Softball Ready To Do Battle in the Bay – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/24/1998 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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%^$Feb. 24, 1998%^$
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%^$About the Louisville Slugger
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%^$Buckeye Game Schedule
%^$ Ohio State’s schedule features back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday with the championship round on Sunday. A pre-game coin flip will designate the home and away team. %^$ Friday:
%^$ 1 p.m. – Connecticut vs. OSU
%^$ 7 p.m. – Georgia Southern vs. OSU%^$ Saturday:
%^$ 11 p.m. – Coastal Carolina vs. OSU
%^$ 1 p.m. – South Florida vs. OSU%^$ Sunday: (Based on Seeding)
%^$ 9 a.m. – 4th seed vs. 5th seed
%^$ 11 a.m. – 2nd seed vs. 3rd seed%^$ 1 p.m. – 9 a.m. winner vs. 1st seed%^$ 3 p.m. (Championship Game) -%^$ 11 a.m. winner vs. 1 p.m. winner%^$
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%^$Travel Information
%^$ The Buckeyes will depart from Port Columbus International Airport on Thursday at 8:25 p.m. They will be staying at the Best Western Busch Gardens (813-933-4011) at 820 E. Busch Blvd. in Tampa, Fla. %^$
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%^$Athletic Communications
%^$ For any questions or requests regarding the Ohio State Softball team, Sport Associate Pat Chun will represent the OSU Athletic Communications Office on the road. %^$
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%^$Tournament Media Relations
%^$ All requests for credentials and immediate results should be made through Jeramy Michiaels (813-974-4086) of the South Florida Sports Information Office. %^$
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%^$Scouting the Buckeye Opponents
%^$ Connecticut- The Huskies will open up their 1998 season at the USF/Louisville Slugger. Last season, they compiled a 30-20 overall record and finished first in the Big East with a 15-1 record. Head Coach Karen Mullins begins her 15th year as the UConn mentor and returns 10 letterwinners and five starters. UConn is led by third baseman Allyson Johnson. She batted .313 last season. Erin Layton also returns after hitting .297 with 34 RBI last season. Ohio State leads the all time series against UConn, 1-0. Coastal Carolina – The Lady Chanticleers open up their 1998 campaign this week with a home game against Francis Marion on Tuesday and an exhibition game against Bridgewater on Wednesday. Last season, they finished with a 29-30 overall record and finished fourth in the Big South Conference with a 10-6 record. Head Coach Jess Dannelly begins year No. 11 at the Coastal Carolina helm. The team returns six starters and eight letterwinners. Top hitters Kacee Crumpacker and Jessica Falca return after hitting .391 and .384, respectively, last season. On the mound, Sara Norwood returns after a solid 1997 season in which she posted a team low 2.40 ERA and a team high 12 wins. The Friday game against OSU marks the first ever meeting between the two schools. Georgia Southern (5-10-0) – The Lady Eagles enter the tournament having already played 15 games. They are playing better as of late, winning three out of their last five contests. Last season, they finished 20-32 overall and finished third in the Southern Conference with a 5-5 record. Head Coach Kelley Kirkland returns for her third season at the helm. She returns 11 letterwinners and eight starters. Sheri Russo is leading the team with a .381 batting average and eight RBI. McCaine Lowder and Jessie West are hitting .319 and .300 respectively. The pitching duo of Jennifer Miller and Mandi Dunn also return from last season. Miller currently leads the team with both three wins and five losses. She also has a team low 2.03 ERA. Dunn is second on the team with a 3.55 ERA. Friday’s game marks the first ever meeting between the two schools. South Florida – The Bulls are currently ranked No. 10 in the country. They finished last season with a 50-10 overall record and placed first in the Southern Atlantic Alliance Conference with a 12-0 record. The Bulls also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Regionals. Head Coach Ken Eriksen enters his second season at the helm and returns 11 letterwinners and eight starters. First baseman Monica Triner returns after hitting .399 with five home runs and 30 RBI. She is also the teams top pitcher with 23 wins. USF leads the all-time series against OSU 2-0. %^$
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%^$OSU Opens ’98, Finishes Strong In Arizona
%^$The Ohio State softball team opened up its season at one of the toughest tournaments in the country – the Arizona State/Coca-Cola Classic. The Buckeyes were scheduled to face four top 25 teams in the three-day tournament. Against No. 14-ranked Long Beach State, OSU lost 5-1 and against No. 18 Utah, OSU lost 10-5. The Buckeyes turned things around on day two with a 4-0 win over Cal-State Fullerton and lost to Arizona State in its final at bat, 1-0. The final two games against Oregon and No. 1-ranked Arizona were cancelled due to rain. %^$
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%^$Bucks Return to Florida
%^$ The Buckeyes took last season off from Florida but competed the prior two seasons at the Lady Seminole Invitational, in Tallahassee, Fla. In 1995, OSU finished 3-4.%^$%^$
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%^$ In 1996, the Bucks again finished 3-4. Then sophomore Jodi Dolan went 3-1, including a win over No. 9-ranked Florida State. %^$
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%^$Smart Kids
%^$ In the classroom, the Buckeyes dominated, in their typical fashion, with a combined 3.09 grade point average during the fall quarter. %^$
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%^$Pro Potential
%^$ In late December of last year, the Virginia Roadsters of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch league made Jodi Dolan the fifth overall pick in the first round of their college draft. Dolan will complete her final year of eligibility with Ohio State and then reevaluate her situation after the season. %^$
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%^$The Home Opener
%^$ The Big Ten and home opener for the Buckeyes is scheduled for March 28 against Minnesota at 1 p.m. %^$
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%^$The Schedule
%^$ Along with Minnesota, Ohio State will play host to Big Ten foes Indiana, Penn State, Michigan State and Wisconsin throughout the season. Instate rivals Cleveland State, Miami (O.), Dayton, Bowling Green, Youngstown State, Ohio University and Wright State will also make visits to Buckeye Field. OSU will total 29 games on 16 home dates. The schedule will feature numerous promotions and giveaways with sponsors ranging from Old Navy, Gatorade, Big Bear and Donato’s Pizza. %^$
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%^$A New Look For Buckeye Field
%^$ Off-season improvements have been added to Buckeye Field, the home of Ohio State Softball. First, the outfield wall has been painted scarlet, to give the field more of an OSU flavor. Secondly, the warning track will have a new surface consisting of crushed red brick. Finally, the batting cages and bullpens along the third base side of the field will be redesigned. %^$
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%^$1997 Recap
%^$ Ohio State finished last season with 20-31 overall record and 4-18 in the Big Ten (9th place). The record marked an improvement in wins with an improvement in winning percentage by almost 100 points. %^$
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%^$Head Coach Linda Kalafatis
%^$ Head Coach Linda Kalafatis begins her second season at the helm of the Buckeye program. A proven winner, her rookie season was filled with improvement in spite of numerous injuries. In her first Buckeye season, Ohio State’s 20-31 record eclipsed the win total from the previous year and improved its winning percentage by almost 100 points. The team also improved in batting average, doubles, triples, home runs (the total of 18 set a new school record), runs batted in, stolen bases, fielding percentage, and committed fewer errors. The team earned run average shrunk by nearly a full run, improved in strikeouts, and reduced their number of walks, in spite of playing in 11 less games than in 1996. In the classroom, the Buckeyes shined brighter than ever with nine members of the squad earning academic all-Big Ten accolades, 10 members of the team earning OSU Scholar-Athlete honors and three members of the team earning National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American Scholar-Athlete honors. Kalafatis has proven more than capable of turning programs around. She has already taken over two troubled programs and built them into winners. Last season’s 20-31 overall record, marked only her first losing season in nine years as a head coach. Kalafatis came to Ohio State after a three-year coaching stint at the University of Akron. %^$
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%^$On Deck
%^$ The Buckeyes will hit the road the following weekend when they travel to Atlanta for the Georgia State/Lady Panther Classic, March 7-8. OSU is scheduled to face Troy State, Evansville, Loyola, Norfolk State and Mercer. OSU will then finish up winter quarter and then head back West for the AT&T Wireless Classic in Sacramento, Calif., March 19-22. %^$
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%^$Slap Hits
%^$ Head Coach Linda Kalafatis is six wins shy of career win No. 300. %^$
%^$%^$ With the Cal-State Fullerton win, Jodi Dolan is now tied for fourth place on the OSU all-time career win list with 30 (tied with Colleen Kennedy,1986-90). She is also in sole possession of second place on the OSU all-time career shutout list with 14. %^$%^$
%^$ Also against CSF, freshman Amy Paumier recorded her first career hit in the first inning, a single off Jana Oetgan. %^$
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%^$ Sophomore Renae Weigel is currently leading the team with a .600 average and dating back to last season, is on a five-game hitting streak. %^$
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%^$ Junior Meaghan Robinson returns to her home state of Florida. She resides in Naples, which is approximatley 162 miles south of Tampa. %^$
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%^$ Robinson also recorded her first career save against CSF. %^$
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%^$Buckeye Briefs
%^$1 Kristi Martin, Fr., P, R-R – Started her first career game against Arizona State (2/14)…Deceptive arm speed…Is averaging 1.18 strikeouts per inning…With some polish, could turn into one of the top pitchers in the conference. %^$
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%^$2 Jodi Dolan, Sr., CF/P, R-R – Earned OSUs first win of the year against Cal-State Fullerton…Tied for first on the Buckeye all-time home run list with nine and also tied for first in single season bombs with five… Sixth on the Ohio State all-time RBI list with 65…Glove work and range are strong…Can bring the heat from the mound…Third all-time in Buckeye history with 507.1 innings pitched, fourth all-time with 30 victories and second all-time with 14 shutouts. %^$
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%^$3 Cheryl Palaroan, Jr., CF, L-R – Pure speed…Has stolen two bases in two attempts…Started against Arizona State…Looking to put together a healthy year after dislocating her elbow in the first game of last year…Has great range in the outfield. %^$
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%^$4 Natalie Kratzer, Jr., 3B, L-R – Earned starting nods against Long Beach State and Arizona State…Tallied her first hit of the season against in the opener against LBS, a single in the fifth inning. Unrelenting and tireless work ethic…Offers versatility with the ability to play both the infield and outfield…Coaches consider her the heart and soul of the team…A leader. %^$
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%^$6 Meaghan Robinson, Jr., P/1B, R-R – After a rough start to open the season, has settled down to her normal effective self..Has given up only one run in her last nine innings of work…Recorded her first career save against Cal-State Fullerton %^$
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%^$7 Kelli Tom, Jr., P, R-R – Veteran pitcher…Looking to put together a healthy year but is still recovering from fall knee surgery…Can finesse the ball when needed…Will have to shoulder a bigger load this season. %^$
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%^$9 Katie Wessendorf, Fr., 1B, L-R – Walked-on the team in the fall….Very coachable…Made her first career appearance when she pinch-hit in the seventh inning against Arizona State. %^$
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%^$10 Toni Hileman, So., P/1B, R-R – Third on the team with a .300 average…Notched her first career hit as a Buckeye – a single against Cal-State Fullerton’s Chrissy Hartman…Versatile…Can pitch and play first base…Good power…Played last season at Ohio University. %^$
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%^$11 Jaime Chenevey, Jr., C, R-R – Had a hit and RBI against Long Beach State…Monster bat…Monster Arm…Second on the team last year with four homeruns…Had a career high .286 average…Has yet to reach full potential…Coaches expecting a huge season. %^$
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%^$18 Renae Weigel, So., SS, R-R – Is on Fire…Batting a mere .600, with at least one hit in every game…Limitless talent…Worked hard at her game over the summer…Started 49 games last year…Tied the OSU freshman homerun mark with three. %^$
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%^$20 Candace Kollen, Sr., 2B, L-R – Scored twice against Utah…The team catalyst…Strong work ethic…Leadoff hitter…all-Big Ten honoree in 1996…Good range…Will leave an indelible mark on Buckeye softball…Third all-time in Ohio State record book with 37 stolen bases, fifth all-time with .306 average, second in runs scored with 97. %^$
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%^$21 Natalie Tomoguchi, Sr., RF, R-R – Leads the team with three RBI…Rocket launcher for an arm…Looking to put together a healthy year after missing 32 games last season with face and eye injuries …Brings stability to the outfield…Will be counted on for more offensive production. %^$
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%^$22 Amy Paumier, Fr., IF, R-R – Started her first career game against Utah. . .Recorded her first career hit against Cal-State Fullerton’s Jana Oetgan, a single to centerfield in the first inning…Quick…Can play both the infield and outfield…good power…will get every opportunity to earn playing time. %^$
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%^$23 Julie Bauman, Sr., LF, L-L – Off to a good start with a .333 average…Came out of the gate en fuego with four hits in her first eight at bats… Keeps getting better and better…Has improved in every statistical category every season…Get’s the job done…Has great speed with 18 stolen bases and three triples last season…Hit a career high .295…Only true leftfielder on the team. %^$
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%^$28 Holly English, Fr., OF, R-R – Started her first career game against Utah…Solid athlete…will add much needed depth to the outfield…Brings great speed to the outfield.%^$
