Big HRs marked Seidel's final BGSU season

Sam Seidel doesn't have a good answer. "Maybe I stopped thinking about all these different things about my swing," said Seidel, a recent Bowling Green State University graduate. "But you can't really do that when you're facing teams and pitchers of that caliber." BGSU baseball head coach Kyle Hallock believed he had the explanation. "Sam's ability to be consistently good, day in and day out, allowed him to have those moments in time," said Hallock, a 2007 Perkins graduate. In his final season starring for the Falcons, Seidel, a 2022 South Central graduate, hit seven home runs. But three of those home runs came against very notable opponents and venues. That included a solo home run in the first game of the season at No. 9 Georgia Tech (50-11) on Feb. 13 in Atlanta. The Yellow Jackets came up a run short in extra innings from reaching the College World Series. On April 7, Seidel hit another home run as part of a 3-for-4 performance against Ohio State in a 9-3 win over the Buckeyes (30-25) in Columbus. Two weeks later, he clubbed a three-run home run at Michigan (34-24) on April 22 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The two Big Ten rivals finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 17-team league. Not bad for a player who grew up in Greenwich, a village with a population of roughly 1,400. "I was able to lock in and came away with some big moments that went my way," Seidel said. "I think for my career, I was able to perform in big games and create some special memories to look back on." Those home runs against major opponents were just a glimpse into a bow on a career package that will stand on its own for years to come. Incredible timing As big as those road home runs were, none was bigger than Seidel's grand slam against Ohio University in a Mid-American Conference home game on March 20. It was the home opener for the Falcons at Steller Field. The newly renovated stadium was showing off new field turf and lights, but also new fencing and padding around the outfield walls. In late January, the BGSU athletic department contacted Hallock to get input on the outfield's new look from his senior class. He then turned to Seidel, a graphic design major, who had already been working on a few sketches in his spare time. Less than a month later, on Feb. 27, some of his designs were chosen. Seidel then worked with the vinyl print company in charge of the project on the editing of the images. During BGSU's 17-game road trip to start the season — partly because of the field renovations — Seidel worked on the project. "It was pretty surreal because it all happened so fast," Seidel said. "We were working on my laptop on the bus rides and trying to get things squared away." In right field, the NCAA and MAC logos are joined by a list of years the Falcons have won the MAC or made the NCAA tournament, along with the main BGSU athletics logo. Center field has "Bowling Green Baseball" in gothic lettering, and left field has the number of MLB draft picks from the program along with six retired numbers of past standout players. And, in the far left corner, is an orange silhouette of Seidel swinging a bat with his signature and number 21 as the final stamp to show who created the designs. Right on cue, Seidel stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Just two pitches in, he crushed the baseball to right-center and knew he got every bit of it for a grand slam home run — the first at the redone stadium — over the padded fence he designed. "A pretty special moment that I'll obviously remember forever," he said. "We got a lot of attention from it, so that was cool, too. But it's really just a special feeling to see your name out there. "Even just standing at second base and looking out there … you just realize how grateful you are that people entrusted me with that." Hallock said every so often, the "Baseball Gods" do something to let you know they exist. "I've said this a few times, but that was one of those swings and one of those moments," he said. "It was another example of the impact Sam had on this program." Curtain call Seidel's final season for the Falcons saw him start in 47 games. He missed six games after a hamstring injury suffered right after the home run at Ohio State. He led BGSU (19-34, 12-20) with eight multi-RBI games and was third on the team with 11 multi-hit games. That included five three-hit games, good for second-most on the team. His four runs against the Buckeyes were the most in a game this season for the Falcons, while his career-high 18 stolen bases also tied for the team lead (and 12th in the MAC). For the season, he batted .239 with a team-high 12 doubles (career-high), seven home runs (tied for team lead), and a team-best 27 RBIs. His 28 walks and 28 runs scored also led the Falcons, while his 43 hits were tied for second. Seidel also had a .976 fielding percentage at second base. With a 3.69 grade-point average, Seidel also made the Academic All-MAC list for a third time. "Even though this season didn't end how I expected it to after how well my first three weeks went, it was still a good year," Seidel said. "I believe in my abilities, and I was fortunate to put some things together to get the production I did." After winning the MAC regular season title in 2024 and finishing 33-22 in 2025, Seidel said the losing season in his final year was difficult. "Going into the season, missing the MAC tournament was not even a thought or consideration with where the program was," he said. "We were thinking we had league title hopes and surely would be in the tournament, and for it to go the way it did was pretty exhausting." Seidel said the highs and lows of the year were polar opposites. "There were a lot of good things, including beating Ohio State at their place," he said. "But we also lost to (Division II) Findlay. They're not a bad program, but we shouldn't lose to them at home. Those show you the size of the dips in the highs and lows that we had. "We just couldn't ever hit our stride and figure it out and play good baseball for long stretches. For a championship team, you need a special group where everything clicks. Sometimes it just doesn't align all the way for a team, and it didn't for us." Career rankings After a four-year career where he was in the starting lineup from the start, Seidel leaves the BGSU program with his name in the record book several times. As a freshman in 2023, Seidel batted .260 with 40 hits, five doubles, six home runs, and 19 RBIs. He walked 36 times and also scored 36 runs. In 2024, Seidel broke out. He hit .319 with 12 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 31 RBIs, and 44 runs scored. He reached base in 38 consecutive games and had 20 multi-hit games in that stretch. With his older brother, Isaiah, on the team as a key pitcher, the Falcons were one of the biggest stories in college baseball by winning the MAC regular season title. The championship came four years after the school announced it was going to eliminate the program amid the fallout from the pandemic in May 2020. Seidel's sophomore year numbers earned him All-MAC first team honors. "He was a part of successful teams, and he had some individual moments along the way throughout his four years that no one else has," Hallock said of Seidel. "When you start talking about what he's accomplished, whether it's putting together a season, or a game, or a specific at-bat, he's done it. "He's been an all-conference player because he's done it at each of those levels where he has had those moments that were outstanding in the short term and in the long term." As a junior in 2025, Seidel was limited to 35 games because of a hand fracture. He still managed to bat .324 with six doubles, five home runs, and a career-high 35 RBIs. Among BGSU records, Seidel's 54 stolen bases are the fifth-most in a career. His 106 walks are seventh, as are his 27 hit by pitches. He totaled 661 at-bats, the eighth-most in BGSU history. Seidel was also the MAC Male Scholar-Athlete (Feb. 18). Over four years, Seidel hit .284 with 35 doubles, 22 home runs, and 112 RBIs in 174 career games. He lost 26 games to injuries. "There wasn't a weakness in his game," Hallock said. "In a day and a time when guys can be occasionally great, he was always consistently good. He did everything well. "He fielded, ran the bases, and could steal … and he obviously defended at a high level, too." Full circle Prior to BGSU, Seidel had an incredible senior season at South Central. He was selected as the Firelands Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 2022. He was also Division IV District 9 first team and All-Ohio honorable mention after he hit .455 (41-for-90) with eight doubles, three triples, six home runs, and 26 RBIs in 27 games. Seidel helped the Trojans (20-7, 12-2) to their first FC title in 21 years after adding 22 walks, 45 runs, 34 stolen bases, and a .577 on-base percentage. He had a hit in 25 of the 27 games as a senior, but walked six times and scored three runs in the two games he did not record a hit. But long before that, Hallock had made up his mind on Sam as an assistant coach at BGSU under Danny Schmitz. On April 8, 2019, FC rivals New London and South Central met in a key early-season game in Greenwich. Featuring two pitchers that wound up teammates at BGSU, New London's Peyton Wilson (13) and Isaiah Seidel (19) combined for 32 strikeouts in the Trojans' 4-3 win. "It was Peyton Wilson against Isaiah Seidel, but then there was this little freshman shortstop out there behind his big brother who was having great at-bats and squaring balls up," Hallock said. "And we thought, 'you know what? We can win games with that, too.'" Sam Seidel committed early to BGSU in November 2019. "He was the first commitment from the 2022 class," Hallock said. "He set the tone, and from the first day here, he showed what leadership by example and how to go about your work correctly every day looked like. "He was a big assist in restoring a program to a championship level. He was a high-level performer who gave us everything." This summer, Sam has been giving 30- and 60-minute hitting lessons at Xtreme Fitness and Sports Complex in Norwalk. He is hoping it's the start of being able to stay connected to baseball. "I was fortunate enough to play in a lot of games at BG and win a championship with my brother," he said. "A lot of good memories came from it, so I'm grateful for how it went. Now, I kind of view these kids as my younger self. "I just want to get the most out of them in the time I have with them. It's been a passion of mine for quite some time now, and to just walk away from it would be very hard."