at 11:00 a.m. Then, on Saturday, the Falcons play a morning contest vs. BU and an afternoon matchup with Connecticut.
• All games will be played at Cyrill Stadium.
THE 2019 FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
• Head coach Sarah Willis enters her fourth season at the helm of the Falcons. She and her staff welcome back 14 letterwinners, including six positional starters, from a year ago. Those six players include four – sophomore infielders Sammy Dees and Sarah Gonzalez and senior outfielders Kali Holcomb and Alex Sorgi – who started all 52 of the team's games in 2018.
• The returning hitters combined for 66.2 percent of the team's at-bats, 61.8% of the hits, 72.8% of the runs scored and 64.8% of the RBI in 2018.
• Four of the five pitchers who saw action last season return, and that quartet combined to pitch 99.2% of the team's innings a year ago. The group also combined for 100% of the pitching staff's wins and strikeouts.
• Those pitchers include a trio of seniors in Meredith Miller, Brooke Parker and Kiley Sosby. Miller led the staff in numerous categories, including wins (14), earned-run average (2.94), complete games (16) and strikeouts (151). Parker had 10 victories and a team-high three saves, while Sosby allowed opponents to hit just .191 against her in 2018.
• Additionally, Willis and Company also welcome a total of eight newcomers to the 2019 roster.
LAST SEASON...
• The Falcons wrapped up the 2018 schedule with an overall record of 26-26. BGSU posted the program's highest win total in five years, since the 2013 club went 27-24, and the Brown and Orange finished with a .500 record for the first time since that '13 campaign as well.
• The Falcons went 8-14 in Mid-American Conference play, finishing fourth in the East Division.
HIT PARADE
• The 2018 Falcons threatened the school single-season records in multiple hitting categories. BGSU hit .286 on the season, the second-best average in program history and just three percentage points shy of the school record (.289 in 2002).
• Last year's team also posted the second-best totals/averages in total bases (582), slugging percentage (.424) and runs batted in (196 - tied for second).
• BGSU shattered a pair of school records, as Falcon hitters had 19 sacrifice flies and were hit by pitches 35 times on the season.
• BG sluggers hit 37 home runs, the third-highest total in program history. For only the second time in school history, six different Falcons hit at least four homers apiece. The 2007 club also had six players hit four or more dingers.
• The 2018 club also posted numbers that ranked sixth or better in the following categories: runs, hits, runs per game, doubles and on-base percentage.
FALCON PITCHERS, FIELDERS MAKE THE LIST AS WELL
• BGSU posted a team fielding percentage of .963 in 2018, the sixth-best mark in school history. Last season's club fell just four percentage points shy of matching the school record (.967 in 2012).
• And, BGSU pitchers combined to strike out 268 opposing batters in 2018, also ranking sixth in program history. The school record of 378 strikeouts was set by the 2006 pitching staff.
INDIVIDUALLY...
• In her first season as a Falcon, senior Kali Holcomb set a school record with 46 runs batted in. Holcomb broke the old record of 42, set by Gina Rango in 2004.
• Holcomb had six sacrifice flies in 2018, the second-highest total in school history. She fell just one shy of the BG record of seven, set by Haley Schrock in 2017.
• Holcomb led the MAC and tied for fifth in the nation in sac flies in 2018.
• Senior Alex Sorgi stole 20 bases in 2018 to rank second in the MAC. Sorgi became only the third different player in school history, and the first in over two decades, to steal as many as 20 bases in a season.
• Senior Meredith Miller ranked third in the MAC with a total of 151 strikeouts, the ninth-highest number in school history. Miller had 6.17 K's per seven innings in 2018, also ranking ninth in BG history.
ON THE CAREER LISTS
• Entering her senior season at BG, Alex Sorgi already ranks third in school history with 43 stolen bases as a Falcon. Her career batting average (.310) currently ranks her 12th on that list, and she is tied for 15th with 83 runs scored.
• In addition to Searle, several other Falcons are on the BGSU list for career sacrifice flies. Senior Kali Holcomb, after just one year at BG, is tied for sixth with six career sac flies, while classmate Kellie Natham has four to tie for ninth on that list. Holcomb is just three sac flies shy of Haley Schrock's school-record total of nine.
• Senior Meredith Miller is ranked third in school history in career strikeouts per seven innings, with 5.74. She trails only BGSU Hall-of-Famer Liz Vrabel (7.12 from 2003-06) and Emily Gouge (6.64 from 2005-08).
• Miller is also ranked on the BGSU career lists for strikeouts (269; ninth), complete games (323; T-11th), winning pct. (.519; 13th) and games started (52; T-14th).
• Senior Brooke Parker has five career saves, tying her for seventh in school history.She is 14th on the BGSU list for strikeouts per seven innings, with 3.19).
• Fellow senior Kiley Sosby is 16th in BG history with 176 career strikeouts. She has averaged 6.93 strikeouts per seven innings, an average which would rank her second on that list, but falls just shy of the minimum number of innings needed to qualify.
THE OPPONENTS
• Boston University went 2-3 at the Kickin' Chicken Classic, hosted by Coastal Carolina, over the weekend. The Terriers picked up two wins over Rider, and one of the three losses came to a top-10 opponent in Tennessee.
• Emily Morrow is hitting .471, while pitcher Ali DuBois is a Preseason All-American.
• Ashley Waters, the 2018 Patriot League Coach of the Year, guided BU to a 39-20 overall record and a 15-3 league mark in 2018. The Terriers won the league tourney.
• USC Upstate will be hosting a tournament for the second-straight weekend, having gone 3-1 in the Spartan Classic. Upstate's wins included a 3-1 victory over a MAC opponent, Miami.
• Brittany Case batted .500, while Christina Biggerstaff went 2-0 with an 0.54 ERA and an opponent batting average of .093 on the weekend.
• Coach Chris Hawkins welcomed back 10 letterwinners, including seven starters, from a team that went 35-19 overall and 10-6 in Big South Conference action.
• Virginia Tech went a perfect 5-0 at the Cougar Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston, last weekend. Those wins included victories over a Wichita State team that was receiving votes in a national poll and a MAC foe in Central Michigan.
• After the hot start, the Hokies are now receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball national poll.
• Caitlyn Nolan went 10-for-14 (.714) at the plate with two homers and nine RBI, while Keely Richard was 3-0 with an ERA of 0.00 on the weekend.
• First-year head coach Pete D'Amour has 13 letterwinners, including six starters, back from a team that went 23-30, including 7-16 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Connecticut went 3-1 at the FIU Tournament in Miami, with a pair of wins over Bryant along with a victory against Michigan State.
• Coach Jen McIntyre's club went 20-35 overall and 5-16 in the American Athletic Conference a year ago.
• Thirteen players on the 22-woman roster are either freshmen or sophomores.
THE SERIES
• BGSU and Boston University are tied, 1-1, in the all-time series between the teams.
• And, the Falcons are also 1-1 vs. Virginia Tech and UConn.
• BG has played a pair of extra-inning games vs. BU, with a win in 2000 and a loss in 2007. The Falcons lost a 2001 meeting vs. Virginia Tech, but downed the Hokies in 2010.
• The Falcons have not played UConn in a quarter of a century. BG lost to the Huskies back in 1985, but evened the series with a victory in 1994.
• BGSU and USC Upstate have never met in softball.
DOWN THE ROAD...
• Following the Upstate Classic, BGSU will return to the Carolinas for five more games next weekend. The Falcons will participate in the GWU Softball Tournament, hosted by Gardner-Webb next Friday through Sunday (Feb. 22-24).
• In that tourney, BGSU is scheduled to play two games vs. both Saint Francis (Pa.) and GWU, along with a single contest against East Tennessee State.
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Players Mentioned
SS/2B
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3B
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OF
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P/Util.
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