BOWLING GREEN — When Bowling Green State University cut its baseball program last month, its ace recruiter jumped into action.
Kyle Hallock became the busiest salesman since the ShamWow guy.
For one, the 31-year-old Falcons assistant had a house to unload. He and his wife, Morgan, immediately listed their four-bedroom ranch in Findlay.
For another, Hallock had a roster of heartbroken players suddenly looking for a new school. He spent his days calling every college coach he knew.
“We were selling our guys hard,” he said.
It was only mid-sale — as an alumni-led fundraiser to save Bowling Green baseball gathered serious steam — that it began to hit him.
Uh, guys, make sure you keep that receipt.
“If this comes back,” Hallock told his players, many with both spikes already out the door, “we’d love to have you.”
What happened next was nothing short of the best rally of the college baseball season.
And I’m not just talking about the reinstatement of the Bowling Green program.
I’m talking about the reassembling of it, too.
Because it was one thing — a wonderful thing — for a faithful legion of alums to raise the half-million per year required to keep the lights on at Steller Field. The human capital was another story.
Who would have blamed any of the Falcons players for leaving for greener fields elsewhere?
In the 18 days between the revocation and the revival of baseball as a varsity sport, many of them took calls from schools across the land.
Take Tyler Hays, the sophomore ace who had a 1.66 ERA in four starts this year and had offers from a line of top programs, including Coastal Carolina, the powerhouse that won the College World Series in 2016.
Or Owen Recker, the hard-throwing freshman who averaged two strikeouts per inning in his final two seasons at Kalida High School, and was ranked by Prep Baseball Report as the fourth-best Ohio pitcher in his class.
Or Andrew Abrahamowicz, the Saturday starter who transferred from Nebraska. Or Adam Furnas, the team-leading run producer from Bowling Green. Or Dylan Dohanos, another homegrown star who told me he talked to more than 20 schools during his re-recruitment.
All had many options.
And yet the darnedest thing happened.
All reaffirmed their commitment to Bowling Green, as did all but a handful of their teammates and incoming recruits, the pledges rolling in one after another on Twitter.
“We are back baby!”
“Let’s rock and roll!!”
“Recommitted.”
While seven players understandably transferred — including promising freshman infielder Trent Farquhar (Michigan State) — nearly 30 did not, hoping to turn a good story into a great one ... together.
“We can do something special here,” said Hays, who planned to pitch in the Cape Cod League this summer.
Indeed, the players believe in Hallock, a former All-American pitcher at Kent State and well-liked second-year assistant who is taking the keys from Danny Schmitz. And they believe in Bowling Green.
If that seems strange — to believe in the place that eliminated your program — put yourself in the cleats of a young ballplayer.
It doesn’t matter that you dress in the hockey rink, or play in an old stadium, or have the lowest budget in the Mid-American Conference, or won only 16 games last year. What matters is the people — your friends and teammates — and the opportunity, the greater the odds, the better.
What could be sweeter than being the group that stayed true to BG baseball at its darkest hour and shepherded the 105-year-old program to glory? You know what they say about those who stay.
“Imagine telling everyone your program got cut,” Hays said, “and then you won the MAC championship.”
“We talked about that as a team,” Hallock added. “This is the stuff that they make those ESPN 30 for 30s about, if we came back and were able to win, and win big.”
At the least, it is a fun thought, and the Falcons are grateful for the chance to dream.
“Our guys believe in what we're building here,” Hallock said. “This experience will bring us closer together and give us a greater appreciation for the opportunities Bowling Green State University offers all of us. I feel like our guys, our coaches, our staff, we will get out of bed every morning looking to make those that are investing in us proud.
“That jog the guys make across Stadium Drive every day to come over to practice every day, they will enjoy that.”
Oh, and for the record, Hallock did sell his home before he had the chance to pull it off the market, though not to worry. He and Morgan just had an offer accepted on a house in Bowling Green.
What, don’t tell me you doubted his ability to close a deal.
First Published June 20, 2020, 3:00 p.m.
