The Mid-American Conference Tournament begins at 9 a.m. today and continues until Saturday at the VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe. The Bobcats will play at 12:30 p.m. looking to win their first MAC Tournament Title since 1997. Here is a breakdown of each first-round matchup.
No.1 Bowling Green (28-20, 18-8 MAC)
Coach: Danny Schmitz (19th season, 517-461-4)
Star Watch: Ryan Shay: Shay leads the Falcons with 80 hits and has been a consistent leadoff hitter all season. He also has shown power with 13 homers, second on the team.
Outlook: The Falcons look like the team to beat again. After they were in third place for much of conference play, Bowling Green came on strong at the end of the year to regular-season capture the title.
vs.
No. 8 Central Michigan (27-28, 12-15 MAC)
Coach: Steve Jaska (Seventh season 226-169-1)
Star Watch: Matt Faiman: Faiman tied for the team lead with 71 hits, posting a .332 average in a team-high 54 starts in right field.
Outlook: The Chippewas squeaked into the field despite losing two out of three games to Eastern Michigan last weekend. They had won six or seven before that, but don't expect them to do much damage against the potent Bowling Green offense.
No. 2 Ball State (26-23, 14-10 MAC)
Coach: Greg Beals (Seventh season, 214-171)
Star Watch: Jeremy Hazelbaker posted a .426 average along with a .547 on base percentage to lead the Cardinals to a MAC West title.
Outlook: The Cardinals are arguably the MAC's hottest team, having won three of their last four series. They are the tournament's dark-horse pick with all the attention on the teams from the East.
vs.
No. 7 Eastern Michigan (23-33, 13-14 MAC)
Coach: Jay Alexander (First season, 23-33)
Star Watch: Matt Skirving led the Eagles with 16 homers and 59 RBIs as a designated hitter.
Outlook: Last season's tournament champions already beat first-round opponent Ball State twice, so don't count the Eagles out.
No. 3 Ohio (28-22, 18-9 MAC)
Coach: Joe Carbone (613-518-2)
Star Watch: Marc Krauss' numbers (.392 average, 24 home runs) certainly speak for themselves. But his presence in the lineup forces other teams to pitch around him, which can be difficult with so many other weapons.
Outlook: The Bobcats enter the MAC Tournament on a high note having swept Buffalo in thrilling fashion. The hitting is clearly there, and if the Bobcats can get consistent pitching for a week, there's no reason they can't win the tournament.
vs.
No. 6 Toledo (21-29, 14-12 MAC)
Coach: Cory Mee (Sixth season, 126-188)
Star Watch: Pitcher Matt Kuna led the Rockets with four wins in 11 starts. In any one game, he can match up with any of the best pitchers in the MAC.
Outlook: The Rockets haven't done much well lately, losing seven of eight games and five in a row entering the tournament. But it only takes one game to get hot.
No. 4 Kent State (38-15, 17-9 MAC)
Coach: Scott Stricklin (Third season, 178-101)
Star Watch: Greg Rohan led the Golden Flashes with 12 homers and a team-high 71 hits at first base.
Outlook: The Golden Flashes, once ranked nationally, slid to the No. 4 seed after losing two of their final three series. Kent State did beat Miami in their series finale to regain some momentum, so they should contend with Bowling Green.
vs.
No. 5 Miami (28-23, 15-12 MAC)
Coach: Dan Simonds (Fourth season, 111-108)
Star Watch: Tommy Nurre leads the RedHawks with a .397 average in 14 home runs, including 10 in conference play.
Outlook: Miami also stumbled into the tournament losing three of its last four series. Yet with seven-game winner Matt Erwood leading the starting rotation, the could have the potential to do some damage as the No. 5 seed.
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Steve Gartner
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