Falcons Look To Conclude Tennessee Tour Against No. 8-Ranked Vols This Weekend

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Bowling Green State University baseball team will conclude their three-week tour of Tennessee this weekend with the final stop in Knoxville. The Falcons will face No. 8 Tennessee for a three-game series this weekend, the final non-conference series before taking on Miami (OH) next weekend. All three games in the series will be aired on SEC Network+.

Current Weekend Schedule
Friday, March 1 | 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 2 | 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 3 | 1 p.m.

Projected BGSU Rotation
Friday: RHP DJ Newman
Saturday: LHP Nic Good
Sunday: TBA

Scouting Tennessee
Currently ranked No. 8 in the nation, Tennessee enters the weekend with an 8-1 record and winners of seven straight. Their lone loss of the season came in extra innings to Oklahoma and they've recorded wins against No. 18 Texas Tech, Baylor, UNC Asheville, East Tennessee, UAlbany and High Point. Their last six games have come at home, going 6-0 during the homestand.

Series History

The Falcons and Volunteers have met seven times previously in program history with Tennessee holding the advantage at 6-1 with all seven being played in Knoxville.
The last meetings between the teams came at the start of the 2003 campaign with UT going 2-0.
BGSU's win in the series came on Feb. 17, 2002 by a score of 15-11 in Knoxville.

What To Watch For

Bowling Green's last win over a ranked opponent came last season against No. 5 Louisville, topping the Cardinals 9-6 in the second game of the weekend series.
A win would give Bowling Green three wins through the first nine games of the season for the first time since the 2016 campaign, going 4-5 through the first nine games.
The BGSU offense has scored 48 runs through the first six games of the season, the most since totaling 52 through the first six games of the 2005 campaign.
The Falcons have hit at least one home run in five of the six games so far this season, including a season-high five in the opener. As for BGSU pitching, they've allowed just three home runs.
BGSU has drawn 40 walks this year, fourth in the Mid-American Conference.

Falcons Facts To Follow

DJ Newman has recorded a hit in each of BGSU's games so far this season. Additionally, Nathan Archer and Sam Seidel have reached base in each game for Bowling Green.
Leighton Banjoff is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak for the Falcons while Nathan Archer is at four games.

Newman Earns MAC Pitcher Of The Week
DJ Newman's outing against Memphis last weekend earned him MAC Pitcher of the Week honors. Newman tossed seven scoreless innings for the Orange and Brown, striking out a career-high 11 while allowing just two hits and one walk. The 11 strikeouts are also tied for the most by a MAC pitcher this year. On the year, Newman has recorded 16 strikeouts, the third-most in the Mid-American Conference. His seven strikeouts looking are also tied for the MAC lead.

BGSU Bats Fueling Hot Offensive Start
Through six games, the Falcons have blasted a MAC-leading 10 home runs this season. The 10 home runs for BGSU have come from seven different players with only Nathan Archer, Leighton Banjoff and DJ Newman having multiple, each with two. Through six games, Bowling Green has totaled 48 runs, the most through six games for the program since recording 52 through the first six games of the 2005 campaign, posting a 5-1 record over the stretch and starting the season 8-1.

DJ At The Dish
DJ Newman has been a force at the plate as much as he has been on the mound. So far this year, Newman has recorded a team-high .423 batting average, 10th in the MAC among qualified players and has logged at least one hit in each game. His nine runs scored are also tied for fifth in the conference and his 11 hits are tied for seventh. The success has translated to the base paths as well. Newman has swiped a team-high four stolen bases, which is currently second in the MAC.

Archer's Power Bat
Nathan Archer has reached base in each game for the Falcons so far this season. In the Saturday game against Memphis, Archer belted his first grand slam as a Falcon and the first for BGSU this season. He finished the game with seven RBI, the most by a Falcon since 2012 and one shy of tying the program record for RBI in a game. With 10 RBI on the season, Archer not only leads Bowling Green, but is tied for fifth within the Mid-American Conference.

Pitching Finding Footing
The Falcons have thrown 14 different pitchers so far this season with 11 logging multiple appearances, but none with more than two. DJ Newman, Nic Good and Calvin Mitchell have made the starts so far this season with the other 11 coming out of the bullpen. As a team, BGSU has posted a 7.41 ERA, which is currently fifth in the MAC. Bowling Green pitching has also allowed just three home runs, the fewest in the conference, and only 26 walks, the second-fewest in the MAC.

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

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