Ohio State Baseball Season Review – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 13, 2002
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Ohio State might not have won the 2002 Big Ten regular season championship, but the Buckeyes got the better end of the deal when they qualified for their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
That reward came when Ohio State claimed the Big Ten Tournament Championship May 25 at Minnesota’s Siebert Field with a 6-3 victory over the Golden Gophers, which had won the regular season championship by .22 percentage points in front of the Buckeyes the final weekend of the regular season at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus. OSU was the only team from the conference to earn a bid to NCAA Tournament.
Ohio State drew the third seed at the Notre Dame Regional, but lost its first-round game to the second-seeded Fighting Irish before bouncing back winning elimination games over Kent State, the fourth seed, and top-seeded South Alabama. Notre Dame beat the Buckeyes to advance to the Super Regional and ultimately the College World Series.
Along the way, several Buckeyes picked up honors. Eight OSU players were named to the All-Big Ten teams, including Nick Swisher, Scott Lewis and Nate Smith, which all three garnered first-team honors. Lewis was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year (the fourth straight such honoree from Ohio State) and Joe Wilkins was voted the Most Outstanding Player at the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes landed six on the 12-member all-tournament team. Additionally, Lewis was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
Three Buckeyes were selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, including Swisher, who was the 16th overall selection by the Oakland Athletics. He is the highest draft selection in OSU history.
LHP Scott Lewis Named Freshman All-American
Ohio State lefthanded pitcher Scott Lewis has been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team, Collegiate Baseball released June 5.
Lewis, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year was also a first team All-Big Ten selection and finished the year with an 8-2 record and a team-best 2.84 ERA. He went 2-2 to start the year but won his last six decisions. Lewis finished the year with a Buckeye-best 90 strikeouts, which ties him for the 17th best season in school history, in 92.0 innings, the 19th best season total. He was named to the all-tournament teams at the Big Ten Tournament and at the South Bend Regional.
Lewis pitched the first nine-inning complete game of his career to beat Minnesota May 25 to earn the sixth Big Ten Tournament championship for Ohio State. That 6-3 win, in which he struck out six and walked two, earned the Buckeyes the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. At the South Bend Regional last weekend, Lewis pitched another nine-inning complete game in a 6-4 elimination victory over South Alabama. He struck out 10 Jaguar batters without a walk. He finished the year with six complete games.
Two of his outings were shutouts and in another two games, he combined to pitch a shutout. He struck out a career-best 12 batters in an 8-0 shutout of Purdue on April 28. He had an 11-strikeout game vs. Detroit, a game the Buckeyes won 10-0.
He joins a select group of Buckeyes from the 2002 Ohio State squad that earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America honors in their freshman seasons: Doug Deeds in 2001, E.J. Laratta in 1999, Josh Newman in 2001, Chrisitan Snavely in 2001, and Nick Swisher in 2000.
Swisher Drafted 16th Overall by Athletics
Ohio State first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher was the 16th overall selection by the Oakland Athletics in the Baseball First-Year Player Draft June 4 in New York, N.Y. Swisher is the highest draft pick in Ohio State history. Mike Durant was selected 32nd overall in 1991.
Swisher, son of former major leaguer Steve Swisher, batted.323 in his three years with the Buckeyes, batting in 156 runs with 35 home runs. He had a .613 slugging percentage and a .452 on-base percentage while at Ohio State and was a starter in 166 of the 169 games in which he played. This season, Swisher batted .348, third best on the team, with a team-best 52 RBI and 10 home runs.
The junior switch hitter reached base safely in all but one of his 54 games this season and at one point rode a 19-game hit streak, which was within four games of the school’s all-time record. Swisher, a first-team All-Big Ten selection both as a sophomore and junior, had 64 hits, including 14 doubles and three triples to go with his 10 homers in 2002. He was a freshman All-American and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2000.
In the field, Swisher had a .983 fielding percentage for his career. He played 39 games in centerfield and played the other 15 games his junior season at first base, where he had played all but three games his sophomore year.
Deeds Drafted by Twins in Ninth Round
Doug Deeds was picked in the ninth round by the Minnesota Twins. He led the Buckeyes at the plate in 2002 with a .386 batting average and also topped the squad with 81 hits and 12 home runs. He had 11 doubles and a triple, while knocking in 45 runs. In his two-year career, the red-shirt sophomore, started in 111 of his 114 games, while batting .365 with 150 hits, including 26 doubles, two triples and 26 home runs. He had a .628 slugging percentage and a .447 on-base percentage in his two seasons in Columbus. Deeds was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American after being named the 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. A first-team selection as a designated hitter last year, he was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in the outfield in 2002.
Laratta Drafted in 26th Round
Ohio State righthanded pitcher E.J. Laratta was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 26th round (775th pick) of Baseball’s First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday.
The senior finished second in school history with 34 career wins and 379 2/3 career innings pitched. He was also ninth in Buckeye history with 234 career strikeouts and had the eighth fewest walks given a minimum of 175 innings pitched. He finished with an overall record of 34-15 after going 8-4 his senior season. He had 52 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings. He had five complete games this past season to up his career total to 19. His 15 starts in 2002 tied the school’s season record.
Laratta was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1999 as well as a first team All-Big Ten selection. He was 10-3 that year with a 3.77 ERA. He went 7-5 with a 4.96 ERA as a sophomore and garnered second team All-Big Ten honors, 9-3 with a 4.08 ERA as a junior as a first-team All-Big Ten selection, in addition to his 8-4 campaign as a senior. He finished the season with a 4.99 ERA and his career with a 4.46 ERA. His nine inning complete game victory over Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament this season earned him a spot on the all-tournament team.
Buckeyes Fall 9-6 in South Bend Regional Championship
Notre Dame second baseman Steve Sollmann went 4-for-5 from the plate in helping guide the Irish to a 9-6 victory over Ohio State to win the South Bend Regional June 2 in front of 1,798 at Frank Eck Stadium.
Ohio State fell behind 2-0 after Notre Dame scored a pair of runs in the top of the first inning. Notre Dame added three runs in the fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead.
Ohio State finally got onto the scoreboard when Doug Deeds scored on a Joe Wilkins ground out to second base in the fourth inning.
Notre Dame added another two runs in the sixth inning. OSU starter Nate Smith walked Stanley, but then picked him off before hitting Steve Sollmann with a pitch. Stavisky singled to rightfield to put runners at first and second and that was enough for Buckeye coach Bob Todd, who brought in Chris Hanners in place of Smith.
Smith got his first loss of the season and finished the year with a 6-1 record. He gave up seven runs, five earned, on 10 hits. He walked two and struck out one. Hanners finished the game against the Irish allowing two runs on four hits with a pair of strikeout and walks.
Andrew Bushey singled to no-man’s land in shallow left-centerfield and scored Sollman on the play as the relay through from Brett Garrard sailed high of Wilkins. Bushey tried to advance to second, but it was occupied by Stavisky, so Wilkins threw to first, but Bushey made it back safely though Stavisky advanced to third on the throw and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Paul O’Toole.
Anderson gave the Buckeyes their second run of the game with a double down the leftfield line that scored Mike Rabin, who singled up the middle to get things started in the sixth. Notre Dame got that run back in the seventh on a sacrifice bunt by Thaman and gave the Irish an 8-2 lead.
Ohio State scored four runs in the eighth inning to pull within two, 8-6, but the Irish added a run of insurance in the top of the ninth inning on a sac fly by Stanley.
Notre Dame advanced to play Flroida State in a Super Regional in Tallahassee, FL, upsetting the national No. 1 seed Seminoles in a three-game series to earn a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.
Ohio State Eliminates Top Seed South Alabama, 6-4
Two solo home runs lifted third-seeded Ohio State to an 6-4 victory over top-seeded South Alabama in the South Bend Regional June 1 sending the Buckeyes to the regional championship Sunday against Notre Dame.
Terry Pettorini gave the Buckeyes their first lead of the game, breaking a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning. The shot to left was his seventh home run of the season and his third of the postseason, having homered twice last week at the Big Ten Tournament.
The 5-4 lead lasted three innings until Nick Swisher’s 10th home run of the year gave the Buckeyes a run of insurance heading to the top of the ninth. OSU starter Scott Lewis sat the Jaguars down in order in the ninth to pick up his eighth win of the year against just two losses. Lewis pitched his second nine-inning complete game in the postseason with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Lewis also pitched a complete game in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game last week at Minnesota. Against South Alabama, he gave up four runs on 10 hits, all of the runs coming on five hits in the first two innings.
Lewis retired the last seven batters of the game in order and 10 of the last 12. He also picked off Josh Touchstone to end the fifth inning, the last time the Jaguars really threatened.
Buckeyes Win Elimination Game vs. Kent State
Ohio State set a school NCAA Tournament record with eight steals and 17 hits to win the elimination game 12-8 over Kent State June 1 in front of 1,034 fans at Frank Eck Stadium.
The 17 hits by Ohio State were the same number of hits the Buckeyes had against Mississippi State in the 1999 regional in Columbus and the eight stolen bases broke the 35-year record of six against Houston in the 1967 College World Series. Six of the eight stolen bases came from the Brownsburg, Ind. duo Freshman Drew Anderson and sophomore Brett Garrard each stole three bags, equaling the Ohio State individual NCAA Tournament record.
Garrard went a perfect 4-for-4 on the day with two RBI and scored three of the 12 Ohio State runs. Six other Buckeyes had two hits apiece, including a home run by Christian Snavely, his second in as many games. It was his 10th homer this season and gave him four RBI against Kent State and six in the first two games of this regional. That three-run shot broke open the game that Ohio State had led just 6-4.
Snavely’s home run then gave the Buckeyes a five-run advantage, but a double by Eric O’Brien, a single by Chris Welsch and a walk from Buckeye starter E.J. Laratta to Pat O’Brien loaded the bases. That drew a visit from head coach Bob Todd, who wasted no time in going to the bullpen for reliever Matt Davis to get the final two outs.
Davis struck out Brady Glass, but walked Tom Martin, which scored Eric O’Brien. Davis battled back to get Casey Ellis swinging for his second strikeout of the inning. The run was Laratta’s responsibility. The senior gave up five runs, four earned, on nine hits with a strikeout and a walk. Davis pitched the final 4 2/3 innings, his longest stint in relief this season in getting the win to keep him perfect on the year at 6-0. He allowed three runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and four walks. His previous long in relief was 2 2/3 though his longest appearance was five innings in a start last month against Miami (Ohio).
The win by the Buckeyes snapped a five-game losing skid in the NCAA Tournament that dated back to the 1999 Super Regional when Cal State-Fullerton took the final two games of the best-of-three series to advance to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series. Ohio State was lost its first two games at the Columbus Regional last season to Delaware and Kent State.
OSU Falls 8-6 in NCAA Tournament Opener
A five-run seventh inning by Notre Dame sparked the Fighting Irish to an 8-6 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament May 31 in front of 1,715 fans at Frank Eck Stadium.
Christian Snavely gave the Buckeyes a three-run advantage with a two-run shot to rightfield in the top half of the inning that seemed to give Ohio State the needed momentum to take a first-round victory from the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame scored five runs on six hits in the bottom of the seventh to take a 7-5 lead. Three base hits to start the inning loaded the bases and then a base hit by Steve Sollmann scored Ken Meyer, who led off the inning with an infield single. Another single to right by Brian Stavisky plated Javier Sanchez. That prompted a pitching change.
Todd went with Nate Smith, typically the Buckeyes’ No. 4 starter, in place of starter Josh Newman. A Smith wild pitch scored Joe Thaman and then a throwing error by Joe Wilkins off of Sollmann at the plate allowed him to score the go-ahead run. The Irish added another run to leave the inning with a two-run lead.
Newman was charged with all seven runs off 12 hits in 6 1/3 innings. He had three strikeouts with just one walk against the 30 batters he faced in dropping to 8-6 on the year. He started strong, retiring nine of the first 10 batters of the game.
A solo home run by pinch hitter Matt Bok in the eighth gave the Irish an 8-5 lead and the Buckeyes added a run in the top of the ninth on a pair of doubles, the second of which by Brett Garrard scored Wilkins. Ohio State finished the game with five doubles, which tied the school record for doubles in an NCAA Tournament game.
J.P. Gagne got the victory for Notre Dame as he pitched three innings, allowing three runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts and one walk. He improved to 8-4 with the decision.
Wilkins and Lance Rolston each finished with a pair of hits to pace the Buckeyes. Each went 2-for-4, but Rolston added an RBI and scored once. Snavely’s ninth blast of the year netted him two RBI. Anderson, Rolston and Garrard each batted in one run.
Ohio State Sets School NCAA Tournament Records
The Buckeyes set several school records in the NCAA Tournament this season at the South Bend Regional. The team tied the school mark with 17 hits against Kent State. The Buckeyes also had 17 hits against Mississippi State in 1999. Ohio State had five doubles in the first game against Notre Dame which equaled the school mark in an NCAA Tournament game vs. Jacksonville in 1994. The eight stolen bases against the Golden Flashes were the highest total in NCAA postseason play, topping the six stolen bases the Buckeyes had vs. Houston at the College World Series in 1967.
Individually, four records were either tied or broken. Brett Garrard had four hits against Kent State, which marked the seventh time a Buckeye had as many hits. Joe Wilkins had two doubles in the first game against Notre Dame, becoming the sixth Buckeye to have two two-baggers in an NCAA Tournament game. Brett Garrard and Drew Anderson both tied the individual stolen base record with three stolen bases each against Kent State.
Buckeyes Win Fifth Big Ten Tournament Title
Ohio State went a perfect 3-0 to win its fifth Big Ten Tournament Championship, May 23-25 at Siebert Field in Minneapolis, Minn.
The Buckeyes opened with an 11-10 10-inning victory over fourth-seeded Indiana. A walk-off home run by Joe Wilkins in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Ohio State the victory. With two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Wilkins took a 1-2 offering from Indiana reliever Ryan Smith and launched it to left-centerfield. The ball hit a tree and bounced back onto the field. There was some doubt as to whether it was a home run, but that was cleared up after the second base umpire pointed over his head to signal a home run. Doug Dendinger had tied the game 10-10 in the ninth inning on a two-run, two-out double.
The Buckeyes advanced to the final by beating sixth-seeded Northwestern 5-2 on May 24. Ohio State starter E.J. Laratta pitched his fifth complete game of his career and the 14th of his career in leading the Buckeyes. Laratta went all nine innings and gave up the two Northwestern runs on nine hits. He struck out three Wildcats and walked one.
The tournament championship came with a 6-3 victory over Minnesota on its own field to win the school’s fifth Big Ten Tournament Championship and earn the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota won the Big Ten regular season championship on Ohio State’s home field the final day of the regular season and had celebrated the 2001 Big Ten Tournament Championship in Columbus.
Lewis pitched a complete game in giving up the three runs on just six hits. He struck out six and walked two in improving to 7-2 on the year. Moen got the loss to drop to 0-2. Offensively for the Buckeyes, Deeds finished 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI. He was the only Ohio State player with multiple hits as the team only had nine hits. Ben Patte led the Gophers with a 2-for-4 effort with two RBI.
Ohio State also won the 1991, 1994, 1994 and 1997 Big Ten Tournaments.
Wilkins Named Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player
Ohio State catcher Joe Wilkins was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Big Ten Tournament won by the Buckeyes Saturday with a 6-3 victory over top-seed Minnesota.
Wilkins, also honored on the All-Tournament team behind the plate, batted .545 (6-for-11) with three RBI, four runs scored and a sacrifice fly. He had a double and a triple in addition to his walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning in the 11-10 victory over Indiana on Thursday.
Six Buckeyes Named to Big Ten All-Tournament Team
Catcher Joe Wilkins, voted the Most Outstanding Player at the Big Ten Tournament, was also named to the All-Tournament team. He was joined on that team by fellow Buckeyes Drew Anderson at third base, Doug Dendinger and Doug Deeds in the outfield, and E.J. Laratta and Scott Lewis on the mound.
Anderson went 5-for-12 (.417) from the plate with three RBI, a team-high five runs and a home run in the tournament. Dendinger finished the tournament 5-for-14 (.357) with a team-best five RBI, but the biggest hit of the tournament was a two-run double in the bottom of the ninth against Indiana that sent the game to extra innings. His homer in the sixth inning against Northwestern broke a 2-2 tie and sparked the Buckeyes to a 5-2 victory. Deeds batted 5-for-13 (.385) with a double, a homer and two RBI and scored three times.
Laratta and Lewis each pitched complete games in picking up wins in the tournament. Laratta allowed two runs, both earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts in the 5-2 win over Northwestern. Lewis pitched his first nine-inning complete game giving up three runs, two earned, on six hits with six strikeouts and a pair of walks in the Big Ten Championship clinching victory.
Big Ten All-Tournament Team
Catcher: Joe Wilkins, OSU
First Base: Brad Carlson, IOWA
Second Base: Luke Appert, MINN
Third Base: Drew Anderson, OSU
Shortstop: Eric Blakeley, IND
Outfielders: Doug Dendinger, OSU
Doug Deeds, OSU
Bob Malek, MSU
Designated Hitter: Ben Pattee, MINN
Pitchers: E.J. Laratta, OSU
Scott Lewis, OSU
Gabe Ribas, NWU
Most Outstanding Player: Joe Wilkins, OSU
Scott Lewis Named Big Ten Freshman of the Year
Ohio State’s Scott Lewis was honored as the Freshman of the Year May 21 when the All-Big Ten Baseball Teams and individual honors were announced.
The lefthanded pitcher finished the regular season with a 6-2 record and a 2.80 ERA. He had a team-high 75 strikeouts with just 27 walks in 74 innings.
Lewis continued a strong tradition of Big Ten Freshman of the Year selections from Ohio State, as the lefthanded pitcher is the fourth straight Buckeye to earn that distinction, joining current teammates Doug Deeds (2001), Nick Swisher (2000) and E.J. Laratta (1999). Overall, Ohio State boasts seven Freshman of the Year winners in the award’s 15-year history and is the only program to feature consecutive winners.
Three Buckeyes Named First Team All-Big Ten
First baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher, and pitchers Nate Smith and Scott Lewis were all selected to the All-Big Ten first team.
Swisher was a repeat first team honoree, having also earned first-team honors at first base last year as a sophomore. The junior was the 1999 Big Ten Freshman of the year as a third-team selection to the All-Big Ten team. He played a majority of this season in centerfield but moved to first base May 8 against Miami (Ohio). Swisher has played every game since then at first base, providing leadership to the Buckeye infield. He finished the regular season with a .367 batting average, eight home runs and 47 RBI, while sporting a fielding percentage of .973. His .639 slugging percentage was the best on the team. Swisher also hit .372 in league games with six homers and 27 RBI.
The first-team honors received by Smith marked the first appearance by the junior righthander on any of the All-Big Ten teams. He was 6-0 during the regular season and had a 2.54 ERA, while holding opposing batters to a .216 average. He had 55 strikeouts and 15 walks during the regular season in 60 1/3 innings. In Big Ten action, he was 4-0 with a 2.98 ERA. The lefthanded Lewis led the Buckeyes in strikeouts during the regular season with 75 in 74 innings. The freshman was 6-2 with a 2.80 ERA.
Five Other Receive All-Big Ten Recognition
In addition to the three first-team selections by the Buckeyes, four players earned second-team status, while another player garnered third-team kudos.
Second baseman Christian Snavely, rightfielder Doug Deeds, catcher Joe Wilkins and lefthanded pitcher Josh Newman were selected to the second team, while righthanded reliever Brandon Steen was named to the third team.
Both Deeds and Snavely led the Buckeyes in batting during the regular season with .383 batting averages. Snavely, a sophomore, had 74 hits, including 12 doubles, five triples and eight home runs with 39 RBI. Deeds, also a sophomore, led the team with 11 home runs before post-season play and had 43 RBI on 69 hits. Wilkins made a great field commander for the Buckeyes behind the plate and finished the regular season with a .310 average and a fielding percentage of .977. Wilkins had 39 RBI and advanced runners by sacrifice five times. Newman had a team-high eight wins vs. five losses in the regular season to go with a 3.73 ERA. His 82 innings was tops on the team. He had 65 strikeouts.
Brandon Steen made the third team as a reliever. He had 20 appearances during the regular season with seven saves. The senior had 29 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings.
Minnesota Claims Big Ten Regular Season with Split
Minnesota fought back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the game in the sixth and then scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-5 victory over Ohio State in the second game of Sunday doubleheader to clinch the Big Ten regular season title.
With the victory, Minnesota improved to 18-10 in conference play, while dropping Ohio State to 18-11 with the loss. The Gophers, who played one fewer league game than the Buckeyes because of rain, clinched the Big Ten title by one half of a game.
In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, Ohio State left little doubt handing Minnesota a 9-2 loss to make the fourth and final game of the series a true championship game. The Buckeyes benefited from three walks and two hits in take a 6-0 lead in the fourth. Minnesota scored a run in the top of the fifth, but Ohio State got it right back and then some in the bottom half, scoring three more times to go up 9-1.
On Saturday, Ohio State scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to take a 13-3 decision over Minnesota in the Big Ten series opener Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. A three-run home run by Doug Deeds broke a 3-3 tie. But that was not all the scoring for OSU in the inning as it would score 10 times on only seven hits with the aid of an error.
In Saturday’s second game, Minnesota starter C.J. Woodrow struck out seven Buckeyes in getting his fifth consecutive complete game Big Ten victory, this time a 4-0 shutout over Ohio State in the second game of a doubleheader last Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes mustered only five hits in the game against Woodrow, who improved to 8-4 with the victory. He had one walk in the game, but allowed only six Ohio State baserunners.
Todd Posts 600th OSU Win
With the 14-0 two-hit shutout victory by the Buckeyes over Cleveland State on May 15, Ohio State coach Bob Todd won his 600th game at Ohio State. Todd now has a 605-296-2 record and is already the winningest baseball coach in Buckeye history, doing that with his 479th win in 1999 vs. Pittsburgh. Todd, now in his 15th year at Ohio State, has a career record of 729-378-2 in his 19th season as a head coach, having previously coached at Kent. Todd won his 700th career game earlier this season against Detroit on March 16.
Todd’s Milestone Victories
Career Wins
1 – March 23, 1984 vs. Mercer (18-4)
100 – March 25, 1987 vs. UNC-Wilm. (12-10)
200 – April 1, 1990 vs. Wisconsin (7-4)
300 – April 20, 1992 vs. Penn State (8-0)
400 – May 11, 1994 vs. Cincinnati (14-4)
500 – March 29, 1997 at Michigan State (6-1)
600 – May 2, 1999 vs. Purdue (3-2)
700 – March 16, 2002 vs. Detroit (10-0)
Ohio State Wins
1 – Feb. 27, 1988 vs. Louisville (16-2)
100 – Feb. 22, 1991 vs. Dartmouth (14-7)
200 – March 27, 1993 vs. Cleveland State (8-5)
300 – April 12, 1995 vs. Marshall (9-6)
400 – May 16, 1997 at Michigan (8-5)
*479 – May 5, 1999 vs. Pittsburgh (7-1)
500 – March 19, 2000 vs. Oregon State (8-3)
600 – May 15, 2002 vs. Cleveland State (14-0)
*became the winningest coach in Ohio State history.
Big Ten Wins
1 – April 3, 1988 vs. Illinois (14-6)
100 – May 1, 1993 vs. Michigan (3-2)
200 – May 10, 1998 vs. Michigan State (5-4)
Todd Gets Career Win No. 700
OSU skipper Bob Todd won his 700th game of his career in a 10-0 victory over Detroit in the second game of a doubleheader March 16. While at Ohio State, Todd has guided the Buckeyes to seven Big Ten regular season and five Big Ten tournament championships, eight NCAA tournament appearances and five top-20 finishes.
Bucks Had 18 Triples
With the triple by Joe Wilkins in the first game of the South Bend Regional against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes got their 18th triple of the season. That total ties for the fifth most in a season in school history. The triple by Wilkins against the Irish was his only of the season, but it was his 17th extra-base hit of the year to go with 12 doubles and four home runs.
Christian Snavely led the Buckeyes with five triples this season, just two behind the season record of seven hit by Dale Hampshire in 1959. Snavely has seven triples in his two-year career, which is only five off the career standard of 12 set by Jason Driscoll (1997-00). Drew Anderson finished the year with four triples, second most on the squad.
Eighteen Big Ten Wins Ties for Seventh Best at OSU
The 18 wins by Ohio State in Big Ten action tied for seventh in the school record book. It was still seven off the record 25 conference wins in 1994 and 1999. The Buckeyes had 20 wins in 1991, 1992 and 2001 and had 19 wins in 1993.
Going to the Plate
Ohio State took 1,956 at bats in 2002, the sixth highest total in school annals. Individually, Christian Snavely led the team with 225 at bats, which ties him for the fourth most in Buckeyes history. Three others, in 2002, cracked the top-list in the category: Brett Garrard had 215 (tie 17th), Drew Anderson had 214 (tie 19th) and Doug Deeds had 210 (26th).
Not Bolted Down
The Buckeyes stole 79 bases in 2002, just 17 behind the record 96 bases the team stole in 2001. The 1951 and 1993 teams each stole 84 bases.
Shortstop Brett Garrard had the team’s best success rate in 2002, steal 17 of 19 tries for almost 90 percentage. No one had more stolen bases though than third baseman Drew Anderson, who stole 20 bases on 25 attempts (80.0 percent). The left side of the Buckeye infield is from Brownsburg, Ind., giving them 37 of the team’s 79 stolen bases, almost half of the team total. Anderson’s 20 stolen bases is the 11th most in a season, while Garrard’s 17 is tied for 16th.
Watch the Walk
Ohio State drew 269 bases on balls in 2002, which was the seventh highest figure in school history. The 1982 team walked 321 times to set the school standard. Doug Dendinger, the school’s all-time walks leader with 140, walked 45 times in 2002 to pace the team. Nick Swisher walked second most with 43 bases on balls. Two others had seasons which ranked in the top 25: Doug Deeds walked 39 times (13th) and Christian Snavely walked 33 times (tie 24th). Swisher finished third on the career list with 131 walks in his three seasons in Columbus.
Bucks Had Eight Shutouts
The 14-0 shutout against Cleveland State on May 15 was the eighth time this season Ohio State has blanked an opponent. That total equaled the school record set by both the 1977 and 2001 teams. The Buckeyes also had shutouts against Alabama-Birmingham (2-0 on Feb. 22), North Florida (3-0 on March 1), Detroit (10-0 on March 16), Harvard (9-0 on March 25), Penn State (10-0 on April 6 and 11-0 on April 7) and Purdue (8-0 on April 28).
Ohio State was shut out twice in 2002. The first time was the second game of the Michigan doubleheader when the Wolverines won 1-0 in Ann Arbor, Mich., on May 4. The second time was the also the second game of a doubleheader, this time a 4-0 shutout to Minnesota on Saturday, May 16.
Steen Had Seven Saves
Brandon Steen had saves in both Ohio State wins against Michigan and also had one against Youngstown State on May 1 giving him saves in each of the three Buckeye wins that week. He finished the season with seven saves, which was a season high for the senior from Hendersonville, Tenn. The seven saves are the seventh most in a season by a Buckeye. He finished with 12 career saves.
Steen appeared in 70 games in his four seasons at Ohio State after making a brief appearance against Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament. That appearance moved him into third place all-time in the career record book in front of Dennis Pachner (1992-94). He finished his career nine saves away from second most all time and 26 appearances away from Cory Cox’s (1998-01) record 96.
Team Finished with 10 Saves
Brandon Steen accounted for seven of the team’s 10 saves this season, but the 10 saves equaled the seventh most ever in one season. The most ever saves in one season by Ohio State is 15, which happened in both 1996 and 2001. Freshman Mike Madsen had a pair of saves and freshman Chris Hanners had one save to his credit.
Swisher Streak Reached 19
The longest hit streak on the team this year was a 19-game streak by junior first baseman Nick Swisher. The length of the streak came within four games of the all-time OSU record of 23 held by Jay Semke, who had hits in games 13-35 in 1987. Swisher’s streak was snapped in the first game of the doubleheader at Michigan on May 4. Also ending that day was a string of 51 straight games in which he reached base safely, though that was the only game this season he did not reach base.
Other Streaks of Note
Second to Nick Swisher’s 19-game hit streak was a 13-game streak by Christian Snavely (he also had a 12-game streak) and an 11-game streak by freshman Drew Anderson.
Four current Buckeyes ended the year on a hit streak of at least four games. The longest is by Doug Deeds, who ended the year with a seven-game streak, one short of his season long. Mike Rabin and Terry Pettorini each had hits in their last six games while Doug Dendinger ended his career at Ohio State with hitting in his last four contests. Rabin’s streak was one shy of his season high, while Pettorini’s streak tied his season long.
Multiple-Hit Games
Doug Deeds was the top Buckeye when it came to multiple hit games. He had at least two hits in 24 games this season, including three four-hit contests. Deeds also had a team-high 16 two-hit games and had five three-hit games. Christian Snavely was second on the team with 23 multiple-hit games. Only two Buckeyes had games with five or more hits: Against Toledo, Terry Pettorini went 6-for-6 and Snavely went 5-for-6.
Pettorini Named Second-Team Academic All-District
Sophomore Terry Pettorini has been selected to the Verizon Academic Second-Team All-District IV, which was announced May 9.
The Buckeye sometime-designated hitter carries a 3.40 GPA in political science. On the field, Pettorini has a .253 batting average having played in 32 games, with 26 starts. He has 16 RBI with four home runs. Earlier this season, he went 6-for-6, scoring six times while driving in five runs.
The district team is made up of student-athletes from Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Team members are selected by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America within the district.
OSU Scholar Athletes for Baseball Named
Five Buckeyes currently on the active baseball roster have been named OSU Scholar Athletes. A group of 366 student-athletes were recognized at the annual awards banquet on May 22 by The Ohio State University, the Athletic Council and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. The following individuals have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better since the end of the winter quarter of their freshman year.
Four players also were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team, which was announced May 29: Doug Deeds, Josh Newman, Terry Pettorini and Brandon Steen.
Name Class College/School Award Doug Deeds Junior Business Third Paul Farinacci Freshman UG Student Academic Srvs. First Josh Newman Sophomore Humanities Second Terry Pettorini Junior Social & Behavioral Sciences Third Brandon Steen Senior Biological Sciences Fourth
Remembering Taylor
The Ohio State baseball team is wearing a black circle patch with a white No. 27 on its right sleeve to remember former Buckeye baseball All-American Fred Taylor. Taylor, who passed away Jan. 6, 2002 after a long illness, was the first baseball All-American from Ohio State in 1950. The former first baseman is probably more recognized as coach of the Ohio State men’s basketball team from 1959-76. Five of his teams earned NCAA Tournament berths (1960, ’61, ’62, ’68 and ’71) with four of those advancing to the Final Four (1960, ’61, ’62 and ’68). His 1960 team won the National Championship. The Buckeyes also made history under Taylor by winning an unmatched five-consecutive Big Ten titles (1960-64).
Five Buckeyes Grab Pitcher/Player of the Week Honors
Lefthanded pitcher Scott Lewis struck out a career-best 12 Purdue batters on April 28 to earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Week accolades on April 29. The freshman from Washington Court House, Ohio, salvaged a series split for Ohio State against the Boilermakers. He scattered six hits over seven innings, allowing only one run while complementing his strikeout total with no walks.
Mike Rabin was named the Big Ten Player of the Week April 22 after going 6-for-9 (.667) in the three games in Bloomington, Ind., scoring three times and knocking in four RBI. The freshman from West Chester, Ohio, hit an RBI double in the second game of the Saturday doubleheader that tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. Including the game vs. Dayton on April 17, he finished the week 8-for-11 (.727), scoring four times, while batting in four runs. He also walked four times and did not strike out in the four games for an on-base percentage of .800. He was perfect on the base paths with two stolen bases.
Righthanded pitcher Nate Smith was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week April 1, after guiding the Buckeyes to a 9-0 win over Harvard in the Homestead Challenge and a 9-2 victory over Northwestern March 31. Smith pitched 14 innings and struck out 14 batters last week to get his first two wins of the season. He went seven innings and struck out six batters (all in the first three innings) while walking just one while giving up just two hits in the Buckeyes’ win over Harvard. Against Northwestern on Sunday, the junior from Bryan, Ohio, took a no-hitter in to the sixth inning, when he gave up a home run on the first pitch of the inning. It was the only hit he gave up in the game holding opposing batters to .048 average and fanning eight. He had a 0.64 ERA in the two games.
Second baseman Christian Snavely was named Big Ten Player of the Week April 8 after leading the Buckeyes to three wins against Penn State while batting .438 (7-for-16) with two home runs and eight runs batted in. Snavely scored three runs on the weekend and posted a slugging percentage of .938 thanks to 15 total bases, twice as many as any other Buckeye. Snavely’s first homer in the series came in the second game on Saturday, as he went a perfect 4-4 and produced four RBI and two runs. He followed that performance with another long ball and three more RBI on Sunday as Ohio State bounced back to win three straight from the Nittany Lions after dropping the series opener.
E.J. Laratta was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week Feb. 25 after he started the season opener for the Buckeyes and delivered a nine-inning shutout. The senior righthander from Englewood, Colo., struck out nine batters and allowed only three hits in shutting down the UAB attack to spark OSU to a 3-0-1 start to the season.
