No. 18 Softball Journeys To Hawaii/Chevron Invitational – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/18/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 18, 2003
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off a dominating performance at the Buckeye Invitational, the No. 18/20 Ohio State softball team (14-6) will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii as they participate in the Hawaii/Chevron Invitational March 20-23. The Buckeyes, winners of their last nine, will face Tokyo in an exhibition contest along with Wisconsin, Pacific and Hawaii.
QUOTE FROM THE COACH
“Our team is excited for several reasons. First of all, their winter finals are over. Secondly, we’re heading to Hawaii for spring break and playing against some very good teams. We feel that we’re about where we should be heading into the final preseason weekend and as we prepare for the opening of the Big Ten season. We still haven’t peaked as a team, but with as many new kids and starters as we have, we’re heading in the right direction.”
CHAIN RECORDS NO. 600
Katie Chain reached another pitching milestone Sunday as she recorded her 600th career strikeout in a 4-2 win over Oakland. Chain, already OSU’s career strikeout leader with 601, is the first Buckeye to reach 600 strikeouts. She recorded nine strikeouts in the complete game and gave up only three hits over the seven innings.
HOME RUN DERBY
The Buckeyes have been a tear recently, having hit 10 home runs in their last six games. Last weekend at the Buckeye Invitational, the Ohio State hit four in the final two games. Ashley Cutcliff blasted two and Kristine Himes one against Morehead State Sunday. Karisa Evans hit her first career home run, the game-winner, against Oakland to help OSU down the Grizzlies, 4-2. The Buckeyes blasted six home runs in the double header at Kentucky March 5. In the first game, Kristine Himes, Ashley Cutcliff and Rogeanna Hottinger all left the park in the 10-2 win. Himes then hit two more dingers in the second game, one a three run shot in the second, and Jennifer Johnson followed up with a solo shot in the fifth. FIRST STARTS
Freshman pitchers Chelsea Baker and Andrea Tribuzi both recorded their first career starts and wins during the Buckeye Invitational last weekend. Baker pitched a complete game against Morehead State Saturday, striking out 14 batters and allowing just one earned run on two hits. Tribuzi went all five innings in the mercy-rule shortened game Sunday against Morehead State. She struck out six and allowed zero runs on four hits.
EARLY AND OFTEN
The Buckeyes have done a majority of their damage offensively early in games. They have scored 62 of their 91 runs this year in the first three innings, 48 of which have been in the second and third innings. The Buckeyes are outscoring the opposition 91-39 and are averaging 4.55 runs per contest.
NAIL BITERS
The Buckeyes are no strangers to close contests as ten games this season have been decided by one run. Ohio State is 5-5 in one run ball games and 4-4 against ranked opponents.
OFFENSIVE SPARK
Ashley Cutcliff, Karisa Evans, Kristine Himes and Annie Dedic are leading the way for the Buckeyes offensively this season. Cutcliff is batting .429 (12-for-28) with three home runs and five RBI’s. Evans is batting .396 on the year and has recorded at least one hit in 14 of the 20 games, including seven multiple hit games. She has one home run, one triple, two doubles and nine RBI’s to her credit and leads the team in runs scored with 16. Himes, the Big Ten player of the Week March 3 and 14, is batting .367 and leads the team in home runs (7) and RBI’s (21). She also has two triples, five doubles and 11 runs scored. Dedic is batting 11-for-31 (.355) with six RBI’s and three doubles.
BUCKEYE INVITATIONAL RECAP
The Buckeyes went 4-0 over the weekend to capture the Buckeye Invitational championship. The Buckeyes defeated Morehead State, 6-1 and 14-0, and Oakland, 7-1 and 4-2. The Buckeyes outscored the opposition 31-4 in the four games and Katie Chain recorded her 600th career strikeout. Kristine Himes was named the tournament MVP.
SCOUTING PACIFIC
The Tigers, winners in five of their last seven games, are 12-11 as of March 17. Kristen Allen is batting .338 (22-of-65) to lead the Pacific attack offensively. She has two home runs and 11 RBI’s. Brandy Thurman and Estee Okumura lead the team in home runs with three. Thurman is batting .313 and also leads the team in triples (2), runs (14) and RBI’s (16).
The Tigers are led by head coach Brian Kolze who is in his 11th year at the helm.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
Conference rival Wisconsin is 9-9 on the year and 3-2 in their last five games. Erin Barnharst leads the Badgers in home runs (3), RBI’s (11) and total bases (21). Pitcher Andrea Kirchberg is 7-7 with a 0.86 ERA. She has pitched 90 innings, giving up just 11 earned runs while recording 135 strikeouts.
SCOUTING HAWAII
Hawaii is 15-10 on the season. They went 1-3 in their last tournament, the Kia Classic in Fullerton, Calif. where they defeated Texas, 5-3 and lost close contests to No. 8 Cal State Fullerton (3-1), No. 5 Washington (5-2) and Fresno State (3-1).
Hawaii is led offensively by Stacey Porter who is batting .448 with 10 doubles, five home runs and 12 RBI’s. Hawaii’s top pitcher is Melissa Coogan who is 12-4 with a 1.41 ERA. She has 43 strikeouts in 104.1 innings of work.
Hawaii head coach Bob Coolen is the winningest coach in the 18-year history of the Rainbow Wahine softball program and has led UH to 11-of-12 winning seasons during his tenure, including the program’s five trips to the NCAA Tournament and one conference title.
MOST WINS EVER?
The 2003 senior class is expected to record more wins than any other class in the history of Ohio State softball. The Buckeyes need just seven wins to help this senior class become the all-time winningest class to come through Ohio State. The 2002 seniors shattered the mark last season, recording 149 wins over the last four years, breaking the old mark of 127 (class of 2001, 1995). The class of 2003 currently has 143 wins.
NEXT UP
The Buckeyes will open up Big Ten play at home the following weekend as they play host to Indiana and Purdue. OSU will face Indiana Saturday and Sunday, March 28-29 and will play a doubleheader with Purdue at noon Sunday, March 30.
