Baseball Opens the 2001 Season – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/20/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 20, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – – After five weeks of indoor practice, the Ohio State baseball team is anxious and ready to open the 2001 season at the Mardi Gras Ball in Lafayette, La. The Buckeyes will not have much time to enjoy the gumbo or etoufee as the tournament’s field features some heavyweights from around the country. OSU also has the added obstacle of being the only team in the four-school field opening their season in Lafayette. No. 11 Nebraska enters this week with a 3-2 record and competed at the Applebee’s Baseball Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M., last weekend. No. 25 Wichita State enters this week with a 3-0 record after sweeping last weekend’s home series over Air Force. Host school Louisiana-Lafayette has played the most games and enters this week with a 6-4 record, but was swept at Southern Mississippi last weekend.
Joie De Vivre in Louisiana
After spending the past five weeks practicing indoors on the astroturf at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, once OSU hits the field, they will definitely experience joie de vivre (joy of life). The 2001 Mardi Gras Ball will be played at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field on the campus of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The city of Lafayette is located approximately 140 miles west of New Orleans.
Tournament Schedule
The Buckeyes are scheduled to play a game each day in Lafayette. All times listed are Eastern Standard.
Friday, Feb. 23
Nebraska vs. Ohio State 4 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Wichita St. 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24
Ohio State vs. Wichita State Noon
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Nebraska 4 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 25
Wichita State vs. Nebraska 1 p.m.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Ohio State 5 p.m.
USA Baseball Adds Todd
USA Baseball has named Ohio State baseball head coach Bob Todd as the third and final assistant coach of the 2001 USA Baseball National Team. The team will consist of collegiate all-stars that will play approximately 30 games on the USA Baseball Red, White and Blue Tour this summer. Pat McMahon of Mississippi State is the head coach and he will be assisted by Paul Stevens of Northwestern and Dusty Rhodes of North Florida. In June, USA Baseball, McMahon and his coaching staff will select a team comprised primarily of the nation’s top freshman and sophomore collegiate players. The players will assemble at the training site in Tucson, Ariz., then depart for Japan to play a five-game series against the Japanese Collegiate All-Stars in Tokyo and Okinawa. Upon returning from Japan, the team will play approximately 25 additional games in July in various states on the USA Red, White and Blue Tour, including Alaska, Ohio and New York. Laratta and Swisher Listed
The 2001 Rotary Smith committee has released a preliminary watch list of over 160 Division I college baseball players who are under consideration to become the winner of the 14th annual Rotary Smith Award, which will be handed out in Houston, Texas June 28. Junior pitcher E.J. Laratta and sophomore first baseman Nick Swisher have been named to the preliminary list. To view the complete list, log on to www.smithaward.com.
The Weather
The forecast this weekend in Lafayette calls for mostly cloudy skies with a chance of thunderstorms. Temperatures will range from a high of 73 degrees to a low of 55 degrees.
Scouting the Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers enter this week with a 3-2 record. They opened the season on Feb. 9 with a 16-2 loss to Rice. Last weekend, the Huskers competed at the Applebee’s Baseball Fiesta in Albuquerque, N.M. and finished with a 2-1 record. On the final day, Nebraska defeated UNLV, 14-0. Offensively, Jeff Blevins and Matt Hopper are off to impressive starts. Blevins leads the team with a .524 batting average and is tied with Hopper for a team high 10 runs batted in. Hopper is carrying a .481 BA and a team leading four extra-base hits. R.D. Spiehs, Waylon Byers and Shane Komine have recorded the Nebraska wins. Komine entered this season as one of the top pitchers in the country. The Huskers’ head coach is Dave Van Horn. He is in his fourth year at the helm.
Last year, the Huskers finished the season ranked No. 8 in the country with a 51-17 overall record and a 21-9 Big 12 record. They advanced to the NCAA Super Regional and lost to Stanford.
OSU vs. Nebraska
In 1991, the Buckeyes opened the season with a 5-2 win over the Cornhuskers. In 1999, Nebraska was one of four teams along with OSU at the NCAA Columbus Regional, but the two teams did not meet.
Scouting the Shockers
Wichita State opened their season last weekend with a three-game sweep over Air Force. Ryan Owen is off to a solid start leading the team with a .750 batting average (3-for-4). Justin McCarty is second on the team with a .455 BA and a team-high five runs batted in. As a staff, the WSU pitching staff gave up just four earned runs in 27 innings of work last weekend. Justin Maureau is 1-0 and leads the team with nine strikeouts.
Last year, the Shockers won their 15th consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament. For the first time in 23 years of head coach Gene Stephenson’s tenure, WSU does not return an all-conference selection to the lineup. The pitching staff is led by Ben Keiter, a 10-game winner last year. Brian Burgamy is the team’s top returning offensive threat. Last year, he batted .315 with seven home runs and 42 runs batted in.
OSU vs. Wichita State
The Shockers lead the all-time series over the Buckeyes, 2-1. The two teams last met in 1993 at the NCAA Atlantic Regional. OSU won the first game 8-6 but was later eliminated by Wichita State, 5-3.
Scouting the Ragin’ Cajuns
Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns enter this week with a 6-4 record. They opened the season with a six-game winning streak but have stumbled with four consecutive losses. Last weekend, the Cajuns were swept in Hattiesburg, Miss., by Southern Mississippi. Offensively, Frank Pavlich leads the team with a .433 batting average. Robert Shelton has a team high six runs batted in. As a team, the Cajuns have stolen 24 bases in 10 games. On the mound, Eric Templet leads the team with 18 strikeouts and two wins. The Cajuns carry a team ERA of 3.72.
Last year, Louisiana-Lafayette finished No. 4 in the country with a 49-20 record. They advanced to the College World Series for the first time in school history and were eliminated by the Stanford Cardinal. They return just two of nine starters from last year’s team. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ head coach is Tony Robichaux. He is in his seventh year at the helm.
OSU vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
Sunday’s game marks the first meeting between the two schools.
Some Mardi Gras Facts
2001 Mardi Gras Day is Feb. 27. There are approximately two weeks of parades leading up to Mardi Gras Day – also called Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras Day is always the last day of the Mardi Gras Carnival season, a different day each year and 46 days before Easter. There are three colors of Mardi Gras – purple, green and gold. The purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold symbolizes power.
Swisher Picked by Magazine
Sophomore first baseman Nick Swisher was Collegiate Baseball’s preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. Last year, Swisher won Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America honors.
A Quick Preview
Winning and baseball have become synonymous in the 13 years of head coach Bob Todd’s tenure. The 2001 season should prove to be no different. The Buckeyes return a dangerous blend of veterans and rookies – a blend that is so potent, it should mark a return to the national rankings and to the top of the Big Ten standings. 2000 All-Big Ten honorees E.J. Laratta and Cory Cox and Freshman All-American Nick Swisher headline this year’s team. A solid core of veterans also return. The group includes Chris Alvord (C), Mike Check (2B/CF), John Mayor (3B) and Trent McIlvain (SS). The pitching staff could be one of the biggest strengths of the team and one of the best in the Big Ten as all 11 pitchers from last year return. The entire starting rotation (Laratta, Kevin Goodrum, Greg Prenger and Brandon Steen), the stopper (Cox) and the setup men (Kevin Wynk and Kyle Brown) give the team plenty of reasons to feel good about their chances for the upcoming season.
OSU Itinerary
The Buckeyes will fly via charter plane to and from Lafayette. OSU will stay at the Hilton-Lafayette located at 1521 W. Pinhook. The phone number is (337) 235-6111 and fax is (337) 237-6313.
The Newcomers
The Ohio State baseball team has welcomed 12 new members to the program (11 freshmen and one transfer). This group features a Major League Draft selection, two Ohio High School Players of the Year and seven all-state honorees.
“This is the one of the most talented and well-rounded recruiting classes we’ve brought to Ohio State in the last six to eight years,” head coach Bob Todd said. “This is a testament to the work of my staff to evaluate top quality kids and bring them to our program.
“On paper, we have some players that will make an impact right away. With the mix of veterans we have, our level of talent should be at the level we’ve become accustomed to here at Ohio State.”
Highlighting this year’s class are Christian Snavely (3B/OF), Matt Davis (RHP), Kyle Blachuta (RHP/3B) and Josh Newman (LHP). The transfer student is Mike Harris (IF) from the Citadel.
Last Year Review
The 2000 season marked the 13th consecutive winning season of Ohio State baseball. The 37-23 overall record also marked the 10th consecutive year of at least 35 wins or more for head coach Bob Todd and his Buckeyes. In his 13 years as the mentor, Todd has never had a losing season at Ohio State. As a team, the 2000 Buckeyes qualified for the Big Ten Baseball Tournament and advanced to the semifinal round. During the Spring, OSU won the Service Academies Classic in Millington, Tenn., and the Winthrop Classic in Rock Hill, S.C. The individual awards were plenty for the Buckeyes. Nick Swisher became the second consecutive Buckeye to take home Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-America honors. Jason Turner took home All-Big Ten accolades after leading the Big Ten with 17 home runs. Three other Buckeyes took home All-Big Ten honors including stopper Cory Cox and starting pitcher E.J. Laratta.
The Schedule
The Buckeyes won’t have much time to get acclimated to the playing field as they open the 2001 season on Feb. 23 in Lafayette, La., at The Mardi Gras Ball. All three of OSU’s opponents are national powers and qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year – No. 11 Nebraska, No. 25 Wichita State and Louisiana-Lafayette. The Buckeyes will then travel to Jacksonville, Fla., for The Kennel Club Classic (March 2-4) and play host to Detroit in a two-game series (March 9-10) at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes will travel to Brandenton, Fla., for their Spring Break trip (March 16-25). OSU also will play host to four Big Ten weekend series in April and May. Three of the four Big Ten Schools playing in Bill Davis Stadium qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year.
Ticket Information
The Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office has announced that season tickets for the 2001 baseball season are now on sale. The entire season is $176 and the Big Ten Grand Slam package is $96. Single game tickets are currently on sale and will be based on availability. For the general public, box seats are $10 and general admission is $5. For Ohio State students, box seats are $6 and 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 Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-BUCKS or at (614) 292-6861 or log on to www.hangonsloopy.com.
The TV Schedule.
Prior to this season, the Ohio News Network (ONN) agreed to televise nine OSU baseball games at Bill Davis Stadium. Central Ohio Sport! television also has agreed to televise four additional games. The Buckeyes will now have 13 home games televised this year.
Getting Results
OSU baseball results can easily be found on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
On Deck
Next weekend, the Buckeyes will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., for the The Kennel Club Classic. OSU is scheduled to begin play on Friday, March 2 against Jacksonville. The team will also play Stetson, North Florida and Austin Peay.
Sound Bites – The Mardi Gras Ball
Some can’t miss notes on Ohio State baseball that will make your job easier
Under head coach Bob Todd, the Ohio State baseball program hashad four players earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Thisyear, the Buckeyes carry 17 freshmen on the roster – 12 true andfive redshirt. This group includes five pitchers and 12 positionplayers. Last year, 2000 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Nick Swisherhit a home run in his first official collegiate at bat. A total of13 freshmen could see their first collegiate at bats this season.Shortstop Trent McIlvain enters this season with a six-game hittingstreak. Third baseman John Mayor is second on the team with afour-game hitting streak.
