Final Regular Season Series Awaits This Weekend at Maryland
5/5/2022 7:56:05 AM | Softball
2022 Schedule & Results // 2022 Roster // Season Stats // Big Ten Softball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The seventh and final weekend of the Big Ten softball regular season has arrived, and for Ohio State is takes them to College Park, Md. for three games against the Maryland Terrapins. Weather permitting, the schedule calls for single games on Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (noon).
For schedule updates, follow Ohio State softball on Twitter at @OhioStateSB and bookmark the softball schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The Basics
Ohio State at Maryland // Friday, May 6 // 6 p.m. // College Park, Md.
Watch Live: B1G+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Ohio State at Maryland // Saturday, May 7 // 2 p.m. // College Park, Md.
Watch Live: B1G+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Ohio State at Maryland // Sunday, May 8 // Noon // College Park, Md.
Watch Live: B1G+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Basics on the Buckeyes
- After winning two of three games against second-place Nebraska last weekend, Ohio State is 31-14 overall and 11-9 in Big Ten play.
- The Buckeyes have won four of the six Big Ten series they’ve played this year, earning wins over Indiana, Michigan State, Iowa and Nebraska.
- With a .294 team batting average, Ohio State ranks fourth in the conference in hitting and have four everyday starters who check in with an average of .340 or better.
- That group is led by Sam Hackenbracht, who is hitting .370 with a team-high 44 RBI, .748 slugging percentage and 13 home runs.
- Freshman Melina Wilkison, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 25, has a .350 batting average with eight doubles and a team-best 28 runs scored.
- Fifth-year senior Niki Carver is enjoying the best statistical year of her career with a .345 average, .478 on-base percentage, 10 home runs and 28 RBI.
- McKenzie Bump, a first-year starter at third base, is hitting .341 with seven doubles, 19 RBI and 20 runs scored.
- In the circle, Lexie Handley is 19-8 on the season with 230 strikeouts in 185.2 innings, which ranks her among the Big Ten’s best in every pitching category.
- After Handley, sophomores Emily Ruck (5-2, 3.14 ERA in 51.1 innings) and Allison Smith (7-4, 3.92 ERA in 60.2 innings) have nearly evenly split the remaining innings.
Scouting Maryland
- The Terrapins are 28-20 overall and 14-6 in conference play. They currently sit in fourth place in the league standings.
- Maryland owns conference series wins over Penn State, Iowa, Purdue, Rutgers, Minnesota and Michigan State.
- With a .283 team batting average, Maryland is seventh in the league in hitting and ninth with a 3.21 combined team ERA.
- Maryland leads the conference with 123 stolen bases and is No. 1 nationally with 2.58 stolen bases per game.
History vs. the Terrapins
- Ohio State is 16-3 vs. Maryland since the Terrapins joined the conference for the 2015 season.
- The last time they squared off in College Park, Md. was March 29-31, 2019.
- The Buckeyes dropped the first game of the series 3-2 but rebounded for a 10-1 win on Saturday and 15-3 triumph on Sunday.
A Helping Hand
- This weekend won’t be the first time Ohio State and Maryland have seen each other this season.
- On February 20, both teams were is Leesburg, Fla. finishing up a five-game weekend at The Spring Games. On its way to the airport for its return flight to Columbus, Ohio State’s bus broke down.
- To the rescue came the Terrapins, who happened to be traveling near the area. They picked up Ohio State and dropped them off at the Orlando International Airport in time to make their flight home.
That and That on the Buckeyes
- Ohio State checked in this week at No. 24 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings. The Buckeyes are the Big Ten’s second-highest ranked team.
- The Buckeyes haven’t been outside the Top 25 in any of this season’s RPI rankings due in large part to the challenging schedule they’ve played.
- Ohio State has the Big Ten’s third-toughest schedule by opponent winning percentage (.599).
- The Buckeyes already have eight wins over RPI Top 50 teams and a non-conference strength of schedule ranked in the top 30 nationally.
- Lexie Handley is 11 strikeouts shy of breaking the single-season record. The record is currently held by Jamee Juarez, who had 240 during the 2007 season.
- Handley is also one win away from becoming Ohio State’s first 20-game winner since Kim Reeder, who won 21 games in 2009.
- Wilkison’s .350 batting average is the fourth-highest ever among Buckeye freshmen. Kelly Kelland (1981) holds the record with a .389 average.
Big Ten Games Only
- In 20 Big Ten games, Niki Carver has an on-base percentage of .561, good for fourth-best in the conference.
- Fifteen of McKenzie Bump’s 17 RBI have come in Big Ten games. She had three last week in a 4-2 win over Penn State and two more in a 6-2 series-opening victory against Nebraska.
- Kaitlyn Coffman is batting .400 as a pinch hitter in conference games. She’s 6-for-15 with two home runs and seven RBI.
