Softball Begins 18-Game Homestand – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/13/1998 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 13, 1998
About This Week The Ohio State softball team will begin its longest homestand of the season. The 18 game trek will begin on Tuesday with against Dayton (19-15-0 overall, 4-2-0 in Atlantic-10). The following day will bring Bowling Green (14-22-1 overall, 8-4-0 in Mid-American) into town and on Thursday, OSU will play host to Morehead State (9-23-0 overall, 3-5-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference). All three days will feature doubleheaders beginning at 3 p.m. Over the weekend, the Buckeyes will play host to Michigan State (23-12-0 overall, 6-5 in Big Ten) for a three-game series. On Saturday, the two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. On Sunday, they will play the series finale at noon.
Last Week
It was an week filled with ups and downs for Ohio State. On Tuesday, OSU swept Big Ten foe Penn State 6-0 and 4-3. On Thursday, the Buckeyes split with Miami (O.) losing game one, 4-1 and winning game two, 6-1. Over the weekend, No. 22-ranked Iowa swept the Buckeyes 3-0, 2-0 and 4-3.
Scouting the Flyers
Dayton enters Tuesday’s contest with a 19-15-0 overall record and are 4-3-0 in the Atlantic-10. The Flyers are currently riding high with a four-game winning streak. On Friday, they swept a doubleheader over Virginia Tech 1-0 and 9-5. On Wednesday, UD played another doubleheader but this time swept Morehead State 3-0 and 7-6. Offensively, Tanya Leet leads the team with a .383 average and 24 RBI. Joy Christopher leads the team with 12 stolen bases. In the circle, Sara Hatcher leads the team with a 10-5 record. She is also carrying a team low 1.43 ERA. Four of her wins have been shutouts and she has also recorded 76 strikeouts. Head Coach Jodi Eickemeyer is in her second season at the helm. Ohio State leads the all-time series over Dayton 3-1. The last time the two schools met occurred in 1992. OSU pounded UD 6-0 and 10-0. Current OSU assistant Belinda Cernava was the winning pitcher in the 10-0 contest.
Scouting the Falcons
Bowling Green is currently 14-22-1 overall and 8-4-0 in the Mid-American Conference. The Falcons will play a doubleheader against Miami (O.) tomorrow before heading to Columbus. BGSU has been playing well as of late winning 10 out of their last 14 games. On Saturday, they split a doubleheader with Northern Illinois losing game one, 7-0 and winning game two 3-2. Offensively, BGSU is led by Erin Zwinck. She is carrying a team high .345 average. Colleen Bates is chipping in with a .318 average and has driven in a team high 18 runs. In the circle, Amy Hamilton has a team low 2.27 ERA. Garrett Gholston leads the team with nine wins and 16 losses. Head Coach Rachel Miller-Reif is in her fifth season at the helm. Ohio State leads the all-time series against Bowling Green, 12-9-1. The last time the two teams squared off was on March 23, 1996 at the Sacramento State/Capital Classic. OSU came out ahead with a 7-0 win. Current Buckeye junior Meaghan Robinson earned the win.
Scouting the Eagles
Morehead State is currently 9-23-0 overall and 3-5-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Eagles are in the midst of a four game losing skid. On Sunday, they lost a pair against Tennessee Tech, 2-1 and 1-0. On Friday, they were swept by Middle Tennessee State, 3-2 and 3-1. Offensively, the team is led by Nola Queen. She has a team high .352 average and two home runs. Sascha Cox leads the team with 14 stolen bases. In the circle, Susan Pape leads the team with five wins and has a team low 2.13 ERA. She also leads the team with 49 strikeouts. Head Coach Jennifer VanSickle is in her fourth year at the helm. Ohio State leads the all-time series against Morehead State 10-1. The two schools met in a doubleheader last season. The Buckeyes came away with a sweep with Kelly Tom winning game one 7-2 and Jodi Dolan throwing her first career no-hitter wining game two, 10-0.
Athletic Communications
For any questions or requests regarding the Ohio State Softball team, please contact Pat Chun at the OSU Athletic Communications Office.
The Martin Express
On April 7, pitcher Kristi Martin broke the Ohio State freshman season record for strikeouts with 62. Her season total is now up to 71. The old record of 61 was set by current OSU assistant coach Belinda Cernava in 1980.
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).
Tournament Championships
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. In late February, the South Florida/Louisville Slugger tournament in Tampa, Fla., turned into a special trip for the Buckeyes. OSU won the tourney 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. 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 finish out the home portion of its schedule with nine games next week. On Tuesday, the Buckeyes will host Youngstown State. On Wednesday, Ohio University comes into town and following day will see Wright State. All three dates are doubleheaders starting at 3 p.m. The weekend will see some Big Ten action as the Buckeyes play host to Wisconsin for a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Kollen Records
Senior Candace Kollen is on the cusp of true Ohio State Softball immortality. Not only does she hold the all-time stolen base, run scored, and at bat records, but she is only seven hits shy of breaking the all-time hit mark of 215.
Slap Hits
– Senior Candace Kollen is currently leading the team with a four-game hitting streak. Her season high is 11-games while the team season high of 12-games is held by junior Jaime Chenevey.
– Kollen also carried one of the more incredible streaks in recent Ohio State memory. She went an incredible 31 games and 158 chances without committing an error at second base. The streak came to an end in the second game against Miami (O.) last week.
– Junior Natalie Kratzer caught on fire with her bat last week leading the team with a .375 average and .500 slugging percentage.
– The 18-game homestand is not the longest in the 90’s for Ohio State. In 1994, the Buckeyes had a 20-game homestand from April 5 -23 and finished with a 16-4 record.
– Last week’s sweep over Penn State marked the first time in four years that OSU swept a season series over a Big Ten School. Coincidentally, it was the Nittany Lions that the Buckeyes swept on May 10, 1994.
Around the Horn
1 Kristi Martin, Fr., P, R-R – Leads the team with 71 Ks…Earned both wins over Penn State to give her four conference victories…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.
2 Jodi Dolan, Sr., CF/P, R-R -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…Third all-time in Buckeye history with 516.1 innings pitched, fourth all-time with 30 victories and second all-time with 14 shutouts.
3 Cheryl Palaroan, Jr., CF, L-R – In the midst of a career year…Leads the team with 14 stolen bases and a .333 batting average…A solid outfielder with zero errors this season…Made USF/Louisville Slugger all-tournament team with a .429 tourney average.
4 Natalie Kratzer, Jr., 3B, L-R – Erupted last week with .375 batting average and .500 slugging percentage…Tallied her first hit of the season in the season opener against LBS, a single in the fifth inning. Unrelenting and tireless work ethic…Coaches consider her the heart and soul of the team…Dare you to find a better leader.
6 Meaghan Robinson, Jr., P/1B, R-R – Earned her second save of the season with 1.2 innings of flawless relief work in the 6-1 win over Miami (O.)…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 – Returned to action in the first contest against Cleveland State…Pitched a perfect inning of relief work…Missed the first part of the season due to knee surgury last fall.
10 Toni Hileman, So., P/1B, R-R – Went 4 for 7 against Penn State with a home run, two doubles and three RBI…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…Played last season at Ohio University.
11 Jaime Chenevey, Jr., C, R-R – Batted .333 against No. 22-ranked Iowa…Has team high 21 RBI…Blasted first home run of the season against Georgia Southern (3/1)…Had a hit and RBI against Long Beach State. 18 Renae Weigel, So., SS, R-R – One of the team’s top clutch hitters…Second on team with 14 RBI…Consistent all season long at the plate with .342 average…Stepped up in the clutch for her team with the game winning RBI against No. 5-ranked South Florida…Worked hard on her game over the summer and results have been very apparent. 20 Candace Kollen, Sr., 2B, L-R – Carrying a four-game hitting streak…OSU all-time career runs scored leader with 118…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…Holds Ohio State all-time at bat and stolen base record. 21 Natalie Tomoguchi, Sr., RF, R-R -Has 10 RBI on the year…Missed 32 games last season with face and eye injuries…Brings stability to the outfield. 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…Good power. 23 Julie Bauman, Sr., LF, L-L – Tied her own Ohio State record with four walks in one game in the first contest against Michigan…Batted a solid .333 in seven games last week…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. 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.
