COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off a solid weekend in Texas, Ohio State will head west for a three-game series with Cal State Bakersfield this weekend. Frist pitch Friday and Saturday nights will be at 9 p.m. ET and Sunday’s finale will start at 3 p.m. ET.
Game 1
March 10 | 9 PM ET | Watch | Scoring
Probable Starters:
Ohio State: LHP Isaiah Coupet
CSU Bakersfield: RHP Ryan Verdugo
Game 2
March 11 | 9 PM ET | Watch | Scoring
Probable Starters:
Ohio State: RHP Justin Eckhardt
CSU Bakersfield: RHP Jeter Schuerman
Game 3
March 12 | 3 PM ET | Watch | Scoring
Probable Starters:
Ohio State: LHP Gavin Bruni
CSU Bakersfield: LHP Matt Comnos
**starters based on last weekend’s rotation
Last Time Out
- Last weekend, Ohio State went to Texas and won the prestigious Frisco Classic, beating 2021 national champion Mississippi State and 2022 national runner-up Oklahoma.
- Sophomore Tyler Pettorini led the Buckeyes at the plate, hitting .417 with four doubles and five RBIs.
- Kade Kern and Marcus Ernst each had four hits and both players collected a home run on the weekend. Kern’s home run was a three-run shot late in the championship game against Oklahoma.
- Freshman catcher Matthew Graveline played in two of the three games and collected three hits with a double and an RBI.
- On the mound, Isaiah Coupet was brilliant once again, limiting MSU on Friday night to just one unearned run in 5.0 innings while striking out nine.
- Left-hander Blayne Robinson worked 1.2 innings of scoreless relief over two outings
- Freshman closer Landon Beidelschies picked up the save in the finale against Oklahoma, showing a ton of moxie in a big spot
- Kern, Pettorini and Coupet were all named to the All-Tournament Team
On the year
- Nick Erwin is batting .308 and leads the team with 11 runs batted in to go along with 12 hits
- Marcus Ernst tops the team with 13 hits and has also scored a team-high tying 11 runs. Ernst has hit three home runs already this season. His career-high for a season was four, which he set last season
- The two Buckeye catchers, Matthew Graveline and Cole Andrews, have combined to hit .318 with two homers, 11 RBI and nine runs scored
- Southpaw Isaiah Coupet leads the Big Ten in ERA (0.50) and strikeouts (27). Opponents are batting just .127 against him. He has allowed just one earned run despite five of the eight hits he’s allowed on the season going for doubles.
- Closer Landon Beidelschies has a pair of saves on the year, which is tied for the lead in the Big Ten.
- Jonah Jenkins is 2-0 on the season in relief. He’s covered 11.1 innings, which is second on the team and owns a 2.38 ERA with 11 punchouts
- As a staff, the Buckeyes are second in the Big Ten in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.1
- The Buckeyes have emptied the pen as 16 different pitchers have been used over the first three weekends
The Opponent
- Cal State Bakersfield is 7-5 on the season and is coming off a three-game sweep last weekend at the hands of No. 2 Stanford. The Roadrunners allowed 39 runs in the three games against Stanford.
- Riley Kasper has started all 12 games and leads the team at the plate with a .289 batting average on 13 hits.
- James Bell has one of the team’s two home runs on the year and tops the squad with 10 runs batted in
- Nick Salas has collected a Big West leading 13 walks and has been hit by a pitch three times in 48 plate appearances
- On the mound, Friday night starter Ryan Verdugo is 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA in a team-high 17.1 innings of work.
- Jeter Schuerman tops the squad with 18 strikeouts in 16.0 innings. He is 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA.
- Four different pitchers have recorded a save so far this season
- Gabe Ulloa has worked a team-high 14.2 innings out of the pen and has a 2-1 record on the year
#GoBucks
