Baseball Heads To Florida for Spring Break – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – – Like many college students in the United States, the Ohio State baseball team (6-4 overall) is migrating to the Sunshine State for Spring Break. After sweeping a three-game series over the Detroit Titans last weekend, the Buckeyes will travel to Bradenton, Fla., to play 10 games in 10 days. OSU is scheduled to face Harvard, Vermont, Northwestern and Fairleigh Dickinson. For the Harvard Crimson and Vermont Catamounts, the games in Florida mark the season openers for both schools. The Northwestern Wildcats enter this week with a 7-7 overall record and do not face OSU in Big Ten Conference play this season. The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights enter this week with an 0-2 record.
The Spring Trip
In Bradenton, the OSU baseball team will play 10 games in 10 days. The games are hosted by the Baseball Academy, a division of the IMG Academies, in Bradenton. The Buckeyes open play Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m. against Harvard. The game will be played at Robert C. Wynn Field on the campus of Manatee Community College. Tickets are available at the field, $3 for adults and $2 for students. Other highlights of the trip include a game against Northwestern at Ed Smith Stadium, home of the Cinncinnati Reds spring training and a contest against Fairleigh-Dickinson at McKechnie Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates spring training. Tickets for the game at Ed Smith Stadium are available at the stadium on the day of the game. There will be no charge for admission at McKechnie Field. The OSU schedule for the week goes as follows:
Friday, March 16
Harvard vs. Ohio State 10 a.m. at Wynn Field
Saturday, March 17
Vermont vs. Ohio State 7:30 p.m. at Wynn Field
Sunday, March 18
Ohio State vs. Vermont 4 p.m.
Ohio State vs. Northwestern 7:30 p.m. at Wynn Field
Monday, March 19
Northwestern vs. Ohio State 7:30 p.m. at Ed Smith Stadium
Tuesday, March 20
Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Ohio State 9 a.m. at Wynn Field
Wednesday, March 21
Fairleigh-Dickinson vs. OSU 7:30 p.m. at Wynn Field
Thursday, March 22
Fairleigh-Dickinson vs. OSU 12:45 p.m. at McKechnie Field
Saturday, March 24
Harvard vs. Ohio State 4 p.m. at Wynn Field
Sunday, March 25
Ohio State vs. Harvard 11 a.m. at Wynn Field
When In Florida
The baseball team will be staying at the Palms at Shorewalk, just six miles from the beach. The phone number is (941) 739-5792 and fax is (941) 751-2997.
The Weather
The forecast this week calls for temperatures in the 70s. Showers are possible on Monday and Tuesday but the rest of the week should have clear skies.
Hitting for the Cycle
Saturday, Ohio State freshman Steve Caravati became the first player in Bill Davis Stadium’s 5-year history to hit for the cycle. Against the Detroit Titans, he opened the game with a one-run double in the first inning. In the third inning, Caravati belted a solo home run. With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, he sent a shot off the center field wall for a base-clearing triple. In his final at bat, Caravati spanked a RBI single to left field. For the game, he finished 4-for-4 with eight RBI. The RBI total set a single-game stadium record, eclipsing the old mark of six set three times in 1997. The cycle was the first for Ohio State since May 7, 1999. The Buckeyes (6-4 overall) defeated Detroit, 13-0, and swept the three-game series.
Todd Coaches 1000th Game
The March 9 contest against Detroit was the 1,000th game coached by Bob Todd. Prior to coming to OSU, he coached 206 games at Kent.
Error Free
The doubleheader against Detroit on Saturday marked the first time this season OSU has gone back-to-back games with out an error.
OSU Offensive Leaders
Nick Swisher leads OSU in every major hitting category. The sophomore is carrying an impressive .389 batting average with five home runs and 15 runs batted in. John Mayor and Mike Check are tied for second on the team with a .389 BA, respectively. Check also leads the team with nine stolen bases.
OSU Pitching Leaders
E. J. Laratta leads the Buckeyes with a two wins (2-1). Laratta and Kevin Goodrum are tied for the team lead with 18 strikeouts each. Stopper Cory Cox has the team’s lone save.
Just Being Offensive
Last season, the Buckeyes averaged 9.15 hits per game and 5.88 runs per game. As a team, they combined for a .288 batting average. This season has been a different story. The Buckeyes enter this weekend averaging 11.8 hits per game and 9.0 runs per game. The team is carrying a .337 BA.
Remember the Traut
The fifth-year seniors on this year’s team are the last group in school history to ever participate in a practice at old Trautman Field. Chris Alvord, Todd Calcamuggio, Mike Check, Cory Cox and John Mayor reported as Freshmen in September of 1997 and went through the last Fall Ball at Trautman Field in school history. The following Spring, OSU officially opened Bill Davis Stadium. The Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium currently sits on the site of the former field.
Swisher is National POW
On March 5, sophomore Nick Swisher was named Louisville Slugger’s National Player of the Week. In a six-hour span on March 3, he put together back-to-back games that those who witnessed will be talking about for quite some time. In a doubleheader at the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville, Fla., Swisher went 6-for-10 with four home runs and nine RBI against No. 16 Stetson and North Florida. In the first game against the Hatters, he hit a solo shot and a grand slam to help lead OSU to a 13-5 upset victory. In the second game, he belted another solo shot and added a three-run blast later in the game. OSU lost, 14-10, to the Ospreys but Swisher was named the Fox Sports Net Player of the Game after his astounding performance. The following day, OSU faced Austin Peay. In three plate appearances against the Governors, Swisher walked twice and was hit by a pitch. He looked at 10 pitches and saw just one strike.
“Our offense has by clicking on all cylinders this season,” Swisher said. “Every guy in this lineup is getting on base, moving guys over and doing all the things necessary to get runs on the board. This is a great honor, but basically all I did last weekend was my job.”
In four games at the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville, Fla., Swisher hit .500 (7-for-14) with four home runs, 11 runs batted in, a double and carried a 1.429 slugging percentage.
Scouting the Crimson
The Harvard Crimson will open its 2001 season in Bradenton against the Buckeyes. Last year, the Crimson finished the season with a 18-25 overall record and 10-10 mark in the Ivy League. The top returning players are pitchers John Birtwell and Ben Crockett along with outfielder Joe Llanes and shortstop Mark Mager. Birtwell went 2-3 last year with a 3.31 earned run average. Crockett was 4-4 with a 4.01 ERA. Llanes and Mager batted .309 and .302 respectively last year. The Crimson head coach is Joe Walsh. He is in his sixth season at the helm.
OSU vs. Harvard All-Time
The Buckeyes hold a 3-0 edge in the all-time series against Harvard. The two teams last met March 27-28, 1999 in Homestead, Fla., with OSU winning both games, 4-2 and 12-10.
Scouting the Catamounts
The Vermont Catamounts will open its 2001 season in Bradenton this weekend. Last year, the Catamounts finished with a 28-22 overall record and finished third in the America East Conference with a 16-10 mark. Kyle Miller is the team’s top returning hitter. Last year, he batted .370 with three home runs and 26 runs batted in. Andy Kumming is the team’s top returning pitcher. Last year, he led the Cats with a 7-3 record. He also carried a 5.24 earned run average with 36 strikeouts. The Vermont head coach is Bill Currier. His is in his 13th year at the helm.
OSU vs. Vermont All-Time
The Buckeyes hold a 2-0 edge in the all-time series against Vermont. The two schools last met March 23, 2000 in Homestead, Fla., OSU won the contest 6-4.
Scouting the Knights
The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights enter this week with a 0-2 record. They opened the season with a doubleheader against Virginia Commonwealth and lost, 7-5 and 6-5. John Hagen got off to a good start by going 4-for-5 with three runs batted in against VCU. As a team, the Knights batted .316 with nine RBI. From the mound, Michael Wasson got the opening day start. He went four innings, gave up four hit and runs. The FDU head coach is Dennis Sasso.
OSU vs. FDU All-Time
The Buckeyes won the only meeting between the two schools 11-1 on March 21, 1998 in Fort Myers, Fla. In that game, current senior Mike Check made his OSU debut.
Last Time in Florida
On, March 2-4, OSU finished the 2001 Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville, Fla., with a 2-2 record. The Buckeyes opened the tournament with a thrilling, come from behind 10-9 win over Jacksonville. The following day, OSU upset No. 16 Stetson, 13-5. The Buckeyes concluded the tournament with losses to North Florida and Austin Peay.
Mardi Gras Ball Recap
On Feb. 23-25, the Buckeyes opened the 2001 season at the Mardi Gras Ball in Lafayette, La. OSU opened the tournament with a 10-5 loss to No. 11 Nebraska. Going into the ninth inning, OSU was down 6-5. But the Huskers broke the game open with four runs. Against No. 25 Wichita State, the two teams played scoreless baseball for the first six innings. In the seventh, both teams scored five runs each and in the bottom of the ninth, the Shockers won the game on a RBI single. Against host school Louisiana-Lafayette, the Buckeyes put together their best game of the weekend. Starting pitcher Greg Prenger gave up just four hits in seven innings of work. Steve Caravati drove in four runs to help lead OSU to the 10-2 win.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
After the trip to Florida, the Buckeyes return home to Bill Davis Stadium and play host to Birmingham Southern, Wednesday, March 28 at 6:35 p.m.
