Softball Heads South For First Tournament – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 9, 2000
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes open the 2000 season at the LSU Tiger Classic, Feb. 12-13 in Baton Rouge, La. The Buckeyes will take on McNeese State, Nicholls State and No. 7-ranked Louisiana State on Saturday, Feb. 12. All remaining games are based on seeding and will be played on Sunday.%^$
%^$2000 SEASON – WE WILL WIN
%^$Under fourth-year head coach Linda Kalafatis, the 2000 Buckeyes are ready to come back after a disappointing 20-32 run last season. Devastated by injuries during the 1999 season, Ohio State is healthy again and ready to climp up the Big Ten ladder.%^$
%^$”We are back stronger and even hungrier to compete at a higher level,” Kalafatis said. “It may be unrealistic for us to see us move from ninth in the conference to first, but it is realistic for us to be a top contending team in the Big Ten. Instead of a `we can win’ motto, we have decided to be a `we will win’ team.”%^$
%^$ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS
%^$For any questions or requests regarding the Ohio State softball team, please contact Robin Jentes of the Ohio State Athletics Communications staff. The team will be staying at the Courtyard Marriott ((504) 924-6400) from Friday night until Sunday.%^$
%^$CAPTAIN WEIGEL
%^$Senior Renae Weigel was named by her teammates as captain of the 2000 softball team. As the only Buckeye who has been at Ohio State all four seasons, Weigel will resume her role as Ohio State’s top hitter and leader of the squad. Last season, the Coldwater, Ohio native had another breakout season, posting a single-season home run mark with six and finishing third overall in both batting average (.301) and conference BA (.324).%^$
%^$BUCKEYES RETURN FIVE
%^$Team MVP Renae Weigel (Coldwater, Ohio), Toni Hileman (Alliance, Ohio), Holly English (Akron, Ohio), Stacy Roth (Wauseon, Ohio) and all-Big Ten selection Anna Smith (Walnut, Calif.) return for the Buckeyes this season. Ohio State lost five seniors from last season’s roster to graduation.%^$
%^$TOP NEWCOMERS
%^$Ohio State added seven new players to the 2000 roster. Katie Chain (North Canton, Ohio), Jennifer Link (Yorba Linda, Calif.), Kristime Himes (Bolivar, Ohio), Rogeanna Hottinger (Newark, Ohio), Elizabeth Kacsanek (Uniontown, Ohio) and Renee Spanos (Upper Arlington, Ohio) will compete for the Buckeyes in their first season. Megan Luring, a transfer from Tennessee-Chattanooga, also has been added to the team. However, her eligibility is in question for this quarter, because of her transfer.%^$
%^$SHE’S BACK…
%^$After having to sit out last season to undergo two surgeries on her right elbow to repair an ulnar nerve, pitcher Kristi Martin is back for 2000. In her freshman season, Martin notched a 9-5 overall and 6-3 Big Ten record and led all pitchers with a .643 winning percentage.%^$
%^$”She has been cleared to compete for the Buckeyes, but is not at 100 percent,” Kalafatis said. “She could easily change our season outlook as a healthy player. She will be a great motivation and inspiration to this team.”%^$
%^$ROTH LEADS THE BUCKEYES
%^$Sophomore Stacy Roth will begin her first season as the starting catcher. Last season, Roth was a big threat offensively for the Buckeyes, leading the team in overall batting average (.326), 12 doubles, 18 walks and 31 runs batted in. Her three home runs tied the Ohio State freshman record and her RBI total broke the freshman record.%^$
%^$SCOUTING THE TIGERS
%^$The No. 7 Louisiana State Tigers head into the 2000 season with the return of all nine starters from last season’s SEC Championship team. Last season, the Tigers posted a 56-10 overall mark and 27-3 in the SEC, captured the 1999 SEC Tournament Championship and competed in the NCAA Regional. Head Coach Glenn Moore enters his second full season with a career record of 80-29.%^$
%^$ALL-tIME VS. THE TIGERS
%^$The Buckeyes are 1-0 against the Tigers. This is the first meeting under Coach Kalafatis. The last meeting occurred in 1981.%^$
%^$SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
%^$Under the helm of head coach Scott Eastman, the McNeese State Cowgirls posted a 26-34 mark and a 14-11 Southland conference record in 1999. This season, All-SLC and All-Louisiana candidate Heather Moreaux will return at first base. Moreaux was third on the team with a .284 batting average and posted 39 RBI. Coach Eastman, in his eighth year at McNeese State, has a career record of 197-194.%^$
%^$ALL-TIME VS. THE COWGIRLS
%^$Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between the Buckeyes and the Cowgirls.%^$
%^$SCOUTING THE LADY COLONELS
%^$The Nicholls State Lady Colonels went 13-47 overall and 7-20 in the Southland Conference last season. McNeese State opened the 2000 season with a two losses, 7-1, 2-0 in a doubleheader against Louisiana Tech on Sunday. Newcomers’ Duffi Matherne and Kyna Boyer have played big in just two games.Heading into her third season, head coach Pattie Holthaus begins the 2000 season with a 125-257 career mark.%^$
%^$SCOUTING THE LADY COLONELS
%^$Ohio State has an all-time series record of 0-1 against the Colonels. Ohio State lost against Nicholls State during the 1985 season.%^$
%^$PRESEASON USA TODAY/NFCA POLL
%^$Ohio State will compete against seven opponents ranked in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 preseason poll. In non-conference action, the Buckeyes will meet No. 3 Fresno State, No. 7 Louisiana State, No. 14 DePaul and No. 15 Long Beach State. In the Big Ten, Michigan is ranked No. 6, while Michigan State and Iowa are ranked 17th and 25th, respectively.%^$
%^$AGAINST THE RANKED
%^$Last season, the Buckeyes posted a 1-6 record against ranked opponents. Ohio State defeated then-No. 25-ranked Iowa, 8-7, in eight innings (April 4, 1999).%^$
%^$CLOSING IN ON OSU RECORD
%^$Renae Weigel only needs three more home runs to break the Ohio State career record of 12.%^$
%^$GEOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING..
%^$Ohio State has 11 players from the state of Ohio, three from California and one player from each state of Arizona, Michigan, West Virginia and Washington.%^$
%^$ADDITION TO THE COACHING STAFF
%^$Jaime Cheveney returns to the Buckeyes this season as an assistant coach. Cheveney, who was a four-time letterwinner and was selected as a second-team all-Big Ten selection as the Buckeyes’ catcher. Cheveney still holds the No. 2 spot on the Ohio State career home run ladder with nine. Last summer, Cheveney competed on the Akron Racers of the Women’s Professional Softball League with former Buckeye Jodi Dolan. Cheveney is a graduate student at Ohio State in education.%^$
%^$FROM THE TRAINING ROOM
%^$Senior Renae Weigel will not compete in this weekend’s LSU Tiger Classic, because of an injury sustained in practice to her hip flexor two weeks ago. The coaching staff is hopeful Weigel will be back by the San Diego State Tournament, Feb. 17-20. Natalie Woods, after tearing her ACL last season, has not been cleared by the medical staff. She is expected to be back by the end of the tournament season.%^$
%^$ON DECK IN 2001.
%^$Coach Kalafatis signed one of the best recruiting classes in the nation to be added next season. Wendy Allen (Moreno Valley, Calif.), Kristi DeVries (Corona Calif.) and Beth McAbier (Carrollton, Ohio) all signed letters of intents to attend Ohio State in 2001. Allen, a left-hand pitcher, was one-of-16 players in the nation to be named a National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association All-American. DeVries is a high school All-American pitcher who notched a 24-6 record last season with 321 strikeouts and 23 walks. McAbier, a shortstop, was a two-time all-conference pick and three-sport student-athlete at Carrollton High School.%^$
%^$GETTING RESULTS
%^$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 head to San Diego, Calif. for the San Diego State Tournament on Feb. 17-20. The Buckeyes begin the first round of the tounament against host San Diego State on Thursday at 2:30 p.m., followed by Cal-State Northridge at 1p.m. on Friday, Pacific and Sacramento State on Saturday. The Buckeyes will finish the tournament on Sunday with Fresno State and Long Beach State at 9:30 a.m. and noon.
