Baseball Continues Down Tournament Trail – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/1/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 1, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team (49-12, 25-3), after claiming the NCAA Columbus Regional Championship last weekend with three consecutive wins, will host Cal State Fullerton (47-11, 25-5) in the newly-created super regional round of the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes and Titans will play a best-of-three series beginning Friday at 7 p.m. in Bill Davis Stadium (4,450). The teams will meet Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday (if necessary) at 1 p.m. The winner of the three-game series will advance to the College World Series on June 11-19 in Omaha, Neb.
1999 NCAA Baseball,
Super Regional
Check out the Tournament Page for inning-by-inning updates, game recaps, team info, and more from the host Buckeyes.
THE BROADCAST
WOSU Radio (820 AM) will air all games in this weekends super regional. The tandem of Herb Howenstine and Frank Fraas will call the action.
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
OSU captured the Columbus Regional last weekend with three consecutive wins. The last time the Buckeyes won their first three games in the NCAA Tournament was 1966 – the year Ohio State captured its only College World Series title.
TICKET INFO
Tickets for this weekends super regional will go on sale at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 1 through the OSU Athletic Ticket office, located in the southeast rotunda of the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Tickets may also be purchased over the phone by calling 1-800-GO-BUCKS. Box seats are $10, while general admission tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students. An all-session, general admission pass is available for $20.
MAKING HISTORY
Ohio State was one of eight schools selected to host the first-ever super regionals this weekend. The NCAA Baseball Tournament was expanded from 48 to 64 teams this year, thus creating the super regional round. Other super regional hosts include Miami, Stanford, Baylor, Florida State, Texas A&M, Rice, and Alabama.
AWARDS KEEP ROLLING IN
Justin Fry was named a Louisville Slugger third-team All-American last week, marking the second time in three seasons he has earned All-America status. Fry was a second-team All-American in 1997, and has twice been named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. Fry was also named an All-American this year by College Baseball Insider.
MORE AWARDS ON THE WAY
Four finalists for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Mideast Region Player of the Year were announced this week, and two of the four hail from Ohio State. Justin Fry and Mike Lockwood of OSU join Robb Quinlan of Minnesota and Larry Bigbie of Ball State as the four finalists for the award.
THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Ohio State is making its 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its seventh in the 1990s under head coach Bob Todd. The Buckeyes have qualified for the national tournament seven times in the last nine years. Ohio State earned a berth in the national tournament in 1951, 55, 65, 66, 67, 82, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, and 99. The Buckeyes were national champions in 1966 and runners-up in 1965.
OHIO STATE IN THE NCAAS
The Buckeyes enter this weekend with a 32-25 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State has advanced to the College World Series four times (1951, 65, 66, 67). Under head coach Bob Todd, OSU is 11-12 in the national tournament. Ohio State has finished second twice under Todd in NCAA regional play, captured its first regional title this season, but never qualified for the College World Series.
LAST YEAR IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Ohio State last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and played in a regional hosted by Mississippi State. The Buckeyes fell to host MSU 8-5 in the opening game and then dropped a 5-3 decision to Tennessee Tech in the second game.
REGIONAL CHAMPS
In last weekends action, Ohio State captured the regional title by beating Bowling Green 4-1 in the first round, Mississippi State 6-3 in the second round, and the Bulldogs 10-7 again in the championship game. OSU came from behind to win two of the three games.
YOUR PITCHERS CARRY YOU
The three Ohio State starting pitchers last weekend – Justin Fry, E.J. Laratta, and Andy Lee – led the Buckeyes to the regional crown. The three combined to throw 24.1 innings, allowing only six earned runs and striking out 18. OSU had a combined 2.67 team earned run average in last weekends regional tournament that featured two of the top-hitting teams in the nation in Nebraska and Mississippi State. Hitters batted just .200 against OSU pitchers in three games last weekend.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Five Ohio State players were named to the all-regional team last weekend: Justin Fry (P), E.J. Laratta (P), Tom Durant (C), Chad Ehrnsberger (2B), and Matt Middleton (3B). Laratta and Middleton shared the regionals Most Outstanding Player honors.
RECORD TYING PERFORMANCE
Matt Middleton tied an Ohio State record for runs batted in in an NCAA Tournament game in last Sundays Championship. Middleton drove in five runs against MSU, four by way of a grand slam that gave OSU the lead for good. Middleton tied a record held by Russ Nagleson, who drove in five against Washington State in 1965 in the District playoffs.
THE HITTERS IN THE COLUMBUS REGIONAL
Tom Durant 7-14 (.500) Matt Middleton 6-13 (.462) Chad Ehrnsberger 4-11 (.364) Joe Wilkins 4-12 (.333) Jason Turner 4-12 (.333)
CURRENT HITTING STREAKS
Jason Driscoll seven games Mike Lockwood four games
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Senior Kurt Fullenkamp wrapped things up for Ohio State in last weekends championship game against Mississippi State, pitching the final 1.1 innings and allowing only one hit. It marked the first save of Fullenkamps career in 54 appearances.
ONE MORE TO THE DOUBLE DECADE
Mike Lockwood, who finished the regular season as the Big Tens leading run scorer with 67, needs to cross the plate just one more time for the 200th run of his career.
ONE MORE TO CATCH COACH
Jason Trott currently has 249 hits to his credit in his four year career. One more would tie him with current OSU assistant coach Brian Mannino for third place on the all-time hit list (250).
IT HAD TO END SOME TIME
Tom Durant, OSUs leading hitter in the Columbus Regional last weekend, had his career high 14-game hitting streak snapped against Bowling Green in last Fridays game. Durant then rebounded to collect seven hits in the next two games. He has now hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games, and is hitting .571 in his last six games (12-21).
DRISCOLL CONTINUES TO ROLL
Jason Driscoll has played in five regional games in his career (two in 1997, three in 1999), and has a hit in every one.
LETS TALK LARATTA
Freshman E.J. Laratta baffled Mississippi State last weekend in the Columbus Regional. He notched his fifth complete game of the year, allowing only one earned run and striking out six while not walking a batter. Laratta has been nothing short of spectacular at home this season. He went 31 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run in Bill Davis Stadium before a Mississippi State home run snapped that string last weekend. In all games at home this season, Laratta owns a brilliant 0.68 earned run average in 40 innings of work. He is a perfect 6-0 and has struck out 31 while walking only four.
COMING SOON: NO. 25
Justin Fry pitched the 24th complete game of his career Friday against Bowling Green, allowing only two hits and striking out six. Fry improved his 1999 mark to 10-2. The 10 wins this season tie a career high for Fry, who also went 10-3 in 1997.
FRIENDLY COMPETITION
All-Big Ten second baseman Chad Ehrnsberger tied teammate Mike Lockwood for the team-lead in home runs last weekend, slamming his 15th of the season. Ehrnsberger has now hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games and has 13 RBI during that stretch. In OSUs five postseason games thus far (two in the Big Ten tournament, three in the NCAA Regional), he is hitting .353
IN A LEAGUE OF OUR OWN
Ohio State is the only team remaining in the NCAA Tournament that has hosted its conference tournament, NCAA regional tournament, and super regional. The tournament have occurred over three consecutive weekends.
STANDING ROOM ONLY
A Bill Davis Stadium attendance record was broken Friday night when 4,702 fans poured in to watch the Buckeyes top Bowling Green 4-1 in the opening round of the Columbus Regional. The crowd broke the previous mark of 4,424 set on May 15 of this season in a doubleheader against Indiana.
OSU DOMINATES BIG TEN AWARDS
To absolutely no ones surprise, Ohio State players dominated the 1999 all-Big Ten teams and individual awards. Justin Fry was named the 1999 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, and E.J. Laratta was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Fry, Laratta, Mike Lockwood, Chad Ehrnsberger, and Tom Durant were all named first-team all-Big Ten. Jason Trott, Andy Lee, and Cory Cox were all second-team selections, and short stop Trent McIlvain was a third-team pick. Head coach Bob Todd was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year.
REPEAT PERFORMERS
Counting this season, Fry has now been named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year twice (1997 and 1999) and Todd has been dubbed the leagues Coach of the Year three times (1989, 94, and 99). Trott is now a three-time all-Big Ten selection (97, 98, and 99), and Lockwood has been named first-team all-Big Ten for two consecutive years.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
Ohio State was crowned as the Big Ten regular season champion for the sixth time this decade two weeks ago. The Buckeyes have captured the leagues regular season crown in 1991, 92, 93, 94, 95, and 99. OSU has 13 Big Ten Championships to its credit – the fourth most in conference history.
RECORD TYING SEASON
Ohio State tied a conference and school record with 25 Big Ten wins in 1999. This years Buckeyes now share the record with the 1994 OSU team that went 25-2 in conference play.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
Ohio State is 26-3 in Bill Davis Stadium (.897) this season, and was 23-1 at home during the regular season. The Buckeyes won 23 straight in BDS before falling in the regular season series finale to Indiana, then dropping two straight in the Big Ten Tournament. Since Bill Davis Stadium, the 11th-ranked facility in the country according to Baseball America, opened in 1997, the Buckeyes have gone 66-16 at home.
OHIO STATE IN THE POLLS
OSU is now No. 10 in the weekly Collegiate Baseball national poll, climbing from No. 13 last week. Ohio State is ranked 12th in the Baseball America poll this week, climbing four spots from No. 16 last week. OSU remained No. 15 in the USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll, which will not be issued again until the conclusion of the College World Series.
SECOND MOST WINS EVER – AND COUNTING
The 1999 Ohio State baseball team has 49 wins to its credit – tying for the second most in school history. The Buckeyes need four more to tie for the most wins by any OSU club (53 in 1991). Listed below are the most successful teams in school history in terms of total wins. Total wins include any postseason victories, while regular season wins (R.S. Wins) include any games played prior to the Big Ten Tournament:
Year Total Wins R.S. Wins 1991 53 48 1999 49 * 46 1994 49 45 1982 45 43 1993 44 38 * postseason not complete
A SEASON TO REMEMBER
Some highlights and record-breaking performances from the 1999 Ohio State baseball season.
Ohio State set a school record by winning 21 consecutive gamesfrom April 11-May 8. The previous record for consecutive games wonwas 20, held by the 1994 team.
Prior to winning 21 straight, the Buckeyes put together a 14 gamewinning streak, the fourth longest in school history. The 1999 OSUteam is one of only three in school history to have two differentdouble-digit winning streaks.
Ohio State won 35-of-36 games over one stretch this year, markingthe longest string of games with only one loss in schoolhistory.
Ohio State won its first 23 games at home this season, demolishingthe previous school record for best home start (13-0) held by the1984 team.
Ohio State started 21-1 in the Big Ten this year, marking the bestever start by an OSU team since the league expanded to a 28-gameformat.
BEST BIG TEN HITTER EVER?
Ohio State first baseman Jason Trott became the first player in Big Ten Conference history to capture three consecutive batting crowns over the weekend. Trott ended the season hitting .440 in Big Ten games. He won the 1997 crown with a .418 average and the 1998 crown with a .532 average. An Ohio State hitter has now won the batting title in four of the last six seasons (Trott in 1997, 98, and 99; Jonathan Sweet in 1994).
GOING DEEP
The stretch run of the season has brought on a home run barrage from the Ohio State hitters. The Buckeyes have hit 34 home runs in their last 18 games, and had at least one homer in 16 of those 18 games. In post-season play, the Buckeyes have knocked seven home runs in five games.
FINAL BIG TEN LEADERS
Fry and Laratta tied for the Big Ten lead with nine victories each. Andy Lee ranked second with eight. Laratta led the league with three shutouts, and Cory Cox led the Big Ten with nine saves.
ONE FOR THE RECORD
Ohio State closer Cory Cox needs just one save to break a school record for saves in a season. Cox tied the record of nine in one year with a save on May 5 against Oakland. He currently shares the record with Mark Mesewicz, who collected nine saves in 1992.
TOUGH TO BEAT AT BDS
Ohio States success at Bill Davis Stadium this year is unparalleled. Here are the numbers for the Buckeyes, who are 26-3 at home this year, in Bill Davis Stadium:
Ohio State is hitting .331 at home, while opponents are hittingjust .268. OSU has outscored its opponents 207-117 at home.
Chad Ehrnsberger (.370)is Ohio States leading hitter at home. MikeLockwood (.367) ranks second, Jason Trott ranks third (.348), andTom Durant is fourth (.333).
Ohio State has hit 32 home runs at home while allowing only18.
Ohio States fielding percentage is .974 at home, while the combinedopponents fielding percentage stands at .956.
OSUs team ERA at home is 3.58, while its opponents ERA is7.01.
E.J. Laratta sports an 0.68 ERA at home and stands 6-0. He hasstruck out 31 in 40 innings and walked only four. He hassurrendered just three earned runs at home all year.
Justin Fry has a 2.78 ERA at home and stands 5-1. He has struck out45 batters in 45.1 innings.
OFFENSIVE RECORDS IN REACH
Depending on how far Ohio State advances in the NCAA Tournament, the 1999 Buckeyes have a chance to go down as one of the most dangerous offensive teams in school history. Heres how OSUs current offensive totals rank against certain single-season school records:
Runs Year 1. 534 1991 2. 519 1994 3. 515 * 1999 4. 489 1995
Hits Year 1. 695 1995 2. 683 1991 3. 681 * 1999 4. 676 1994 5. 641 1992
RBI Year 1. 477 1991 2. 462 * 1999 3. 462 1994 4. 449 1995 5. 436 1996
Average Year 1. .354 1994 2. .335 1996 .335 1992 7. .328 * 1999
Doubles Year 1. 142 1997 2. 139 1991 3. 128 * 1999 4. 131 1994 5. 127 1995
* season not complete
IF YOU WRITE OR TALK ABOUT JUST ONE OHIO STATE GAME THIS YEAR, PERHAPS IT SHOULD BE THIS ONE
Ohio State erupted for one of the finest offensive performances in school history on May 7, 1999, against Michigan State. The Buckeyes used nine home runs and 20 extra-base hits to notch a 34-4 win over the Spartans. The 34 runs scored were the second most every by an OSU team in 119 years of Buckeye baseball and the most since 1902 (that year, OSU beat Capital 44-2). Ohio State set season highs in at-bats (55), runs (34), hits 29), and home runs (9) in that win. OSU third baseman Matt Middleton hit for the cycle in the win.
RECORD TYING PERFORMANCES
Two Ohio State players will have their names etched into the Big Ten record book next season for their performances in a May 7, 34-4 win over Michigan State. Matt Middleton tied two Big Ten records – hits in a game (six) and at-bats in a game (eight). Mike Lockwood also tied the at-bat record with eight. Middleton is just the fourth player in league history – and only the second since 1957 – to collect six hits in one game. Counting Middleton and Lockwood, three players have now recorded eight at-bats in a Big Ten game (T.J. Jackson of Illinois is the other).
COMEBACK KIDS
The Buckeyes have come from behind to win 17 times overall this season, including twice last weekend in the NCAA Columbus Regional. In 25 Big Ten wins this year, OSU has been forced to come-from-behind eight times (32 percent of the time).
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Fry and Lockwood were named to Collegiate Baseballs preseason All-America third team. Fry was a first team preseason selection in 1998. Freshman pitcher Smith was named a first team top freshman by Baseball America.
HOMESTEAD CHALLENGE WINNERS
The Buckeyes went 8-1 at the Homestead Challenge, winning the Final Four Tournament with a 4-2 victory over Harvard.
HURRICANE CLASSIC CHAMPIONS
The Buckeyes claimed the 1999 BELLSOUTH Hurricane Diamond Classic with a 3-1 weekend at Coral Gables, Fla. Tom Durant was named to the all-tournament team and MVP and Lee, Jason Turner and McIlvain were also all-tournament selections.
