AVON, Ohio – The 2024 Mid-American Conference Baseball Championship gets underway on Wednesday at Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio.
The Ball State Cardinals and Toledo Rockets will get the tournament started on Wednesday, May 21, with game one of the day at 12:30 p.m. Miami and Kent State are scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch. All games will be carried on ESPN+.
Wednesday Schedule and Links
No. 3 Ball State vs. No. 6 Toledo |
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Live Stats
No. 4 Miami vs. No. 5 Kent State |
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Live Stats
A full tournament schedule can be found
here.
Tournament Previews Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
No. 1 Bowling Green Falcons
The Bowling Green State University baseball team will compete in the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2015, heading into the week as the top seed in the double-elimination conference tournament. Bowling Green's first game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start on Thursday (May 23) with the opponent yet to be determined by the first day of games. The Falcons will play against the lowest seed to win a game on Wednesday (May 22), leaving No. 4 Miami (OH), No. 5 Kent State and No. 6 Toledo as possibilities. No. 2 Western Michigan and No. 3 Ball State round out the field.
Bowling Green is making their first appearance in the MAC Tournament since 2015. This will mark BGSU's 14th appearance in the MAC Tournament, holding a record of 18-23 when playing in the tournament. The Falcons captured the MAC Tournament title in 1998, 1999 and 2013.
This year has been one for the record books for Bowling Green. In addition to setting conference wins records, the team has had their fair share of statistical records. Already, the Falcons have broken the program records for walks drawn in a season, with 296, as well as strikeouts thrown, with 379. As it currently stands, BGSU is on pace to break the program's fielding average record for the second time in three years. This year's team has a mark of .976 entering the MAC Tournament, better than the 2022 record of .973. The team is also just two saves away from tying the program record and are within striking distance of the innings pitched, RBI and runs scored records as well.
Nathan Archer has already put his name in the record book seven times this year and is one RBI away from an eighth. He's entered the top 10 for three career stats and four single-season stats, including breaking the program record for at-bats in a season. Now, Archer can add MAC Player of the Year to his resume. Archer led the MAC in runs and finished the regular season third in RBI, making him the only player in the conference this season to rank inside the top three for both stats. His 17 home runs and three triples also made him one of two players in the MAC with 15+ home runs and 3+ triples, joining Miami's Zach MacDonald. Archer is the third Falcon in program history to be named MAC Player of the Year and the first since Nolan Reimold in 2005.
No. 2 Western Michigan Broncos
The No. 2 seed Western Michigan baseball team begins its run in the 2024 MAC Tournament on Thursday night as it takes on No. 3 seed Ball State.
- The second-place finish is the highest for the Broncos since 1990
- The No. 2 seed is the highest seed for WMU since 1983, when it was the #1 in the West Division (#2 overall)
- The Broncos are 103-90 all-time against Ball State, but only 3-4 in tournament play
- Ball State is the only team in the field to have won the regular season series from WMU
- Western Michigan ended the regular season taking two out of three at Central Michigan
- The Broncos closed out the series with their fifth shutout, the most in the conference
- All five of WMU's shutouts came in league play, with no other team recording more than one
- Western Michigan tied atop the MAC in overall ERA (5.78) and had a league-best 4.85 mark in league play
- Cade Sullivan and CJ Richmond were named to the All-MAC First Team on Tuesday
- Dylan Nevar and Nolan Vlcek earned Second Team selections
- Sullivan also earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team for the second time in his career (2022)
- Richmond enters the tournament leading the MAC in hitting at .398
- Nevar is second in RBIs with 63, which is tied for second-most in a single season in program history
No. 3 Ball State Cardinals
The No. 3 seed Cardinals (32-21-1, 18-12 MAC) most recently took a series at Kent State last weekend to secure the third spot in the league's postseason tourney, which will take place at the home of the Frontier League's Lake Erie Crushers. The Top 6 teams in the conference qualified for the tournament.
The No. 6 seed Rockets (25-30, 16-14) were swept at regular season champion Bowling Green last weekend but took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals from March 22-24 in Toledo.
Ball State is scheduled to play only day games until Friday night at the earliest as long as the schedule holds.
The 2023 Cardinals beat Central Michigan once and Kent State twice last May in Kent to win the program's second Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Ball State's previous tournament championship was in 2006 when the Cardinals also won it at Kent. This group will be seeking the program's third MAC Tournament title and fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Ball State pitching staff paces the MAC with 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking No. 31 nationally, and stands at fourth in the league in ERA (6.12). The Cardinals' bats lead the league in doubles (107) and home runs (87, No. 40 nationally) and rank second in slugging percentage (.507, No. 48) and fourth in hits (536) and batting average (.299) as a team.
No. 4 Miami RedHawks
In Head Coach Brian Smiley's first season, the RedHawks finished the regular season with a 26-25 record (.510 win percentage), the best single-season record since 2019. Miami also finished the MAC season 17-13, recording the best single-season conference winning percentage since 2019.
The RedHawks currently rank third in the MAC in scoring with 7.5 runs per game. The Red and White lead the conference in sacrifice flies (39) and sit at second in sacrifice bunts (27). Miami stands at second in the country for sacrifice flies.
Miami has not appeared in the MAC Tournament since 2019. The RedHawks are looking for their fourth championship in tournament history (1983, 2000, 2005).
Defensively, Miami ranks third in the MAC in fielding and sixth in pitching. As a team, the 'Hawks hold a 6.95 ERA. As for fielding, the Red and White have a .976 fielding percentage. The team ranks 26th in the country and second in the MAC in both double plays (49) and doubles per game (.90).
No. 5 Kent State Golden Flashes
The Golden Flashes are headed to the conference tournament this week in Avon as the number five seed and open against the Miami Redhawks on Wednesday evening.
Avon and the MAC tournament has been historically good to the Flashes. In the eight previous tournaments held in Avon, the Flashes have won three. Kent State's 12 total tournament titles triple the next closest MAC school.
The Flashes and Miami tangled at the start of May, with Miami winning a pair of one-run games. By winning the regular season series, Miami will be the four-seed and the home team on Wednesday.
The Flashes and Miami tangled at the start of May, with Miami winning a pair of one-run games. By winning the regular season series, Miami will be the four-seed and the home team on Wednesday.
No. 6 Toledo Rockets
The Toledo baseball team will begin its run at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Baseball Championships this week. As the No. 6 seed, the Rockets (25-30, 16-14 MAC) will face No. 3 seed Ball State (32-21-1, 18-12 MAC) in Game 1 in the double-elimination tournament on Wednesday, May 22 at 12:30 p.m. at Crushers Stadium in Avon, Ohio. Streaming for the full tournament will be available on ESPN+ and fans can purchase tickets through the MAC website to catch the action in Avon.
Toledo is making its second tournament appearance in three years, having gone 1-2 in 2022. The Rockets were swept by No. 1 seed Bowling Green last weekend, falling 3-1, 8-6 and 3-2 in its final regular-season series.
BSU won 2-of-3 games at No. 5 seed Kent State to finish the regular season, winning 11-9 and 11-1 in the first two games before a 7-2 defeat to close out the series.
The Rockets won the regular-season series with the Cardinals, taking two of three games on March 22-24 at Scott Park. Toledo last matched up with Ball State in the MAC Tournament on May 25, 2017, with the Rockets winning, 15-5.
Garret Pike topped the league in hits throughout the regular season with 80. He also finished tied for first in the MAC with 20 home runs, a Toledo single-season record.
