No. 19 Softball Heads to Ann Arbor for Big Ten Tourney – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 7, 2002
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 19 Ohio State softball team (51-10, 16-4 Big Ten) split its final two games of the regular season at Penn State over the weekend to capture second place in the Big Ten Conference and the No. 2 seed at the tournament this week. The Buckeyes, along with top seed Michigan, have a first round bye at the event in Ann Arbor, Mich., and await the winner of the No. 3 Iowa vs. No. 6 Illinois game. The tournament runs Thursday through Saturday with the championship game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
NO. 2
Ohio State’s second-place finish in the Big Ten standings this year is the second-best ending for the Buckeyes in their 21 years as a member of the conference. The top finish recorded was in 1990 when OSU won the Big Ten title.
WHAT IS AT STAKE
The Buckeyes’ stellar record should make them a lock for an at large bid in the NCAA tournament this year, but Ohio State still can improve its chances for a national berth. The winner of the conference tournament earns the Big Ten’s automatic bid into the NCAA event.
LOOKING FOR FIRST
The Buckeyes will look for first many times this week and not just in the form of singles. After making its inagural trip to the conference tournament a year ago and posting an 0-2 record, Ohio State will try for its first win. If the Buckeyes can win the Big Ten event, they not only will earn their first postseason conference championship, they also will garner their first NCAA tournament berth since 1990.
SMITH CONTINUES TO SHINE
Anna Smith, having perhaps the best season for a Buckeye in the program’s history, pushed her name to the top of two more records over the weekend. In the first game with Penn State, Smith recorded two singles to bring her career total to 232 and tie Candace Kollen (1995-98) for the No. 1 spot all-time at Ohio State. Smith went 2-for-3 in the series finale to break the mark.
Also in the first game, Smith stole third base in the first inning to bring her season total to 37 and tie her own record set in 2000. With two more swipes in the second game, Smith rewrote the single-season total for the second time.
THE STRIKE AND CHAIN
Anna Smith was not the only Ohio State record setter over the weekend. Katie Chain etched her name in the record books again, this time as the single-season strikeout leader. After tallying a program mark of 184 a year ago, Chain has recorded 189 this year with the seven she threw Sunday. Chain, the Buckeye’s all-time strikeout leader, has 498 K’s for her career.
DOUBLE DUTY
Wendy Allen has quietly made a huge contribution to the success of the team this year. The sophomore pitcher/utility player holds the top ERA in the Big Ten at 0.88 and has allowed 28 runs all year. She also has struck out 128 batters and limited hitters to a .176 average.
Allen also has had a big year with her bat. She is third on the team in hits (67) and batting average (.385). She has tallied a team-high 17 doubles, the fourth-most in a season at OSU, and has brought home 48 runs, the second most in a season behind the 59 Stacy Roth has this year. Allen also has clubbed the fourth-most homers in a season for the Buckeyes at nine.
HIGHEST RANKING EVER
The May 1 NFCA/USA Today national rankings, the Buckeyes moved up one spot to No. 19 and attained their highest ranking in the history of the program.
KALAFATIS NEARS 200 WINS
With two wins at the Big Ten tournament this week, Buckeye head coach Linda Kalafatis will earn the 200th of her Ohio State career. She is 198-140 (.586) in her six year with the Buckeyes.
RECORD STREAK SNAPPED
Ohio State is 51-10 on the year, thanks in part to a 19-game winning streak, the longest in school history. The previous mark was set by the 1994 squad and lasted 17 games. A Penn State 1-0 victory over the Buckeyes Saturday ended the streak.
AMONG THE BEST IN THE REGION
Ohio State is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Mideast Regional poll (April 25) with Michigan leading the way. Here is the poll:
1. Michigan 36-9 2. Ohio State 44-9 3. Iowa 29-16 4. Minnesota 33-16 5. Northwestern 21-14 6. Central Michigan 25-13 7. Wisconsin 25-15 8. Penn State 25-21 9. Illinois-Chicago 30-18 10. Akron 25-9
QUEENS OF (THE) DIAMOND
In previous years, 28 home runs by the 2000 team was the most in a season until the 50 put up this year. Not only is the new standard the highest mark for Ohio State, it is the most homers collected by any team in a single-season among the 11 members of the Big Ten Conference. The previous mark was established in 1999 when the Minnesota Golden Gophers launched 43.
MORE LAUNCHES THAN NASA
To make team and conference history, the Buckeye individuals have had to send a few softballs over the fences. Kristine Himes has led the way with her 14 dingers on the year to move to 30 for her career. Both of her totals are records.
Stacy Roth is just behind Himes with 13 for the year and 27 for her career. In a single season, Wendy Allen (nine) and Sarah West (eight) have hit the third and fourth-most homers this year to help the Buckeyes to 49 wins.
In all, nine separate Buckeyes have gone deep with Himes, Roth, Allen, West and Chrissy Fowler the only players to hit more than one home run. Fowler has connected on two long balls.
Here is the up-to-date score board for career home run supremacy: 1. Kristine Himes 2000-02 30 2. Stacy Roth 1999-02 27 3. Sarah West 1999-02 20 Here is the up-to-date score board for season home run supremacy: 1. Kristine Himes 2002 14 2. Stacy Roth 2002 13 3. Wendy Allen 2002 9 4. Sarah West 2002 8
MORE RECORDS THAN A DJ
The 2002 season has truly been a record year for Ohio State. In all, eight team records and eight individual records have been broken while another four team and seven individual marks can be rewritten by the end of the year.
Here are the teams records tied or broken: 2002 Old Mark Year Runs 349 269 1994 Hits 559 473 2001 Doubles 86 77 1995 Home Runs 50 28 2000 RBI 302 235 1994 Stolen Bases 114 98 2001 Wins 51 46 2001 Winning Streak 19 17 1994 Fewest Big Ten Losses 4 6 2001 HR among Conf.* 50 43 1999 * total hit in entire season as compared to other Big Ten schools; Minnesota held the record set in 1999
Here are the teams records close to being set: 2002 Record Year On Base % .395 .368 1994 Best Win % .836 .741 1978
Here are the individual records broken: Category 2002 Was A. Smith Career Hits 234 232 A. Smith Season Hits 96 71 A. Smith Season Runs 65 48 A. Smith Career Runs 163 129 A. Smith Season Stolen Bases 39 37 S. Roth Season RBI 59 42 S. Roth Career RBI 159 96 K. Himes Season HR 14 10 K. Chain Career Wins 54 41 K. Chian Career Shut Outs 19 17 K. Chain Season Strikeouts 189 184
Here are records individuals are close to: Category 2002 Was S. Roth Career Hits 217 234 S. Roth Career Doubles 42 58 W. Allen Season Doubles 17 24 #4 all-time (Krinon 24 in 94, Krinon and Shauna 18 in 93 ann 90 K. Chain Career Inns. Pitch. 501 631 K. Chain Season Wins 19 24
NOT JUST A POWER SHOW
The Buckeyes have displayed their power with 50 home runs this year. Ohio State also has been able to it for average. As a team, the Buckeyes are hitting a .345 clip which is good enough for third-best in the nation according to the statistics released at ncaa.org April 30. Alabama A&M and UCLA are tied atop the rankings with at .350.
NATIONALLY KNOWN
The latest national statistics were released by the NCAA Tuesday and Ohio State remained in the rankings with four team and five individual categories. As a team, the Buckeyes hold the No. 2 batting average in the nation at .345 and is just behind leader UCLA’s .348. The offense is scoring at the fifth-best rate of 5.72 runs per game (349 in 61 games) and OSU’s winning percentage of .836 (51-10) is No. 5 nationally. The Buckeye pitching staff is ranked No. 27 with an ERA of 1.43.
Individually, Anna Smith is named in three categories with Wendy Allen and Stacy Roth making one list each. Smith’s batting average of .519 is No. 2 in the nation and she is No. 9 in stolen bases per game with 39 recorded in 61 contests. Smith also is tied for 18th in triples per game at 0.11 after hitting seven this year.
Allen, who leads the Big Ten in ERA at 0.88, is No. 15 in the national statistics and Roth, the Buckeyes’ all-time career and single-season RBI leader is tied for eighth in runs batted in per game with 1.00 (59 in 59 games played).
HOT START
One reason for the success of the Buckeyes this year is attributed to how quickly they come out of the gates. In the first inning, Ohio State has outscored its opponents 65-18 and 62-4 in the second inning for a 127-22 margin. For the year, the Buckeyes’ opponents have only scored 113 total runs compared to OSU’s 349. The Buckeyes have scored more runs in the first two innings than its foes have for the year, 127-113.
THIEVES
Anna Smith is the all-time stolen base leader at Ohio State with 98 and is 39-for-44 this year. Jennifer Link is climbing the records ladder in the same category with a 28-for-32 performance in 2002. Her career total is up to 54 which is No. 3 on the all-time ledger. Cheryl Palaroan (1996-99) is second on the list with 56.
As a team, the Buckeyes have swiped a record 114 bases to rewrite the record of 98 set last year.
ON PACE
Anna Smith is closing in on yet another Buckeye single season record. She has recorded 96 hits in her 185 at bats in 2002 and is hitting at a .519 clip. Smith is currently ahead of all-time leader Greta Slagle’s .449 average in the 1979 season with eight games remaining in the regular season.
SCORE QUICK AND OFTEN
Ohio State is 37-4 this year in games it scores the first run. The Buckeyes also are 35-3 when they are involved in a three-run decision or greater.
SMITH GARNERS INVITATION
Anna Smith was extended an invitation by USA Softball, the national governing body, to participate in a team camp at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., May 30-June 3 for a chance to make one of two USA teams. Smith is one of 60 selected collegiate players that will compete for roster spots on the teams that will participate in the US Cup, the Canada Cup and the World Championships this summer.
THE WHEELS ON THE BUS GO …
With a return trip to Ann Arbor, Mich., this week, Ohio State’s total travel milage is up to 16,145.48. OSU’s road trips, including 189.84 miles each way to Michigan, have included such far away destinations as Los Angeles, twice, Houston, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Tenn., East Lansing, Ann Arbor, Mich., Iowa City, Iowa, Evanston, Ill., Bloomington, Ind. and Dayton, Ohio, twice.
KALAFATIS IN HER SIXTH YEAR
Linda Kalafatis is in her sixth season with OSU and has complied a 198-140 (.586) record in six seasons leading the Buckeyes. In her 13 years in the collegiate coaching ranks, Kalafatis has posted a 470-254-2 (.640) 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 REACHES HIGH MARKS
In OSU’s 10-0, five inning defeat of Marshall in the first game of a doubleheader April 3, Buckeye coach Linda Kalafatis earned the 450th win in her career. In her 13 year career, she has compiled a 470-254-2 (.644) record.
Kalafatis’ 150th victory in her OSU coaching career came in the Buckeyes’ 5-1 defeat of McNeese State at the Tournament of Champions in Northridge, Calif., to open the year. The 175th win in her career came in OSU’s 2-1, nine inning defeat of Michigan State in the conference opener for both squads. Kalafatis stands 197-139 (.579) as the Buckeyes’ head coach. This is not the only time she has surpassed the 175 win plateau. As a coach at her alma mater, California (Pa.), she amassed a 175-53-1 record.
SCOUTING REPORT: BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
The 2002 Big Ten tournament pits the Top 6 teams in the conference against one another to see who will win the Big Ten’s automatic berth into the NCAA touranment. Michigan (43-9, 15-3) is the top seed and tournament host after securing its eight title in 11 years following a sweep of instate rival Michigan State (1-0 and 1-0) and a split by the Buckeyes with Penn State (0-1 and 4-1). Iowa finished second with a 12-4 conference mark and went 35-16 overall.
The bottom three seeds in the event are No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 5 Penn State and No. 6 Illinois. The Badgers went 11-6 in the Big Ten and 31-18 overall while PSU and UI tied for fifth, along with Northwestern, with 10-9 conference records. Based on tie breakers, the Nittany Lions took fifth with the Illini sixth and the Wildcats missing the tournament in seventh.
OSU has a chance at revenge this year as all four of its Big Ten losses came to teams in the tournament this week. The Buckeyes were swept by UM March 31 in Ann Arbor, dropped a 2-0 decision at home to UW April 5 and loss 1-0 to Penn State Saturday.
OSU HISTORY: THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
The Buckeyes are making their second appearnace in a row in the Big Ten tournament as well as their second all-time. In its first trip to the tournament, also played in Ann Arbor, Mich., Ohio State went 0-2 with two, one-run losses. In the opener, the No. 3 seed Buckeyes fell to No. 6 Wisconsin, 2-1, before being knocked from the event after a 5-4 victory by Penn State.
WEEKLY CONFERENCE HONORS
Wendy Allen, Stacy Roth and Katie Chain each earned weekly conference honors this year with Allen earning accolades twice. Allen and Chain were player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for the week ending March 17 and Allen added a second player of the week award for the week ending April 13. Roth was the player of the week March 25.
LAST TIME OUT
The Buckeyes split a two-game series on the road with the Penn State Nittany Lions to finish second in the Big Ten. PSU won the first game, 1-0, before the Ohio State rebounded to win the finale, 4-1. Coupled with a Michigan sweep of Michigan State, OSU slipped from first place while the Wolverines moved to the top spot to claim their eighth title in 11 years.
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.
ON DECK
The Buckeyes will find out their NCAA fate at 9 p.m. Sunday. The selection show will be shown live on ESPNews.
