Baseball Off to Florida for Miami Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/2/1999 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 2, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State (2-1) will participate in the BellSouth Hurricane Diamond Classic, March 5-7 at Coral Gables, Fla. The Buckeyes along with East Carolina (8-2), No. 26 Georgia (9-1) and No. 3 Miami (12-3) comprise this year’s tournament field. The Buckeyes are coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Blue-Gray Classic, where they finished second.
HURRICANE DIAMOND CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, March 5 East Carolina vs. Georgia 1 p.m. East Carolina vs. Ohio State 4:30 p.m. Georgia vs. Miami 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 6 Miami vs. East Carolina 1 p.m. Georgia vs. Ohio State 4:30 p.m. Ohio State vs. Miami 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 7 Consolation game 10 a.m. Championship game 1 p.m.
MARK LIGHT STADIUM
Dedicated in 1973, Mark Light Stadium was one of the first state-of-the-art college baseball stadiums. Most recently, a new locker room, training room, umpire’s room, hitting backstop and sound system were added in 1996. It was the site of the San Diego Chicken’s first appearance at an amateur event. Funding for the stadium was provided by Hurricane supporter George Light and it is named for his son, Mark, who died of muscular dystrophy. With a capacity of 5,000, the stadium features symmetrical dimensions of 330-365-400-365-330.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
The Buckeyes will depart Port Columbus International Airport Thursday at 10:45 a.m. via Delta Airlines. The team will lodge at the Coral Gables Holiday Inn. The phone number is (305) 667-5611 and the fax number is (305) 669-3153.
PRACTICE INFORMATION
The team will conduct a workout after arriving in Coral Gables at Mark Light Stadium.
OSU IN THE POLLS
Ohio State was ranked 38th in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll, 38th in the USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll and ranked 43rd by Baseball America. OSU is currently 36th in the Coaches Poll.
ALVORD STEPS IN
The Buckeyes lost a strong signal caller behind the plate in Mike Kremblas, but a young Buck has moved from strictly bullpen to No. 2 catcher. Former walk-on Chris Alvord recorded his second career start against Troy State and was nearly flawless behind the dish against the Trojans.
DENDINGER DOES NOT DISAPPOINT
Everyone knew that Doug Dendinger could hit and he slid into a starting role during the first game of the season. Carded in the DH slot, the Division IV Player of the Year is batting .333 on the season.
BUCKEYE YOUTH MOVEMENT
OSU is going to need its young players to produce immediately this season, especially the pitchers. On the mound, Ted Kalnins, E.J. Laratta, Greg Larrick and Nate Smith have all seen action already. Dendinger and sophomores Alvord, Mike Check and John Mayor have all appeared at the plate or in the field.
FRY CHASES ARLIN
Fry needs just 13 strikeouts to pass 1966 College World Series MVP Steve Arlin on the career ledger. The career wins and innings pitched marks are also within reach this season.
EHRNSBERGER LEADS OFFENSE
Redshirt sophomore shortstop Chad Ehrnsberger led the offensive charge for the Buckeyes over the weekend, batting .462 with two homeruns, 12 total bases and five RBI.
BUCKS OPEN SEASON 2-1
OSU put together a 2-1 record in its first action of the year, finishing second at the Blue-Gray Classic at Montgomery, Ala. The Buckeyes same out strong, defeating Kentucky 9-6 and Troy State 11-8 before falling 16-12 to Big Ten rival Minnesota on the final day. OSU batted .303 as a team and put up a team ERA of 7.27. He managed five homeruns, but also committed nine errors in three games.
THE RECORD WATCH
Career Batting Average 1. Jason Trott .412 2. Dan Seimetz (1995-98) .370 3. Alex Eckelman (1994-97) .367 4. Mike Lockwood .366
Career Wins 1. Pete Perini (1947-50) 30 2. Scott Klingenbeck (1990-92) 28 Tom Schwarber (1987-91) 28 4. Chris Granata (1991-94) 27 5. Bill Cunningham (1982-85) 26 Mark Dempsey (1977-80) 26 7. Justin Fry 25 Matt Beaumont (1992-94) 25
Career Innings Pitched 1. Pete Perini (1947-50) 344.0 2. Justin Fry 312.0
Career Strikeouts 1. Steve Arlin (1965-66) 294 2. Justin Fry 282
