Sixth-Place Falcons Set To Battle Fifth-Place Broncos This Weekend In Kalamazoo

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team enters the weekend in sixth place in the MAC standings and will take on the fifth place Western Michigan Broncos. The Falcons and Broncos are scheduled for a three-game weekend series in Kalamazoo, Mich. BGSU is currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak while WMU has lost four of their last five. A series win for Bowling Green would move the Orange and Brown past the Broncos in the MAC standings. Friday (April 21) is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch while both Saturday and Sunday (April 22-23) are scheduled for a 1 p.m. starts. All three games will be available to stream through Western Michigan's athletics website.

Current Weekend Schedule
Friday, April 21 | 3 p.m.
Saturday, April 22 | 1 p.m.
Sunday, April 23 | 1 p.m.

Scouting Western Michigan
Western Michigan is coming off a midweek loss to Notre Dame, falling to the Fighting Irish 2-1, and have now lost four of their last five. On the year, the Broncos are 10-24 with a 7-7 conference record, entering the weekend fifth place in the MAC. At the plate, Cade Sullivan paces WMU with a .275 average in addition to eight doubles, nine home runs and 32 RBI for a .543 slugging percentage.

Against The Broncos All Time
The all-time series between Bowling Green and Western Michigan dates back to the 1947 season. The Broncos hold the advantage in the series with a record of 93-69, but the Falcons have won five of the last six meetings, including taking three of four last season at Steller Field. This will mark Bowling Green's first trip to Kalamazoo since the 2021 season, splitting a four-game series with Western Michigan.

What To Watch For

Western Michigan enters the weekend fifth in the Mid-American Conference while the Falcons are currently sixth. A series win for BGSU would push the Orange and Brown ahead of WMU in the MAC standings.
A series sweep for Bowling Green would give the Falcons a MAC record above .500 at 11-10.
The last time BGSU won a series in Kalamazoo against Western Michigan came during the 2000 season with Bowling Green taking a two-game series against WMU on the road. The Falcons also won a neutral site series played in Toledo in 2014 and won last season's series at home.

Falcon Facts To Follow

BGSU enters the weekend 27th in the nation for stolen bases per game, averaging 1.91. Bowling Green is also within the Top 50 for stolen bases this season with 63, tied for 41st in the country.
As a team, the Falcons are currently tied for 49th in the nation and third in Mid-American Conference for sacrifice bunts this season with 20.
Kyle Gurney has put together an 18-game on-base streak for the Falcons. During the streak, Gurney is batting .415 (27-for-65) with 17 runs scored, 16 walks drawn, 15 RBI, four doubles and four home runs. With 22 walks this season, Gurney needs just five more to set a new career-high for his time as a Falcon.
Gage Schenk will enter the weekend ranked sixth in the MAC for ERA with a mark of 3.71, fourth in the conference for opposing batting average at .212 and sixth for strikeouts looking wth 16.
As a Falcon, Schenk has recorded 171 strikeouts. He needs just six more to move into the record book and tie Burke Badenhop for 10th in program history.
Nathan Archer heads into the weekend tied for second in the nation and first in the MAC for sacrifice flies on the season with seven. Saint Peter's Johnathan Behm tops the list with nine. Archer is also in the midst of a six game on-base streak.
Sam Seidel is in the process of a 12-game on-base streak. Over the course of the season, Seidel has reached base in 27 of his 30 games played and in 24 of his 25 games started. He's currently batting .304 with a .457 slugging percentage and .458 on-base percentage, including a team-high 15 stolen bases.
Over the last three games, Nathan Rose has tallied four doubles, bringing his season total to 12, placing him first on the team and seventh in the conference. Rose also has a team-high 33 RBI, which is tied for ninth in the MAC. During the three games, Rose has recorded a hit in each game and is batting .462 (6-for-13) with eight RBI, five runs scored and four doubles.
Tyler Ross has put together a six-game hitting streak in the Orange and Brown. During the six games, Ross is batting .350 (7-for-20) with three runs scored, three RBI and two doubles.
Justin Fugitt has a four-game hitting streak going into the weekend. Over the last four games, Fugitt is batting .417 (5-for-12) with seven RBI, five runs scored, a double, a triple and a home run.
Within the MAC, the Falcons' pitching staff currently has the third-lowest ERA with a mark of 5.40. Only Kent State and Central Michigan have a lower team ERA. The Falcons have also allowed the fewest walks in the conference this season.

Last Time Out
The Falcons picked up a 16-4 win over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies on Tuesday (April 18). The Falcons set a program record with 15 walks in the game while scoring seven runs in the fifth inning and six in the ninth. For BGSU, 14 different Falcons stepped to the plate in the game with all 14 reaching base at least once and 12 different Falcons scoring at least once. Bowling Green has now scored 40 runs over their last three games and will take a three-game winning streak into the weekend series.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' baseball team on social media
Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGSU_Baseball
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsu_baseball'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcons Athletics'

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