Softball Battles the Oakland Grizzlies – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/2/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May. 2, 2000
Columbus, Ohio – The Ohio State Buckeyes take on the Oakland Grizzlies in a doubleheader on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The Buckeyes will then wrap up their home season on Wednesday against Robert Morris at 3 p.m.
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
The Oakland Grizzlies hold a 17-29 overall record under first-year head coach Steve Ogg. Freshman Ericka Burns leads the Grizzlies with a .382 batting average, 59 hits, one home run and 18 runs batted in. Last weekend, Oakland split a doubleheader to Illinois, winning, 4-3, but falling, 3-1, to the Fighting Illini.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Tuesday’s game will be the first meeting between Ohio State and Oakland.
LAST TIME OUT
The Buckeyes fell to Northwestern, 14-4 and 4-1, in a doubleheader on Friday. Ohio State would then travel to Iowa and fall, 10-2 and 4-1 against the Hawkeyes. The 0-4 weekend record, marks the longest losing streak on the season for the Buckeyes.
FIVE KEY FACTORS FOR THE BUCKEYES
* Anna Smith – Smith has broken the OSU single-season record with 26 thefts this season. She now has a career mark of 35 steals.
* Kristine Himes – She has stepped it up in the last six games, not only playing at the catcher position, but also posting a .295 batting average, 13 hits and eight RBI in conference action.
* Toni Hileman – Having to replace Chrissy Fowler and Stacy Roth in the lineup, Hileman has come on strong for the Buckeyes, batting .333 with two hits and two runs batted in.
* Jennifer Link – She leads the freshman class with a batting average of .285, 41 hits and 17 runs batted in.
* Team Batting – As a team, the Buckeyes are ranked fourth in the conference with a batting average of .266.
COUNTDOWN TO 100 WINS
In her fourth season as the head coach, Linda Kalafatis is only three wins away from posting her 100th win at Ohio State. Her record at Ohio State is 97-110 and her career mark is 370-225-2.
WEIGEL’S CAREER MARK
Against Iowa, Renae Weigel blasted her 13th home run of her career to capture first place on Ohio State’s all-time home run list. Heading into Tuesday’s doubleheader, Weigel has played in 200 games, and has collected 155 hits, 45 runs and 93 runs batted as a Buckeye. She also only needs five more runs batted in to break the all-time career RBI total of 97 at OSU.
HITTIN’ HIMES
Coach Linda Kalafatis was positive at the beginning of the year that freshman Kristine Himes would break several OSU freshman records, but she has not stopped there. Himes blasted the OSU single-season home run record with eight dingers this season. She also stands at sixth place on the single-season list with 31 runs batted in.
RANKED IN CONFERENCE PLAY
As a team, Ohio State is ranked third in batting in conference play heading into this weekend. Ohio State is batting .291 in the Big Ten and .276 overall. Individually, Stacy Roth is fourth with a .386 BA, 49 hits and 36 runs batted in. Anna Smith is second in the conference with a total of 26 stolen bases.
VS. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
This season, Ohio State has a 6-2 record against non-conference opponents. The Buckeyes split with Miami (O.) and Morehead State, but defeated Bowling Green, Cleveland State and Wright State.
ROTH BREAKING SOME RECORDS
Stacy Roth is well on her way to setting several single-season records. Roth is tied for second with 36 runs batted in this season. She only needs seven more to pass Jen Fredrickson on the RBI single-season record book. She is in second behind teammate Kristine Himes on the single-season record list for home runs with six dings.
BIG TIME CONFERENCE
In the April 26 USATODAY/NFCA Poll, the Big Ten Conference has two teams ranked in the Top 15. Michigan and Iowa are ranked No. 13 and No. 15, respectively. As a conference, the Big Ten ranks fifth in the nation with a batting average of .274 and seventh with an ERA of 2.27.
WEIGEL’S CAREER NUMBERS…
While Renae Weigel only needs one more home run to break the career record for home runs, she also only needs eight more runs batted in to break the all-time career RBI total of 97 at OSU.
FROM THE TRAINING ROOM
Ohio State gained a player, but lost another last week. Chrissy Fowler competedfor the first time last weekend after notching a foul ball into her right eye against Michigan on April 16. Stacy Roth has missed the last seven games because of flu-like conditions, but as of yet has not been diagonosed.
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 Chenevey returns to the Buckeyes this season as an assistant coach. She was a four-time letterwinner and was selected as a second-team all-Big Ten selection as the Buckeyes’ catcher. She still holds the No. 2 spot on the Ohio State career home run ladder with nine. Last summer, She competed on the Akron Racers of the Women’s Professional Softbal League with former Buckeye Jodi Dolan. She is a graduate student of Ohio State in agriculture education. .
LAST HOME GAMES
Renae Weigel and Toni Hileman will compete in their last home games this week. The Buckeyes are scheduled to compete against Oakland on May 3 and Robert Morris on May 4. Both are scheduled doubleheaders and begin at 3 p.m.
PACK THEIR BAGS AGAIN
Ohio State will be on the road for the second straight weekend as it takes on Penn State in a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday.
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.
LET’S CELEBRATE
Ohio State will celebrate its 10-year anniversary of the 1990 Big Ten Championship this year. In 1990, Ohio State captured a 39-25 record, defeating Iowa to win the conference championship and head to the NCAA Tournament.
