Softball Continues Through the Big Ten – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/6/1999 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 6, 1999
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes (10-16 overall, 2-4 in Big Ten) continue through the Big Ten with five important games this week. On Wednesday, OSU will travel to Bloomington, Ind., for a doubleheader against the Indiana Hoosiers (13-20 overall, 0-3 in Big Ten). On Saturday, the Buckeyes will play host to No. 20 Iowa (22-12-1 overall, 0-3 in Big Ten) in a three-game series. The two schools will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
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%^$SMITH FINDS HER ZONE
%^$Freshman Anna Smith went through a torrid seven-game stretch for the Buckeyes before her calf injury in the Michigan series. She batted .455 with a team high 10 hits and five runs scored. She also chipped in with two runs batted in, a triple, two stolen bases, a .545 slugging percentage and had zero errors in 17 chances. The hot streak raised her season batting average nearly 100 points (.146 to .243). “There’s no doubt that Anna has stepped up her play these last couple of weeks,” head coach Linda Kalafatis said. “She’s finally feeling comfortable and she’s playing with a confidence I haven’t seen from her yet. She’s so important to this team and to the future of this program, so it’s really nice and important to see her come together as a total player. As a coaching staff, we knew what she was capable of and that it was just a matter of her settling in. She’s a terrific athlete and a great student. We’re ecstatic that she’s a Buckeye.”
%^$ELEVEN STRONG AND HEALTHY
%^$To say the Buckeyes are battling the injury bug may be a major understatement. The roster reads 18 players but in truth, there are currently only 11 healthy members on the team. Pitchers Kelli Tom (chronic left knee pain) and Kristi Martin (impinched ulnar nerve in her right arm) along with infielder Natalie Woods (torn ACL) and outfielder Chrissy Fowler (torn ACL) are done for the season. Pitcher Meaghan Robinson is dealing with a stress fracture injury in her right rib cage. She is on a day-to-day basis. Outfielder Anna Smith is dealing with a deep bruise to her right calf muscle. The injury occurred when she scored in a home plate collision with Michigan catcher Karmen Lappo. She is also on a day-to-day basis. “The team is handling the injury situation as good as it can,” head coach Linda Kalafatis said. ” In fact, I think we been handling it better as of lately. There’s not much any of us can do so we’ll just keep fighting. That’s the attitude the coaching staff wants to have from the players, because we believe that we can still accomplish a lot. The injuries have been something that I’ve never seen before – not to this extent, and our doctors have the same feeling. To have this many season ending injuries is unbelievable. We’ll certainly see the character of our players during this difficult time. We have not given up on the season by any means and I believe we still have some great games ahead of us.”
%^$HILEMAN PICKS UP THE WORKLOAD
%^$Toni Hileman has been called upon to pick up the slack for the pitching staff (decimated by injuries to three of its members). She has already tossed 101.1 innings after throwing 60.2 all of last year. In her freshman season at Ohio University, she logged 200.1 innings of work.
%^$PALAROAN ADDS TO STOLEN BASE MARK
%^$Cheryl Palaroan’s 12 stolen bases this season not only leads the team but extends her career record to 46. The old mark of 44 was held by Candace Kollen (1995-98). She broke the record against Long Beach State (3/21)
%^$STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
%^$Within the Big Ten Conference, Meaghan Robinson is fifth with a 1.14 earned run average. Jaime Chenevey ranks ninth with a .377 batting average.
%^$STREAKING
%^$Holly English enters this week with a team high three-game hitting streak. The team season high is 11-games by Jaime Chenevey (2/27-3-27).
%^$TRAVEL INFORMATION
%^$The Buckeyes will depart by charter bus from the Woody Hayes Athletic center at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday for Bloomington, Ind. The team will stay at the Holiday Inn located at 1710 Kinser Pike. The phone number is (812) 334-3252. The fax is (812) 333-1702.
%^$BUCKEYE FIELD INFORMATION
%^$Buckeye Field, home of Ohio State softball, is located at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The press box phone number is (614) 292-0623.
%^$ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
%^$For any questions or requests regarding the Ohio State softball team please contact Assistant Athletic Communications Director Pat Chun. He will be accompanying the team to Bloomington.
%^$SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
%^$The Indiana Hoosiers are currently 13-20 on the year and 0-3 in the Big Ten. Last weekend, IU was swept by Northwestern, 4-1, 6-4 and 5-2. Offensively, the team is led by outfielder Khara Good. She is the team’s only .300 hitter (.333) and has three home runs and 11 runs batted in. Brooks Monroe is leading the team with four home runs and 20 runs bated in. Staci Meek leads the team with 12 stolen bases.%^$Inside the circle, Terasa Martinez (6-7) and Alison Cooke (6-6) are tied for the team lead in wins. Martinez has a team low 2.10 earned run average. The Indiana head coach is Diane Stephenson. She is in her 11th year at the helm.
%^$BUCKEYES vs. HOOSIERS HISTORY
%^$Indiana holds a 46-16-1 edge in the all-time series between the schools. Last year, the two schools split a doubleheader in Columbus with IU winning game one 8-2 and OSU winning game two 4-2. Jaime Chenevey had a solid afternoon with a 4-for-7, three RBI afternoon.
%^$SCOUTING THE HAWKEYES
%^$The Iowa Hawkeyes enter this week with a 22-12-1 overall and a 0-3 Big Ten record. Offensively, they are led by Amber Morrow. She is carrying a team-high .391 batting average. Shawnte Vallejo has two home runs along with 14 runs batted in. Inside the circle, Kelly Zeilstra leads the team with a 9-5 record and has a team low 0.54 earned run average. The entire pitching staff has combined for a 1.24 earned run average. Head Coach Gayle Blevins is in her 12th year at the helm.
%^$BUCKEYES vs. HAWKEYES HISTORY
%^$Iowa holds a 43-26 edge in the all-time series between the two schools. Last year, the Hawkeyes swept the three-game set in Iowa City.
%^$MICHIGAN SWEEPS OSU TO OPEN BIG TEN
%^$The Buckeyes opened the Big Ten season with a 0-3 start after their weekend series with No. 7 Michigan.
%^$QUIET SPRING BREAK
%^$The Buckeyes completed their Spring Break week with 1-6 record. At the Georgia Tech/Buzz Classic, OSU finished 1-2. In the four-game swing through California OSU finished with a 0-4 record.
%^$KENTUCKY INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
%^$On March 6-7 in Lexington, Ky., the Buckeyes took home their second tournament championship in as many weekends. In frigid conditions, OSU pulled out a 3-0 tournament record with wins over Kentucky, Akron and Canisius. In the opener against UK, OSU jumped to a 4-0 lead before the Wildcats came back to tie the game in the top of the sixth inning. The Buckeyes secured the win when Stacy Roth scored on a ground out in the bottom of the sixth. That was followed by an 11-1 pummeling of Akron, with OSU getting home runs from Renae Weigel and Katie Wessendorf. With the championship game cancelled due to the temperatures below 30 degrees, OSU could secure the tournament title with a win in its final game against Canisius. The Buckeye attack awoke in the top of the third inning against the Golden Griffins, scoring twice and never relinquishing the lead. OSU would eventually win the game 3-0 led by the pitching of Toni Hileman. Fellow pitcher Meaghan Robinson continued to shine with a 2-0 record, 0.00 earned run average and 10 strikeouts.
%^$THE COACH
%^$Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis is in her third season at the helm. Last season’s 33-23 overall and 10-14 conference records speak for themselves. %^$The overall record marked the first winning season since 1995. The 33 wins marked only the fifth time in the school’s 27 year history that it had won at least 30 games. The .589 winning percentage was OSU’s third highest in the ’90s and highest since 1994. For the second consecutive year, Kalafatis improved the Buckeye winning percentage by over 100 points. %^$The Big Ten was also served notice with 12 of the 24 games decided by a one or two run margin. And with four days left in the season, the Buckeyes found themselves still alive for a tournament berth. Not bad for a team that won only four Big Ten games in 1997 and six in 1996. The 10-14 conference record was good enough for a sixth place finish. %^$A major part of winning are the awards and the Buckeyes earned their share.%^$After the season, the Buckeyes took home a second team all-Big Ten and two second team regional All-America selections. %^$During the season, Ohio State was one of six Big Ten schools to have a player named conference player of the week. In addition, four members of the OSU squad were named to the South Florida/Louisville Slugger all-tournament team and one Buckeye was named to the Air Touch Cellular Capital Classic all-tournament team.%^$Prior to the 1998 season, the Buckeyes had their first ever draft selection in the Women’s Professional Softball League with the fifth overall pick in the first round. Prior to this season, two more Buckeyes were selected in the draft.%^$And as always, Buckeye Softball took control in the classroom. Nine members of the 1998 squad were named OSU Scholar-Athletes and one member of the team was named to the GTE Academic All-America District team.%^$Kalafatis has proven over and over that reclamation projects are not a problem. Prior to Ohio State, she took over two troubled programs and built them into winners. At the University of Akron, she compiled a mark of 98-63-1. Prior to Akron, Kalafatis headed the coaching staff at California University of Pennsylvania, her alma mater. In five seasons, she posted a 175-53-1 record, winning the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference every year. She graduated from California in 1988 with a bachelors degree in business administration and marketing and in 1991, she earned her masters degree in geography and regional planning. %^$In her career, Kalafatis has coached three All-Americans, 28 all-region and 36 all-conference players.%^$A native of Bethel Park, Pa., Kalafatis is an active member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and has served as a member of the Eastern Regional Softball Committee.
%^$THE CAPTAINS
%^$Jaime Chenevey, Natalie Kratzer, Cheryl Palaroan and Renae Weigel have been named captains for the 1999 Ohio State softball team. “I expect our captains to represent and reflect the ideals we want out of our student-athletes,” Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis said. “Natalie, Renae, Jaime and Cheryl all possess excellent work ethics, they are academically focused and are solid people. They characterize what our program stands for in every sense of the word.”
%^$PAIR OF BUCKEYES DRAFTED
%^$In December, Jaime Chenevey and Cheryl Palaroan, respectively, became the second and third Buckeyes ever to be drafted by the Women’s Professional Softball League. The Akron Racers selected Chenevey in the third round and Palaroan in the eighth round in the WPSL Senior Draft.
%^$THE 1999 SCHEDULE
%^$Ohio State will travel 20,372 miles, visit nine states and five different time zones this season. The travel log features four tournaments and a four-game swing through Southern California. At home, Buckeye Field will play host to Michigan, Iowa, Bowling Green, Purdue, Butler, Dayton, Northwestern and Youngstown State.
%^$1998 SEASON REVIEW
%^$The Buckeyes finished the 1998 season with a 33-23 overall and 10-14 Big Ten record. The overall record marked the first winning season since 1995. The 33 wins marked only the fifth time in school history that OSU has won at least 30 games. The .589 winning percentage was the school’s third highest in the 90s and the highest since 1994s .667. Within the conference, OSU finished in sixth place.
%^$MEDIA GUIDES ON SALE
%^$Copies of the 1999 Ohio State Softball Media Guide are on sale at The Winning Schott, the gift shop inside the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Store hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, please call (614) 292-2073 or 1-800-678-6022. %^$ %^$GETTING RESULTS
%^$Results for the Buckeyes will be posted through www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com approximately two hours after the last game of each day. Results are also available through the Fax-on-demand service (The Big Ten passcode – 282; Release – 2665, Last Game Result – 2667).
%^$ON DECK
%^$The Buckeyes will host Bowling Green on Tuesday, April 13 in a doubleheader at 3 p.m. On the following day, OSU will play host to Purdue in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. On Saturday, April 17, the Buckeyes will begin a three-game series in East Lansing against Michigan State.
%^$PLAYER UPDATES
%^$00, Julie Darney, 3B/P, Fr.
%^$Made her college debut against Hawaii (2/12) as a pinch-hitter. Threw a shutout inning against Cal-State Fullerton (2/14). Academically ineligible for the remainder of the season.
%^$1, Kristi Martin, P, So.
%^$Is still recovering from offseason surgery on her right arm. Is out for the season.
%^$3, Cheryl Palaroan, CF, Sr.
%^$Co-captain of this year’s team. Went 2-for-4 against Loyola Marymount. Had a career high three hits and four runs scored against St. Louis (2/27). Batted .300 at the Kentucky Invitational. Leads the team with 12 stolen bases in 12 attempts. Has started every game in centerfield and as the leadoff hitter. In the first inning against Long Beach State (3/21) she broke the OSU all-time career stolen base mark of 44. Batted .333 during the California trip. Continued the consistency with a .333 BA at the Georgia Tech/ Buzz Classic. Had a season high eight-game hitting streak from 3/22-3/31. Batted .333 during the month of March.
%^$4, Natalie Kratzer, 3B, Sr.
%^$Co-captain of this year’s team. Singled in first at bat of the season against Cal-State Fullerton (2/11). Has started every game at third base. Rock solid defensively with just three errors in 67 chances (.957).
%^$6, Meaghan Robinson, P, Sr.
%^$Opening day starter against Cal-State Fullerton. Second consecutive season she got the call on opening day. Recorded a career high seven strikeouts against Indiana State (2-27). Was 2-0 with a 0.00 earned run average at the Kentucky Invitational. Her 51 strikeouts has already surpassed last year’s total of 36 and surpasses her career high of 44 set in her sophomore season. On a five-game winning streak. Did not play in California due to a strained pectoral muscle. Returned with a splendid complete game, 0 ER, 6 K win over Evansville (3/26). Is dealing with a stress fracture injury to her right rib cage. Is on a day-to-day basis. %^$ %^$7, Kelli Tom, P, Sr.
%^$Will miss the remainder of the season due to chronic left knee pain.
%^$8, Chrissy Fowler, UT, So.
%^$Is out for the season with a torn ACL in her left knee.
%^$9, Katie Wessendorf, 1B, So.
%^$Started season opener against Cal-State Fullerton (2/11). Batted .556 at the Georgia State Softball Classic. Went 2-for-3 with an RBI against Indiana State (2/27). Carried a .333 BA during the month of February. Blasted her first career home run in the first inning off Akron’s Tiffany McCoy (3/6). Led the team with a .385 BA during the California trip. Batted .364 at the Georgia Tech/Buzz Classic. Batted .314 during the month of March.
%^$10, Natalie Woods, 2B/SS, Jr.
%^$Made her OSU debut with a starting assignment at second base against Hawaii (2/12). Recorded her first career hit and RBI against Loyola Marymount’s Jenny Hart (2/13). Went 2-for-4 with her first career triple against Akron (3/6). With miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL in her left knee.
%^$11, Jaime Chenevey, C, Sr.
%^$Co-captain of this year’s team. Batted .636 at Georgia State Softball Classic with a team high seven hits. Went 3-for-4 against Georgia State (2/27). Batted .545 at the Kentucky Invitational. Went 4-for-5 with an RBI against Akron. Drove in a pair of runs against Cal-State Fullerton (3/22). Hit an awesome .714 at the Georgia Tech/Buzz Classic with a home run against Evansville. Led the OSU with a .455 batting average during the month of March.
%^$17, Carrie Vanderpool, 2B, Sr.
%^$Started season opener against Cal-State Fullerton (2/11). Recorded the first hit of her season against Baylor (2/13). Went 2-for-3 with an RBI against Tennessee Tech (2/28). Missed the Kentucky Invitational and the California trip with a second degree right ankle sprain. Returned in the Maryland (3/26) game.
%^$18, Renae Weigel, SS, Jr.
%^$Co-captain of this year’s team. Led the team with a .333 batting average at the Paradise Classic. Batted .500 at the Georgia State Softball Classic. Blasted her first career triple, went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and scored 3 runs against St. Louis (2/28). Led the Buckeyes with a .417 BA during the month of February. Bombed her first home run of the year, a three-run shot, in the first inning of the Akron contest (3/6). Belted a sixth inning, two-run, game-winning home run against Miami (3/30). Had a 2-for-3, three RBI game in the second Michigan contest (4/3). Leads the team with 15 RBIs.
%^$20, Anna Smith, LF/2B, Fr.
%^$First career start came in season opener against Cal-State Fullerton. First career hit and RBI came in the third inning of the Oregon State (2/12) game off Tarrah Beyster. First career start at second base was against Long Beach State (3-21). Batted .364 at the Georgia Tech/Buzz Classic. Went 2-for-4 with an RBI against Maryland (3/26). Had another 2-for-4 game against Campbell. Had a career high five-game hitting streak from 3/26-3/31. Against No. 7-Michigan, batted .500 with two runs, a triple and an RBI. Dealing with a deep bruise to her right calf muscle. The injury occurred when she scored in a home plate collision with Michigan catcher Karmen Lappo. Is on a day-to-day basis.
%^$21, Stacy Roth, OF/C, Fr.
%^$Recorded the first hit of her first career in her very first plate appearance against Cal-State Fullerton’s Jana Oetgen (2/12). Also notched her first career RBI that game. Had a career high three walks against CSUF (2/14). Batted a robust .667 at the Kentucky Invitational. Batted .500 at the Georgia Tech/ Buzz Classic. Went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI against Campbell (3/27). Batted .393 during the month of March. Jacked her first career home run of Michigan’s Marie Barda.
%^$23, Toni Hileman, P/1B, Jr.
%^$Winning pitcher in OSUs first win of the season over Baylor (2/13). Went 2-for-3 at the plate against Oregon State (2/12). Winning pitcher in OSU’s 16-1 drubbing of St. Louis (2/27). Wining pitcher in OSUs first shutout of the season, a 3-0 win over Canisius (3/7). Recorded her first save of the season against Evansville with a perfect final inning of relief work. Has been the OSU workhorse.
%^$24, Samantha Kimura, 1B/C/P, Fr.
%^$Started season opener against Cal-State Fullerton (2/11). Recorded the first hit of her career against Baylor’s Carrie Arn (2/13). Finished that game 2-for-3 with a double. Belted the first home run of her career against St. Louis. Was on a team high nine-game hitting streak (2/13-3/6). Finished the month of February with a .310 batting average. Went 3-for-4 with an RBI against Akron (3/6). Batted .500 at the Kentucky Invitational. Has played in every game. Made her pitching debut against Cleveland State (3/31) and earned the victory. Went 3-for-10 in the Michigan series.
%^$26, Sarah West, 1B, Fr.
%^$Made career debut as a pinch-hitter against No. 17 Hawaii (2/12). Made first career start against Cal-State Fullerton (2/14). Notched her first career hit and RBI against St. Louis’ Jennifer Riva. Blasted her first career home run off Cleveland State’s Cassie Pittman (3/31). Went 2-for-3 in the final Michigan game (4/4).
%^$28, Holly English, OF, So.
%^$Missed the first tournament of the season due to injury. Returned to the lineup at the Georgia State Classic. First hit of the year was a double against Georgia State (2/27). Scored three runs against St. Louis (2/27). Batted .300 at the Kentucky Invitational. Continued her steadiness with a .300 BA during the California trip. Batted .500 at the Georgia Tech/Buzz Classic. Went 3-for-4 with two RBI against Campbell (3/27). Batted .313 during the month of March. Came through with a clutch two-RBI pinch hit double in the fifth inning of the second Michigan game. In that series, she went 3-for-7 (.429).
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%^$Location: Columbus, Ohio%^$Enrollment: 48,278%^$President: William E. Kirwan%^$Athletic Director: Andy Geiger%^$Associate Director: Archie Griffin%^$Nickname: Buckeyes%^$Colors: Scarlet & Gray%^$Mascot: Brutus Buckeye%^$Home Facility: Buckeye Field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center%^$Capacity: 800%^$Dimensions: 190-220-190%^$Conference: Big Ten Conference%^$1999 Record: 10-16 overall, 0-3 in Big Ten%^$Head Coach: Linda Kalafatis, California (Pa.),’88 %^$OSU Record: 63-70 (.474), Third Year%^$Career Record: 336-185-2 (.644), 10th Year%^$Assistants: Belinda Cernava, Drema Neal, Shauna Bowman Miller%^$Trainer: Daniel Hamilton%^$Athletic Communications: Pat Chun%^$Phone: (614) 292-6861%^$Fax: (614) 292-8547%^$Home: (614) 326-0193%^$E-mail: chun.18@osu.edu%^$Website: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com%^$Address:Room 124, St. John Arena%^$ 410 Woody Hayes Drive%^$ Columbus, Ohio 43210-1166%^$%^$THIS WEEK
%^$Wednesday, April 7: OSU at Indiana, 2 p.m. in a doubleheader at the Indiana Softball Field.
%^$Saturday, April 10: OSU vs. Indiana, 1 p.m. at Buckeye Field in a doubleheader.
%^$Sunday, April 11: OSU vs. Indiana, noon at Buckeye Field in a single game.
