Buckeyes Open 136th Season at Snowbird Classic
2/14/2019 11:00:35 AM | Baseball
| Ohio State Baseball Gameday | 2019 NCAA Tournament - Nashville Regional - Opening Round - vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt |
|---|---|
| Site | Hawkins Field - Nashville, Tenn. |
| Date/Time | Friday, May 31, 2019 - 7 p.m. ET |
| Broadcast Info | Live Stats | ESPN2 | Ohio State Radio AM 1460 ESPN |
| Tournament Info | Nashville Regional Tournament Central Page | Tickets |
| Game Notes | Ohio State Game Notes |
| FOLLOW The Buckeyes | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram |
| Team Links | Roster | Schedule | 2019 Media Guide |
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The boys of summer are back on the diamond. The Ohio State baseball team embarks on its 136th season this weekend when it travels to Port Charlotte, Fla., for three games against Seton Hall beginning Friday at the Snowbird Classic. Following three contests vs. the Pirates, the Buckeyes will then travel south for a solo clash at Florida Gulf Coast Monday, Feb. 18.
The Buckeyes open the 2019 campaign vs. Seton Hall at 2 p.m. Friday at Charlotte Sports Park, the home spring training facility of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Buckeyes will then face the Pirates at North Charlotte Regional Park both Saturday and Sunday. First pitch Saturday is at 2 p.m. with the final game set to start at Noon Sunday. Ohio State will then take a bus ride south to face at Florida Gulf Coast at 5 p.m. Monday at Swanson Stadium to conclude the first weekend of play.
SNOWBIRD CLASSIC TICKETS
Individual game tickets are available well as a weekly pass (Saturday-Saturday). Both can be purchased on site.
Individual: $8 | Weekly-Pass: $40
Snowbird Classic Website
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats links can be found by going to the schedule page of Ohio State Baseball on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter via @OhioState_BASE. There will be no live stream or radio at the Snowbird Classic.
ON THE BUMP
Friday, Feb. 15: RHP Rick DeVito (Seton Hall) vs. LHP Seth Lonsway (Ohio State)
Saturday, Feb. 16: RHP Noah Thompson (Seton Hall) vs. RHP Garrett Burhenn (Ohio State)
Sunday, Feb. 17: LHP Tyler Burnham (Seton Hall) vs. RHP Jake Vance (Ohio State)
Monday, Feb. 18: LHP Griffan Smith (Ohio State) vs. TBA (FGCU)
LEADING OFF
- The 2019 Buckeyes return 15 letterwinners from the 2018 NCAA Tournament team that finished with a 36-24 overall record. The team welcomed 16 newcomers in the fall.
- Ohio State is led by ninth-year head coach Greg Beals. He is 261-203-1 overall at Ohio State and holds a 504-405-1 career coaching record. Beals has guided the team to NCAA Regional appearances in two of the last three years.
- The Scarlet and Gray will open the 2019 season with 16-straight road games. The Buckeyes will play in the state of Florida twice and will also visit Texas and South Carolina.
- The Buckeyes are 13-5-1 during the opening weekend in the last five years. Last season, the team went 3-1 at the Snowbird Classic.
- The Buckeyes are 21-10 all-time at the Snowbird Classic and have played in Port Charlotte, Fla., for the last nine years. Ohio State has gone undefeated at the Snowbird twice (2015 and 2017).
- The Scarlet and Gray have won their season opener in five-consecutive seasons.
- Ohio State returns five starting positions players, including 2018 Second Team All-Big Ten Dominic Canzone, 2018 Third Team All-Big Ten Conner Pohl and 2018 All-Big Ten Freshman Dillon Dingler.
- The Buckeyes lost 442.1 innings pitched (IP) of 535.1 total IP from the 2018 team (83 percent). Ohio State will have to replace three starting pitchers this spring. Redshirt freshman left-hander Seth Lonsway and freshman right-hander Garrett Burhenn will each make their collegiate debuts at the Snowbird Classic this weekend.
- Ohio State is 5-4 all-time vs. Seton Hall. Greg Beals is 3-0 vs. the Pirates in his coaching career.
- The team is 1-2 all-time vs. FGCU. The Buckeyes fell in two of three games at FGCU during the 2017 campaign.
- Fifth-year seniors Nate Romans and Ridge Winand along with Canzone and Dingler will be captains in 2019.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
SETON HALL
2018 Record: 30-20-1
Postseason: 2018 Big East Championship Game (L, 7-0 vs. St. John’s)
Top Returning Hitter: Casey Dana, .225, .464 SLG, 7 HR, 27 RBI
Top Returning Pitcher: Ricky DeVito, 6-3, 1.88 ERA, 67 K, 62.1 IP
FGCU
2018 Record: 32-21
Postseason: N/A
Top Returning Hitters: Alex Brait, .335, 5 2B, 5 HR, 27 RBI & Richie Garcia, .324, 17 2B, 7 HR, 50 RBI
Top Returning Pitcher: Evan Lumbert, 6-3, 3.11 ERA, 66 K, 63.2 IP
TRIO OF BUCKEYES NAMED TO B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Juniors Dominic Canzone and Conner Pohl and sophomore Dillon Dingler were named to the Big Ten Preseason to Watch List, the conference office announced Wednesday afternoon. The Buckeyes were picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten. Minnesota was the league’s preseason favorite followed by Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and the Buckeyes.
Canzone, from Sagamore Hills, Ohio, hit .323 with 83 hits, including 18 doubles and four home runs to earn second team honors last year. In his first two seasons with the Scarlet and Gray, the OSU right fielder has combined for 140 hits for a .331 career average, while driving in 71 runs. He’s also swiped 28 bases and has 11 outfield assists in 99 career starts.
Pohl, a native of Arcanum, Ohio, batted .279 with five doubles, seven home runs and 49 RBI to earn third team laurels in 2018. The OSU infielder will be the Buckeyes’ starting first baseman on Opening Day.
Dingler, from North Canton, Ohio, was recognized on the All-Big Ten Freshman list last spring and hit .244 with eight doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI. Gaining starting experience in the Buckeye outfield a year ago, Dingler will start behind the dish in 2019.
THE NEWCOMERS
Ohio State has 15 newcomers on the 2019 spring roster, including two transfers: Junior Joe Gahm (Chattahoochee Valley CC; Richfield, Wis.) and redshirt sophomore Brent Todys (Andrew College; Westerville, Ohio). Junior Sam McClurg also joins the team (St. John’s Jesuit).
The Buckeyes also welcomed 11 freshmen consisting of five position players and six pitchers: Bayden Root (Kokomo, Ind.), TJ Brock (Cincinnati, Ohio), Nolan Clegg (Toronto, Ohio), Alec Taylor (Steubenville, Ohio), Marcus Ernst (Dublin, Ohio), Nick Erwin (Grove City, Ohio), Garrett Burhenn (Indianapolis, Ind.), Will Pfennig (Mason, Ohio), Cole Niekamp (Versailles, Ohio), Mitch Milheim (Powell, Ohio) and Mitchell Smith (Pickerington, Ohio).
UNDER BEALS
Ninth-year head coach Greg Beals is the 11th head coach in Ohio State history and the fourth in the last 60 years. In his 17th year as a collegiate head coach, he is 504-405-1 all-time and 261-203-1 at the helm of the Buckeyes.
THE COACHING AND SUPPORT STAFF
Greg Beals is assisted by associate head coach Mike Stafford, assistant coach Matt Angle and volunteer coach Dan DeLucia. Stafford, who is the longest tenured pitching coach in the Big Ten, will begin his 16th season as Beals’ pitching coach. Angle is in his first year as an assistant coach after being the team’s volunteer video coordinator the last four years, while DeLucia is in his sixth season. Supporting the coaching staff his director of operations Blair Everhart, quality control coordinator Kirby Pellant, strength and conditioning coach Dean Hansen, student assistant coach Ryan Riga and athletic trainer Paul Dawson.
OHIO STATE BASEBALL TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
Single-game tickets for all 24 Ohio State baseball home games are now available for purchase. The Buckeyes open their home schedule Friday, March 15 against Lipscomb with Big Ten home games beginning Friday, April 5 against Northwestern.
Subject to availability, single game tickets may be purchased by phone by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, online by clicking HERE, or in person at the Ohio State University Ticket Office in the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Tickets may also be purchased at Bill Davis Stadium 90 minutes prior to each game. Prices will vary based on seating location and service fees may apply. Reserved Box Seats are $11 for adults, $8 for seniors/students/youth and everyone, regardless of age, must have a ticket in these sections. General Admission Bleacher Seats are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, $5 for students/children, and children under the age of 6 are admitted free.
Full season tickets for baseball may be purchased by contacting the Athletic Ticket Sales Office at 1-800-GoBucks (select option 2, then option 8), or email athleticsales@osu.edu to speak with an account executive. Group Tickets are available to all Ohio State Baseball home games at Bill Davis Stadium! Ticket minimums may apply for certain group experiences and must be purchased through the Group Sales office (select option 2, then option 8). For more info on season or group tickets, click HERE.
UP NEXT
Ohio State will travel to Corpus Christi, Texas, for the 2019 Kleberg Bank Tournament Feb. 22-25. The Buckeyes will play single games against BYU and Oral Roberts and two contests vs. tournament-host Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
