Falcons Coach Danny Schmitz with turn to Brennan Smith for win 10 in a row
As a writer, this weekend could not have worked out any better. As a fan? Bragging rights will be abound. Ohio will be home to four intra-state battles this weekend as Bowling Green hosts Miami, across the state Kent State welcomes Ohio in another MAC-East showdown, Xavier joins Miami in traveling North on I-75 as the Musketeers tangle with Dayton, while Wright State invades Niles to play Youngstown State.
While those games will get their attention, and be a treat to fans on both sides alike, perhaps no weekend series will end up shaping the respective conference picture as Miami-Bowling Green. Separated by just two games, and a weekend away from being in first, Bowling Green sits above .500 for the first time on the strength of a nine-game winning streak at 19-18-1, 9-6 in the MAC-East. Miami is right at .500 overall at 20-20, one game under .500 in MAC play at 7-8.
As both teams look to continue their winning ways and ride captured momentum of late, this weekend will give the series winner a leg up in advancing to the MAC Tournament where a NCAA Regional berth is on the line.
Lopsided Loss Leads to Turnaround
For some of us we’ve been there before. Seeing the team we love humiliated, having writers, fans, and even parents make jokes and poke fun at what occurred on the field. You lost 32-10? In baseball?!?
That was Bowling Green on April 10th as Ball State re-wrote the record books in the runaway victory.
At the time the loss appeared to be the stamp on an underperforming season, cementing 2010 as a year to be forgotten in Bowling Green. The preseason MAC-East favorites as selected by MAC coaches, and the team most likely to represent the conference in NCAA as deemed by Baseball America and Yahoo Sports, had just suffered its 10th loss in 12 games, while sitting at 10-18-1 on the year.
Baseball is a funny game.
Instead of solidifying an underacheiving season, the loss fueled a turnaround that has seen the Bowling Green rise up, showing signs of being a team headed to the field of 64.
The loss was followed by a 9-3 victory over Ball State in the weekend finale. That win would be followed by a win over Cleveland State, a loss on the road to Michigan, then a string of nine straight victories.
The run at .500 began with a triumphant victory over rival Toledo 20-15, yielding Bowling Green’s second victory of the season over a top-100 RPI team. That number would double by weekend’s end as the Falcons captured games two and three 8-7 and 4-2, knocking off the Rockets who donned the MAC’s best record, returning to Bowling Green with I-75 bragging rights, and perhaps a new swagger or confidence if you will.
When coaches and managers time and time again tell you baseball is more mental, its hard to appreciate what a series sweep over Toledo did. In words though it was the straight of Bowling Greens current run.
As the Falcons face yet another crucial series, squaring off against Miami who is in their rear-view mirror, Bowling Green has the confidence that they can take on all comings and be victorious. A feat head coach Danny Schmitz wanted to install in starting the season on the road with three-game series against Louisville and Kentucky.
Hoping to mentally prepare his team for conference play, Schmitz wanted his team to play quality teams off the bat. While Bowling Green started the season 0-6, the rewards are evident as now the Falcons have erased the rocky start and are soaring at their highest levels.
For more on the season thus far for Bowling Green as well as the weekend series against Miami, Buckeye State Baseball was able to speak with Bowling Green head coach Danny Schmitz which you can listen to by clicking the link. It may take a few minutes for the new window to load.
Weekend Facts
Miami 20-20, 7-8 MAC-East (third); RPI: 173 SOS: 149
Miami played a pretty tough schedule to start the year, playing on the road #19 Auburn, #14 Clemson, as well as Big Ten co-leader Michigan State in a neutral setting. Unable to tally a win against those teams, Miami’s best win of the seasons is a 11-inning 7-5 victory over RPI #51 Louisiana-Lafayette. Also in non-conference play, Miami has twice defeated Indiana, 19-7 during their spring break, and 8-6 in Oxford.
In conference the RedHawk’s record nearly reflects their overall mark. Sitting at 7-8, Miami has recorded a series victory over Northern Illinois and Akron, taking two and three games respectively, as well as single victories over Western Michigan and Central Michigan. The series losses to the Broncos and Chippewas is joined by a three-game sweep by Ball State.
Key Players
Miami is led by one of the premier leadoff hitters in college baseball in junior Adam Eaton. Eaton leads the team in a slew of offensive categories; batting average (.363), at-bats (157), runs (44), home runs (9), RBI’s (42), total bases (107), SLG (.682), base on balls (13), HBP (13) OBP (.449), and stolen bases (20). Jordan Jankowski also provides a bit of pop with seven home runs.
Jankowski doubles as Miami’s closer, with his work on the back-end of the bullpen being the most consistent of RedHawk pitchers. As Miami has a collective ERA of 6.08, Jankowski fulfills the closer’s role with a 3.75 ERA in addition to his six saves. In the rotation Mac Thoreson has performed well going 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA and an 1.23 WHIP in 43.0 innings.
Bowling Green 19-18-1, MAC-East 9-7 (second); RPI: 159, SOS: 155
Schedule
Bowling Green also started off the year with a brutal schedule, battling Louisville (currently #2 RPI) and Kentucky (#22) to start the year. The Falcons would later end their Bluegrass State woes sweeping a three-game set at Eastern Kentucky to conclude their non-conference slate.
In conference Bowling Green started out slow, winning just one game in each of the first three conference series; Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, and Ball State. However, in winning game three of the Ball State series, the Falcons have gone on to win eight more, resulting in their current nine-game winning streak. Included in the streak is a weekend sweep on the road at rival Toledo, as well as taking three from Ohio on the road.
Key Players
Though successful as a team, Bowling Green enters the weekend with a .324 team average, two players stand out for Coach Schmitz.
Shortstop Jon Berti leads the team with a .412 batting average, in collecting a team high 63 hits and a .465 OBP. Berti’s 21 stolen bases in 24 attempts also leads the team.
Centerfielder T.J. Blanton provides the team with a pretty heavy bat. In hitting .376 on the Blanton’s lofty average is matched by his 10 home runs and 34 RBI’s, both marks lead Bowling Green, as does his .674 slugging percentage.
On the mound Kevin Leady is the steady hand for a staff with a 6.18 ERA. He has a team high six wins in nine starts with a 3.77 ERA. Reigning MAC Pitcher of the Year Brennan Smith has struggled to regain his 2009 dominance, going 3-4 with a 7.96 ERA.
Key Stats
- Miami is 5-14 on the road this year while Bowling Green is 5-5. at home
- Bowling Green has outscored opponents 40-23 in the first inning this season, Miami has been outscored 32-30.
- Bowling Green is 12-4-1 when committing one or less errors while they are 7-14 when committing two or more errors. Miami is 14-13 and 6-7 respectively.
- Bowling Green has a winning record (9-7) when the other team scores first and a losing record (10-11-1) when they are the first team to score. Miami sports marks of 14-10 and 6-10 in like settings.
David Arnold contributed with this weekend’s facts.
Filed under: Division I
