NL grad Wilson wrapped up BGSU career with MAC title

AVON — Peyton Wilson didn't hesitate. As he watched the warmups for the next game, the Bowling Green State University senior relief pitcher was asked if got everything he wanted out of the college experience. "Absolutely, no doubt in my mind," Wilson said after the Falcons won their Mid-American Conference tournament opener vs. Miami University on May 23 at Lake Erie Crushers Stadium in Avon. "To play college baseball here, and to have an important role and give it my best — yes, it's everything I ever wanted and more." Wilson, a 2020 New London graduate, has as good of perspective as anyone on the BGSU team. The former standout for the Wildcats lost his senior season to the pandemic. In the midst of those uncertain times, BGSU announced the baseball program that Wilson had committed to was going to be cut for budget reasons. But four years later, Wilson was pitching in the MAC tournament at a neutral site in a professional stadium for the regular season league champions. And not only that, Wilson shared the stage with two Firelands Conference teammates in siblings Isaiah and Sam Seidel. Wilson and Isaiah Seidel had epic pitching battles while opposing each other for the Wildcats and Trojans. "Isaiah and I grew up together in summer ball and played against each other at rival schools obviously," Wilson said. "For this to be our last year as college teammates, and having this opportunity to do exactly what we talked about … it's special. "Everything we talked about, what we have been building toward, it finally happened." In 2021, with BGSU returning to the field after being reinstated after alumni raised funding to keep the program going, the Falcons went 20-30. Wilson made 10 appearances with five starts. He was 1-4 with an 8.16 ERA to go with 15 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. The Falcons were 18-34 in 2022, as Wilson made nine more appearances (seven starts). He was 3-4 with an 8.42 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. As a junior in 2023 for the Falcons (20-30), Wilson made 16 appearances (10 starts). He was 1-5 with a 7.62 ERA to go with 44 strikeouts in 52 innings. "It's definitely a big adjustment from high school where you can predominantly just throw your fastball and blow it by kids," Wilson said of pitching at the NCAA Division I level. "You have to make pitches, and even your best pitches you can make still get hit. "Just being able to develop and kind of just adjust to hitter to hitter and pitch to pitch is really big. Adjustments are the biggest difference to try and make sure you stay on top of it." This past season, Wilson made 21 appearances for the Falcons. He was 1-3 with a 9.99 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. The 21 appearances were a team-high for BGSU. Wilson recorded a save for the Falcons against Central Michigan on April 13 with two scoreless innings that included a pair of strikeouts. Wilson also had eight scoreless appearances over 8 2/3 innings this season. "Peyton has been out there in big situations and has gotten big outs for us," BGSU head coach Kyle Hallock said. "He's another guy who has battled through injuries and through a senior year that hasn't been smooth. "But he has a 95 mph arm and a 86 mph slider, and you know when he comes in, he has the chance to shut it down." At New London, Wilson struck out 90 batters in 49 innings with a 1.43 ERA in 2019. He was first team All-FC in each of his three seasons, and earned first team district honors in 2019. He and Isaiah Seidel played a memorable game on April 8, 2019 in Greenwich. Wilson struck out 13 batters and hit a two-run home run off Isaiah, who just missed the state record book with 19 strikeouts in a 4-3 comeback win for the Trojans. Sam Seidel was a freshman shortstop that day for the Trojans as well. Five years later, all three helped the Falcons shock the college baseball world. After nearly losing the program, four years later, the Falcons were 33-20 this season. That included a stunning 24-6 record in MAC play, which gave them the regular season title. The Falcons went 1-2 at the MAC tournament. "This was our dream to play college baseball, and to do it as teammates at a Division I school on this stage at the MAC tournament is surreal," Wilson said of himself and Isaiah Seidel. "We're definitely enjoying the ride and giving it our all. "It's something we enjoy, and obviously we don't have a lot of time left, so we're really trying to embrace it." Hallock said the BGSU turnaround doesn't happen without the son of Josh and Melissa Wilson. "He competes at a high level and comes from a great family," Hallock said. "He was raised to be a high achiever and he's part of this. This doesn't happen without Peyton Wilson. "None of this happens without any of those three (Seidel's) in my opinion. You take one of them out of there, and this does not happen for us the way that it has." Perhaps fitting, the final out recorded by BGSU this season in a 10-5 loss on May 25 in Avon was a strikeout. The final pitch of his career went for a K. "It's been truly remarkable," Wilson said. "We finally got this opportunity and achieving what we wanted with the regular season title was really special."