Fourth Tournament of the Season Sends Softballto Sacramento – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/17/1998 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 17, 1998
The Air Touch Cellular Capital Classic
Sacramento Calif., will be the site of this year’s Air Touch Cellular Capital Classic hosted by Sacramento State. All games will be played at the Sacramento Softball Complex (916-277-6087) at 3450 Longview Dr. with games held on two fields.
The 16 team field will be divided up into four pools. Pool A will feature Sacramento State, Baylor, Central Michigan and Ohio State. Pool B will have Harvard, Nebraska, San Jose State and Southwest Missouri State. Pool C includes Iowa, Pacific, Oregon and Texas A&M. Pool D will feature Arkansas, California, Hawaii and Kansas.
Seeding will then be based on each team’s record in pool play. The first single elimination game will be on Friday at 7 p.m. Single elimination and consolation rounds will continue all day Saturday. Sunday will feature the semifinal and championship games.
Buckeye Game Schedule Ohio State’s schedule features games on Thursday and Friday with the remaining games based on seeding. Thursday – 7 p.m. – Central Michigan vs. OSU Friday – 9 a.m. – Baylor vs. OSU 1 p.m. – Sacramento State vs. OSU
Travel Information
The Buckeyes will depart from Port Columbus International Airport on Wednesday at 12:42 p.m. They will be staying in the Hallmark Suites (916-638-4141) at 11260 Point East Dr., in Rancho Cordova.
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.
Tournament Media Relations
All requests for credentials and immediate results should be made through Robert Pratt (916-278-6896) of the Sacramento State Sports Information Office.
Scouting the Buckeye Opponents
Central Michigan – The Chippewas are 7-8 overall and are currently carrying a two game losing streak. Head Coach Margo Jonker is in her 19th year at the helm. Offensively, Heather Nolan leads the team with a .370 average and 15 RBI. Tina Kinney has chipped in with a .333 average and a homerun. Pitcher Anne Foster leads the team with four wins and has a team low 3.43 ERA. Central Michigan leads the all-time series against OSU, 1-0.
Baylor – The Bears are currently 8-13 overall and are currently carrying a six game losing streak. The six-game slide includes four straight loses at last weekend’s Oklahoma University tournament. Friday’s game marks the first ever meeting between the two schools.
Sacramento State – The Hornets are currently 7-9 and will have home field advantage throughout the tournament. Sacramento State leads the all-time series over the Buckeyes, 3-0. OSU Returns to Sacramento
The Buckeyes make their return to Northern California after a year off. In 1996, OSU competed in the Sacramento State/AT&T Wireless Services Capital Classic and came away with a winning record. The team finished with a 4-3 overall record with all its victories in shutout fashion. Then sophomore Jodi Dolan notched a 1-0 win over No. 23-ranked Utah (3/23) and a 8-0 win over Toledo (3/23). Then freshman Meaghan Robinson recorded a 7-0 win over Bowling Green and a 2-0 blanking of Toledo. The four consecutive wins at the Classic also marked the longest Ohio State winning streak of the 1996 season.
Blame It On the Rain
After coming off of the South Florida/Louisville Slugger Championship, the only thing that stopped the Ohio State attack turned out to be Mother Nature. Heavy rainfall forced the cancelation of the Georgia State/Lady Panther Invitational. The tournament will not be made up in the future.
1998 USF/Louisville Slugger Champions
The South Florida/Louisville Slugger tournament in Tampa, Fla., turned into a special trip for the Buckeyes. OSU won the tourny championship with a 5-1 record and upset win over No. 5-ranked South Florida. Enroute to the tournament championship, the Buckeyes won three games in the round robin portion of the tournament to earn the No. 2 seed. They defeated Connecticut 5-0, Georgia Southern 4-2 and Coastal Carolina 11-3. The only blemish of the weekend came in the final round-robin game, a 3-2 loss to South Florida in extra-innings. In the championship round, the Buckeyes erased a 2-0 deficit to defeat Georgia Southern 6-2 and then pulled off the 1-0 upset to win the championship over South Florida.
Four Bucks Earn Honors In Florida
Ohio State placed four members of its team on the USF/Louisville Slugger all-tournament team – more than any other school participating in the tournament. Leading the way was pitcher Meaghan Robinson, who was also named the Most Valuable Pitcher. The junior went 2-0 and did not give up a run in 15 innings of work. Freshman third baseman Amy Paumier batted .357 with three doubles and three RBI. Junior outfielder Cheryl Palaroan hit .429 with three stolen bases. Senior leftfielder Julie Bauman hit .316 with three runs and a double. She also hit safely in all six games.
Smart Kids
In the classroom, the Buckeyes dominated, in their typical fashion, with a combined 3.09 grade point average during the fall quarter. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Getting Results
Game results will be posted on the Ohio State website (www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com) and on the Fax-on-demand service (The Big Ten passcode – 282; Release – 2665, Last Game Results – 2667).
On Deck – The Home Opener
The Big Ten and home opener for the Buckeyes is a double-header scheduled for March 28 against Minnesota at 1 p.m. The two teams will tangle the following day with a single game at 1 p.m.
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. Every Sunday, OSU will have an autograph session with the team at the conclusion of each game.
Did You Know?
The last time a Buckeye pitcher won two games in one day (both shutouts) occurred the last time Ohio State competed at the Sacramento State/Capital Classic. On March 23, 1996, then sophomore Jodi Dolan recorded wins over Utah, 1-0, and Toledo, 8-0.
Slap Hits
Head Coach Linda Kalafatis is one win shy of career win No. 300.
For the second consecutive season, Coach Kalafatis and the Buckeyes are off to a 6-4 start after 10 games.
For the second consecutive season, the Buckeyes came away as champions in the second tournament of their season. Last year, the Bucks won the Troy Cox Memorial and this year they won the USF/Louisville Slugger.
Senior Julie Bauman has been the model of consistency this entire season. She has at least one hit in nine of the ten games this season and is currently carrying a team high seven-game hitting streak.
Junior Meaghan Robinson may be one of the hottest pitchers in the country. She was named Most Valuable Pitcher at the USF/Louisville Slugger with a 2-0 record and did not give up a run in 15 innings of work. Over her last 23 innings, she has given up only one run.
The Buckeyes are 6-2 over their last eight games. The two loses have both been by a single run and have come in dramatic fashion. ASU defeated OSU in its final at bat and USF defeated OSU in extra-innings.
Buckeye Briefs
1 Kristi Martin, Fr., P, R-R – Rung up 12 strikeouts (just two shy of the OSU all-time single game record) against Coastal Carolina (2/28) in her first career win…Started her first career game against Arizona State (2/14)…Deceptive arm speed…Is averaging 1.5 strikeouts per inning and 10.5 K’s per game.
2 Jodi Dolan, Sr., CF/P, R-R – Earned OSUs first win of the year against Cal-State…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.
3 Cheryl Palaroan, Jr., CF, L-R – Made USF/Louisville Slugger all-tournament team with a .429 tourny average…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.
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.
6 Meaghan Robinson, Jr., P/1B, R-R – One of the hottest pitchers in the country…Given up only one run in her last 23 innings pitched and is also on a two game winning streak…Earned Most Valuable Pitcher and all-tournament team honers at the USF/Louisville Slugger…Recorded her first career save against Cal-State Fullerton.
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.
9 Katie Wessendorf, Fr., 1B, L-R – Batted a solid .333 with four RBI at the USF/Louisville Slugger…First career hit came against Coastal Carolina…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.
10 Toni Hileman, So., P/1B, R-R – Had a 2 for 4 performance with two RBI against Coastal Carolina…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.
11 Jaime Chenevey, Jr., C, R-R – Blasted first homerun of the season against Georgia Southern (3/1)…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…Coaches expecting a huge season.
18 Renae Weigel, So., SS, R-R – Stepped up in the clutch for her team with the game winning RBI against No. 5-ranked South Florida…Leads the team with a .407 average…Worked hard on her game over the summer and results have been very apparent…Started 49 games last year…Tied the OSU freshman homerun mark with three.
20 Candace Kollen, Sr., 2B, L-R – Emerged from a slow start by raising her average 158 points last weekend…Hit safely in four of six games last weekend, including a 3 for 4 performance over Georgia Southern (3/1)…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 39 stolen bases, fifth all-time with .306 average, second in runs scored with 97.
21 Natalie Tomoguchi, Sr., RF, R-R – Leads the team with four 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.
22 Amy Paumier, Fr., IF, R-R – Earned USF/Louisville Slugger all-tournament team honors with a .357 tournament average, three doubles and three RBI…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.
23 Julie Bauman, Sr., LF, L-L – Earned USF/Louisville Slugger all-tournament honors with a .316 tournament average…Came out of the gate en fuego with four hits in her first eight at bats… The true model of consistency with a team high six game hitting streak and has hit safely in nine of OSU’s ten games…Has great speed with 18 stolen bases and three triples last season…Hit a career high .295…Only true leftfielder on the team.
28 Holly English, Fr., OF, R-R – Started her first career game against Utah…Solid athlete…adds much needed depth to the outfield…Brings great speed to the outfield.
