No. 22 Baseball Ready to Light Up Bill Davis Stadium – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 6, 2001
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Strange might be the only word to describe the last week of baseball for the No.22 Ohio State Buckeyes. In the last seven days, the Buckeyes have had a game halted after the lights went out in Bill Davis Stadium, have not been able to start a game because of darkness in Iowa and have even hit into a rare triple play. After compiling an impressive 17-game winning streak, the Buckeyes suddenly find themselves entering this weekend with a two-game losing skid. Welcome to Bill Davis Stadium as the Buckeyes (20-6 overall, 3-1 in the Big Ten) begins their second week of Big Ten Conference play. This weekend, OSU plays host to an important four-game series with the 2000 Big Ten Tournament Champion Illinois Fighting Illini (15-13 overall, 4-3 in the Big Ten). The two combatants may be friendly rivals but they are still rivals none the less. Last year, the Fighting Illini eliminated OSU from the Big Ten Tournament and the teams split the season series in Champaign, Ill. How even is this series? In the last six years, it is deadlocked with each team winning one game and tying four.
The Broadcast
The games can be heard live on WOSU (820 AM) and on-line at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Longtime voices of OSU Baseball Herb Howenstine and the jovial Frank Fraas will call the action. This weekend, the series opener on Friday, first game Saturday and series finale on Sunday, will be broadcast on both WOSU and ohiostatebuckeyes.com. The second game Saturday can only be heard via the Internet.
The Old Man
Last week against Wright State, senior pitcher Cory Cox tied an Ohio State career record with his 79th appearance. The record was held by Andy Lee (1996-99). Cox (23 years and 1 month) may be the senior member of the pitching staff, but he isn’t the senior member of the team. Catcher Chris Alvord (23 years and 7 months) was born on Sept. 1, 1977 and is the only member of the team born in that year.
National Statistics
Entering last weekend, sophomore Nick Swisher ranked No. 12 in NCAA Division I baseball with a .38 home runs per game average.
Lights Out Baseball
Last week’s game against Wright State marked the first game in Bill Davis Stadium history delayed and ultimately suspended because of light failure. Initially, the lights went out during daylight and were temporarily restored. The game was then delayed at 8:32 p.m. after another outage and was restarted at 9:08 p.m. The final power outage occurred at 9:26 p.m. in the top of the ninth inning and the game was then suspended by the umpires.
A Personal Winning Streak
After an uncharacteristic first outing against No. 11 Nebraska, OSU ace E.J. Laratta (5-1) has won five-consecutive games in as many starts. He has wins over No. 16 Stetson, Detroit, Harvard, Northwestern and Iowa. Over this span, Larratta has carried a 2.60 earned run average in 34.2 innings of work.
Scouting the Fighting Illini
The Illinois Fighting Illini enter this week with a 15-12 overall record and 4-3 mark in Big Ten play. Last weekend, they took 3-of-4 from Northwestern at home. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Fighting Illini defeated Western Michigan, 4-3 and 10-3, respectively. Entering this weekend, Rob Fischer leads his team with a .403 batting average. Fisher and Luke Simmons are tied for the team lead with six home runs and 27 runs batted in. As a team, the Fighting Illini carry a .283 batting average with 22 home runs and 151 RBI. From the mound, Andy Dickinson has been spectacular this season. He leads Illinois with a 5-0 record and 54 strikeouts in 58 innings. The pitching staff is carrying a 5.06 earned run average. The head coach is Richard “Itch” Jones. He is in his 11th season at Illinois and 35th season as a head coach.
OSU vs. Illinois All-Time
The Buckeyes lead the all-time series between the schools with an 81-74-2 mark. Last year, the teams split a four-game series in Champaign, Ill. In the Big Ten Tournament, the Fighting Illini eliminated the Buckeyes, 4-0, en route to winning the championship.
More on Last Year
Last year, OSU split a four-game series with the Illinois Fighting Illini in Champaign, Ill. John Mayor led OSU with a .467 batting average and Nick Swisher provided the muscle with three home runs and eight runs batted in. Swisher would eventually take home Big Ten Player of the Week honors for his performance. The Buckeyes won the doubleheader with Cory Cox getting the game one win in relief and Greg Prenger tossing the first complete game victory of his career in the nightcap. At the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis, Minn., Illinois pitcher Ryan Kvasnicka blanked the Buckeyes with a complete-game, 4-0 win. OSU’s Trent McIlvain led the Buckeyes with a 2-for-4 game.
Super Sophomores
In an odd twist last year, the Big Ten Conference named OSU’s Nick Swisher as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a third team all-league selection at first base. The irony is the first team honors were awarded to Illinois first baseman Andy Schutzenhofer, also a freshman. Swisher finished the season batting .299 with 10 home runs and 48 runs batted in. Schutzenhofer batted .375 with seven home runs and 63 RBI. Both were named Freshman All-American and are off to excellent starts this season. Entering this week, Swisher is batting .352 with a league leading nine home runs and 20 RBI. Schutzenhofer is hitting a robust .358 with 23 RBI.
Big Ten Leaders
Offensively, the Buckeyes enter this week leading the Big Ten Conference with a .317 batting average and 26 home runs. From the mound, the Buckeye pitching staff is second in the league with a 3.68 earned run average. The staff ranks first with 20 wins and just allowed 65 walks. Leading the conference in individual categories are Nick Swisher with nine home runs, a .533 on base percentage, a .795 slugging percentage and 28 walks, Mike Check with 18 stolen bases, Cory Cox with five saves, and E.J. Laratta with five wins and six pickoffs. John Mayor is fifth in the Big Ten with a .392 BA and Mike Harris is second with 15 stolen bases. Doug Deeds ranks third with a .714 slugging percentage.
The Wright State Game
On Wednesday, the Buckeyes lost to the Wright State Raiders, 6-4, in front of 645 fans Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium. Mike Harris paced the OSU offense, going 3-for-5 with a stolen base and run scored. The game included a 36-minute delay in the top of the eighth inning after the lights went out in the stadium. The game was suspended in the ninth inning after the lights went out again.
Staying Ranked
In this week’s Collegiate Baseball poll, the Buckeyes were ranked No. 22. OSU cracked the Top 25 rankings during the week of March 26.
Wow … What a Start
The 20-5 start by Ohio State is the best the program has seen since 1991 when the Buckeyes opened the season with a 21-4 record. That year, OSU won the Big Ten and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. In 1994, the Buckeyes streaked to a 19-6 start and eventually finished with the best record in the nation at 49-9.
The Winning Streak Ends
The series finale loss to Iowa marked the end of OSU’s 17-game winning streak. The Buckeyes were truly dominant during the 17-game binge. The team compiled a .314 batting average and hammered 15 home runs and 114 runs batted in. Opponents batted just .224 with eight home runs and 34 RBI. The pitching staff was sensational, carrying a 2.01 earned run average with 88 strikeouts and 34 walks. Opponents had a 7.41 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 88 walks. The school record for consecutive game winning streak of 21 was set in 1999. That year, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten Championship and advanced to the NCAA Super Regional.
OSU Offensive Leaders
John Mayor enters this weekend leading the Buckeyes with a .392 batting average. Nick Swisher still powers the team with nine home runs, 29 runs batted in and a .795 slugging percentage. He also has 30 walks in 25 games. Doug Deeds has a team-high nine doubles and Steve Caravati paces the squad with three triples. As a team, the Buckeyes carry a .317 BA with 26 home runs and 176 RBI. Opponents are hitting .265 with 20 home runs and 95 RBI.
OSU Pitching Leaders
Entering this weekend, E.J. Laratta has a team-high five wins and leads the starting pitchers with a 3.43 earned run average. Kevin Goodrum paces the staff with 33 strikeouts. As a unit, the staff has a 3.68 ERA. Opponents are carrying a 6.93 ERA.
Thievery
The Buckeyes already have totaled 53 stolen bases in 26 games this season. Last year, OSU amassed 49 steals in 60 games. Mike Check has been near perfect swiping 18-of-19 bases. Mike Harris is hot on his tail with 15 stolen bases.
The Leading Thief
Mike Check enters this weekend tied for second on the OSU career stolen bases list with 49. He is tied with Bo Rein (1965-67) and Roy Marsh (1992-94) holds the school record with 73.
Going One Way
After starting his career as a switch hitter, Joe Wilkins has decided to hit strictly from the right side. The early results have been favorable. In five games, the OSU starting catcher has compiled a .308 batting average (4-for-13) with three runs batted in. In 17 games prior to the decision to hit just from the right-side, Wilkins was carrying a .222 BA with eight RBI. “It has really helped my balance,” Wilkins said. “It has been easier for me to find a rhythm in the batters box hitting from just one-side. I’ll probably stick with this until the end of the season.
One, Two Punch
The OSU bullpen has produced a dominant duo in setup man Brandon Steen and closer Cory Cox. Steen, a starting pitcher last year, has found his niche in the bullpen. The junior is 2-1 with a 1.53 earned run average in 17.2 innings of work. He also has a save and 13 strikeouts to just four walks. Cox, already established as one of the top closers in the conference, is off to a fantastic start with five saves in five chances this season. He is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings of work. Cox has totaled 10 strikeouts to just one walk.
Fresh Faces
Going into this season, head coach Bob Todd stated his freshmen class was one of the best at OSU in recent memory. So far this season, the Buckeyes already have used nine freshmen in the lineup. Doug Deeds is second on the team with six home runs and 20 runs batted in. Christian Snavely is batting .357 with 19 RBI. Brett Garrard, Steve Caravati, Terry Pettorini and Derek Kinnear each have started a game in the field. Jason Siler has appeared in three games off the bench. From the mound, Josh Newman has started four games and Kyle Blachuta has made two appearances.
Last Weekend in Iowa
Last weekend, the Buckeyes took 3-of-4 from the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City. Faced with rain showers and delays throughout the weekend, the Buckeyes won the first three games before losing the series finale. In the opener on Friday, the Buckeyes used a solid performance from E.J. Laratta to defeat the Hawkeyes, 7-4. The doubleheader on Saturday was changed to a single seven inning game as the start of the game was delayed for two hours because of rain. Kevin Goodrum tossed a complete-game four-hitter to lead OSU to an 8-1 win. On Sunday, the Buckeyes rallied with two runs in the top half of the seventh and final inning to defeat Iowa, 6-5. In the second game, the Hawkeyes avoided a sweep with a 7-1 win. OSU head coach Bob Todd has now won or tied 13-of-14 Big Ten season opening series. With the win on Friday, Todd is now 7-7 in Big Ten season opening games.
Big Ten Series
With the 3-1 series win over Iowa, the Buckeyes now have won or tied 80-of-92 Big Ten series in the 14-year tenure of head coach Bob Todd.
Home Dominance
In the five-year history of Bill Davis Stadium, the Buckeyes never have lost a Big Ten Series at home. The Buckeyes have compiled an 83-25 overall record at home.
Sweet Swisher
For the week of March 26, the Big Ten Conference named first baseman Nick Swisher as its player of the week. The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, he helped lead Ohio State to six wins in Florida while hitting .400 (6-of-15) with three home runs and nine runs batted in. He posted a slugging percentage of 1.067 and each of his homers proved to be the game-winning run in each respective contest. Swisher also collected nine walks (three intentional) while helping the Buckeyes to a perfect 10-0 Spring Break trip (OSU played 10 games in 10 days). Swisher took the award home twice in his freshman season.
Tough Schedule
Two of Ohio State’s four losses have come against ranked opponents and in games decided in the ninth inning. On Feb. 23, OSU opened the 2001 season at the Mardi Gras Ball in Lafayette, La., with a game against No. 11 Nebraska. Going into the ninth inning, OSU was down 6-5, before the Huskers broke the game open with four runs. The following day 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.
A Perfect Spring Break
Faced with nearly every conceivable type of game (doubleheaders, cancelled games, makeup games, night games followed by early morning games), the Buckeyes stood strong and finished their Spring Break trip with a 10-0 mark in Bradenton, Fla. Ohio State posted wins over conference rival Northwestern along with Harvard, Fairleigh-Dickinson and Vermont.
Kennel Club Classic Recap
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.
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
On Tuesday, the Buckeyes the Buckeyes play host to Ohio Wesleyan at 6:35 p.m. The following day, OSU plays host to Oakland at 6:35 p.m. Next weekend, the Buckeyes travel to East Lansing, Mich., for an important four-game conference series against Michigan State.
