New Steller Field graphics designed by Falcons’ All-MAC second baseman

Sam Seidel, a graphic design major at BGSU, contributed to the upgraded field by conceptualizing the graphics that will adorn the outfield fence

By Nick Piotrowicz

Already a star second baseman, Sam Seidel will add coverage of an entire outfield to his repertoire this season.

Seidel, a senior on the Bowling Green State University baseball team, played a key part in the renovation of Steller Field by designing the graphics that will adorn the padding on the outfield wall.

A graphic design major at BGSU, Seidel conceptualized an idea for outfield wall graphics during his time at the University, so when the BGSU department of athletics asked the baseball team for design ideas they liked at other stadiums, Seidel took the idea one step further by submitting his original concept.

“I was looking for a few pictures online when I said, ‘I already have these designs,’” he said. “I figured that I might as well just send them in.”

The first-team All-Mid-American Conference second baseman in 2024, Seidel said he was surprised to learn that his concept was not only under consideration – it became the main idea to upgrade his team’s home field.

Within weeks, he was scaling the project, making edits and working with the printing company to make the vision a reality.

“Coach [Kyle] Hallock came back to me and said, ‘Hey, they really like this. Can you start making some edits?’ Seidel said. "At that point, it was just a concept, but as we got into the specifics, it started to get more real as we went on. It was like, ‘Oh, shoot, they’re actually going to pick this.’”

Now in place, the graphics are part of the new look Steller Field, which will dedicate its new turf field, donated by alumnus Paul J. Hooker ’75, at 12:30 p.m. on March 21. The Falcons will play host to Ohio for a scheduled first pitch at 1 p.m.

Seidel’s design is a uniquely BGSU concept that gives the outfield an upgraded look and pays homage to supporters of the Falcons' baseball program, including Hooker and BGSU Hall of Famer Orel Hershiser.

Graphic design professor Jenn Stucker said early-career designers seeing their work in the real world is always a major step, though Seidel has the added bonus of seeing his art live in the home of BGSU baseball, where he has starred as one of the Falcons’ key players.

“Sam has articulated how important the new stadium is to him, so I think he really understands how he can contribute to the experience by letting others see that space in a grand way,” Stucker said. “I think working on the design for the actual space – beyond just working on a thesis project – has been so thrilling for him.”

A native of Greenwich, Ohio, Seidel said he first became interested in graphic design through watching his older brother create baseball edits in Adobe Photoshop. He was fascinated by how the projects came together, and in time, he began doing his own work while in high school.

At BGSU, Seidel knew he wanted to refine a passion into an area of expertise through one of the top design programs in the U.S.

“I started doing gameday edits in high school for the football and basketball teams, so when it was time to pick a major, I knew that was something I enjoyed doing, and I thought I would give it a shot,” he said. “The field design was work I had already done in an area I’m studying as my major, so it’s been pretty cool to see that in action. It’s something real and tangible.”

The demands of a Division I sport and pursuing success in a creative field required Seidel to be regimented with his time, though he found supportive faculty at BGSU who were willing to accommodate both baseball and graphic design.

As Seidel chases his baseball dreams, Stucker said the faculty saw no reason he couldn’t also be successful as a designer. Ahead of the Falcons' first home series of 2026, Seidel's two areas of expertise will merge in a major way.

“Supporting him in both his academic and athletic career has been really important to us,” Stucker said. “He’s conveyed all along that he wanted to juggle both passions, design and baseball, so we really wanted him to have success in both realms. He certainly has.”