BGSU Baseball Centers On Kent State As MACtion Hits Full Swing

Friday, March 6

Kent, Ohio

3 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

March 04, 2026 | Baseball

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Falcons Seeking Fourth-Straight MAC Opener Win For First Time Since 2003-06

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

KENT, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University baseball team will begin MAC play this weekend with a three-game series on the road at Kent State. The Falcons and Golden Flashes will begin the series on Friday (March 6) with a 3 p.m. first pitch. Both Saturday (March 7) and Sunday (March 8) are currently scheduled for 1 p.m. starts. Stay up-to-date with any schedule changes through the baseball schedule at BGSUFalcons.com as well as Twitter/X (@BGSU_Baseball).

Current Upcoming Schedule
Friday, March 6 at Kent State | 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 7 at Kent State | 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 at Kent State | 1 p.m.

Falcons Put To The Test In Non-Con
Through the first three weeks of the season, Bowling Green has now only played the hardest schedule of any MAC team, and one of the top 50 most difficult in the entire nation. For strength of schedule, the Orange and Brown are currently ranked 44th in the nation and first in the MAC. The next team from the conference is Western Michigan at 55 with no other MAC teams breaking the Top 100. All four of BGSU's non-conference opponents to start the season won 30+ games in 2025, including Georgia Tech's 41, and have a combined 34-15 record so far to begin the 2026 season.

Scouting Kent State
Kent State is off to an 8-3 start to the season heading into the start of the MAC schedule. The Golden Flashes began the year with a three-game sweep over Southeastern Louisiana before dropping back-to-back to No. 2 LSU and No. 13 Tennessee. However, KSU battled back against the Volunteers, taking the next two games to secure the series win. The other loss for Kent State came against Wright State on Feb. 25. The Golden Flashes concluded their non-conference slate with a home series sweep over Rhode Island. Before facing the Falcons, Kent State is currently scheduled to play St. Bonaventure on Wednesday (March 4) at 3 p.m.

Series History Against The Golden Flashes

Bowling Green and Kent State have met 205 times previously in program history with the all-time series leaning to the Golden Flashes with a record of 135-70.
Last year, the Falcons won the first game against Kent State in the series, but the Golden Flashes took the next two for the series at Steller Field.
Similarly, the last trip to Kent State for the Falcons saw BGSU take one of three during the 2024 series, being a 10-0 shutout win on April 27.
The last series win against Kent State for BGSU came in 2014, taking two of three, while the last series win on the road at Kent State for Bowling Green was in 2004, taking two of three.

What To Watch For

The Falcons have won their MAC opener in three-straight seasons, besting Ohio in 2023 by a score of 5-4, Miami (OH) in 2024 with a 17-16 final and Ohio last year with a 6-4 win.
Bowling Green has swept their first MAC series of the season each of the last two years, sweeping Ohio in 2025 and Miami (OH) in 2024.
BGSU's non-conference schedule so far ranks first in the MAC for strength of schedule, being 44th in the nation and first in the MAC with their opponents holding a combined record of 34-15.
The series against Kent State will mark BGSU's first weekend series in the state of Ohio this season. They previously played a midweek at Cincinnati, but all weekend series have been played out of state.
Sam Seidel is currently ninth in program history for career stolen bases with 43, needing one more to tie for eighth all-time. The record is set at 77 by Jeff Groth (1976-79).

Getting Into The MACtion Mindset
The Falcons have been strong to start MAC play in recent years. Bowling Green started the 2025 MAC schedule with a 7-0 record after beginning 2024 with a conference record 17-0 MAC start. Additionally, the Falcons won their 2023 MAC opener as well, now seeking a MAC opener win in four straight seasons for the first time since 2003-06. Similarly, the Falcons are looking to begin the MAC season with a series win in three straight years for the first time since the 2003-05 window. As for sweeps, the Falcons could produce their third-straight sweep to open MAC play for the first time in program history, joining the MAC in 1953.

Rolling Two With The Falcons
Bowling Green has been one of the better teams in the nation this year at working into double plays defensively. Through 10 games, the Falcons have turned 10 double plays, ranking 40th in the nation. As for the per game average of 1.00, the Orange and Brown are currently 26th in the nation and tied for the MAC lead with Western Michigan. At their current pace, the Falcons would turn 55 double plays this year. The program record is 65 from the 2002 campaign. Last year, BGSU turned 36 double plays, averaging 0.65 per game.

Seidel Showing His Speed
So far this season, Sam Seidel has tallied seven stolen bases, including two games with multiple base swipes. Averaging 0.7 stolen bases per game, Seidel is currently ranked 47th in the nation for the per game average while his seven total are ranked 46th. As for his career, Seidel has entered the program's top 10 all-time for career steals, now with 43, at ninth all-time and trails Glenn Honeycutt (1961-63) for eighth by one steal, needing 44 total. For his BGSU career, Seidel has swiped at least nine bases in each of his three previous seasons, including a career-high 16 as a freshman. Last year, he totaled 11 in limited action, playing in 35 games.

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