March Madness Begins For The Softball Buckeyes – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/1/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 1, 2000
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes (5-4) take on Florida Atlantic, Pittsburgh, Arkansas and Florida A&M, March 3-5 at the Golden Panther Invitational hosted by Florida International in Miami, Fla. The Buckeyes open the tournament against Florida Atlantic on Friday at 11 a.m., followed by Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. On Saturday, Ohio State takes on Arkansas (11 a.m.) and Florida A&M (1 p.m.). All other games will be played based on seeding.
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 Comfort Inn and Suites (305-220-3901) in Miami, Fla. from Wednesday until Sunday.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
The Florida Atlantic Owls improved to 14-6 for the season after they claimed first place in last weekend’s FAU Worth Invitational. Florida Atlantic shut out both Furman (1-0) and St. Bonaventure (14-0) to claim the tournament championship. Junior Kristie Picon from Miami, Fla. is undefeated with six wins as the top Owl pitcher. FAU is coached by Joan Joyce.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Friday’s meeting will mark the first time the Buckeyes have met Florida Atlantic in tournament action.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Pittsburgh will be opening its 2000 season at the Florida International Tournament. Last year, the Panthers captured a 16-34 overall record under the helm of third-year head coach Michelle Phalen. Sophomore Jacki Harr, who led the team with a .315 batting average, will return this season.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Friday’s meeting will mark the first time the Buckeyes have met Pittsburgh in tournament action.
SCOUTING THE LADY RAZORBACKS
The Arkansas Lady Razorbacks have an 11-10 overall record this season under head coach Carie Dever-Boaz after notching a 5-1 record at the Morning News Invitational last weekend. Arkansas defeated Virginia (7-1, 2-0) and Missouri (6-2, 5-1). Brett Erickson is leading the Lady Razorbacks with a batting average of .333 and six RBI.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Saturday’s meeting will mark the first time the Buckeyes have met Arkansas in tournament action.
SCOUTING THE RATTLERS
The Florida A&M Rattlers are currently on an eight-game losing streak with their only win of the season coming against Georgia Southern (Feb. 5), 4-2.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Ohio State holds a 4-3 record against the Rattlers. The last time out, Ohio State defeated Florida A&M, 2-1 in 1985.
LAST WEEKEND
Ohio State edged Sacramento State (3-2) and Pacific (7-6), but lost to host San Diego State (6-1) and Cal-State Northridge (3-2) at the SDSU Campbell/Cartier Softball Classic, Feb. 17-20. Sunday’s games against No. 3 Fresno State and No. 15 Long Beach State were cancelled because of rain.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS FOR ROTH
Stacy Roth was named to the Campbell/Cartier Softball Classic All-Tournament team. She was honored after going 6-for-14, posting one home run and .429 batting average to help the Buckeyes defeat Pacific (7-6) and Sacramento State (3-2). Roth now leads the team with an overall batting average of .379 and seven RBI for the season.
“It’s great to see Stacy get honored after her exceptional weekend,” Kalafatis said. “There were many great players and teams at this tournament so this is a true indication of what kind of player Stacy is and yet this is only the beginning of what she is capable of. She has unlimited potential as a Buckeye.”
STEALIN’ SMITH
Sophomore Anna Smith has been on a roll, stealing eight bases this season, six of them in the LSU Tiger Classic. She only needs one more to tie her season total from last season. She posted a career-high four stolen bases against McNeese State, Feb. 13. Smith also has recorded some big hits for the Buckeyes. She is ranked third on the team with a batting average of .360.
BIG TIME BATTING
Ohio State ended last weekend with a team BA of .309. Overall, the Buckeyes are batting .282 with 64 hits. Ohio State has made great strides if comparing to last year’s stats. At this time with nine games, the 1999 Ohio State Buckeyes had a BA of .257 with 57 hits.
HOT STREAK HOTTINGER
Freshman Rogeanna Hottinger is currently on a team-high four-game hitting streak. The team season high is five-games by Stacy Roth (2/13-2/18).
CAPTAIN WEIGEL IS BACK
Senior captain Renae Weigel is back after sustaining an injury to her hip flexor. She resumed her starting position at shortstop at the SDSU Campbell/Cartier Classic and went 4-for-14 with a .286 BA. She was instrumental in the Buckeyes win against Pacific, beginning the Buckeye rally with a single to right field and eventually her pinch runner scored on a home run by teammate Kristine Himes.
LINK ON A ROLL
Freshman Jennifer Link leads the team with a batting average of .385 and is second behind teammate Stacy Roth in RBI with six. She has been solid in the lineup batting 5-for-15 with two doubles and two RBI in last week’s SDSU Campbell/Cartier Softball Classic.
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).
ADDITION TO THE COACHING STAFF
Jaime Cheveney returns to the Buckeyes this season as an assistant coach. Cheveney 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 of Ohio State in education.
FROM THE TRAINING ROOM
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.
