Iowa Visits Baseball in Big Ten Action – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 10, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State begins conference play this weekend at Bill Davis Stadium when it plays host to Iowa in a four-game Big Ten series. The Buckeyes play four of their next five league series at home after playing their first two conference opponents on the road, where they have gone 4-4 against Northwestern and Penn State.
After opening a 12-game homestand with a doubleheader Wednesday night against Oakland, Ohio State will play 21 of its next 26 at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes only travel three more times this season, going to Purdue and Minnesota and to Jacobs Field for the matchup with Cleveland State on May 6.
Ohio State hopes to find relief from playing 19 of its first 23 games on the road with the stretch of games at Bill Davis Stadium, where the Buckeyes have gone 122-36 record (.772) since the facility opened prior to the 1998 season. The record at the majestic stadium includes a 62-28 record against Big Ten foes and 59-8 mark against non-conference opponents.
About Ohio State
With 13 wins in the first 23 games of the year, Ohio State was in need of a spark to provide a jump start to the season. Greg Prenger might have provided that jolt Wednesday night as he pitched a perfect game to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 win in the second half of a twinbill to improve the team to 15-10 on the year. Now, Ohio State will try to ride that momentum as it returns to Big Ten play this weekend when it plays host to the Iowa Hawkeyes at Bill Davis Stadium. OSU is 4-4 in Big Ten action and needs series wins if it hopes to challenge for the conference crown.
The Buckeyes have not split the first two conference series since doing so to start the 2000 conference campaign, when they went 2-2 against both Iowa and Minnesota. That season, Ohio State finished 37-23 overall and finished fifth in the Big Ten with a 15-13 mark. The last time the Buckeyes had 10 losses in fewer games was in the 1995 season, when that team started the year 6-10 before finishing 40-23 overall and 18-10 to win the conference regular season and tournament titles to make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Leading the way for this year’s Buckeyes at the plate is junior catcher Derek Kinnear, who is batting .351 on a team that is hitting .260 as a unit. Kinnear has 26 hits, three of which have been doubles, with two home runs. He is the team leader with 15 RBI. Drew Anderson is the top slugger on the team with a .480 slugging percentage. He is hitting .314 at the plate with 32 hits, a figure that includes a team-high seven doubles, two triples and another two home runs. He has seven RBI for the year.
On the mound, Scott Lewis continues to have the hot arm, holding opposing batters to a .176 batting average. The sophomore left-handed pitcher has a 1.93 ERA with a 4-0 record in six appearances. He has 58 strikeouts in only 42.0 innings and has yet to allow a home run this year. The other weekend starters are expected to be Josh Newman (2-3, 3.16 ERA), Kyle Brown (1-0, 3.71 ERA) and Nate Smith (1-4, 6.28 ERA). The staff ERA is 4.32 and is holding batters to a .252 average.
Against Iowa
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Iowa 54-39-1 after taking three of four games in Iowa City, Iowa a year ago. The Buckeyes defeated the Hawkeyes 7-1, 2-1 before dropping game three 5-4. Ohio State rebounded for an 11-1 victory in the finale. OSU coach Bob Todd is 23-16 all-time against Iowa. The last time Ohio State lost a series to the Hawkeyes was in 1990 when Iowa took three of four meetings in the regular season. The two teams split a pair of meetings that year in the Big Ten Tournament.
About the Hawkeyes
Iowa took an 8-13 record on the road this week to Illinois State. The game was supposed to have been played Tuesday night, but weather forced its postponement until Wednesday. The Hawkeyes are 2-6 in the Big Ten, winning one game in each series against Michigan and Indiana.
As a team, the Hawkeyes are hitting .277, led by four players who are hitting above .300. Leading the charge at the plate is Mike Best, who has 25 hits, including six doubles in batting .235. Jeff Gremley and Kyle Thousand both are hitting .234. Gremley has 23 hits with seven doubles and a triple for 10 RBI, while Thousand has 22 hits, including five doubles and six RBI. The other hitter above .300 is Nate Yoho, who is hitting .312.
On the mound, six pitchers have tossed at least 10.0 innings. Nathan Johnson paces those hurlers with a 3.92 ERA with a team-leading 28 strikeouts in 20.2 innings. As a staff, the Hawkeyes own an ERA of 4.92 and are holding opposing batters to a .291 average.
Last Year vs. Iowa
It was the first Big Ten road series for Ohio State of the season and the Buckeyes responded by winning three of four in Iowa City, Iowa to remain in first place in the conference.
Ohio State had 15 hits in a 7-1 victory in the series opener on April 12. Pitcher E.J. Laratta went the distance to get his fifth win over the year. Laratta threw just 95 pitches scattering 10 fly outs and 11 ground outs in his third complete game of the season and the 17th of his career.
The Buckeyes got their 20th win of the season with a 2-1 triumph over the Hawkeyes in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader. Josh Newman struck out eight batters in pitching 6 2/3 innings. He gave up only four hits for run, which was unearned. At the time, it was a team-best sixth win of the year.
The third game went the way of the Hawkeyes as a three-run home run tied the game at four in the bottom of the fifth and then got the winning run in the next inning to beat Ohio State 5-4 in the second game of the doubleheader.
Pure power led the Buckeyes to an 11-1 victory and 3-1 series win on Sunday. Right fielder Doug Deeds had two home runs and starting pitcher Nate Smith struck out a career-high 13 batters. Deeds gave the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead in the third inning with his fifth home run of the season and then his sixth homer of the season put the Buckeyes on top 7-0. Paul Farinacci and Doug Dendinger also homered in the game.
Prenger Perfect in 2-0 Win
Right-handed pitcher Greg Prenger retired all 21 batters he faced to post a 2-0 perfect game victory over Oakland in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium.
It was the first no-hitter by an Ohio State pitcher since Eric Thompson no-hit Michigan State on May 10, 1998 and believed to be the first perfect game in Ohio State’s 120-year history. It was the first perfect game coached by Ohio State head coach Bob Todd, who is in his 20th year as a collegiate head coach. There had only been seven no-hit games on record by Buckeye pitchers since 1955.
Prenger, a former walkon who missed all of last season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in the summer of 2001, said he once threw a new hitter on his high school junior varsity team when he was a freshman at Upper Sandusky.
OSU shortstop Drew Anderson recorded the final out, a pop-up he caught just into the outfield grass. Anderson did not realize what had happened until the Buckeyes mobbed Prenger in celebration as he was walking off the field.
Prenger struck out one batter in the first, two in the third, two in the fifth and one for the seventh out of the seventh and final inning. He had seven fly or pop outs and eight ground or line outs to go with the six strikeouts, which equaled the most in his career.
He moved to 2-0 this year with the victory, which was also the 11th of his career against five losses. Oakland’s Billy Schmieder got the loss in six innings of work after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits.
The Buckeyes scored once in the first inning as Mike Rabin turned his free opportunity into the first run of the game. Rabin was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, stole second and then scored on a throwing error by Oakland third baseman Ty Herriott, who threw wide of first on a grounder by Cody Caughenbaugh. The second run crossed the plate in the third inning when catcher Kelly Houser doubled in Caughenbaugh with two outs. Caughenbaugh reached on a fielder’s choice that caught Christian Snavely at second base. Terry Pettorini was stranded at second base after an infield single.
Buckeyes Claim Game One vs. Oakland 2-1
The Buckeyes used a sacrifice fly and a passed ball to score both of their runs in the bottom of the fifth inning in beating Oakland 2-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium.
Wes Schirtzinger led off the inning with a walk and then was bunted over on sacrifice by Jedidiah Stephen. Derek Kinnear reached on a throwing error on Oakland third baseman Ty Herriott, who threw wide of first. Schirtzinger moved to third and then scored on a passed ball on Grizzlies catcher John Sullivan. Kinnear, who advanced to third on the passed ball, scored on a sacrifice line out by Christian Snavely to put the Buckeyes on top 2-1.
Trent Luyster picked up the win in five innings, allowing the one run (none earned) on four hits. He struck out four and walked three. Kyle Brown came on in relief and picked up his first collegiate save for his two innings of work.
The Golden Grizzlies broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning capitalizing on a lead-off walk and the Buckeyes first error of the game. Will Tollison led off the inning with a walk and then reached third on a throwing error by OSU shortstop Drew Anderson on a ground ball from Brad Leach. Anderson tried to flip the ball from his glove to Snavely at second, but the ball went over his head. Tollison scored on a grounder to third by Peter Varon to give the Golden Grizzlies a 1-0 lead.
Buckeye No-Hitters
The perfect game by Greg Prenger Wednesday against Oakland is believed to be the first-ever perfect game in the 120-year baseball history of Ohio State. However, there are seven no-hitters listed in the record book, but none before 1955, when Bill Soter and Ron Disher combined to throw a seven-inning no-hitter against Pittsburgh on April 2. Only two of the listed no-hitters were by more than one pitcher. The other was thrown on April 13, 1982 by Bill Cunningham and Jeff Aurentz in a 4-1 win over Bowling Green.
That means, Prenger is just the sixth individual to throw keep an opponent hitless on his own. The last no hitter was thrown by Eric Thompson against Michigan State on May 10, 1998. It had been a little more than nine years since anyone else had thrown a no-hitter, a 2-0 win over Indiana by Dave Mumaw. All eight no-hitters in the history of Ohio State have been thrown in seven-inning games. None have been recorded in a complete nine-inning game.
No-Hitters
Greg Prenger Oakland W,2-0 4/09/2003 Eric Thompson Michigan State W,3-0 5/10/1998 Dave Mumaw Indiana W,2-0 4/23/1989 Bill Cunningham Bowling Green W,4-1 4/13/1982 and Jeff Aurentz Kerry Sabo Cleveland St. W,12-0 4/16/1980 Gene Rogers Purdue W,6-0 5/23/1969 Joe Sparma Michigan W,3-0 5/18/1963 Bill Soter Pittsburgh W,8-1 4/02/1955 and Ron Disher
Lost in the Shuffle
Perhaps overlooked Wednesday night in the perfect game by Greg Prenger was the fact that Ohio State committed no errors. The last game the Buckeyes, which rank ninth in the Big Ten in fielding, did not have any errors in a game was in the second game of the Northwestern doubleheader on March 28. Through that game, the team was fielding at a semi-respectable .972 clip. In the last seven games, Ohio State has only fielded a .916 percentage. That was much in part to the six errors Ohio State tallied in the finale against Northwetern and the very next game, a seven-error game the Buckeye overcame to win. Those 13 errors in two games is just five less than the total that Rice, the top-ranked team in the nation, has committed all season, in 35 games. Ohio State has a .956 fielding percentage on the year and had entered the game with 21 errors in its last six games. Considering the fielding effort the Buckeyes displayed Wednesday, Prenger’s perfection is even more impressive.
Injuries Hurt Buckeyes
A contributing factor to the fielding woes is likely the result of a lack of experience by the Buckeyes as they have been forced to go with several younger players in the place of injured veterans.
Through last weekend, Ohio State has had to deal with missed games by outfielder Steve Caravati (torn labrum), first baseman Paul Farinacci (shoulder and concussion), shortstop Brett Garrard (hamstring) and third baseman Terry Pettorini (pectoral muscle).
The Buckeyes were already a young team this year, having only three seniors and six juniors. Redshirt freshmen Cody Caughenbaugh, Kelly Houser and Geoff Buchanan and true freshmen Drew Thomas, Jedidiah Stephen and Wes Schirtzinger have been thrown into the fire as a result of the injuries. Only one of them, Houser, has a batting average higher than .200, and even he has only been to the plate nine times. The others have at least 20 official at bats, including 51 by Schirtzinger.
Davis Saves
Matt Davis, the hard throwing Buckeye closer, has six saves this season. The total is tied (with Mike Stafford, 1998) for the eighth most in a season by a Buckeye. The right-hander has a shot at the season record of 10, set by Cory Cox in 2001.
The sophomore from Mason, Ohio, picked up saves against Eastern Michigan, Detroit and Columbia before dropping a decision to Vermont on March 22. He then picked up saves against Illinois and twice at Penn State, getting the first in the 4-3 10th inning victory in the series opener, and in the second game of the doubleheader, a 7-5 Buckeye win.
His six saves this season are the only of his career as a Buckeye. However, one of the more impressive saves was last summer when he was pitching for the Great Lakes League All-Star Team against Team USA. He pitched the final inning in an upset 6-5 victory, getting a strikeout and the final batter of the game to ground into a double play. After going 6-0 as a freshman in 12 appearances (three starts) Davis is 0-1 on the year in 11 appearances this season with an ERA of 7.00. He has not allowed an earned run since his first outing of the season, an 18-3 loss to Southwest Missouri State.
Buckeyes Split With Penn State
After splitting with Northwestern the opening week of conference play, the Buckeyes got the same result at Penn State. Despite taking wins in two of the first three games to go for a series win in the finale, Ohio State dropped the fourth game to even the Big Ten record to 4-4.
Christian Snavely provided the tying run in the top of the ninth inning and a winning triple in the top of the 10th as the Buckeyes overcame seven errors to hand Penn State a 4-3 loss in its home opener Friday at Beaver Field. Trailing 3-2 entering the ninth inning, Snavely delivered with a lead-off home run over the fence in left-center field, a shot that went at least 395 feet. Snavely again rose to the challenge as he got his ninth triple of this career (tied for fifth all-time in OSU history) to score Derek Kinnear and give the Buckeyes the win. Mike Madsen picked up the win in relief to move to 2-1 on the year. Madsen came on to relieve starter Scott Lewis in the eighth inning trailing 3-1. Madsen pitched 2.0 innings and allowed just one hit while Lewis went 7.0 innings with 11 strikeouts and two walks. He gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits. Davis notched his fifth save of the season.
Penn State capitalized on two Ohio State errors, one more costly than the other, to hand the Buckeyes a 2-1 defeat in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Beaver Field. Willie Melendez and Mike Milliron got hits to start the bottom of the fourth inning and scored on an error by Snavely, and a single by Derrick Barr. Those runs would be all the Nittany Lions would need to counter Ohio State’s only run, which was scored in the second inning. Terry Pettorini singled deep in the gap to left-center field to score Drew Anderson, who reached on a one-out single to center one batter earlier. Mike Rabin went 3-for-4 on the day to lead Ohio State. His lead-off hit to start the game ended an 0-for-16 streak. Anderson finished 2-for-3 and Pettorini had the only other hit in two at bats.
Steve Caravati knocked in three on a pair of doubles and scored once to help lead Ohio State to a 7-5 win over Penn State in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday to salvage a split with the Nittany Lions after they claimed the first game 2-1. Caravati was 2-for-4 and got his second and third doubles of the season. Wes Schirtzinger and Kinnear were also 2-for-4 in the game. Kinnear delivered an RBI and scored twice. Rabin was 1-for-4, but batted in a pair while scoring twice himself. Kyle Brown got the win for the Buckeyes in a career long 6.1 innings in a starting role. He moved to 1-0 on the year, his first win since beating Penn State in April, 2001. He allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits, while walk four and striking out four.
Penn State sprinted out to a 7-0 lead in the first three innings before handing the Buckeyes a 10-2 loss in the series finale Sunday at Beaver Field. Penn State used five hits and two Ohio State errors to jump out to an early 5-0 lead on the Buckeyes. A home run by Wes Reohr scored two in the bottom of the third. Ohio State finally got on the board in the fifth inning thanks to back-to-back doubles by Brett Garrard and Wes Schirtzinger. Cody Caughenbaugh, who capitalized on a fielding error by the Penn State second baseman, scored on the two-bagger by Garrard. Schirtzinger’s shot down the left-field line scored Garrard to close the gap to five runs.
Captain Comeback
Anyone who listens to Buckeye baseball on the radio, has heard the nickname “Captain Comeback” in reference to Buckeye Christian Snavely, but it had been a while since the moniker had been said by commentators Herb Howenstine and Frank Fraas. That all changed this past weekend at Penn State when the junior from Defiance, Ohio, gave the Buckeyes a come-from-behind win in the opening game of the series.
Trailing 3-2 entering the top of the ninth, Snavely hit his fourth home run of the season to tie the game. He came up with one on and two out in the top of the ninth and smashed his ninth career triple to give the Buckeyes a 4-3 victory. That was just par for the course for the guy who has played first, second and third bases as well as outfield and DH for the Buckeyes, but he had been relatively quiet since his freshman year when Buckeye fans were first introduced to his nickname.
That season he earned Louisville Slugger honorable mention All-America honors largely in part to his heroics late in games. Against Minnesota he proved himself clutch in a 5-1 series finale victory, a game in which he entered as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the eighth inning with one on and one out, trailing 1-0. He delivered on a 2-0 pitch and hammered it over the fence to give the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead. Against Michigan State, he belted a pinch-hit, game-winning, top-of-the-ninth inning grand slam in Ohio State’s 10-9 win. He smacked a game-winning, two run walk-off home run in the bottom half of the seventh inning in a 6-5 win over Illinois.
It is no wonder that Snavely is not seeing many good pitches at the plate this year. He is batting only .211 this season after finishing second on the team a year ago with a .360 average. He has walked 30 times, including a game-high four times against Eastern Michigan and a total of six times in last Saturday’s doubleheader against Penn State after his heroics in game one of the series. His is halfway to Nick Swisher’s season walk record (60), which was set in the 2001 season. He needs to walk only three more times to crack the Top 25 season totals.
Buckeyes Split With Northwestern
Ohio State and Northwestern split the opening Big Ten series of the year, which was played at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. instead of the Evanston, Ill., where the teams were originally scheduled to meet. Both teams were planning spring break trips to Bradenton and decided to extend the stay and move the conference series to the locale in hopes of good weather.
The series got underway with a Buckeye victory in game one as Scott Lewis sat down the first 11 batters of the game and gave up just four hits in a 1-0 complete game shutout against Northwestern. Lewis struck out 10 batters and allowed just one walk in moving to 4-0 on the year. The game turned out to be an old-fashioned pitchers dual between Lewis and Northwestern starter Dan Konecny, who got the loss to fall to 2-2. Despite a rocky start, Konecny sat down 10 straight batters after Ohio State took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Konecny struck out five, but walked a career-high four batters as Ohio State had eight base runners in the first four innings. The Buckeyes scored the only run of the game in the fourth. With two outs, Doug Larason doubled to left-centerfield. A line drive by Derek Kinnear into rightfield moved Larason to third. Jedidiah Stephen drew a walk to load the bases and then Mike Rabin walked to score Larason and give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. Buckeyes Win Second Game 4-1
Josh Newman took a shutout into the bottom of the seventh before Northwestern scored its only run of the game in a 4-1 win by Ohio State in game two. Newman was going for a second straight shutout by the Buckeye pitching staff, but that bid was broken up in the bottom of the seventh inning as Pat McMahon doubled in Mark Ori. That run ended a streak of 22 scoreless innings by Buckeye pitching. Newman allowed the one run (earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts, including the final out of the game. He had just one walk in evening his record to 2-2 on the year. Ohio State scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning and then added a pair of runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead. Jedidiah Stephen hit his first career home run to extend the lead to four runs.
Games three and four went the way of the Wildcats. In the second game of the doubleheader Ohio State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but did not score the rest of the way as Northwestern cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Buckeyes. A sacrifice fly by Christian Snavely gave the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Northwestern took its first lead (2-1) in the series by scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Pohlman broke the game open in the fifth inning with a two-run triple to left-centerfield. By the end of the inning the Wildcats owned a 6-1 lead. Second baseman Eric Roeder homered in the sixth to give the Wildcats the 7-1 final margin.
In game four, Northwestern had 13 hits and benefited from six Ohio State miscues in handing the Buckeyes a 13-4 defeat. Northwestern got on the board in a big way in the bottom of the second, capitalizing on five hits, including two home runs, three errors and a walk to take a 7-0. Ohio State cut the lead to four by scoring three times in the top of the third, but the Wildcats bought those three runs back and added another as they scored four in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 11-3. Northwestern added another pair of runs in the fifth inning off back-to-back doubles from Roeder and Gresky to go up 13-3. The Buckeyes added a run in the seventh inning, capitalizing on a lead-off double by Steve Caravati. It was his first extra-base hit of the season in a 3-for-5 effort.
Buckeye Splits
The split vs. Northwestern was the first series split with the Wildcats since 1998, while the split against Penn State marked the first series tie between those schools since the 2001 season. Ohio State has now split its last six conference series dating back to the Purdue series April 26-28, 2002. Ohio State closed the conference season with splits against Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota. The series with the Spartans was only a two-game set after rain cancelled two games.
Buckeyes Go 2-3 in Non-League Spring Break Games
Ohio State opened the annual spring break trip to Bradenton, Fla. with a 6-3 win over Columbia at the IMG Academy before falling 7-6 to Vermont at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. Then it was back to Bradenton for a three-game non-conference series with Illinois. After a rainout, the Fighting Illini took both ends of a doubleheader (4-1 and 5-2) and then the Buckeyes rebounded to take the finale by a score of 6-3.
In the first game of the trip, Scott Lewis recorded 10 strikeouts to pick up his third win of the season and the Ohio State offense scored all of its runs with two outs as the Buckeyes defeated Columbia 6-3. Brett Garrard had two hits in a 2-for-5 day with two RBI and Mike Rabin batted in another two runs in going 1-for-3. Lewis, who improved to 3-0 on the year, struck out 10 of the 30 batters he faced, but surrendered four walks in his 7.0-inning outing.
Vermont countered a two-run Ohio State rally that had given the Buckeyes a 6-4 lead in the top of the ninth by scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning to defeat the Buckeyes 7-6 on Saturday. Ohio State had fought back to tie the game in the top of the eighth inning and then took a two-run lead in the top of the ninth and a win was within grasp, but relief pitching gave up five hits in the bottom of the frame handed the Catamounts the one-run victory.
Illinois won twice to extend the Buckeyes losing streak to three. The Illini scored two runs in each of the fourth and fifth innings to get past Ohio State with a 4-1 victory in the first game and then used two home runs in the first inning to jump out to an early 3-0 lead on its way to a 5-2 victory over Ohio State to complete a non-conference doubleheader sweep of the Buckeyes.
In the third game of the series, Ohio State scored four runs in the fifth inning and had solid relief pitching that limited Illinois to just one hit in the last seven innings as it took a 6-3 win against the Fighting Illini.
Illinois scored in the first and added a pair of runs in the third to better Ohio State’s two-run second inning. The Illini had five hits in the first two innings, but did not get another hit until the fifth, its only hit the remainder of the game. The Buckeyes scored four times in the fifth inning to get the 6-3 win.
OSU Sweeps Four vs. E. Michigan, Detroit
Ohio State swept a pair of doubleheaders against Eastern Michigan (4-2 and 15-7) and Detroit (5-3 and 7-0) March 15-16.
In the opening game of the weekend, Derek Kinnear went 2-for-3 and doubled in the winning run in the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie as Ohio State went on to defeat Eastern Michigan 4-2. Christian Snavely added a home run in the seventh inning for the final margin in the first game of a doubleheader. Scott Lewis pitched the first five innings, getting eight strikeouts against 19 batters. He walked one and allowed the two Eastern Michigan runs on three hits.
Terry Pettorini had a solo home run and a grand slam in a 4-for-6 effort to lead Ohio State to a 15-7 victory over Eastern Michigan in the second game of an opening day doubleheader. Pettorini had an RBI single in the first and then had home runs in consecutive at bats – the first a solo shot and the second a grand slam – in the third and fourth innings before getting a base hit in the fifth. The six RBI were the most of the junior’s career.
In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader against Detroit, Kinnear hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in a two-homer day to lift Ohio State to a 5-3 victory. Kinnear went 2-for-3 in the game with four RBI and also scored twice. He was the only Buckeye with multiple hits in a five-hit game by the Buckeyes. Chris Hanners was the pitcher of record when the Buckeyes took the lead in the eighth inning. He did not allow a hit and recorded himself three strikeouts.
Eleven hits by Ohio State and 12 strikeouts by the pitching staff led the Buckeyes to a 7-0 shutout victory over Detroit to compete the doubleheader sweep. Drew Anderson led the way for Ohio State hitters as he went 4-for-5 as the lead-off batter. He scored three times and batted in one run. He had a pair of singles, a double and a home run. He led off the game with a double down the right-field line and then singled in the fourth and sixth innings before launching a home run to rightfield. Trent Luyster got his first win of the season, going 5.0 innings and allowing five hits. He struck out four and walked one.
Kinnear Named Big Ten Player of the Week
Ohio State catcher Derek Kinnear, who was 8-for-12 (.667) in four games against Detroit and Eastern Michigan, was the Big Ten Player of the week (March 18). Kinnear knocked in eight RBI and scored four times and doubled in the winning run in a 4-2 game in the first game of a doubleheader against Eastern Michigan. He went 2-for-3 in all four games in improving the Buckeyes to 7-3. A three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader with Detroit gave the Buckeyes a come-from-behind 5-3 victory. He also had a solo home run the inning before. At the conclusion of the series, Kinnear was batting .438, up from a .182 average last year.
Kinnear Named to Johnny Bench Award Watch List
Ohio State catcher Derek Kinnear has been named to watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, which is given annually to the National Collegiate Catcher of the Year, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced March 20.
The watch list, which currently consists of 32 players, will be updated to include other candidates until May 2 and will then be narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists May 20 and sent to the national voting panel at the end of May to determine the three finalists. Those finalists will be announced June 2, prior to the College World Series and the winner will be announced at the Sixth Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet June 24.
Buckeyes Go 2-1 in Louisiana
Scott Lewis pitched another gem and Ohio State banged out 13 hits in helping the Buckeyes to a 7-3 victory over host Louisiana-Lafayette last Friday in the opening game of the Mardi Gras Baseball Classic in Lafayette, La.
Lewis struck out eight and walked two in 7.0 innings, while allowing just one run on three hits against the Ragin’ Cajuns. It was his second win of the season and 10th win of his Buckeye career.
Brett Garrard was 3-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice while Drew Anderson finished the game 3-for-5 and scored one time. Mike Rabin and Steve Caravati each finished with a pair of hits each.
On Saturday, McNeese State scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to claim a seesaw battle with Ohio State by a final score of 5-3.
The Buckeyes took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth but the Cowboys tied the game and added another two runs to take a 5-3 lead and put the pressure on the Buckeyes to even the score in its final at bat. Derek Kinnear was the offensive star for the Buckeyes. His three hits in four at bats led the Buckeye attack as he was the only OSU player with multiple hits.
Mike Madsen was saddled with the loss for Ohio State. He allowed three runs in 0.2 innings with one strikeout and a walk. He came on in the eighth inning in relief of starter Josh Newman, who pitched 7.0 innings allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits.
Christian Snavely coaxed a bases loaded walk off Wichita State reliever Mike Dennison in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Ohio State a 3-2 victory over the No. 24 Shockers Sunday afternoon in the finale of the Mardi Gras Ball.
Mike Rabin led off the ninth inning with a base hit to left-centerfield and then was bunt over by Derek Kinnear. After a fly out by Wes Schirtzinger to left field, Dennison intentionally walked Drew Anderson. An error on Wichita State third baseman Cody Clark loaded the bases and then Snavely drew a walk to score the winning run.
It was a strange conclusion for a game in which both teams benefited from a pair of solo home runs for the entire offensive run production prior to the winning run. Anderson and Snavely both homered for the Buckeyes, while Drew Moffitt and Logan Sorenson went long for Wichita State. The home run by Anderson was the first of his career as a left-handed batter and was the first run allowed by Wichita State starter Mike Pelfrey, who had not allowed a run in his first 18 innings of the season.
Buckeyes Drop Two in Texas
Ohio State opened the season with a 5-3 win over Lamar, but dropped its next two games, losing 5-1 to Oklahoma and 18-3 to Southwest Missouri State at the Tournament of Champions Cardinal Classic Feb. 28-March 1 in Beaumont, Texas.
On Friday, Scott Lewis struck out 11 batters and Ohio State banged out 10 hits in 5-3 opening night win over Lamar. The sophomore, who was 8-2 with 91 strikeouts last season in earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, struck out three in the first inning, and added a pair of strikeouts in the fourth and seventh innings.
Oklahoma capitalized on solid hitting, an Ohio State error and a pair of balks in getting past the Buckeyes 5-1 Saturday. A home run by Jay Yaconetti in the fifth gave the Sooners a 5-0 lead. Ohio State finally got on the board in the sixth inning after designated hitter Paul Farinacci doubled to left-centerfield to lead off the inning. Jedidiah Stephen hit a shot through the right side to move Farinacci to third. He scored on a fielder’s choice by Brett Garrard.
On Sunday, Southwest Missouri State scored three times in the third inning and then added solo runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh and scored twice in the eighth and 10 times in the ninth en route to an 18-3 win over Ohio State.
Jedidiah Stephen’s single in the bottom of the fourth inning scored Terry Pettorini and Wes Schirtzinger to pull the Buckeyes within 3-2, that was as close as it got as OSU starting pitcher Nate Smith lasted only 4.2 innings. The Bears touched up Buckeye relievers for 15 runs in the final five innings, including a 10-run ninth inning.
In Season Openers
With the 5-3 victory at Lamar, he Buckeyes improved to 9-7 in season openers under Bob Todd, who took over the program prior to the 1988 season. The victory in the season opener was the second consecutive opening day win for the Buckeyes, who defeated UAB 2-0 last season in Starkville, Miss. In 120 years of Ohio State baseball, the Buckeyes are 74-44-2 (.625) in season openers.
In Home Openers
The Buckeyes improved to 12-4 in home openers since Bob Todd took over as the head coach at Ohio State in 1988. OSU, which lost 6-4 to Detroit in the 2002 season opener got back on the winning track with a 4-2 victory over Eastern Michigan on March 15. Since Bill Davis Stadium opened in 1997, OSU is 5-2 in home openers.
The Captains
Senior pitchers Kyle Brown, Greg Prenger and Nate Smith, as well as junior infielder/outfielder Christian Snavely will share captain duties for the 2003 Buckeyes. All captains were selected by a vote of the team at the conclusion of fall practice in October.
Snavely Named Top 100 Prospect
Baseball America named Christian Snavely to their Top 100 College Prospects list entering the 2003 season. Snavely, who last year played second base, was ranked 64th by the baseball magazine. The junior from Defiance, Ohio, can play a plethora of positions and has already seen time at first and third in addition to left field this season. Snavely batted .360 last season and owns a career batting average of .330 with 127 hits, 19 doubles, seven triples and 19 home runs, not to mention 87 RBI. This season he has just three hits in 20 at bats for a .150 average.
Lewis Named Preseason All-American
Left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis received preseason mention as a Third Team Preseason All-American as selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Lewis, the 2002 Big Ten Freshman of the Year was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and finished the year with an 8-2 record and a team-best 2.84 ERA. Lewis finished the year with a Buckeye-best 91 strikeouts in 92.0 innings and was named to the all-tournament teams at the Big Ten Tournament and at the South Bend Regional.
Six All-Big Ten Selections Return
Ohio State will be aided by the return of six All-Big Ten selections. Nate Smith and Scott Lewis were First Team All-Big Ten honorees last season, while Christian Snavely and Josh Newman garnered second team mention. Add Steve Caravati, a second team selection in 2001 and Greg Prenger, a third team honors recipient from 2001, and the Buckeyes will be bolstered by a total of six former all-conference selections.
Which Freshman Will Step Up This year?
For the past four years and seven years since the inception of the award in 1988, Ohio State has been the home of the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. No other school has had more than two recipients.
Last year for the Buckeyes, it was left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis. Other previous winners include: Doug Deeds (2001), Nick Swisher (2000), E.J. Laratta (1999), Dan Seimetz (1995), Matt Beaumont (1992) and Scott Klingenbeck (1990).
Ohio State welcomes nine freshmen for the 2003 season: pitchers Doug Carpenter and Trey Fausnaugh, catchers Phillip Mattingly and Greg Uland, infielders Kris Moorman, Wes Schirtzinger and Jedidiah Stephen, and outfielders Jacob Howell and Drew Thomas.
Last Season
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 South Bend Regional, but lost its first-round game to second-seeded Notre Dame before bouncing back to win 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.
Drafted Buckeyes
Three Buckeyes were selected in the 2002 MLB First-Year Player Draft, including first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher, who was the 16th overall selection by the Oakland Athletics. He is the highest draft selection in OSU history. Additionally, outfielder Doug Deeds was taken in the ninth round by the Minnesota Twins and right-handed pitcher E.J. Laratta was taken in the 26th round by the San Diego Padres. Catcher Joe Wilkins signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ohio State to Retire Jerseys
This season, Ohio State will retire the baseball jerseys of players Fred Taylor and Steve Arlin and player and coach Marty Karow. The three jerseys will be the first retired in the Ohio State baseball program.
Taylor (1947-50) is best remembered as the head coach of Ohio State’s golden era of basketball after his teams made four Final Four appearances and won the 1960 NCAA Championship. However, Taylor wore No. 27 as a baseball player and became the school’s first baseball All-American in 1950.
Arlin (1965-66) is considered the top pitcher in Ohio State baseball history after posting a record of 24-3 in two his two years as a Buckeye. He held OSU marks for victories and strikeouts (294) until 1999 and his .889 winning percentage is the best in school history. He led the nation in strikeouts as a sophomore with 165. Arlin wore No. 22.
Karow (player 1925-27 and coach 1951-75) began his coaching career in 1951 and retired as the winningest coach in the history of the program in 1975 with 478 victories. Karow, who wore No. 13, guided the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship and an appearance in the College World Series in his first season, but his career did not reach its peak until the mid-1960s when the team made three straight appearances in Omaha in 1965, 1966 and 1967. The 1966 season marked the only National Championship in school history.
Buckeyes Begin 120th Season
2003 marks the 120th season of Ohio State baseball, which first took to the field in 1880, though did not play any games in 1887, 1908 and 1910. Ohio State won its 2,000th game last season and entered this season with an overall record of 2,032-1,306-4, a win percentage of .607.
The Buckeyes have been to the NCAA Tournament of 15 times, four of which have ended with a trip to the College World Series. After finishing second in 1965, Ohio State won the 1966 CWS, its only national championship in baseball. Other appearances in the CWS were in 1951 and 1967. In the NCAA Tournament, OSU is 35-31 (.530)
In Big Ten play, the Buckeyes own a 751-561-2 record, a win percentage of .572. A total of 15 times, Ohio State has won the regular Big Ten title and another six times has won the Big Ten Tournament, including last season when it won the tournament championship at Minnesota.
Next Action
Ohio State will play the College of Wooster Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. in the second mid-week game for the Buckeyes this season. After that game, OSU welcomes Indiana to Bill Davis Stadium next weekend before concluding the current homestand with a game against Shawnee State on April 23. The Buckeyes they are off to Purdue April 25-27.
Time Changed for Game at Jacobs Field
Ohio State’s baseball game vs. Cleveland State at Jacobs Field in Cleveland on May 6 has been pushed back from a 2:05 p.m. start to a 6:05 p.m. start to allow more fans to attend the game at the home of Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians. This will be the Buckeyes’ first game at Jacobs Field.
All tickets for the game will be general admission tickets and available for $5. No reserved seating will be available. Tickets will be available the day of the game at the ticket windows at Jacobs Field. Large groups are encouraged to contact the Cleveland State Athletics Ticket Office at (216) 687-4848. At this time, no tickets will be sold at the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office.
