| BGSU’s Cody Apthorpe (Photo: Andrew Weber/Sentinel-Tribune) |
Three straight Mid-American Conference East Division titles haven’t spoiled Bowling Green’s baseball
team.
Instead, the team is just as focused and just as driven.
But if the Falcons are going to win their fourth consecutive East championship and third MAC overall
title in the last four seasons, they’ll do it with plenty of new faces.
BG lost 12 players from last season when it was 31-23-1 overall and 18-9 in the MAC.
Among the departed are the starting outfield, the starting third baseman and three key pitchers. BG will
be relying on 14 freshmen to complement a solid group of veterans.
Of the freshmen, at least four position players and five pitchers could fill key roles.
The Falcons open the season this weekend with a three-game series at Western Kentucky.
BG visits Murray State the following weekend before leaving on its eight-game spring trip to Florida. The
Falcons play 21 games in all before starting the MAC season March 25-26-27 at Northern Illinois.
"We’re going to be a work in progress to begin with, not only the first couple weekends, but also
the spring trip … that’s our spring training," said BG coach Danny Schmitz, who is in his 21st
season. "We’re going to have to put some young kids in there and throw them into the fire and see
how they respond."
BG was third in the East in the MAC coaches poll. Kent State was first with 72 points, followed by Miami
with 53 and BG with 50.
"We’re hoping to be ready for the MAC season … that’s when we caught fire last year," said
Schmitz, whose team 23-6 in its final 29 games last season. "Our season is going to be determined
by how quickly these young guys mature.
"These first 15, 20 games are going to be very important, trying to get these youngsters as much
experience as we can."
The Falcons are cautiously optimistic they’ll remain one of the top hitting teams in the MAC, despite the
loss of T.J. Blanton, who hit .374 last season with 15 home runs and 54 runs batted in last season; and
Dennis Vaughn and Derek Spencer, who combined for 22 homers and 107 RBI.
But the Falcons return three quality hitters – junior shortstop Jon Berti (.423, four homers, 33 RBI);
sophomore second baseman Matt Pitzulo (.352, four homers, 28 RBI) and senior catcher Ryan Schlater
(.312, five homers, 37 RBI).
Pitzulo will be the designated hitter as he finishes his recovery from elbow surgery, while Berti is
recovering from mononucleosis. Berti was first-team All-MAC last season, while Pitzulo was honorable
mention.
The Falcons also return starting senior first baseman Clay Duncan; sophomore Andrew Kuns, who is moving
from first base to left field; and junior outfielder Patrick Martin. Martin, a late-inning defensive
replacement last season, will start in center and also pitch.
The third baseman is senior Frank Berry. He was sidelined by elbow surgery last season and is finished as
a pitcher after posting a 7-1 record and a 4.76 earned-run average in 4.76. He was recruited to BG as an
infielder
"We have a chance to swing the bats pretty well," said Schmitz, whose team shared the MAC lead
last season with a .328 average. BG scored 7.9 runs per game."
On the mound, the Falcons must replace Eastwood High School graduate Kevin Leady, a first-team All-MAC
pick last season. He was 8-3 with a 4.96 ERA. BG also lost Brennan Smith (6-4), who left school early to
turn pro; and Patrick O’Brien (4-3, 3.93, six saves), who didn’t return to school this semester.
The Falcons had a 6.29 ERA last season and made 87 errors last season, including 42 errors in 27 MAC
games.
"We’re only going to go as far as our pitching and defense take us," Schmitz said.
BG’s ace figures to be Matt Malewitz, who didn’t pitch last season because of shoulder surgery. He was
first-team All-MAC in 2009 when he was 5-3 with a 5.62 ERA.
"He’s going to be a big key," Schmitz said.
The top returnees are sophomores Cody Apthorpe (3-2, 3.51) and Mike Frank (2-2). BG also is counting on
contributions from senior Charles Wooten, junior Ross Gerdeman and sophomore Nick Bruns.
