Buckeye Softball Takes On Rival Dayton Wednesday – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 5, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team returns to action at 4 p.m. Wednesday when the Buckeyes (12-4, 0-0 Big Ten) travel west on Interstate-70 to battle with instate foe Dayton (0-6, 0-0 Atlantic 10). The Buckeyes and Flyers will meet at Stuart Field in Dayton, Ohio.
LEAVING THE YARD
A battle is brewing between senior Stacy Roth and junior Kristine Himes to see which Buckeye slugger will be the all-time home run queen at Ohio State. Entering the 2002 season, Himes was No. 1 on the career long ball list with 16 and Roth was on her heels at 14. Heading into the Worth Invitational (March 1-3) at Fullerton, Calif., Himes held a 17-16 lead. Roth belted a grand slam in OSU’s 10-3 win over Portland State in the opener to knot it up but Himes struck back in the final game of the weekend with a two-run blast in the Buckeyes’ 6-2 upset of No. 10 Pacific. Sarah West also could factor in the race. The senior has collected 14 in her career.
ALMOST THERE
Katie Chain is 3-2 from the circle this year bringing the junior’s career win total to 38. Her victory count ties her for the third-most in program history with current Ohio State assistant Belinda Cernava (1990-93). Jodi Dolan (1995-98) leads the wins list with 41 and Genice Turley (1994-95) is second with 39.
GOING ON STRIKE
Kristi DeVries is also moving up the career pitching charts this year. DeVries, a sophomore, has struck out 33 opponents this year to raise her total to 206, the fifth-most in Ohio State annals. DeVries joins Katie Chain (first with 358), Genice Turley (second with 307), Belinda Cernava (third with 260) and Shelly Eger (fourth with 254) as the only Buckeye pitchers to record more than 200 strikeouts in a career. DOUBLES
Chrissy Fowler and Breana Pozzi have recorded three and four doubles, respectively, only 16 games into the 2002 season. For Fowler, it ties her output of a year ago when she played in 59 games. Pozzi, a sophomore, has tripled her rookie campaign total of one after playing in 35 games .
MILESTONES
Several milestones for the Ohio State program have or will be reached this year. The Buckeyes need nine more wins this year to reach 650. The program has secured 641 wins in its 32 years of play including 12 this season. Win No. 600 came a year ago in an 8-0 defeat of Robert Morris.
Stacy Roth hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning against Cal State Northridge to open the year with a win and give Buckeye coach Linda Kalafatis the 150th victory in her OSU coaching career. Eighteen more wins for the Buckeyes also means the 450th win Kalafatis’ coaching career.
WELCOME ABOARD!
The Buckeyes are on the road again this week but the travel is not as far as the previous trips have been as Dayton and Columbus are separated by 77 miles of Interstate-70. When the Buckeyes returned to Columbus following the Worth Invitational (March 1-3), they ran their miles logged total to 11,322 miles on their three trips. Ohio State has visited Los Angeles twice and Houston once with Columbus to Los Angeles being 2,246 miles one way and a one-way journey to Houston totaling 1,169 miles.
ALL-BIG TEN RETURNEES
The Buckeyes had six All-Big Ten selections last season, the most in program history. Katie Chain, after setting several single-season and career records, earned first team honors. Wendy Allen was tabbed as Big Ten Freshman of the Year and was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection along with Anna Smith and Stacy Roth. Jennifer Link and Kristi DeVries also earned Big Ten honors as members of the third team.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Seventeen of the 18 members of the roster last year return to give Ohio State one of its more veteran lineups. OSU has five seniors, seven juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen this year.
KALAFATIS ENTERS HER SIXTH YEAR
Linda Kalafatis is in her sixth season with the Scarlet and Gray and has complied a 147-130 (.531) record in five seasons leading the Buckeyes. In her 13 years in the collegiate coaching ranks, Kalafatis has posted a 420-245-2 (.630) mark including stints with her alma mater California (Pa.) and Akron. At California, Kalafatis led her teams to five Pennsylvania State Athletics Conference titles and a 175-53-1 (.764) record. With the Zips, her teams went 98-62-1 (.608) in three years. Kalafatis earned her degree in business administration and marketing from CU in 1988 and added a master’s degree in geography and regional planning in 1991.
KALAFATIS VS. OPPONENTS THIS WEEK
In her career as a head coach, Linda Kalafatis has compiled 3-0 record against the Dayton Flyers with all three wins coming while at the helm of the Buckeye program.
CONQUEST OF OHIO
In the 32 years of Ohio State softball, the Buckeyes have battled 14 different instate opponents and compiled a 182-72-2 record all-time. The series between Ohio and the Buckeyes is the most contested with OSU holding a 32-20 advantage.
SCOUTING REPORT: DAYTON
Jodi Eickemeyer and the Flyers are 0-6 this year and have been outscored 45-2. Shannon St. Clair has played in five games and leads the team in batting with six hits (6-of-14, .429).
The UD pitching staff has been hit hard this year. They are allowing opponents to hit at a .386 clip and have an ERA of 6.85.
LAST TIME OUT: HOUSTON INVITATIONAL
The Buckeyes returned to the Greater Los Angeles area and went 3-3 at the Worth Invitational at Fullerton, Calif. OSU posted wins over Portland State (10-3), San Diego State (3-1) and No. 10 Pacific (6-2) and fell to No. 6 California (4-0), No. 14 CSU-Fullerton (10-3) and San Jose State (7-6 in 8 innings).
BUCKEYE FIELD
Buckeye Field, the outdoor home of the Ohio State softball team, stands as one of the more picturesque yards in the Big Ten. The all-dirt infield gives way to a well-kept outfield and warning track with fences at 190 feet in left and right field and 220 to straight away center. Equipped with field tarps, a press box, two spacious dugouts and full sound capabilities, the field comfortably seats 500 fans.
ON DECK
Ohio State opens it home season at 2 p.m. Tuesday with a doubleheader against Kentucky and at 4 p.m. Thursday against Oakland. The Buckeyes also play host to the Buckeye Invitational, Friday through Sunday (March 15-17). Seton Hall, Kent State and Robert Morris will participate in the event this year.
