Falcon Softball - 2026 Season Wrapup - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Michelle Gardner | postgame huddle | April 28, 2026, v Oakland

Photo by: Daniel Carlson, BGSU Athletics

Falcon Softball - 2026 Season Wrapup

May 27, 2026 | Softball

End-of-Season Notes & Stats (PDF)Support BGSU Softball

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

LEADING OFF...
• The Bowling Green State University softball team finished the 2026 season with an overall record of 20-29 and a Mid-American Conference record of 6-20. Head coach Michelle Gardner and the Falcons topped last season's overall victory total by four.

UPDATE THAT RECORD BOOK
• The 2026 Falcons set school single-season records in walks (190), times hit by pitch (52) and runs batted in (207).

• BGSU had an on-base percentage of .377, the second-highest in school history, in 2026.

• And, the Falcons stole 94 bases in 2026, ranking second on that list as well.

• Individually, Addie Martin was hit by a pitch 18 times, obliterating the BGSU single-season record.

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED? NO, IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED. UNTIL NOW.
• The 2026 season marks the first time in program history that four players have posted double-digit steal totals. And, all four of those Falcons swiped at least 15 bases.

• Cameron Kaufman, Addie Martin and Peyton Steffes each stole 16 bases in 2026, while Hannah Simko had 15 steals. Both Martin and Steffes were 16-of-17 on the basepaths, while Kaufman was 16-for-18 and Simko 15-of-18.

• Just for some context ... three seasons ago, in 2023, the Falcons had a total of 16 stolen bases as a team.

A MILESTONE WIN (AND ANOTHER FALCON FIRST)
• On Feb. 12, BGSU coach Michelle Gardner picked up the 400th victory of her head-coaching career, when the Falcons topped Furman, 17-8. BGSU had a school-record 10 stolen bases in that victory.

MUCH IMPROVED!
• The Falcons had a team earned-run average of 3.98 in 2026, more than a run-per-game improvement from the '25 staff's 5.24 mark.

• The BG offense scored 4.61 runs per game, the program's highest average in nearly two decades (2007) and the third-highest average in program history. The 1981 club had a school-record 5.25 runs per game.

• BG's total of 226 runs was also the third-highest in school history, and fell just four runs shy of breaking the school record. The 2012 team scored a BG-record 230 runs, while the 2001 Falcons crossed the plate 227 times.

OUCH!
• The Falcons have shattered (figuratively, not literally) a somewhat-painful school record. BGSU batters were hit by a pitch no fewer than 52 times this spring. The old mark was 35, set in 2018.

• As mentioned, redshirt sophomore Addie Martin was plunked a school-record 18 times in 2026. That broke the old record of 14 (Dawnjene DeLong in 2005).

• Martin – again, just a redshirt sophomore – has been hit 28 times in her BGSU career, the second-highest total in program history. DeLong was hit a school-record 35 times during her Falcon career (2005-08).

LEADERS OF THE MAC
• The Falcons were at or near the top of the list in many team and individual categories in 2026. BGSU led the MAC in stolen bases (94) and ranked second in times hit by pitch (52) and sacrifice bunts (37). BGSU walked 190 times to rank fifth in the conference.

• In MAC games only, the Falcons had a league-leading 41 stolen bases.

• BGSU pitchers ranked second in the conference in ERA (3.98) and shutouts (six) and fifth in opponent batting average (.295). In league games only, the Falcons led the MAC in ERA (3.37), tied for third in shutouts (two) and placed fifth in OBA (.296).

• In the field, BGSU led the league by turning 11 double plays in MAC games.

• Individually, senior Mackenzie Krafcik ranked sixth or better in no fewer than four pitching categories. Krafcik was second in the MAC in ERA (2.86), and tied for second in saves (two). She was third in shutouts (four) and tied for sixth in complete games (12). In MAC games only, Krafcik had a 3.12 ERA to rank fifth in the league.

• Sophomore Morgan Beckham ranked third in the MAC in OBA (.249) and seventh in ERA (3.52). In conference games only, she was third in ERA (2.57), fourth in OBA (.237) and tied for ninth in complete games (six).

• Another sophomore, Madison Wendel, was 14th in the conference in ERA (4.68) in all games, and was 10th in the league in that category (4.00) in MAC games only.

• Wendel walked just nine batters in 64 1/3 innings on the season. She led the MAC and ranked sixth in the entire nation in fewest walks per seven innings (0.98).

• Krafcik was 44th in the country in shutouts.

• At the plate (and on the bases), redshirt soph Addie Martin led the league in HBP (18), and tied for fifth in stolen bases (16). She was hit by a pitch eight times (tying for first in the league) and stole six bases (deadlocking for eighth) in MAC games only.

• Martin was 10th in the entire nation in HBP per game (0.37) and 11th in total HBP.

• Junior Peyton Steffes tied for fifth in the conference in both steals (16) and triples (four). In MAC games, Steffes tied for second in the league in steals (11) and tied for third in three-base hits (three).

• Junior Cameron Kaufman tied for fifth in the MAC in steals as well (16), while freshman Hannah Simko was eighth in that category (15). Kaufman had seven steals in MAC games to rank seventh in the league.

• Junior Taylor Behrendt and sophomore Hanna Massaro each tied for eighth in the league in sacrifice bunts, with six apiece.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
• We already mentioned Mackenzie Krafcik, Addie Martin and Madison Wendel in the national rankings.

• As a team, the Falcons were 16th in the nation in times hit by pitch (52), and BGSU was 22nd in stolen bases per game (1.88), 26th in total steals (94), 30th in sac bunts (37) and 77th in walks (190).

FUN FALCON FACTS
• BGSU pitchers threw a total of six shutouts in 2026, more than in the previous three years combined (five).

• The Falcons went 7-15 in true road games in 2026, more than tripling the total for the previous season. The 2025 club had gone 2-19 on the road.

• In fact, BGSU's total of seven road wins was more than in the prior three years combined, as the Falcons were just 4-59 in true road contests from 2023-25.

• As mentioned earlier, the 2026 Falcons set school records for walks (190), times hit by pitch (52) and RBI (207). The previous record for walks was 177 in 2012, and the prior RBI record was 202 in 2001. This year's club shattered the old HBP number (35 in 2018).

• The '26 club's on-base percentage of .377 was second-best in program history (.381 in 1988), and BG's total of 94 stolen bases also was the second-highest ever (104, also in 1988).

• This year's team posted the third-highest marks in runs scored (226, just four shy of the 2012 team's record of 230) and runs per game (4.61 – school record is 5.25 in 1981).

• Addie Martin, a redshirt sophomore in 2026, has 22 career home runs to rank seventh on that BGSU list.

• Martin is also ranked on the BGSU career lists for times hit by pitch (28, second), slugging percentage (.597, third), stolen bases (35, 10th) and batting average (.308, 15th).

• Senior Hannah Hunt finished her BGSU career with 74 RBI, tying her for 20th on that list. Hunt also had five career sacrifice flies to deadlock for 12th.

• Junior Peyton Steffes has 33 career stolen bases, the 12th-highest total in school history. Classmate Cameron Kaufman is tied for 17th on that list, with 26 career steals.

• Kaufman has been hit by pitch 13 times in school history, tied for eighth on that chart. Senior Ashley Chevalier was hit by a pitch on 10 occasions, tying her for 16th.

• Junior Taylor Behrendt has walked 57 times as a Falcon, tying her for 16th in program history, while senior Katie Hutter ended her career tied for 20th on that list (51 career walks).

• Hutter had six career sac flies to tie for 19th on that chart.

• In the circle, Mackenzie Krafcik finished her Falcon tenure ranked in the top 20 in career appearances (98, 13th), starts (52, tied for 17th), saves (three, tied for 15th) and strikeouts per seven innings (2.67, 20th).

THE FALCONS – A QUICK OVERVIEW
• The Falcons went 20-29 on the season, and BGSU finished 6-20 in the MAC. BG topped the overall win total for all of last season, having gone 16-36 in 2025, and the Falcons' total of 20 wins was the program's highest since 2022.

• The Falcons went 6-10 at home, 7-15 on the road and 7-4 in neutral-site games. BGSU hit .260 as a team, with seven regulars batting between .260 and .299. Senior Hannah Hunt led the way with a .299 average, with junior Cameron Kaufman (.293), redshirt sophomore Addie Martin (.292), freshman Hannah Simko (.290) and junior Taylor Behrendt (.289) all close behind.

• Martin led the team with 11 doubles and nine homers, and also paced the club in RBI (33), total bases (76) and slugging pct. (.585). Martin is one of four Falcons with at least 15 stolen bases this season.

• Behrendt and Hunt each had 43 hits, while four other Falcons recorded at least 38. Kaufman, Martin and junior Peyton Steffes each had 16 steals, with Simko adding 15. Kaufman led the Falcons with 36 runs scored, while Martin crossed the plate 33 times.

• Hunt was second on the team in RBI, with 30, while fellow senior Ashley Chevalier and Kaufman each had 24. Senior Katie Hutter topped the team in walks, with 24, and on-base pct. (.436). A total of six Falcons drew at least 20 walks.

• Hunt, Martin and Steffes each started all 49 games in 2026, while Kaufman made 48 starts, Behrendt 47 and Simko 45.

• In the circle, senior Mackenzie Krafcik appeared in 30 games, starting 21, and had 12 complete games in those 21 starts. She also had a 10-10 record with four shutouts, two saves and a 2.86 earned-run average in 122 1/3 innings pitched.

• Sophomores Morgan Beckham and Madison Wendel pitched in 25 and 20 games, respectively, while junior Alyvia Roth appeared in the circle 17 times. Beckham allowed opponents to hit only. 249 against her, and was 5-7 with a 3.52 ERA in 69 2/3 innings of work, with six complete games in eight starts. Wendel was 2-5 with a 4.68 ERA in 64 1/3 innings, while Roth had a 2-7 record and an OBA of .249 in 47 innings.

• The 2026 roster included six seniors – Chevalier, Delaney Davis, Hunt, Hutter, Krafcik and Kendall Mathews – along with a seventh student-athlete, Roth, who earned her undergraduate degree in three years.

• Head coach Michelle Gardner and her assistants, Greg McQuillin and Indya Smith, welcomed back 15 of 19 letterwinners from last year's team, including all nine positional starters and three of the six pitchers who saw action in 2025. BGSU had four seniors on last year's roster. Two of those four players did not see action in '25, and only one of the four players played in any games after March 8.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
• For more information on the BGSU softball team, follow the Falcons on Twitter/X (@BGAthletics and @BGSUSoftball) and Instagram (@bgsu_softball), as well as on the web at BGSUFalcons.com.