Bowling Green’s baseball team has played well during the second half of the season.
The Falcons are striving to carry that momentum into the Mid-American Conference tournament.
They start the tournament Wednesday at 1 p.m. when they face Kent State at All Pro Freight Stadium in
Avon.
The Falcons, 25-25 overall, are the No. 5 seed for the tournament. They were third in the MAC East with a
15-12 mark.
Kent (32-21, 16-11) was second in the East and is the No. 4 seed.
"We feel good about the way we’re playing," BG senior T.J. Losby said. "We have a lot of
confidence. Guys are getting the job done."
The Falcons are 19-9 in their last 28 games, and won six of their final seven MAC series.
"We’re playing good baseball," BG coach Danny Schmitz said. "I don’t know if we’re playing
great. Earlier in the year, we were playing some pretty good baseball.
"It seems of late, our focus has been off," Schmitz added. "It’s not that we don’t have
the talent, we just need to make sure they’re focused and ready to go.
KENT: Although the Golden Flashes were 4-7 in their last 11 MAC games, they remain one of the
conference’s best teams.
Kent is second in the MAC in hitting (.286), and third in earned-run average (.397) and fielding
percentage (.967).
"We have to play our game and control what we can control," said BG senior pitcher Mike Frank,
who will start against Kent.
FORMAT: The tournament is divided into two four-team pools and the pool winners will meet for the
championship.
In addition to Kent, BG’s pool includes No. 1 Ball State and No. 8 Western Michigan.
The champion earns a berth in the NCAA playoffs.
RETURN: BG returns most of its team from last season when it won the MAC tournament as the No. 6 seed.

"It’s a huge advantage," Losby said. "We know what it takes to win the tournament. We know
how tough and how resilient you have to be. We know what to expect. We know the joy we felt, and we want
to have that feeling again. "
TOP 10: Two Falcons rank in the top 10 in hitting in the MAC – Brian Bien is fourth at .352 and Losby is
tied for ninth at .330.
Bien also leads the team with 37 runs and has 21 RBI. Losby has 36 RBI, while Jeremy Shay has a .315
average and 38 RBI.
RELIEF: Jason Link has pitched well in relief for the Falcons. He’s 1-1 with one save and a 1.65
earned-run average in 16 appearances.
The junior has allowed 34 hits and seven runs (six earned) in 32 2/3 innings, striking out 17 and walking
16.
"He’s been one of those solid guys, that’s so important now," Schmitz said. "You’ve got to
have those first guys out of the bullpen, the guys who can hold the fort or shut the door. His numbers
speak volumes about the job he’s done."
HOT: BG’s Patrick Lancaster has been hot of late and has raised his average to .321. The senior center
fielder has 19 runs and 15 stolen bases.
"He’s a fun guy to watch, the way he can play," Schmitz said. "He’s a catalyst offensively
and he can make things happen when he gets on base.
"He’s an outstanding center fielder. The ground he can cover is truly remarkable. He plays the game
the right way. He plays the game hard all the time, not just some of the time. And that’s
contagious."
ROTATION: After Frank (4-6 record, 4.78 earned-run average), red-shirt freshman Andrew Lacinak (6-3,
3.45) will start BG’s second tournament game and the starter for Game 3 is undecided.
FAMILY: Akron – Schmitz’s son, Spencer, is in his first season as an assistant coach at Akron -the No. 7
seed in the tournament.