Home Finale Set for This Weekend vs. Nebraska
4/28/2022 9:21:33 AM | Softball
Season Stats // 2022 Schedule and Results // 2022 Roster
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final home regular season weekend of the 2022 Ohio State softball season has arrived, and it includes a visit from an opponent the Buckeyes haven’t played in seven years.
The Buckeyes (29-13, 9-8) host Nebraska (34-11, 14-2) for three games at Buckeye Field Friday through Sunday. Friday’s game is slated for a 6 p.m. first pitch, followed by a 2 p.m. start on Saturday and noon series-finale on Sunday.
All three games can be seen on B1G+. Live stats will also be available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The Basics
Nebraska at Ohio State // Friday, April 29 // 6 p.m. // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live: B1G+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Nebraska at Ohio State // Saturday, April 30 // 2 p.m. // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live: B1G+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Nebraska at Ohio State // Sunday, May 1 // Noon // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live: B1G+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Gameday Links
Ohio State Roster // Ohio State Schedule & Results // Ohio State Stats // Big Ten Softball
Nebraska Roster // Nebraska Schedule & Results // Nebraska Stats
Briefly on the Buckeyes
- Following a doubleheader split vs. Penn State on Tuesday, Ohio State is 29-13 overall and 9-8 in Big Ten play.
- The Buckeyes have six everyday starters who are batting .300 or better, led by junior Sam Hackenbracht.
- She checks in with a .360 average, 13 home runs and 40 RBI. All of those numbers put her among the league leaders in batting average, home runs, slugging percentage and runs driven in.
- Fifth-year senior Niki Carver is setting single-season career-highs in nearly every offensive category, including batting average (.343), home runs (10), RBI (28) and on-base percentage (.477).
- In the circle, graduate student Lexie Handley (17-7) has a 2.52 ERA in 172.0 innings pitched with 218 strikeouts and a .211 batting average against.
- Sophomores Allison Smith and Emily Ruck have split the majority of the remaining innings. They have a combined 12-6 record and average a strikeout per inning.
Saluting the Seniors
- Ohio State will celebrate five seniors and their families this weekend at Buckeye Field. They are:
- Niki Carver: A native of Gainesville, Ga., Carver has played in 194 career games and is the team’s active career leader in hits (148), runs scored (99), RBI (103) and batting average (.286). She is a human development and family science major who intends on using her degree to teach special education.
- Avery Clark: Clark is an OSU Scholar-Athlete and health sciences major who has played in 71 career games with 42 starts at third base. She has a .298 career batting average with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Next year, she plans to attend nursing school.
- Kaitlyn Coffman: From Visalia, Calif., Coffman has seen action in 127 career games with 101 starts in the outfield. She’s hit 12 home runs and driven in 57 runs. Coffman is majoring in speech and hearing science.
- Lexie Handley: A graduate student, Handley’s one season with the Buckeyes has been a memorable one. She enters the weekend with a 17-7 record in the circle and among the Big Ten leaders in innings pitched (172.0), strikeouts (218) and ERA (2.52). She’s completing her master’s degree in sports coaching.
- Jessica Ross: Ross came to Ohio State from Woodland Hills, Calif. and is a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete who’s also made 20 appearances in the circle. During a COVID-shortened 2020 season, she set a career high with eight strikeouts in seven innings vs. N.C. State. Ross is majoring in English.
Buckeye This and That
- Ohio State hasn’t faced Nebraska in a regular season series since 2015. That weekend, the Huskers took two of three games before the teams met again in the quarterfinals on the Big Ten Tournament.
- Over 14 innings on Tuesday, Lexie Handley struck out 22 batters to bring her season total to 218 in 172.0 innings.
- Handley’s strikeout total is the third-most in a single-season, behind only Katie Chain (222 in 2002) and Jamee Juarez (240 in 2007).
- Niki Carver ranks sixth in career games played and fifth in games started since 2013.
- Sam Hackenbracht and Carver are tied for the active career lead in home runs with 27. That is fourth-highest among players in the last 10 seasons.
- Melina Wilkison’s .348 batting average is the best among freshmen in head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly’s 10 years seasons in Columbus.
- The 2022 Ohio State pitching staff has a combined .224 batting average against, which is the third-best over the last 10 seasons, topped only by the 2018 and 2019 squads.
