Baseball Looks to Shine in Sunny Florida – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 29, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Buckeyes opened the season by taking home the 2000 Service Academies Classic with a 3-1 record. But there is little time to celebrate as Ohio State heads South to sunny Florida this weekend for the 2000 Kennel Club Classic hosted by the University of North Florida. OSU is scheduled to face Xavier, Western Michigan, Akron and St. John’s.
2000 Kennel Club Classic
The 2000 Kennel Club Classic is considered the largest collegiate baseball tournament in the nation. The classic is a month-long affair that began on Feb. 25 and ends on March 18. The field totals 17 teams, including 16 Division I-A programs. The format brings in new teams participating every weekend. Some teams play as little at four games while others schedule as many as 10 games. A tournament champion is not crowned. All games are played at Harmon Stadium, located at 4567 St. John’s Bluff Rd. on the campus of the University of North Florida. For more information, please call Bonnie Senappe at (904) 620-4025.
Tournament Schedule
The Buckeyes are scheduled to play four games in three days at Harmon Stadium. The following are the games scheduled for the days that OSU will play. All times listed are Eastern Standard.
Friday, March 3 Central Mich. vs. Michigan 11 a.m. Central Mich. vs. West. Mich. 3 p.m. Ohio State vs. Xavier 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 4 Xavier vs. Central Mich.* 10 a.m. West. Mich. vs. Duquesne 10 a.m. St. John’s vs. Michigan * 1:30 p.m. West. Mich vs. Ohio State 1:30 p.m. Akron vs. Ohio State 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 5 Ohio State vs. St. John’s 10 a.m. Michigan vs. Duquesne 1 p.m. Central Michigan vs. Akron 5 p.m.
* Games will be played at Florida Community College.
Sound Bites – An Early Season Version
Some can’t miss notes on Ohio State baseball that will make your job easier
– By looking at the results of the season’s first weekend (when he was named the most valuable player of the 2000 Service Academies Classic), it would be impossible to guess that junior Mike Check has basically zero game experience in centerfield. Recruited as a middle infielder, he played just one game in center in 1999 and just once there in high school. With fall and winter practice under his belt, he earned the starting nod and suddenly looks likes he has been playing there his entire life.
– In the fall of 1996, walk-on Chris Alvord was ready to sign up for the OSU ROTC program the day that final cuts were supposed to be announced for the Ohio State baseball team. But something happened that altered his college life forever — he made the team. Three years later, he is a junior and the starting catcher for one of the premier programs in college baseball.
– Last weekend against Navy, freshman Nick Swisher hit a home run in his first official collegiate at bat. As impressive as this feat may be, it’s only half as good as what his head coach accomplished. In his first two collegiate at bats, Bob Todd belted two home runs at the University of Missouri.
Ticket Information
Tickets for the 2000 Kennel Club Classic can be purchased at Harmon Stadium. Single game tickets are $3 for adults and $1 for senior citizens and youths. A tournament pass is available for $20 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and youths.
The Weather
The forecast this weekend calls for cloudy skies with temperatures ranging from a high around 80 degrees to lows around 50 degrees.
Travel Information
The Buckeyes will depart from Port Columbus International Airport on Thursday, March 2 at 11:35 a.m. for Jacksonville, Fla., via US Airways. The team will stay at the LaQuinta Inn located at 4686 Lenoir Ave. South in Jacksonville. The phone number is (904) 296-0703.
Reloading
OSU’s four new starters are playing extremely well after one week of action. Centerfielder Mike Check batted .538 with a triple, home run and six runs batted in at the Service Academies Classic and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Third baseman John Mayor led the team with a .538 batting average and was named to the all-tournament team. First baseman Nick Swisher batted .300 with a home run and two RBI. Catcher Chris Alvord played solid defense behind the plate and helped a young pitching staff to a successful weekend.
Quality Starts
The Buckeyes are 4-for-4 in quality starts this season. All four pitchers that have started games have factored into the decision and pitched relatively well in the first tournament of the season. Nate Smith, E.J. Laratta, Kevin Goodrum and Brandon Steen combined for a 3-1 record, 25.1 innings pitched, 24 strikeouts, 11 walks and a 4.17 earned run average.
Service Academies Champs
The Buckeyes opened the 2000 season by winning the Service Academies Classic (2/25-27). The Buckeyes finished the tournament with a 3-1 record, including a 5-4 win over No. 25 Notre Dame. Mike Check was named the tournament’s most valuable player while John Mayor, Jason Turner and E.J. Laratta were named to the all-tournament team.
Scouting the Musketeers
Xavier is off to a 1-5 start and began play in the 2000 Kennel Classic with an 0-3 record. The Musketeers lost to The Citadel, 11-4, Jacksonville State, 2-1 and Michigan, 5-0. Offensively, the team has been led by Ty Brenning. He is batting .304 with four runs batted in. Jeff Barger has been the top starter, recording the team’s only win and posting a 4.20 earned run average. In 1999, the team finished with a 24-31 record and a third place finish in the Atlantic-10 Conference. The Xavier head coach is John Morrey. He is in his seventh year at Xavier.
OSU vs. XU
OSU leads the all-time series over XU, 25-7. The two teams last met on April 14, 1987 with the Buckeyes winning, 8-7. OSU head coach Bob Todd has never faced the Musketeers.
Scouting the Broncos
Western Michigan finished last season with a 30-28 overall record. In the Mid-American Conference, WMU finished third with a 2-12 record. The Broncos head coach is Fred Decker. He is in his 23rd year at the helm.
OSU vs. WMU All-Time
Western Michigan leads the all-time series, 54-35-1. The last meetings came in 1986 when WMU beat OSU in 3-of-4 games in Columbus. OSU head coach Bob Todd is 9-7 lifetime against WMU.
Scouting the Zips
The Akron Zips open their season against Ohio State at the 2000 Kennel Club Classic. Last year, the Zips finished the season with a 20-36 overall record and a 10-22 Mid-American Conference record. The top returning player is Mark Malaska who batted .318 with six home runs last year. The top pitcher is John Wilkinson, who carried a 5-4 record with a 3.07 earned run average. The Akron head coach is Dave Fross. He is in his 26th year as head coach.
OSU vs. AU All-Time
Ohio State leads the all-time series between the two schools, 23-15-7. On March 20, 1996, the Buckeyes won the last meeting, 20-7.
Scouting the Red Storm
St. John’s is currently 1-2 after opening the season with an 11-5 win over Virginia Tech and than losing to The Citadel, 4-3 and Richmond, 9-8. The St. John’s head coach is Ed Blankmeyer. He is in his fifth year at the helm.
OSU vs. SJU All-Time
OSU won the only meeting between the schools, 8-7 on June 15, 1966.
Ault Added to the Roster
The Buckeyes have added Ryan Ault to the team. Ault, an infielder, is a freshman from Reynoldsburg, Ohio. At Reynoldsburg High School, Ault earned a school record 12 varsity letters and all-conference honors in three sports (baseball, basketball and golf). As a senior, he batted .437 and was also a first team all-district baseball selection.
Getting Results
Results will can be easily found on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
OSU Season Tickets
The Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office has announced that season tickets for the 2000 baseball season are now on sale. The entire season is $128 and the Big Ten Grand Slam package is $72. Renewal applications have already been sent out to past season ticket holders. These applications can be renewed by either mail or via the Internet (www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com). On Monday, March 6, single game tickets will go on sale and will be based on availability. Box seats are $10, general admission is $5 and student general admission is $3. Groups of 10 or more will be able to purchase general admission seats for $2 each. For questions or to order tickets, please contact the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-BUCKS or at (614) 292-6861.
The Captains
The baseball team announced its team captains for the 2000 season. Seniors Marcello Garofalo and Jason Turner were elected by their teammates to lead them into the upcoming season. Garofalo, from Worthington, Ohio, will see action this season at both first base and designated hitter. Turner, from Versailles, Ohio, started last year in right field and is expected to win the starting nod this season.
Preseason All-Conference
In the Baseball America preseason poll, Ohio State is the highest ranked Big Ten school at No. 31. As a conference, the Big Ten is ranked as the sixth toughest in the nation. In their conference preseason prognostications, the Buckeyes are predicted to win the championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Both second baseman Chad Ehrnsberger and pitcher E.J. Laratta were named to the preseason all-conference team. Laratta is also the preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Nick Swisher is the magazine’s choice as the preseason Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Ehrnsberger was voted as the conference’s best defensive second baseman while Laratta was voted as having the best breaking ball. To read more about Baseball America’s preseason prognostications, log on to their website at www.baseballamerica.com.
Baseball America Predicted Finish (rank)
1. Ohio State (31)
2. Penn State (41)
3. Illinois (56)
4. Minnesota (70)
5. Michigan (76)
6. Purdue (100)
7. Indiana
8. Northwestern
9. Iowa
10.Michigan State
Preseason All-American
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association has named pitcher E.J. Laratta to its 2000 Preseason All-America baseball team. The sophomore hurler was a third-team selection. Laratta returns after a stellar 1999 season. He carried a 10-3 record with a 3.74 earned run average and 59 strikeouts. At the conclusion of the season, he was named a Freshman All-American, first-team all-Big Ten and the 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The sophomore was the Big Ten Conference’s only representative on the NCBWA Preseason All-America team.
All-American Ehrnsberger
Chad Ehrnsberger was named to the 1999 National College Baseball Writers Association All-American team. A second team selection at second base, Ehrnsberger led the Buckeyes with 16 home runs and 73 runs batted in. These numbers placed him third in both categories in the Big Ten Conference. Ehrnsberger also carried a .356 batting average and a .648 slugging percentage.
Four All-Big Ten’s Return
Last season, the baseball team had nine student-athletes named to the all-Big Ten team. Of these nine, four are returning this year -first team selections pitcher E.J. Laratta and second baseman Chad Ehrnsberger, second team selection pitcher Cory Cox and third team selection shortstop Trent McIlvain.
A Look at the Schedule
After the trip to Jacksonville, OSU will play in the Winthrop Classic in Rock Hill, S.C. (March 10-12) and the Aggie Continental Airlines Tournament in Commerce, Texas (March 17-20). The Buckeyes have 15 home dates scheduled at Bill Davis Stadium. The three Big Ten weekends are against Iowa (March 31-April 2), Indiana (April 21-23) and Michigan State (May 12-14).
Fall Recap
Four weeks of practice during Autumn Quarter culminated into Ohio State’s version of the “Fall Classic,” the Scarlet and Gray World Series. The result was a 3-1 series win for the Scarlet team. E.J. Laratta went 2-0 in the best-of-five classic and Nick Swisher paced the Scarlet offense by going 8-for-10 (.800).
1999 Review
The 1999 season will go down as one of the best ever in school history. The Buckeyes finished the season with an astonishing 50-14 (.781) overall record. The winning percentage ranked ninth in the country and marked only the second time in school history that the Buckeyes reached the 50 win plateau. From April 11-May 8, OSU rattled off a school record 21-game winning streak. In conference play, OSU captured the Big Ten Regular Season Championship with a 25-3 record. At the conclusion of the season, head coach Bob Todd was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. In the postseason, the Buckeyes earned the right to play host to both the NCAA Regional and Super Regional tournaments. In the Columbus Regional, the team went 3-0 to capture the championship. In the Super Regional, a Game One win put the Buckeyes on the threshold of a berth to the College World Series only to have Cal-State Fullerton come back and win the best of three series. Three Buckeyes earned All-America honors at the conclusion of the season (Chad Ehrnsberger, Justin Fry and Mike Lockwood).
