Softball Hosts Buckeye Invitational this Weekend – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 13, 2001
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (10-8 overall) hosts the 2001 Buckeye Invitational at Buckeye Field this Friday-Sunday, March 16-18. The four-team invitational field consists of Buffalo, Cleveland State, Indiana University-Purdue University-Indiana and OSU.%^$
%^$INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
%^$Friday, March 16
%^$Noon – Ohio State vs. Buffalo
%^$2 p.m – Cleveland State vs. Ohio State
%^$4 p.m.- Buffalo vs. Cleveland State
%^$
%^$Saturday, March 17
%^$10 a.m.-IUPUI vs. Buffalo
%^$Noon – Cleveland State vs. IUPUI
%^$2 p.m.- Ohio State vs. IUPUI
%^$
%^$Sunday, March 18
%^$10 a.m. – Semifinal
%^$Noon – Semifinal
%^$2 p.m.- Consolation Game
%^$4 p.m.- Championship Game
%^$
%^$*Designated home team listed first%^$
%^$*Seeding for semifinal games is determined by:%^$1. Win/loss record%^$2. Head-to-head results%^$3. Run Differential%^$4. Least number of runs allowed%^$5. Most runs scored.%^$6. Coin toss%^$
%^$YSU TWIN BILL RESCHEDULED
%^$The doubleheader between OSU and Youngtown State that was to be the home opener and was canceled due to weather March 6, has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 28, at 2 p.m.%^$
%^$
%^$HIGHLY OFFENSIVE
%^$OSU had enjoyed a significant advantage in almost every offensive category through 18 games this season. The Buckeyes are batting a collective .265, almost a full point higher than their opponent (.169). OSU has 118 hits compared to 73 for its opponent. The Buckeyes have batted in 44 runs to their opponents’ 27, tallying 55 runs compared to 33.%^$
%^$HARD TO HIT
%^$ OSU pitchers have allowed opponents little opportunity to produce offense. Collectively, the Buckeyes have an earned run average of 0.92, less that a point lower than their opponents(1.96). OSU pitchers have registered nearly twice as many strikouts as their opponents, fanning 125 compared to 67. Through 18 games, OSU has allowed just 73 hits. Kristi DeVries(5-3) has an ERA of 1.00, striking out 59 in 56 innings of work.The opposition is batting a mere .149 against her. Katie Chain(4-4) checks in with an ERA of 1.17., striking out 47 in 47.2 innings of work.The opposition is hitting just.189 against her. Wendy Allen (1-1) has an ERA of 0.41 over 17 innings with 19 strikeouts. She has allowed opponents to hit just .143 against her.%^$
%^$BLOWN AWAY BY DeVRIES
%^$ Freshman pitcher Kristi DeVries has been a force to be reckoned with in her young career.%^$DeVries has an earned run average of 1.00 and a record of 5-3, with a team high 59 strikeouts.%^$At the plate, DeVries has been equally impressive, batting for team-high .381 average with a double and five runs batted in.%^$
%^$LAST SEASON
%^$ Heading into a St. Patrick’s Day matchup with the University of North Carolina-Wilmington at the Winthrop Invitational in Rock Hill, S.C., last season, OSU was 7-8. The Buckeyes went 3-2 at the LSU Classic in Baton Rouge, La. to open the season. OSU split four games at the Campbell-Cartier Classic in San Diego, Calif., before going 2-3 at the Florida International Invitational in Miami, Fla.%^$
%^$10-8 AGAIN
%^$ OSU’s 10-8 record this season ties the 1988 and 2000 editions of the Buckeyes for the best record after 18 games for an OSU team.%^$
%^$LAST SEASON VS. CSU
%^$ OSU defeated the Vikings, 10-1, last April 19 at Krenzler Field in Cleveland, Ohio. Then freshmen Kristine Himes blasted two homeruns and then sophomore Stacy Roth also went deep. Jenn Elwell went six innings in the pitching circle, striking out three en route to her second win of the season. TheBuckeyes improved to 20-18 with the win.%^$
%^$ALL-TIME SERIES VS. CSU
%^$OSU holds a 12-1 advantage over CSU in the all-time series. The Buckeyes’ lone loss to the Vikings came in game one of a doubleheader at Buckeye Field March 31, 1999.%^$
%^$FIRST MEETING
%^$Game one of the invitational Friday will mark the first meeting between OSU and Buffalo.%^$
%^$ONE AND DONE
%^$The Buckeyes have squared off with Indana-Purdue just once, losing to the Jaguars in 1984.%^$
%^$WEEKEND FORECAST
%^$The Friday forecast calls for mostly cloudy and likely showers in the day (70%)and possible snow in the evening.The high is expected to be 47 degrees. Saturday, the high again is expetcted to be 47 degrees with a 20 percent chance of rain. Sunday, it again is expected to be mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain.%^$
%^$WEST DOUBLE DOUBLES
%^$Junior first baseman Sarah West collected a double in both games of the doubleheader against Oakland. In game one, West smacked a two-bagger off the center field wall in the fifth innning to lead to the first OSU score of the game. In game two, she hit a rope that reached the wall in center off one hop. West was second on the team with a .400 batting average (2-for-5) for the doubleheader. She has three doubles for the season.%^$
%^$DOUBLE TROUBLE
%^$The Buckeyes have 20 doubles through 18 games, more than twice that of their opponents (9). Third baseman Kristine Himes leads OSU with four doubles. Sarah West, Wendy Allen and Anna Smith each have three two-baggers. Stacy Roth, Holly English and Jenn Link have two apiece and Kristi DeVries has contributed one.%^$
%^$SMACKIN’ SMITH
%^$Junior outfielder Anna Smith collected three base hits in seven at bats in the twin bill with Oakland to lead the Buckeyes with a .429 batting average. For the season, Smith is batting .288 (17-for-59), fourth on the team.%^$
%^$FOUR GO TWO-FOR…
%^$OSU had four players – Sarah West, Jenn Link, Wendy Allen and Beth McAbier – collect two hits in the doubleheader with Oakland. West was 2-for-5 and Link, Allen and McAbier were 2-for-6. West collected two doubles and Link tallied one.%^$
%^$McABIER MAKES HER MARK
%^$Freshman Beth McAbier collected a single in both games against Oakland, giving her a hit in each of the three of the last four games. Filling in for an injured Kristine Himes, McAbier started at the hot corner in two games at the Golden Panther Invitational. McAbier collected the first hit of her career against Connecticut (3/3), singling to left center off UConn pitcher Megan Biddle.%^$
%^$ELLIS GETS THE NOD
%^$Amy Ellis, a sophomore transfer from Ball State, got her first career start as a Buckeye when she was slotted in as the designated player in game two against Oakland. Ellis also saw her first action of the season at second base in the game.%^$
%^$MIAMI TRIP
%^$OSU finished the 2001 Golden Panther Invitational, hosted by Florida International University in Miami, Fla., March 2-4, with a record of 2-3. All five of the Buckeyes’ games were decided by one run. OSU opened the invitational with a 1-0 loss to host Florida International Friday afternoon and rebounded with a 2-1 win over Arkansas that night. Saturday, OSU opened with a thrilling 4-3 win over Florida Atlantic in the afternoon and dropped a 2-1 loss to Connecticut that night in a game that did not end until after midnight.The Buckeyes concluded the tournament with a 1-0 rematch loss to Arkansas.%^$
%^$DeVRIES ALL-INVITE AGAIN
%^$Freshman pitcher Kristi DeVries earned all-invitational honors for the second time this season when she was named to the all-invitational team at the Golden Panther Invitational in Miami, Fla.(March 2-4) DeVries hit .313 (5-for-16) with two runs batted in for the five-game invitational. In the pitching circle, DeVries posted an earned run average of 0.95, allowing just two earned runs and six hits in 14.2 innings of work, while striking out 19. DeVries also was named to the all-invitational team at the Jameson Inn-Tiger Invitational, held Feb. 9-11 in Auburn, Ala.%^$
%^$ROTH RACKS UP THE HITS
%^$Junior catcher Stacy Roth led OSU with a .556 (5-for-9) batting average at the Golden Panther Invitational. Four of Roth’s five hits were singles and the other was her first home run of the season, a solo shot against Florida Atlantic. Last season, Roth was tied for second on the team with six home runs with first baseman Sarah West.%^$
%^$WEST GOES DEEP
%^$Sarah West kept pace with Stacy Roth, hitting her first home run of the season in a 2-1 win over Arkansas Feb. 2 With the score tied at one in the fifth inning , West hit a 1-1 offering from Arkansas pitcher Rachel Talley over the center field wall to give OSU the winning%^$
%^$ALLEN STRONG AGAIN
%^$After an impressive debut in her first start in the circle at the Campbell-Cartier Classic in San Diego, Calif., Allen had another strong performance in the Buckeyes’ first game at the Golden Panther Invitational. Allen struck out six and allowed one earned run and three hits in five innings of work. In the debut, the southpaw went five innings in an 8-0 win over Utah State, allowing just one hit and striking out six. Allen also gained a save in the tournament, coming in to relieve Katie Chain in the bottom of the seventh inning to shut the door in a 8-4 win over Sacramento State.%^$
%^$THEY’RE GETTING AWAY
%^$ Through 19 games, the Buckeyes have stolen 21 bases in 25 attempts. Outfielders Anna Smith and Holly English have each heisted a team-high four bases without being caught. Sophomore second baseman Jenn Link is a perfect 3-for-3 on the basepaths. Wendy Allen is 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts.%^$
%^$SMITH SMACKS SAC. STATE
%^$ Junior outfielder Anna Smith went 4-for-4 in the win over Sacramento State Feb. 18, collecting three singles and a double to bring in two runs. Smith hit .353 (6-17) for the tournament.%^$
%^$OSU WINS AUBURN INVITE
%^$ OSU, seeded No. 3 at the Jameson Inn-Auburn Invitational after splitting doubleheaders Feb. 16 and 17, defeated previously unbeaten No. 1 seed and host Auburn, 4-0, Feb. 18, in extra innings to claim the invitational championship along with conference foe Purdue.%^$After a 3-2 win over Syracuse Sunday morning – OSU’s second win over the Orangewomen in as many days – in the opening round of the single-elimination final day of the invitational, the Buckeyes faced off with Auburn a day after falling to the Tigers, 3-2.%^$The nine-inning thriller lasted over three hours, pushing back the scheduled championship game that was to follow. Both the Buckeyes and Purdue had scheduled return flights, meaning there was not sufficient time for the Big Ten teams to square off for the invitational title. Instead, OSU and the Boilermakers were recognized as co-champions.%^$
%^$DeVRIES NAMED MVP
%^$Kristi DeVries was recognized as the Most Valuable Pitcher of the Auburn Invitational (Feb. 9-11) after winning the first three games of her collegiate career in an overpowering fashion. DeVries averaged a strikeout per inning for the tournament, registering 23 Ks in 23 innings. Her earned run average was .30 as she scattered just 12 hits over three appearences, allowing just one earned run average.%^$
%^$ALL-INVITATIONAL TEAM
%^$Including DeVries’ honor, four Buckeyes were named to the all-invitational team. Catcher Stacy Roth, Kristine Himes and pitcher Katie Chain also were named to the all-invitational team. OSU had the most selections of any of the five schools that participated at the invitational. Auburn was next with three selections.%^$
%^$HIMES GOES DEEP
%^$Kristine Himes homered in the second win over Syracuse (Feb. 11), parking a Heather Brown offering over the left field wall. Himes first long ball of the season gives her 11 for her career, two behind Renae Weigel, who set the career-record of 13 last season. Himes 10 home runs her freshman season are an OSU single-season record.%^$
%^$HIMES NAMED ALL-INVITE
%^$While Himes’ weekend in Auburn (Feb. 9-11) was highlighted by her deep shot against Syracuse, her consistent offensive production thoughout the invitational garnered her a spot on the all-invitational team. Besides her first home run of the season, Himes also had a batting average of .417, second on the team, had three doubles and two RBI and team-best slugging percentage (.800) and on-base percentage (.526).%^$
%^$ALLEN EARNS FIRST SAVE
%^$ After an ACL injury caused Wendy Allen to miss her high school and summer seasons as well as the OSU fall season, the highly touted freshman was cleared to play in Auburn and had a fine collegiate debut.%^$Offensively, Allen picked up two hits in five plate appearances (.313), including a double. Allen came in to relieve Katie Chain in the final day-first round win over Syracuse, striking out five and allowing just two hits to preserve the 2-1 Buckeye lead and earn her first save.%^$
%^$ALL-BIG TEN TRIO RETURNS
%^$ OSU returns three All-Big Ten selections from last season. Junior catcher Stacy Roth, a first team All-Great Lakes Region and second-team All-Big Ten selection, is back behind the plate. Center fielder Anna Smith, a junior, is coming off consecutive All-Big Ten seasons. She was a third-team selection as a freshman and a second-team selection last season. At second base, Jennifer Link earned second-team conference honors as a freshman. Roth’s 36 RBI were the second most for a season in OSU history. Her 14 RBI in conference play were second most in the Big Ten. She was voted team MVP and offensive player of the year. Smith led OSU with 37 stolen bases and ranked seventh in conference play with seven steals. She also cracked the Big Ten Top 10 with a batting average of .339 (10th) and 19 hits (fifth) in conference play. Link had a batting average of .294 to go along with her fielding percentage of .959 and was named defensive player of the year.%^$
%^$ROBERT MORRIS ON DECK
%^$ OSU plays host to Robert Morris in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. next Tuesday at Buckeye Field.%^$
%^$GEORGIA ON THEIR MIND
%^$ Following their matchup with Robert Morris, the Buckeyes will head to Atlanta, Ga., for the Buzz Classic, hosted by Georgia Tech, March 22-25. Other participants in Atlanta will be host Georgia Tech, Campbell, Charleston South, Tennessee Tech and North Carolina.
