Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, February 22
Boiling Springs, NC
10:00 AM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Saint Francis (Pa.)
Kendyl Wheeler & the Falcons play 5 games in the GWU Softball Tournament this weekend
BG Heads Back to the Carolinas This Weekend
February 20, 2019 | Softball
Falcons travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., for the GWU Tournament
THIS WEEK IN BGSU SOFTBALL
GWU Softball Tournament – Boiling Springs, N.C.
Date      Opponent         First Pitch
Fri., Feb. 22Â Â Â vs. Saint Francis (Pa.)Â Â 10:00 a.m.
Fri., Feb. 22   at Gardner-Webb      2:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 23   at Gardner-Webb      12:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 23   vs. East Tennessee State  4:00 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 24Â Â Â vs. Saint Francis (Pa.)Â Â 10:00 a.m.
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Bowling Green State University softball team heads to the Carolinas for the second consecutive weekend. Head coach Sarah Willis and the Falcons travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., for five games in the GWU Softball Tournament, hosted by Gardner-Webb.
• BGSU is slated to face both Saint Francis (Pa.) and the host school twice each, and the Falcons have one game against East Tennessee State as well. BG faces SFU on Friday morning (Feb. 22), before meeting host GWU that afternoon.
• Then, on Saturday (Feb. 23), the Brown and Orange will meet the host Runnin' Bulldogs at noon, before matching up with ETSU later that day. The Falcons' tourney action concludes with a Sunday morning (Feb. 24) game vs. the Red Flash. All games will be played at Brinkley Stadium.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS THIS WEEKEND
>> Live stats are scheduled to be available for all five of BGSU's games this weekend.
>> Additionally, Friday's game vs. GWU will be streamed on ESPN+ (fee required).
THE 2019 FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons are 0-3 on the young season, after participating in the weather-altered Upstate Classic in Spartanburg, S.C., last weekend. BG faced Boston University twice and host USC Upstate once in that tourney.
• Head coach Sarah Willis is in her fourth season at the helm of the Falcons. She and her staff welcomed 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 returned, 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 welcomed a total of eight newcomers to the 2019 roster.
• The Falcons hit just .157 as a team last weekend, scoring five runs in the three games. Miller started all three games in the circle for the Brown and Orange, while four different hurlers saw action. In all, 21 different Falcons played in at least one of the three games.
WELCOME!
• There are eight newcomers on the BGSU roster, and all eight saw action in the Upstate Classic. Two of those newbies – junior Madi McCoy and freshman Emily Kepple – were in the starting lineup for the season opener vs. Boston University. Kepple was behind the plate, while McCoy was at second base. McCoy started all three weekend games at second.
• Kepple had an RBI single in her first BGSU at-bat, while McCoy homered in that game and scored two runs on the weekend.
• Junior Evelyn Loyola entered that BU game and saw time behind the dish, while freshman Hannah Davies made her collegiate debut in relief in the circle.
• Later that afternoon, Loyola drew her first start as a Falcon against USC Upstate, while freshman Sidney Cook also was in the lineup at first base.
• On Saturday, McCoy and Loyola each started, while Cook, fellow freshmen Madeline Dyer and Marissa Mullen and senior Kathleen Shier all saw action as well. Mullen and Shier each appeared as a pinch-hitter, while Dyer made a pinch-running appearance.
THE OPPONENTS
• Saint Francis is 5-4 on the season after going 2-2 at East Carolina's Pirate Clash last weekend.
• Hayley Norton leads the Red Flash with a .536 batting average, and she has three homers and 10 RBI. MeKenzie Saban is hitting .419 and has scored 13 runs.
• Four different pitchers all have started either two of three games this year to date for first-year coach Jessica O'Donnell.
• Last year, the Red Flash went 39-19 overall and a perfect 16-0 in the Northeast Conference. SFU has won both the league regular-season and tournament crowns in each of the last two years.
• Gardner-Webb is 6-2 overall, having hosted two tourneys so far this year. The Runnin' Bulldogs have scored 72 runs, with 10 or more runs in a game five times.
• GWU has a team batting average of .360. Andria Booth, who was named to the USA Softball Top-50 Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, is hitting a team-high .471. A total of nine players with at least 13 at-bats all are hitting over .300.
• Brooke Perry is the reigning Big South Conference Pitcher of the Week. The Purdue transfer is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.80 on the year.
• Coach Tom Cole's team was picked to finish sixth in the Big South after going 29-29 overall and 8-13 in the league a year ago.
• East Tennessee State is 6-1-2 on the year. The Buccaneers' lone loss came to undefeated Virginia Tech.
• Taylor Wright is hitting .429, and is one of seven starters hitting at least .300. The Bucs have a team batting average of .308.
• Kelly Schmidt was named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week this week, and is 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA this year to date.
• Coach Brad Irwin welcomed back 16 returnees, including eight starting positional players and three pitchers, from last year's team that went 19-27 overall and 4-11 in the SoCon.
THE SERIES
• BGSU leads Saint Francis, 3-1, in the all-time series between the teams. BG picked up a win in 2007, saw the Red Flash counter with a victory in 2008, then topped SFU twice in the 2012 season.
• The Falcons are 1-0 vs. Gardner-Webb, with the only prior meeting an 8-0 BG victory in 2012.
• BGSU leads ETSU, 3-2, in that series, with all five meetings coming between 2006 and '14. The last meeting saw the Falcons capture a 5-4 victory in 2014.
DOWN THE ROAD...
• Following the GWU tourney, BGSU will head to the Gaucho Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif., next Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 28-March 2).
• The Falcons are slated to play a pair of games vs. host UCSB before meeting LIU Brooklyn, California and Pacific once each.
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GWU Softball Tournament – Boiling Springs, N.C.
Date      Opponent         First Pitch
Fri., Feb. 22Â Â Â vs. Saint Francis (Pa.)Â Â 10:00 a.m.
Fri., Feb. 22   at Gardner-Webb      2:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 23   at Gardner-Webb      12:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 23   vs. East Tennessee State  4:00 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 24Â Â Â vs. Saint Francis (Pa.)Â Â 10:00 a.m.
SETTING THE SCENE
• The Bowling Green State University softball team heads to the Carolinas for the second consecutive weekend. Head coach Sarah Willis and the Falcons travel to Boiling Springs, N.C., for five games in the GWU Softball Tournament, hosted by Gardner-Webb.
• BGSU is slated to face both Saint Francis (Pa.) and the host school twice each, and the Falcons have one game against East Tennessee State as well. BG faces SFU on Friday morning (Feb. 22), before meeting host GWU that afternoon.
• Then, on Saturday (Feb. 23), the Brown and Orange will meet the host Runnin' Bulldogs at noon, before matching up with ETSU later that day. The Falcons' tourney action concludes with a Sunday morning (Feb. 24) game vs. the Red Flash. All games will be played at Brinkley Stadium.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS THIS WEEKEND
>> Live stats are scheduled to be available for all five of BGSU's games this weekend.
>> Additionally, Friday's game vs. GWU will be streamed on ESPN+ (fee required).
THE 2019 FALCONS: A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons are 0-3 on the young season, after participating in the weather-altered Upstate Classic in Spartanburg, S.C., last weekend. BG faced Boston University twice and host USC Upstate once in that tourney.
• Head coach Sarah Willis is in her fourth season at the helm of the Falcons. She and her staff welcomed 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 returned, 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 welcomed a total of eight newcomers to the 2019 roster.
• The Falcons hit just .157 as a team last weekend, scoring five runs in the three games. Miller started all three games in the circle for the Brown and Orange, while four different hurlers saw action. In all, 21 different Falcons played in at least one of the three games.
WELCOME!
• There are eight newcomers on the BGSU roster, and all eight saw action in the Upstate Classic. Two of those newbies – junior Madi McCoy and freshman Emily Kepple – were in the starting lineup for the season opener vs. Boston University. Kepple was behind the plate, while McCoy was at second base. McCoy started all three weekend games at second.
• Kepple had an RBI single in her first BGSU at-bat, while McCoy homered in that game and scored two runs on the weekend.
• Junior Evelyn Loyola entered that BU game and saw time behind the dish, while freshman Hannah Davies made her collegiate debut in relief in the circle.
• Later that afternoon, Loyola drew her first start as a Falcon against USC Upstate, while freshman Sidney Cook also was in the lineup at first base.
• On Saturday, McCoy and Loyola each started, while Cook, fellow freshmen Madeline Dyer and Marissa Mullen and senior Kathleen Shier all saw action as well. Mullen and Shier each appeared as a pinch-hitter, while Dyer made a pinch-running appearance.
THE OPPONENTS
• Saint Francis is 5-4 on the season after going 2-2 at East Carolina's Pirate Clash last weekend.
• Hayley Norton leads the Red Flash with a .536 batting average, and she has three homers and 10 RBI. MeKenzie Saban is hitting .419 and has scored 13 runs.
• Four different pitchers all have started either two of three games this year to date for first-year coach Jessica O'Donnell.
• Last year, the Red Flash went 39-19 overall and a perfect 16-0 in the Northeast Conference. SFU has won both the league regular-season and tournament crowns in each of the last two years.
• Gardner-Webb is 6-2 overall, having hosted two tourneys so far this year. The Runnin' Bulldogs have scored 72 runs, with 10 or more runs in a game five times.
• GWU has a team batting average of .360. Andria Booth, who was named to the USA Softball Top-50 Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, is hitting a team-high .471. A total of nine players with at least 13 at-bats all are hitting over .300.
• Brooke Perry is the reigning Big South Conference Pitcher of the Week. The Purdue transfer is 4-1 with an ERA of 2.80 on the year.
• Coach Tom Cole's team was picked to finish sixth in the Big South after going 29-29 overall and 8-13 in the league a year ago.
• East Tennessee State is 6-1-2 on the year. The Buccaneers' lone loss came to undefeated Virginia Tech.
• Taylor Wright is hitting .429, and is one of seven starters hitting at least .300. The Bucs have a team batting average of .308.
• Kelly Schmidt was named Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week this week, and is 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA this year to date.
• Coach Brad Irwin welcomed back 16 returnees, including eight starting positional players and three pitchers, from last year's team that went 19-27 overall and 4-11 in the SoCon.
THE SERIES
• BGSU leads Saint Francis, 3-1, in the all-time series between the teams. BG picked up a win in 2007, saw the Red Flash counter with a victory in 2008, then topped SFU twice in the 2012 season.
• The Falcons are 1-0 vs. Gardner-Webb, with the only prior meeting an 8-0 BG victory in 2012.
• BGSU leads ETSU, 3-2, in that series, with all five meetings coming between 2006 and '14. The last meeting saw the Falcons capture a 5-4 victory in 2014.
DOWN THE ROAD...
• Following the GWU tourney, BGSU will head to the Gaucho Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif., next Thursday through Saturday (Feb. 28-March 2).
• The Falcons are slated to play a pair of games vs. host UCSB before meeting LIU Brooklyn, California and Pacific once each.
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# B G S U Â F A L C O N Â S O F T B A L L #
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
SS/2B
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
SS
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
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