Softball Begins Busy Month of April – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/30/1998 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 30, 1998
Buckeyes host Indiana on Wednesday, Cleveland State on Thursday and go North to play No. 2-Michigan this weekend About This Week The Ohio State softball team will play five all important Big Ten games against Indiana and Michigan and a pair against instate foe Cleveland State. On Tuesday, Indiana (6-16-1 overall, 0-3 in Big Ten) travels to Columbus for a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. On Wednesday, Cleveland State (5-11-0) journeys to Central Ohio for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. The week will culminate in Ann Arbor when the Buckeyes clash with the No. 2-ranked Wolverines (24-3-0 overall, 3-0-0 in Big Ten). The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday also beginning at 1 p.m.
Athletic Communications
For any questions or requests regarding the Ohio State Softball team, please contact Pat Chun at the OSU Athletic Communications Office.
Buckeyes Take One of Three from No. 20-Ranked Minnesota
Ohio State opened the Big Ten and home season with a tough task – three games against No. 20-ranked Minnesota. But the Buckeyes pushed the Gophers to the limit by taking one of three games, with two of the three games going into extra-innings. In game one, Minnesota hammered OSU for a 15-4 win but game two featured the resilient Buckeyes comeback to win a 9-6 contest in 12 innings. Game three sent the two teams into another marathon contest with Minnesota coming out ahead 5-3 in 11 innings.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Indiana (6-16-1 overall, 0-3-0 in Big Ten) is in the middle of a five game losing streak overall and a three game conference losing skid. Last weekend, Indiana was swept by Michigan, 7-6, 12-5 and 7-0. Monica Armendarez is leading the way for Indiana with a .357 average , three home runs and 13 RBI. On the mound, Teresa Martinez is carrying a team low 2.52 ERA and a 3-7 record. IU head coach Diane Stephenson is in her 10th year at the helm. The Hoosiers lead the all-time series against the Buckeyes, 45-15-1.
Scouting the Vikings
The Cleveland State Vikings (5-11-0 overall) are the defending Mid-Continent Conference Champions. They went 4-4 at last weekends Virgina Sports Plus Tournament in Richmond, Va. Viking head coach Julie Jones is in her second year at the helm. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series over the Vikings, 8-0.
Scouting the Wolverines
Michigan (24-3-0 overall, 3-0-0 in Big Ten) is currently ranked No. 2 in the country and riding a six-game winning streak. Offensively the team has a robust .341 average. Melissa Gentile and Traci Conrad are leading the way with .455 and .451 averages, respectively. Pitcher Sara Griffin has been near perfection all season long. She is a 13-0 with a 0.66 ERA. Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins is in her 14th season at the helm. The Wolverines lead the all-time series over the Buckeyes, 48-17.
The Big Ten
The Big Ten announced its first player of the week award winners of the season. Traci Conrad from Michigan won the offensive award and Jaclyn De Board won the pitching award.
Travel Information
The Buckeyes will leave Friday afternoon for Ann Arbor, Mich. They will be staying at the Sheraton Inn Ann Arbor (313-996-0600) located at 3200 Boardwalk.
The New Home Run Queen
In the fourth inning of the Baylor contest (3/20) senior centerfielder/pitcher Jodi Dolan blasted her way into Ohio State softball immortality with her 10th career home run. She followed that up with her 11th blast against Pacific the following day. The old record of nine was held by Krinon Clark (1991-94) and Marla Pickard (1991-94).
Season to Date
The Buckeyes began the Air Touch Cellular Capital Classic with a rocky 0-3 start but settled down to win four out of its last five games and took home the consolation bracket championship. The Buckeyes finished with a 4-4 tournament record. On March 7-8, the Buckeyes were scheduled to compete in the Georgia State/Lady Panther Invitational but due to heavy rainfall, the tournament was canceled. The games will not be rescheduled. In late February, 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.
Buckeyes Named to All-Tournament Teams
On March 22, senior second baseman Candace Kollen was one of 12 selected to the Capital Classic all-tournament team. Kollen led the Buckeyes both offensively with a .305 batting average and defensively with zero errors on 43 chances. On April 1, 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 3.00 grade point average during the winter quarter. This follows up a 3.09 showing 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 is in 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 Buckeyes will host a doubleheader against conference foe Penn State, Tuesday, April 7, beginning at 1 p.m. Miami (O.) will travel to Columbus the next day for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. Ohio State will then head to Iowa for three games. A doubleheader will be played on Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. and a single game will be played on Sunday, April 12 at 1 p.m.
The Schedule
Big Ten foes Michigan State and Wisconsin will still come to Columbus this season. Instate rivals Dayton, Bowling Green, Youngstown State, Ohio University and Wright State will also make visits to Buckeye Field. The home 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. Golden Glove
To say senior second baseman Candace Kollen is in a zone, may be an understatement. Defensively, Kollen has been nothing short of perfect this entire season by not committing an error in 115 chances.
Slap Hits
– The Buckeyes have wins over three ranked opponents this season. Last weekend, OSU downed No. 20 Minnesota 9-6. Two weeks ago (3/22), the Buckeyes pummeled No. 19 Oregon 9-0. And on March 1, OSU defeated No. 5 South Florida 2-1. The three wins already matches the entire total from last season. The Buckeyes still have 38 games remaining this season.
– In the second game against Minnesota (3/28), Ohio State pounded out a season high 17 hits in a season high 51 at bats.
– The OSU pitchers have already hurled four shutouts is 18 games. The Buckeyes threw five shutouts all of last season.
– Freshman Amy Paumier is leading the Buckeyes with eight multiple hit games.
– Freshman Katie Wessendorf is carrying a team high five-game hitting streak. The season high for OSU is senior Julie Bauman’s seven-game streak (2/14-3/1).
Buckeye Briefs
1 Kristi Martin, Fr., P, R-R – Leads the team with 43 Ks…Notched third win of year with a gutty 12 inning complete game performance vs. Minnesota…Earned her second win of the season against Southwest Missouri State (3/20)…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…Deceptive arm speed…Is averaging 7.7 K’s per game.
2 Jodi Dolan, Sr., CF/P, R-R -Hit a blistering .429 with three doubles against Minnesota…OSU all-time career home run leader with 11 dingers…Broke the old mark of nine against Baylor (3/20)…Earned OSUs first win of the year against Cal-State…Can bring the heat from the mound…Third all-time in Buckeye history with 509.1 innings pitched, fourth all-time with 30 victories and second all-time with 14 shutouts.
3 Cheryl Palaroan, Jr., CF, L-R – Continues to play well with .345 average…Leads the team with six stolen bases…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 – 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 – Improved her record to 2-0 in tournament championship games with her win over Harvard (3/22) and win over South Florida (3/1)…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.
9 Katie Wessendorf, Fr., 1B, L-R – Team leading .438 average…Tied the OSU all-time single game record with three doubles in a game (3/22)…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 – Posted her first shutout of the season over Oregon (3/22)…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 – Leading the team with 11 RBI…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 – Consistent all season long at the plate with .311 average…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 – Currently tied for OSU all-time career run scored mark with 110 (Krinon Clark, 1991-94)…Batted .385 against Minnesota…Dazzeled opponents at Capital Classic with slick fielding…Earned all-Capital Classic team honors with .305 average and zero errors in 43 chances…All-Big Ten honoree in 1996…Third all-time in Ohio State record book with 39 stolen bases, fifth all-time with .306 average.
21 Natalie Tomoguchi, Sr., RF, R-R -Has eight RBI on the year…Looking to put together a healthy year after missing 32 games last season with face and eye injuries…Brings stability to the outfield.
22 Amy Paumier, Fr., IF, R-R – Continus to impress with .30 average…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…Good power.
23 Julie Bauman, Sr., LF, L-L – Had 2 for 3 day against Oregon (3/22)…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 – Notched first career hit and RBI of her career against Baylor (3/20)…Started her first career game against Utah…Solid athlete…adds much needed depth to the outfield…Brings great speed to the outfield.
