Falcons Return To The Road Against Kent State This Weekend

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team will be back on the road this weekend for the first time since April 9, heading to northeast Ohio for a three-game series with the Kent State Golden Flashes. The first-place Falcons and Golden Flashes are set to begin the series on Friday (April 25) with a 6 p.m. first pitch. The series will continue on Saturday (April 26) at 3 p.m. before concluding on Sunday (April 27) at 1 p.m.

Current Week Schedule
Friday, April 25 | 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 | 3 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 | 1 p.m.

Scouting Kent State
The Golden Flashes are coming off a midweek split, beating Youngstown State on Tuesday (April 23) with a 13-8 final before falling to Clarion on Wednesday (April 24) in a 10-5 score. The loss to Clarion was Kent State's first midweek loss since March 19 to Pitt on the road. Since then, they've beaten Pitt at home (5-4), Penn State on the road (10-3) and the aforementioned Youngstown State game on the road. For the season, Kent State enters the weekend 20-19 on the year and 10-8 within MAC play.

Series History

The Falcons and Golden Flashes have met 199 times previously in program history with Kent State holding the all-time advantage with a record of 131-68.
The last win for BGSU in the series came on April 9, 2022 at Kent with a 6-4 win in seven innings.
Bowling Green's last nine inning win over KSU came on April 8, 2022 with a 9-5 final.
The last sweep for the Falcons over Kent State was in a two-game series in 1982.

What To Watch For

The Falcons enter the weekend atop the MAC standings at 17-1 and have various scenarios that could lead to clinching a spot in the MAC Tournament. Scenarios can be found below.
Bowling Green currently has the fourth-highest scoring offense in the nation, averaging 10.1 runs per game. Only Wofford (11.1), Tennessee (10.4) and Austin Peay (10.2) average more.
Through 34 games, the Falcons have scored 7+ runs in 25 games and 10+ runs in 17 games, including a nation-leading 34 runs against Ball State on March 16.
BGSU is averaging 1.82 home runs per game, placing the Falcons 23rd in the nation and first in the MAC for the stat. On the year, Bowling Green has blasted 62 home runs in 34 games.
Sam Seidel has reached base in every game he's played in this season for the Falcons, bringing his on-base streak to 27 games this season. Dating back to last season, Seidel has reached base in 38-straight games.

Rare Company
The Falcons are one of just 13 teams in the nation currently to be in the Top 29 for batting average (21st), on-base percentage (13th) and slugging percentage (29th). So far this season, the Falcons have produced a slash line of .312/.430/.522 through the first 34 games of the season. In addition to being inside the Top 29 in the nation, the Falcons currently lead the Mid-American Conference in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage and rank second in batting average behind only Western Michigan (18th in the nation, .314).

Walking Into The Record Book
The Falcons are closing in on the record book in the walks category in three different ways. As a team, BGSU has drawn 212 walks this season, 41 shy of matching the program record of 253 set in 1978. Of those 212 walks, Leighton Banjoff has drawn 32. He needs 38 to break into the Top 10 all-time for single season walks. As for career marks, Jack Krause has 89 walks as a Falcon, needing 94 to enter the Top 10 all-time for career walks drawn.

Archer Making History
Nathan Archer has already entered the BGSU record book three times this season and is closing in on doing it three more times. Archer's 31 career home runs are currently tied for eighth all-time, his nine career triples are tied for ninth all-time and his 14 home runs this season are tied for 10th all-time. For career stats, Archer has 302 total bases as a Falcon, needing 319 total, 17 more, to break into the top 10 all-time. As for the single-season records, Archer is closing in on two. This season he has 48 runs scored, needing four more to reach 52 and enter the top 10. He has also logged 44 RBI this season, sitting 10 shy of reaching the needed 54 RBI to enter the top 10 for the stat.

History Ends As Last Team Standing
The Falcons historic start to both MAC play and at home closed on Sunday (April 21). The Falcons 17-0 record marked the best start in MAC play in conference history and the second-best MAC start in BGSU Athletics history behind only volleyball's 18-0 start in 2020-21. Additionally, the Falcons tallied a 10-0 start at home for the first time in program history. Entering Sunday, BGSU was one of two teams in the nation still unbeaten in conference play, joined by the MAAC's Niagara. Niagara also lost on Sunday, but went final before BGSU, leaving the Falcons as the nation's final unbeaten team in conference play.

MAC Tournament Clinching Paths
To Clinch Saturday:
Option 1: BGSU wins first two over KSU + Miami wins first two over EMU
Option 2: BGSU wins first two over KSU + Miami/EMU split + 1 NIU Loss
Option 3: BGSU wins first two over KSU + EMU wins first two over Miami + 1 NIU Loss
To Clinch Sunday:
Option 1: BGSU sweeps KSU
Option 2: BGSU goes 2-1 against KSU + Miami goes 2-1 or better v. EMU
Option 3: BGSU goes 2-1 against KSU + EMU goes 2-1 or better v. Miami + NIU Loss
Option 4: BGSU goes 1-2 against KSU + Miami sweeps EMU + NIU Loss

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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Nathan Archer

Leighton Banjoff

Jack Krause

Sam Seidel

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