Bowling Green State University Athletics
Saturday, February 24
Conway, S.C.
12:30 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
vs
Furman
Lexi Carver & the Falcons open the season at this weekend's Battle of the Beach
Photo by: Daniel Carlson
Falcons Open 2024 Season with Battle at the Beach
February 21, 2024 | Softball
BGSU heads to Conway, S.C., for five games this weekend
• The BGSU softball team begins the 2024 season this weekend, heading to Conway, S.C., to play five games in the Battle at the Beach. Head coach Candace Fenton-Bockbrader and the Falcons open the season with a pair of games on Friday (Feb. 23), meeting Furman (12:30 p.m.) along with the host school, Coastal Carolina (6:00 p.m.)
• Then, on Saturday (Feb. 24), the Orange and Brown will face both Furman (10:00 a.m.) and CCU (3:30 p.m.) again. And, on Sunday (Feb. 25), the Falcons' weekend action concludes with a morning matchup (9:30 a.m.) against Louisville.
• All games in the tournament will take place at St. John's Stadium, and each of the games involving the host school will be streamed via ESPN+.
• Fenton-Bockbrader and assistant coaches Erinn Gankosky and Jacob Jeffries are joined by 14 returning letterwinners from last year's club. That list includes seniors Peyton Dolejs and Reagan Williamson, each of whom have started over 100 career games.
• Williamson and Dolejs hit .246 and .245, respectively, in 2023, to rank 1-2 among the returnees. Dolejs has a career batting average of .280, and leads active Falcons with career totals of 386 at-bats, 69 runs scored, 108 hits, 30 extra-base hits and 51 runs batted in.
• Williamson paces BGSU's returning players in career walks (51) and homers (9), and has 302 career-at-bats, 80 hits and 49 RBI as a Falcon.
• Dolejs is the lone returning Falcon who played in all 50 games last season, making 49 starts. A total of five other returning players started at least 34 games in 2023, including Williamson, Wynnie Reid, Makailah Dees, Delaney Davis and Hannah Hunt.
• Four of last year's six pitchers return in 2024. Scarlet Anderson and Mackenzie Krafcik each made 19 appearances in the circle last spring, with Anderson recording a team-leading five wins. Krafcik (52 2/3), Anderson (50 1/3) and Madi Young (29 2/3) all pitched more than 29 innings in 2023.
• Furman has a 7-2 record this season, heading into a Wednesday game at South Carolina. Currently, Ashlee Lykins is hitting a team-high .375, while Sierra Tufts is 4-0 with a 1.83 earned-run average in the circle for head coach Stacey Johnson-Whitfield. Last year, the Paladins went 20-32 overall and 8-9 in Southern Conference play.
• Coastal Carolina is 4-4 heading into a Wednesday game vs. the College of Charleston. Delaney Keith is batting .417 and Indya Smith .400 for head coach Kelley Green's club. Raelee Bradham (3-2) and Nicolette Picone (1-2) each have made six appearances in the circle to date. Last spring, the Chanticleers finished 36-20 overall and 11-13 in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Louisville is 10-1 on the year, and the Cardinals are receiving votes in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Paige Geraghty, one of five starters batting at least .300 this spring, is hitting a team-best .353. Six different pitchers have made at least one start, with Alyssa Zabala having gone 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA. Last season, coach Holly Aprile's squad had an overall record of 36-20 and an Atlantic Coast Conference record of 16-7.
• The Falcons are 0-1 all-time vs. Furman. The lone prior meeting saw the Paladins capture a 10-3 decision at the Winthrop Kickoff Tournament three years ago (Feb. 20, 2021).
• BGSU is 1-0 vs. Coastal Carolina, with the only previous matchup coming in 2001. The Falcons posted a 6-2 win over the hosts at the Coastal Carolina Classic (March 12, 2001). BG went 3-2 in Conway that weekend, with wins over Illinois and ECU as well as CCU.
• The Falcons are 1-3 vs. Louisville all-time. U of L picked up a 1-0 win in the teams' last meeting, on March 4, 2017. That game, as well as a pair of 2003 contests (a 3-0 BGSU win and a 5-2 Louisville victory), took place in Louisville. The teams also met in 2002 in Cookeville, Tenn., with the Cardinals coming away with a 6-5 win.
• Looking down the road, the Falcons have added five road games to the 2024 schedule. BGSU will play a three-game series at Morehead State, with a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 6, and a single game the following day.
• The following week, the Orange and Brown will take on Notre Dame in a twinbill in South Bend on Tuesday, March 12.
• Following this weekend's action in Conway, the Falcons will head to Bloomington, Ind., for next weekend's Hoosier Classic (March 1-3). BGSU will play two games apiece against Indiana and Valparaiso.
• Then, on Saturday (Feb. 24), the Orange and Brown will face both Furman (10:00 a.m.) and CCU (3:30 p.m.) again. And, on Sunday (Feb. 25), the Falcons' weekend action concludes with a morning matchup (9:30 a.m.) against Louisville.
• All games in the tournament will take place at St. John's Stadium, and each of the games involving the host school will be streamed via ESPN+.
• Fenton-Bockbrader and assistant coaches Erinn Gankosky and Jacob Jeffries are joined by 14 returning letterwinners from last year's club. That list includes seniors Peyton Dolejs and Reagan Williamson, each of whom have started over 100 career games.
• Williamson and Dolejs hit .246 and .245, respectively, in 2023, to rank 1-2 among the returnees. Dolejs has a career batting average of .280, and leads active Falcons with career totals of 386 at-bats, 69 runs scored, 108 hits, 30 extra-base hits and 51 runs batted in.
• Williamson paces BGSU's returning players in career walks (51) and homers (9), and has 302 career-at-bats, 80 hits and 49 RBI as a Falcon.
• Dolejs is the lone returning Falcon who played in all 50 games last season, making 49 starts. A total of five other returning players started at least 34 games in 2023, including Williamson, Wynnie Reid, Makailah Dees, Delaney Davis and Hannah Hunt.
• Four of last year's six pitchers return in 2024. Scarlet Anderson and Mackenzie Krafcik each made 19 appearances in the circle last spring, with Anderson recording a team-leading five wins. Krafcik (52 2/3), Anderson (50 1/3) and Madi Young (29 2/3) all pitched more than 29 innings in 2023.
• Furman has a 7-2 record this season, heading into a Wednesday game at South Carolina. Currently, Ashlee Lykins is hitting a team-high .375, while Sierra Tufts is 4-0 with a 1.83 earned-run average in the circle for head coach Stacey Johnson-Whitfield. Last year, the Paladins went 20-32 overall and 8-9 in Southern Conference play.
• Coastal Carolina is 4-4 heading into a Wednesday game vs. the College of Charleston. Delaney Keith is batting .417 and Indya Smith .400 for head coach Kelley Green's club. Raelee Bradham (3-2) and Nicolette Picone (1-2) each have made six appearances in the circle to date. Last spring, the Chanticleers finished 36-20 overall and 11-13 in the Sun Belt Conference.
• Louisville is 10-1 on the year, and the Cardinals are receiving votes in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Paige Geraghty, one of five starters batting at least .300 this spring, is hitting a team-best .353. Six different pitchers have made at least one start, with Alyssa Zabala having gone 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA. Last season, coach Holly Aprile's squad had an overall record of 36-20 and an Atlantic Coast Conference record of 16-7.
• The Falcons are 0-1 all-time vs. Furman. The lone prior meeting saw the Paladins capture a 10-3 decision at the Winthrop Kickoff Tournament three years ago (Feb. 20, 2021).
• BGSU is 1-0 vs. Coastal Carolina, with the only previous matchup coming in 2001. The Falcons posted a 6-2 win over the hosts at the Coastal Carolina Classic (March 12, 2001). BG went 3-2 in Conway that weekend, with wins over Illinois and ECU as well as CCU.
• The Falcons are 1-3 vs. Louisville all-time. U of L picked up a 1-0 win in the teams' last meeting, on March 4, 2017. That game, as well as a pair of 2003 contests (a 3-0 BGSU win and a 5-2 Louisville victory), took place in Louisville. The teams also met in 2002 in Cookeville, Tenn., with the Cardinals coming away with a 6-5 win.
• Looking down the road, the Falcons have added five road games to the 2024 schedule. BGSU will play a three-game series at Morehead State, with a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 6, and a single game the following day.
• The following week, the Orange and Brown will take on Notre Dame in a twinbill in South Bend on Tuesday, March 12.
• Following this weekend's action in Conway, the Falcons will head to Bloomington, Ind., for next weekend's Hoosier Classic (March 1-3). BGSU will play two games apiece against Indiana and Valparaiso.
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