The 2001 Scarlet and Gray World Series – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 8, 2001
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%^$The Scarlet and Gray World Series
%^$Series Facts
%^$Game One – Monday, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m.
%^$Game Two – Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 3 p.m.
%^$Game Three – Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
%^$Game Four * – Thursday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m.
%^$Game Five * – Friday, Oct. 12 at 3 p.m.
%^$*if necessary
%^$Bill Davis Stadium (4,500)
%^$Columbus, Ohio.
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%^$The Annual Rite of Fall
%^$Today, four weeks of fall baseball practice culminates with the Scarlet and Gray World Series, a best-of-five intrasquad showdown, where the biggest thing on the line is pride.%^$
%^$”This is our biggest event of the fall season,” head coach Bob Todd said. “We match up our better hitters against our better pitchers. This way, we as a coaching staff can get a true evaluation for their abilities. With a good showing, players can win or lose a starting job.”%^$
%^$What’s at stake? Well…steak. The winning team gets a catered meal of steak, chicken, ribs and potatoes. They are waited on with nice plates and silverware and are served in a pleasing atmosphere. The losing team gets to share a pot of beans and hot dogs with plastic plates and utensils and watch the victorious team enjoy the spoils of winning.%^$
%^$”Our players have a lot of pride,” Todd said. “Nobody wants the humility of having to sit on the losing side.”%^$
%^$Fall baseball is an important time for the program. The five-week period gives the coaching staff an early opportunity to evaluate the team.%^$
%^$”The main goal of fall practice is to stress fundamentals,” Todd said. “We teach and talk about the proper technique that we want our players to exhibit. We also play a lot of innings. We play an intrasquad game almost every day. We evaluate our players and hopefully have a good feel for what kind of team we will have in the spring.”%^$
%^$2002 Preview
%^$For the 14th time in school history, the Ohio State baseball team won the Big Ten championship in 2001. On paper, the Buckeyes have the talent and the experience to make a run for back-to-back titles. Headlining the 2002 team is Team USA member and All-Big Ten first baseman Nick Swisher. Swisher led the Buckeyes with 15 home runs and 56 runs batted in last season. More power will be supplied by the return of sophomore slugger and reining Big Ten Freshman of the Year Doug Deeds (.343 BA, 15 HR, 53 RBI). Veterans Doug Dendinger (.291 BA, 10 HR, 55 RBI) and Lance Rolston (.354 BA) will be asked to contribute even more offensively this season. Super sophomores Christian Snavely (.307 BA, 8 HR, 39 RBI) and Steve Caravati (.346 BA, 6 triples, 35 RBI) will look to elevate their respective games to even greater heights. The pitching staff is led by three seniors and bolstered by the return of starting catcher Joe Wilkins. Staff ace and All-Big Ten selection E.J. Laratta (9-3, 4.08 ERA), stopper Brandon Steen (5 saves) and Matt Kamalsky will add veteran leadership to the unit. Fresman All-American Josh Newman (8-3, 3.50 ERA) will be counted on even more in the 2002 season.%^$
%^$The Newcomers
%^$The Buckeyes welcomed 12 freshman to the program this fall. This group features six all-state selections and one Major League Draft selection. The freshman class includes: Drew Anderson, Cody Caughenbaugh, Paul Farinacci, Geno Ferraro, Chris Hanners, Brooks Graff, Kelly Houser, Scott Lewis, Trent Luyster, Mike Madsen, Justin Myers and John Toffey.%^$
%^$2001 Review
%^$For the 14th time in school history, the Ohio State baseball team won the Big Ten Championship and qualified for the NCAA Baseball Tournament. For the second time in three seasons, OSU’s gem of a ballpark, Bill Davis Stadium, served as the host site for both the Big Ten baseball tournament and NCAA Columbus Regional. The Buckeyes finished the season with a 43-18 overall record and 20-7 mark in conference play. The season proved to be filled with many highlights and milestones. For an unprecedented fourth time in his 14-year tenure, head coach Bob Todd was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year. No coach in conference history has won the award more than twice since its inception in 1988. With his seventh top finish in the Big Ten, the Todd streak continues of having every player recruited winning at least one conference championship ring. A number of Buckeyes took home postseason honors. Mike Check, Cory Cox, Doug Deeds, Nick Swisher and E.J. Laratta earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors. Mike Harris gleaned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors, while Kevin Goodrum and Greg Prenger were named to the third team. Deeds, named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, and Josh Newman were named Louisville Slugger Freshman All-Americans, while Christian Snavely was an honorable-mention selection.
