This fall, the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame inducted 15 new members, including baseball alumnus Jonathan Sweet.
Jonathan Sweet was a three-year letterwinner on the baseball team from 1992-94, He earned Second Team All-America honors after batting .390 in his final season in Columbus in 1994. The 1994 Big Ten Player of the Year captained the Buckeyes to one of the best seasons in program history when the squad was a nation’s best 49-9 and won the Big Ten title.
As a sophomore in 1993, Sweet appeared in 63 games and batted .341 while helping the team to a Big Ten title and a runner-up finish at the NCAA regional. Sweet also earned freshman All-American honors in 1992 after hitting .291 with 26 RBI.
At the time of his induction, Sweet ranks 14th on the all-time list at Ohio State with a .351 career batting average and eight triples. His remarkable 1994 season still stands out as one of the best individual years by any OSU hitter, as he ranks in the Top 20 in a single season in batting average (.390), hits (87), doubles (21), RBI (56) and runs scored (63).
Sweet was drafted in the 19th round of the 1994 amateur draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would play six seasons of minor league ball, advancing to Triple-A Nashville in 1998.
