Wednesday, April 24
Youngstown, Ohio
3 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
at
Youngstown State
Peyton Dolejs & the Falcons face YSU & NIU this week
Photo by: Daniel Carlson, BGSU Athletics
Falcons Face Penguins as Penultimate Week of Regular Season Begins
April 23, 2024 | Softball
Following Wednesday Trip to YSU, BGSU Hosts Northern Illinois in Three-Game Weekend Series
UP NEXT IN FALCON SOFTBALL
• BGSU at Youngstown State • Wed., April 24 (DH) • 3 pm • Youngstown, Ohio • ESPN+ •
• BGSU vs. Northern Illinois • Fri., April 26 • 3 pm • Meserve Field • BCSN/ESPN+ •
• BGSU vs. Northern Illinois • Sat., April 27 (DH) • 1 pm • Meserve Field • BCSN/ESPN+ (game one only) •
• The BGSU softball team is slated to play five games in the penultimate week of the 2024 regular season. Head coach Candace Fenton-Bockbrader and the Falcons step outside of Mid-American Conference play for one final time, traveling to take on Youngstown State in a Wednesday (April 24) doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 3:00 p.m. at the YSU Softball Complex.
• Then, the Falcons will wrap up the home portion of the schedule with a three-game series vs. Northern Illinois University. BGSU will face the Huskies in a Friday (April 26) game that begins at 3:00 p.m. at Meserve Field. Then, the teams will meet in a Saturday (April 27) twinbill that starts at 1:00 p.m.
• The YSU doubleheader will be streamed via ESPN+. The first two games of the NIU series will be aired on BCSN in the Toledo area, and will also be available on the BCSN App as well as on ESPN+.
• Saturday will be Senior Day at Meserve Field, with five seniors recognized for their contributions to the program. That quintet includes Lexi Carver, Makailah Dees, Peyton Dolejs, Taylor Turner and Reagan Williamson.
DOLEJS KEEPS HITTING
• Senior Peyton Dolejs hit .400 in last week's five games, increasing her current hitting streak to 10 games in the process. That streak is the longest of her career, surpassing a nine-game streak that she put together in 2022.
• Her current streak is the longest by a Falcon since Greta L'Esperance had a 13-game streak in the 2021 campaign.
• Dolejs has batted .514 during the 10-game hitting streak, going 18-for-35 at the plate. She has raised her batting average 105 points, to .302, during that stretch.
THERE'S NO GETTING NOGAY OUT
• Freshman Aaralyn Nogay reached base three times on Sunday at Kent State, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Nogay has reached base in 11 consecutive contests, tying for the longest such streak by a Falcon this season. Reagan Williamson reached base in 11-straight games earlier in 2024.
• No Falcon has had a longer reached-base streak in two years, since Greta L'Esperance reached base in 18 consecutive games in 2022.
• Nogay, one of the top freshmen in the conference, is hitting a team-leading .310 this season. In MAC play, she is hitting .346 with a BGSU-best on-base percentage of .493.
DINGERS
• Senior Reagan Williamson hit a total of three homers last week, going deep in both ends of Tuesday's (April 16) doubleheader vs. Central Michigan, then hitting another bomb at Kent State.
• Williamson reached base in six of her seven trips to the plate in the CMU twinbill, raising her 2024 batting average 33 points in the process. She went 4-for-5 on the day, with three extra-base hits and two walks.
• Williamson's homer on Sunday at KSU was her team-leading fifth of the season and the 14th of her BGSU career. She has moved into a tie for 13th place on the Falcon career list.
NOTEWORTHY NOTES & NUMBERS
• Reagan Williamson picked up her 100th career hit during the Ball State series, and now has 106 hits in her Falcon career. As mentioned, she is ranked among BGSU's career leaders in both walks (68) and homers (14).
• Peyton Dolejs leads active Falcons in career hits (140), doubles (26) and triples (eight). Dolejs has 64 career RBI, just one behind Williamson. Dolejs also has a career batting average of .285 to pace current team members, while Williamson is batting .269 in her career.
• Scarlet Anderson entered the Kent State series with a career total of two RBI in limited action with the Falcons, but drove in four runs in Saturday's doubleheader, including a career-high three in the opener. Anderson has started each of BGSU's last five games at first base.
• Dolejs is hitting .361 in MAC games, while freshman Aaralyn Nogay is hitting .346 against conference competition. Dolejs has a .492 slugging percentage in league action, and Nogay has 13 walks and a team-high .493 on-base percentage vs. the MAC so far.
• Dolejs is tied for third in the MAC in doubles in MAC games (six), while Nogay is tied for fifth in the league in walks and ranks seventh in OBP. She is tied for first in triples (two).
THE OPPONENTS / THE SERIES
• Youngstown State has an overall record of 29-14 on the season, and the Penguins currently lead the Horizon League with a 15-3 conference record. Five starters are batting over .300, led by Elyssa Imler, who is hitting .358 and has a team-high 14 stolen bases. In the circle, Sophie Howell is 19-7 with a 1.98 ERA and 155 strikeouts, and she leads the nation with 20 complete games this spring. Last season, head coach Brian Campbell's club went 27-27 overall and 12-10 in the Horizon League.
• Northern Illinois is 13-29 heading into a Wednesday doubleheader vs. Valparaiso, and the Huskies are 6-14 in the MAC. Individually, Ellis Erickson is hitting a team-high 383 and also paces the club in doubles (16), homers (seven), on-base pct. (.423) and slugging pct. (.657). Danielle Stewart paces the pitchers with 104 innings of work, an 8-8 record, a 2.49 ERA and 92 strikeouts. Last spring, Christina Sutcliffe's squad finished 26-25 overall and 15-13 in the MAC.
• The Falcons trail Youngstown State, 7-3, in the all-time series, but the teams have met only once since 1987. BGSU picked up a 1-0 win in Kennesaw, Ga., on Feb. 23, 2013. The Falcons and Penguins faced off nine times between 1980 and 1987. Over the years, BGSU is 0-4 at home, 1-1 on the road and 2-2 in neutral-site meetings with YSU.
• BGSU trails Northern Illinois, 32-30, in that series. Last season, the Huskies captured the first two games of the teams' three-game series in DeKalb, before the Falcons captured a 4-2 victory on the final day of the regular season (May 6, 2023). Two years ago, in the last meetings at Meserve Field, NIU picked up a pair of narrow victories before the Orange and Brown ended the series with a 7-3 win. BGSU is 11-11 at home, 14-18 on the road and 5-3 at neutral sites vs. the Huskies over the years.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the NIU series, the Falcons will hit the road to conclude the 2024 season. BGSU will travel to Kalamazoo for a Tuesday (April 29) doubleheader against Western Michigan, which will begin at 1:00 p.m.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will head to Athens for a three-game series against Ohio. The teams will meet in a 1:00 p.m. twinbill on Saturday, May 4, before closing the regular-season slate with a 12:00 p.m. single game on Sunday, May 5.
• BGSU at Youngstown State • Wed., April 24 (DH) • 3 pm • Youngstown, Ohio • ESPN+ •
• BGSU vs. Northern Illinois • Fri., April 26 • 3 pm • Meserve Field • BCSN/ESPN+ •
• BGSU vs. Northern Illinois • Sat., April 27 (DH) • 1 pm • Meserve Field • BCSN/ESPN+ (game one only) •
• The BGSU softball team is slated to play five games in the penultimate week of the 2024 regular season. Head coach Candace Fenton-Bockbrader and the Falcons step outside of Mid-American Conference play for one final time, traveling to take on Youngstown State in a Wednesday (April 24) doubleheader. First pitch of game one is set for 3:00 p.m. at the YSU Softball Complex.
• Then, the Falcons will wrap up the home portion of the schedule with a three-game series vs. Northern Illinois University. BGSU will face the Huskies in a Friday (April 26) game that begins at 3:00 p.m. at Meserve Field. Then, the teams will meet in a Saturday (April 27) twinbill that starts at 1:00 p.m.
• The YSU doubleheader will be streamed via ESPN+. The first two games of the NIU series will be aired on BCSN in the Toledo area, and will also be available on the BCSN App as well as on ESPN+.
• Saturday will be Senior Day at Meserve Field, with five seniors recognized for their contributions to the program. That quintet includes Lexi Carver, Makailah Dees, Peyton Dolejs, Taylor Turner and Reagan Williamson.
DOLEJS KEEPS HITTING
• Senior Peyton Dolejs hit .400 in last week's five games, increasing her current hitting streak to 10 games in the process. That streak is the longest of her career, surpassing a nine-game streak that she put together in 2022.
• Her current streak is the longest by a Falcon since Greta L'Esperance had a 13-game streak in the 2021 campaign.
• Dolejs has batted .514 during the 10-game hitting streak, going 18-for-35 at the plate. She has raised her batting average 105 points, to .302, during that stretch.
THERE'S NO GETTING NOGAY OUT
• Freshman Aaralyn Nogay reached base three times on Sunday at Kent State, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks. Nogay has reached base in 11 consecutive contests, tying for the longest such streak by a Falcon this season. Reagan Williamson reached base in 11-straight games earlier in 2024.
• No Falcon has had a longer reached-base streak in two years, since Greta L'Esperance reached base in 18 consecutive games in 2022.
• Nogay, one of the top freshmen in the conference, is hitting a team-leading .310 this season. In MAC play, she is hitting .346 with a BGSU-best on-base percentage of .493.
DINGERS
• Senior Reagan Williamson hit a total of three homers last week, going deep in both ends of Tuesday's (April 16) doubleheader vs. Central Michigan, then hitting another bomb at Kent State.
• Williamson reached base in six of her seven trips to the plate in the CMU twinbill, raising her 2024 batting average 33 points in the process. She went 4-for-5 on the day, with three extra-base hits and two walks.
• Williamson's homer on Sunday at KSU was her team-leading fifth of the season and the 14th of her BGSU career. She has moved into a tie for 13th place on the Falcon career list.
NOTEWORTHY NOTES & NUMBERS
• Reagan Williamson picked up her 100th career hit during the Ball State series, and now has 106 hits in her Falcon career. As mentioned, she is ranked among BGSU's career leaders in both walks (68) and homers (14).
• Peyton Dolejs leads active Falcons in career hits (140), doubles (26) and triples (eight). Dolejs has 64 career RBI, just one behind Williamson. Dolejs also has a career batting average of .285 to pace current team members, while Williamson is batting .269 in her career.
• Scarlet Anderson entered the Kent State series with a career total of two RBI in limited action with the Falcons, but drove in four runs in Saturday's doubleheader, including a career-high three in the opener. Anderson has started each of BGSU's last five games at first base.
• Dolejs is hitting .361 in MAC games, while freshman Aaralyn Nogay is hitting .346 against conference competition. Dolejs has a .492 slugging percentage in league action, and Nogay has 13 walks and a team-high .493 on-base percentage vs. the MAC so far.
• Dolejs is tied for third in the MAC in doubles in MAC games (six), while Nogay is tied for fifth in the league in walks and ranks seventh in OBP. She is tied for first in triples (two).
THE OPPONENTS / THE SERIES
• Youngstown State has an overall record of 29-14 on the season, and the Penguins currently lead the Horizon League with a 15-3 conference record. Five starters are batting over .300, led by Elyssa Imler, who is hitting .358 and has a team-high 14 stolen bases. In the circle, Sophie Howell is 19-7 with a 1.98 ERA and 155 strikeouts, and she leads the nation with 20 complete games this spring. Last season, head coach Brian Campbell's club went 27-27 overall and 12-10 in the Horizon League.
• Northern Illinois is 13-29 heading into a Wednesday doubleheader vs. Valparaiso, and the Huskies are 6-14 in the MAC. Individually, Ellis Erickson is hitting a team-high 383 and also paces the club in doubles (16), homers (seven), on-base pct. (.423) and slugging pct. (.657). Danielle Stewart paces the pitchers with 104 innings of work, an 8-8 record, a 2.49 ERA and 92 strikeouts. Last spring, Christina Sutcliffe's squad finished 26-25 overall and 15-13 in the MAC.
• The Falcons trail Youngstown State, 7-3, in the all-time series, but the teams have met only once since 1987. BGSU picked up a 1-0 win in Kennesaw, Ga., on Feb. 23, 2013. The Falcons and Penguins faced off nine times between 1980 and 1987. Over the years, BGSU is 0-4 at home, 1-1 on the road and 2-2 in neutral-site meetings with YSU.
• BGSU trails Northern Illinois, 32-30, in that series. Last season, the Huskies captured the first two games of the teams' three-game series in DeKalb, before the Falcons captured a 4-2 victory on the final day of the regular season (May 6, 2023). Two years ago, in the last meetings at Meserve Field, NIU picked up a pair of narrow victories before the Orange and Brown ended the series with a 7-3 win. BGSU is 11-11 at home, 14-18 on the road and 5-3 at neutral sites vs. the Huskies over the years.
DOWN THE ROAD
• Following the NIU series, the Falcons will hit the road to conclude the 2024 season. BGSU will travel to Kalamazoo for a Tuesday (April 29) doubleheader against Western Michigan, which will begin at 1:00 p.m.
• Then, the Orange and Brown will head to Athens for a three-game series against Ohio. The teams will meet in a 1:00 p.m. twinbill on Saturday, May 4, before closing the regular-season slate with a 12:00 p.m. single game on Sunday, May 5.
Players Mentioned
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