BOWLING GREEN — Just seven months ago, the Bowling Green State University baseball team looked as if it was packing up for the final time.
But, remarkably, the Falcons are packing their bags this week to head south for the start of a 2021 season that looked as if it might never happen.
“The excitement is high,” first-year BG coach Kyle Hallock said. “The energy is high. We can't wait to hit some balls in the sky and zip around the field and have the metal spikes on our feet and feel the dirt underneath us again — and smile. This is an experience we will share together. We will take a moment to appreciate how far we've come.”
In late May, it appeared the 105-year history of BGSU baseball had come to a close. The Falcons program, which had claimed five Mid-American Conference championships and made four NCAA regional appearances, was eliminated May 15 due to financial constraints that were exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Players began searching for new programs and the coaching staff began looking for new jobs. However, a philanthropic push preserved the program. In less than three weeks, BGSU baseball alumni and donors committed $1.5 million over the next three years.
“It's the stuff of legends,” said Hallock, who was the team's pitching coach the previous two seasons. “Everyone came together for this program to happen. We've had a lot of legendary players and alumni that have been successful at the game of life. For them to bring it all together and execute it was something they learned at Bowling Green. It showed our current players that these experiences are very valuable.”
On Friday, the bats will ping and the mitts will smack as BG takes on Middle Tennessee State in the season opener.
“We're very appreciative of the opportunity,” Hallock said. “Our reaction was to put our foot on the gas.”
Former Falcons baseball star Andy Tracy, who was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 2006, said all of the alumni owe a debt of gratitude to the special times the program played in their lives.
“I'm excited for them to go have the same path we had the opportunity we were able to have,” Tracy said. “Our alumni base can't wait to get out there and have an opportunity to see them play at home. Good things are ahead for BG baseball.”
Tracy, who grew up in Bowling Green and played four seasons at BGSU, said the credit for saving the program can be spread around.
“It was a collaborative effort by all the alumni and people who have a vested interest in the program. I'm really excited for the staff and the players to get back on the field and compete,” said Tracy, who is now a manager for the Columbus Clippers.
Bowling Green athletic director Bob Moosbrugger said Hallock sent an email out to the program's alumni last week, reaffirming that appreciation.
“I feel the same way,” Moosbrugger said. “No. 1, I feel really grateful for our student-athletes to be able to continue to play the sport they love and the reason they came to Bowling Green — along with working toward a degree. The older guys [in the program] are very appreciative of the alumni that spearheaded [the fundraising effort]. They are excited to get going.”
The Falcons will play a three-game weekend set in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The players have been practicing at the university's field house since the start of practice on Jan. 29 and have yet to play outside.
“The enthusiasm has been very good. You can tell how we are practicing,” Hallock said. “We're excited to get on the bus and head south and put all of the hard work to good use. We can't wait to play an opponent wearing different colors, with the scoreboard lights on, and something on the line. We're glad to finally be here.”
The obstacles have been harrowing, beginning with a sudden halt to last season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 12, MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher canceled the regular season and championship competition for spring sports and suspended all activities.
Hallock and the Falcons were on the bus on the way to a three-game weekend at North Alabama.
“We had to turn the bus around just over the border in Kentucky,” Hallock said. “We had just come off a good solid road win at Youngstown State. We pitched well, scratched across some runs, and it felt like a kick start for us. That was a reality check for us. It was tough for us to swallow.”
Just two months later, the players and coaches were informed of the program's expected demise.
“You learn you aren't always promised tomorrow,” Hallock said. “We lost something that was totally out of our control.”
Hallock put his house in Findlay on the market and went about finding new homes at opposing programs for his players.
“If we learned anything from our season being cut down, all we could control was what was in front of us. We did our best to make sure our players were headed in the right direction,” Hallock said.
Then the lifebuoy came.
“We also are working on reuniting someday, which is exactly what happened through the grace of our alumni and school administration. They came through with a very positive result,” Hallock said.
On the heels of the reinstatement, legendary BG baseball coach Danny Schmitz stepped down after 30 years at the helm. Schmitz, who remains in an advisory role, led the Falcons to NCAA tournament berths three times — in 1998, 1999, and 2013. The Falcons won four MAC regular-season titles and seven division championships in his tenure.
The team went 2-11 last season and 16-33 in 2019. Yet the majority of players opted to stick with the program.
“The group that returned communicated very well with each other. They did not want to be half in or half out,” Hallock said. “They wanted to share a life-long bond. They recruited with each other to come back to be a part of something special.”
And on Friday, the first pitch of the 106th season of BGSU baseball will be thrown.
“Danny is an amazing human being and to pass it on to Kyle … he will do a great job there,” Tracy said. “He has a great staff and really cares about his players. That's the bottom line, developing young men.”
Hallock said his coaching staff does their jobs at a very high level.
“Our players will do the same,” Hallock said. “We are always looking to make sure we are prepared and organized. We pass that down to the players. This program has a standard and each player must meet that standard. And now we are seeing growth and accountability.”
According to Baseball America, Hallock, at age 32, is the youngest head coach in college baseball. Hallock, who was an All-American pitcher at Kent State, said he believes that youth will be beneficial.
“A decade ago I was at the end of my career collegiate and I remember what it feels like to have failed and had doubt creep in. But I also know how to it figure out and have success. I've lived it and it wasn't that long ago that it happened.”
Last semester, the baseball program accumulated a solid 3.41 grade-point average.
“Our guys take pride in that. We have expectations on the field, in the classroom, and the community,” he said.
On the field, the Falcons figure to lean on pitching and defense.
“Those are the two parts of the game that give you the best chance to win,” Hallock said.
BG also will have speed on the bases and be solid at situational hitting.
“We looking to string a bunch of good days together that turn into weeks, and then weeks turn into months, and then months turn into a great year,” Hallock said.
“We'll take a moment, I'm sure, on Thursday night to appreciate how far we've come and establish where we want to go. That starts on Friday.”
First Published February 22, 2021, 12:00 p.m.
