Baseball Home Stand Comes to Close vs. Shawnee State – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 23, 2003
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Ohio State Starting Pitcher
No. Name W-L, ERA, K, IP
LHP 17 Chris Hanners 2-1, 3.33, 11K, 24.1 IP
or
RHP 6 Mike Madsen 3-1, 6.75, 17K, 18.2 IP
COLUMBUS, Ohio – With a pair of wins over Indiana, Ohio State stretched its win streak to a season-long nine games before dropping its last two games to the Hoosiers. The Buckeyes will try to get back on the winning path when they play host to Shawnee State Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium. That game will close out a 12-game home stand that has seen the Buckeyes go 9-2.
Last week, Ohio State beat Wooster 14-0 before taking on Indiana in Big Ten action. Scott Lewis guided the Buckeyes with 16 strikeouts in a 9-3 win on Friday. In Saturday’s first game, Derek Kinnear tied the game with a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh before Drew Anderson singled in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth. Indiana responded by taking the nightcap 13-2 and the series finale on Sunday 6-3.
The split moved Ohio State to 22-12 on the year and 10-6 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes have split three of the four conference series this season with a sweep against Iowa. The team returns to conference play this weekend at Purdue before returning home to meet Bowling Green next Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium, where Ohio State is 13-2 on the year.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Derek Kinnear continues his reign as team leader with a .380 batting average, though the story lies with Christian Snavely, who is batting .531 with 17 hits in the last 10 games. Entering that game, the junior from Defiance was struggling at the plate with just one multiple hit games and a .203 batting average. In the last 10 games, he has upped his average to .307 and has five multiple hit games, including three-hit efforts against Iowa and two against Indiana. Kinnear batted .545 in the Indiana series (6-for-11) with three RBI, including a game-tying three run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning in the first game of the doubleheader.
On the mound, the story belongs to Scott Lewis, who lowered his ERA to a conference best 1.39. In conference games, that average dips to 0.56. The back-to-back National Player of the Week had another 16 strikeouts for the Buckeyes in Friday’s 9-3 win over Indiana. That followed a school-record 20 Ks against Iowa in his previous outing. He now has 94 strikeouts for the year which is three more than he finished with last year when he was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Trent Luyster got the win in the second game, while Chris Hanners, Kyle Brown and Justin Myers, in his first appearance at Ohio State, did not allow an earned run in action against the Hoosiers.
ABOUT SHAWNEE STATE
Shawnee State took a 17-11 record into a Tuesday home doubleheader with Rio Grande. Last week, the Bears swept a doubleheader at Cedarville by scores of 7-0 and 7-2 to improve to 10-2 in the American Mid-East Conference (NAIA).
Heading into Tuesday’s games, Tom Janis was the team’s batting leader. He had a .378 batting average with 28 hits that included six doubles, a triple and a home run for team-best 22 RBI. He had a slugging percentage of .527. As a team, the Bears were hitting .288 and had a total of five players above that average. Jared Perdue had 39 hits to lead the team, while Trevor Vaught and Pat Looney each had three home runs to pace the team.
On the hill, the Shawnee State staff had a 4.71 ERA and was holding batters to a .284 batting average. Of pitchers who have thrown at least 16 innings, Nate Pool led the team with a 4-2 record and 2.98 ERA. He also had a team high 46 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings with nine starts in 10 appearances. Tom Spille is 4-1 with a 3.31 ERA.
AGAINST THE BEARS
This game marks the second ever meeting between Ohio State and Shawnee State. Ohio State won 9-3 at Bill Davis Stadium on March 23, 2000. In that game, Kyle Brown got his first collegiate start and tossed three shutout innings on 32 pitches, gave up just one hit and struck out two to earn his first career win.
BUCKEYES SPLIT WEEKEND SERIES WITH INDIANA
Ohio State left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis out-dueled Indiana righty Jacob Cary to lead the second-place Buckeyes to a 9-3 victory against the third-place Hoosiers in the first game.
Lewis, who entered the game with a 5-0 record and 1.59 ERA opposing Cary’s 7-0 record and 2.25 ERA, struck out 16 Indiana batters, giving him 36 strikeouts in his last two starts, both against Big Ten opponents. He equaled a school record last Friday by fanning 20 batters in a 6-1 complete game victory over Iowa. Lewis went 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (all unearned) on three hits with 16 strikeouts and five walks in getting to 6-0 on the season.
Christian Snavely had three hits – a double in the first, a single in the third and a home run in the fifth – and needed a triple to complete the cycle. A triple was not out of the realm of possibility since Snavely is tied for fifth in school history with nine career triples. He struck out in his fourth at bat of the game in the sixth inning after the Buckeyes held a 9-0 lead.
A bases-loaded single in the bottom of the eighth inning by Buckeye second baseman Drew Anderson lifted Ohio State to an extra-inning victory over Indiana in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.
The RBI capped a crazy game that saw the Hoosiers come back from an 8-0 deficit to take a 9-8 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Buckeyes tied the game in the bottom half of the inning on a home run by Mike Rabin before Indiana scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take a 12-9 lead putting pressure on the Buckeyes to tie or win the game in the bottom of the inning.
Ohio State tied the game on a Derek Kinnear home run that scored three to even the game 12-12. Anderson had three hits in the game in his six at bats, plating the one run while scoring once. The first four batter’s at the top of the Ohio State order each finished with three hits, including home runs by Rabin and Snavely.
Indiana shortstop Seth Bynum went 4-for-5 from the plate and Josh Lewis pitched a complete game to lead the Hoosiers to a 13-2 win over Ohio State in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday. The loss ended Ohio State’s nine-game win streak and was the first home loss for the Buckeyes this season. The Hoosiers scored single runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings and exploded for six runs in the fifth and another four runs in the sixth, outing hitting the Buckeyes 16-5 in the game. The Buckeyes committed five errors in the game.
Indiana used home runs by Ryan Donley and Vasili Spanos to salvage a series split with a 6-3 victory over Ohio State in the Sunday series finale. Ohio State overcame two errors to tie the game in the second inning, but Donley’s homer broke the tie in the fourth and Spanos’ jack scored two in the fifth.
Kinnear batted .545 in the series to lead the Buckeyes. Snavely was 7-for-14 with a double and three home runs for seven RBI and 17 total bases (1.214 slugging percentage).
LEWIS NAMED LOUISVILLE SLUGGER PLAYER OF THE WEEK, AGAIN
Scott Lewis has been named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week for the second straight week, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper released Monday. It is the second straight week Lewis has been so-named after he and teammate Greg Prenger were both recognized last week. The southpaw fanned 16 batters against Indiana in a 9-3 victory over the Hoosiers Friday night, in which he threw 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (all unearned) on three hits. That effort followed a school record 20 strikeouts in a complete game his last time out against Iowa. In his last two starts, which span over 17 innings, Lewis has struck out 36 batters.
“You don’t see pitchers strike out 36 batters over two outings very often,” Lou Pavlovich, editor of Collegiate Baseball, said. “That is an incredible achievement. Frankly, I have never heard of a pitcher ever doing this going back to 1970 when I began covering college baseball. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. But I never recall anyone doing this before.”
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
Scott Lewis now has 185 strikeouts in the middle of his second season as a Buckeye. He needs 10 more to crack the school’s all-time Top 20. Joe Sparma (1962-63) has 195 in 20th spot on the career list. Atop the entire list is Justin Fry (1995-99), who finished his career with 382 strikeouts. The season strikeouts record is 165, held by Steve Arlin, who was matched for the single game total by Lewis earlier this season when he fanned 20 batters, also has the second best season total with 129. The 94 punch outs by Lewis this year is tied for 14th. With just 11 more strikeouts in his next outing, he would crack the Top 5.
Lewis’ 94 strikeouts this season easily leads the Big Ten. The next closest pitcher is Glen Perkins at Minnesota who has 63 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings. Lewis has done it 58 1/3 innings. In conference games, Lewis has 57 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings, 18 more than Perkins.
OSU SEASON STRIKEOUT LIST 1. Steve Arlin 1965 165 2. Steve Arlin 1966 129 3. Paul Seitz 1960 117 4. Justin Fry 1998 113 5. Justin Fry 1999 104 Matt Beaumont 1994 104 7. Joe Sparma 1962 102 8. Justin Fry 1997 101 Joe Sadelfeld 1967 101 10. Tom Schwarber 1991 98 11. Eric Thompson 1997 97 12. Tim Smith 1990 95 Bill Cunningham 1985 95 14. Scott Lewis 2003 94 Ray Apple 1961 94 Paul Ebert 1954 94 16. Joe Sparma 1963 93 17. Scott Lewis 2002 91 Tim Smith 1991 91 Paul Semall 1977 91 19. Bill Cunningham 1984 89 20. Mark Dempsey 1978 86
SNAVELY SHARES BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS, AGAIN
Christian Snavely was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week Monday after batting .529 (9-for-17) in five games last week with home runs in the first three games against Indiana.
It is the second straight Big Ten Player of the Week honor for Snavely, who also shared accolades last week. This past weekend against Indiana, he batted .500 (7-for-14) with seven RBI and six runs scored. Of his nine hits for the week, three were doubles and three were home runs, giving him 21 total bases and a slugging percentage of 1.235.
Snavely is batting .531 with 17 hits in the Buckeyes’ last 10 games. Prior to that, the junior from Defiance was struggling at the plate with just one multiple-hit game and a .203 batting average. In the last 10 games, he has upped his average to .307 and has five multiple hit games, including three hits efforts against Iowa and two against Indiana.
AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State had won its last 13 games at Bill Davis Stadium before Indiana snapped the streak on Saturday. Last season, the Buckeyes were 15-10 in the stadium, which included a 10-6 mark in Big Ten play. Since opening Bill Davis Stadium in 1997, the Buckeyes are 129-46 in the facility. That is a win percentage of .737, which includes a 71-31 mark against conference foes and a 58-15 record against non-conference opponents. Ohio State has never lost a conference series at Bill Davis Stadium.
BEST BIG TEN START REMAINS WITH 1970 BUCKEYES
The longest winning streak to start Big Ten play still remains with the 1970 Ohio State Buckeyes, which won their first 13 games. Minnesota challenged the record with an 11-0 start this year before losing two games at Illinois April 19. The start by the Golden Gophers was the second best on record, equaling their 11-0 start in 1993 and Illinois’ 11-0 start in 1982. Surpringly, none of those teams went on to win the Big Ten title. Minnesota currently has a three-game lead over Ohio State in the conference race.
LEWIS AMONG NATION’S BEST
Scott Lewis is second in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings and ranks eighth in ERA. The sophomore left-handed pitcher has 94 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings a breakdown of 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Only Ryan Wagner of Houston (16.4) out-ranks Lewis. He has 84 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings. His 1.39 ERA is eighth best in the nation. He has allowed only nine earned runs over 58 1/3 innings.
NCAA DIVISION I K/9 LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP SO K/9 1. Ryan Wagner, Houston So. 22 46.2 84 16.4 2. Scott Lewis, Ohio St. So. 8 58.1 94 14.6 3. Thomas Diamond, UNO So. 16 43.2 67 14.0 4. Steve Schmoll, Maryland Sr. 13 66.2 98 13.3 5. Wade Townsend, Rice So. 18 69.2 102 13.3
NCAA DIVISION I ERA LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP R ER ERA 1. Chuck Bechtel, Marist Sr. 8 55.1 10 3 0.49 2. Cla Meredith, VCU So. 18 39.2 4 4 0.92 3. Jamie Merchant, Vermont Sr. 5 38.0 8 4 0.95 4. Barry Hertzler, C. Conn. St. Jr. 7 47.0 13 5 0.96 5. Tom Mastny, Furman Sr. 12 90.0 17 11 1.10 6. Wade Townsend, Rice So. 18 69.2 11 10 1.30 7. Shane Hawk, Oklahoma St. Jr. 15 40.1 19 6 1.35 8. Scott Lewis, Ohio St. So. 8 58.1 14 9 1.39 9. Aaron Sims, Alabama A&M Sr. 7 44.0 13 7 1.43 10. Paul Maholm, Miss. St. Jr. 9 68.0 14 11 1.46
LEWIS SECOND BEST IN WIN-LOSS PERCENTAGE
Scott Lewis is 14-2 in his second year as a member of the Buckeye pitching staff, which equates to a .875 win-loss percentage. That figure ranks second in school history among pitchers who have at least 10 wins. He trails only Steve Arlin (1965-66), who finished his career with a 24-3 record, a win percentage of .889.
ANDERSON DELIVERS LATE, TWICE
Drew Anderson’s single in the bottom of the eighth inning of the 13-12 Ohio State victory marked the second time this year that he gave the Buckeyes victory in his final at bat. In the finale against Iowa, Anderson lifted a two-run shot over the left-field fence for an 11-9 victory. His three-run triple in the seventh inning paved the way for a seven-run comeback (trailed 9-2) before his one-out walk-off home run won it in the 10th.
HIT STREAKS
With the recent success of Derek Kinnear and Christian Snavely, the current hit streaks by two Buckeyes has perhaps gone unnoticed. Designated hitter Steve Caravati and first baseman Paul Farinacci are enjoying career long hit streaks. Caravati has hits in his last 11 games, while Farinacci has hits in his last 10 games, since returning April 9 after getting hit in the head by a pitch April 4 at Penn State.
Caravati has 18 hits in 44 at bats during the streak, for a .407 batting average. That includes six multiple hit games. His previous career long was five games, which started this season. He did not play in either game against Oakland. Farinacci has 14 hits in 34 at bats during his streak for a .412 average. He has three multiple hit games during his streak.
Kinnear, who rode the longest hit streak this season at 13 games, currently has hits in his last five games.
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
Ohio State is ranked fourth in the Big Ten in pitching (4.10), fifth in batting (.290) and ninth in fielding (.953). Scott Lewis leads Big Ten pitchers in ERA (1.39), strikeouts (94), batters struck out looking (28) and opponent batting average (.154). Sophomore reliever Matt Davis is tied for the conference lead with six saves and is tied for fourth with 15 appearances, all in relief. Drew Anderson and Brett Garrard each have three triples this season to lead the Big Ten. The only other offensive category in which the Buckeyes lead is in walks as Christian Snavely has been awarded a base on balls 37 times, that is 12 more than Indiana’s Vasili Spanos, who has walked 25 times.
In Big Ten games only, Ohio State is fourth in pitching (4.68), fifth in batting (.300) and 10th in fielding (.931). Lewis’ 0.56 ERA in conference-only games paces all conference pitchers. He also leads in strikeouts (57), batters struck out looking (20), innings pitched (32.1) and opponent batting average (.140).
SCHOOL RECORD BOOK
Christian Snavely has nine triples, which is tied for fifth in the school record book with Mike Lockwood and Gary Jones… His 26 career home runs is tied for 14th with Doug Deeds (2001-02) and Matt Middleton (1996-99)… With 84 walks, Snavely needs only two more walks to crack the school’s career walks rankings… His 37 bases on balls already this year is the 16th most in a season by a Buckeye… Drew Anderson has 29 career stolen bases and needs only one more to tie for 14th in the record book… Josh Newman’s 19 career wins is tied for 15th… He has pitched 215.0 career innings and ranks 20th… For pitchers who have thrown at least 175.0 innings, Newman is second in fewest bases on balls (63), tied for 11th in fewest runs (122) and is tied for eighth in fewest earned runs (97)… Nate Smith’ made his 47th appearance as a Buckeye April 20 and that is tied for 18th in Buckeye annals… Matt Davis’ six career saves is tied for eighth.
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 has 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 SHUTOUT WOOSTER
Ohio State belted out a season-high 21 hits and every starter had a hit in leading the Buckeyes to a 14-0 shutout victory over the College of Wooster Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium. The win extended the Buckeyes’ win streak to seven games, the longest of the year.
Three Buckeyes had three hits on the night. Cody Caughenbaugh had three hits for the third straight game in a 3-for-5 performance with one RBI and scored a run in the seventh inning. Paul Farinacci also was 3-for-5, knocking in three runs while scoring twice. Terry Pettorini had three hits against a team coached by his father. He was 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run.
Ohio State jumped out to an early 3-0 lead through three innings, but took full advantage of a pitching change heading to the bottom of the fifth inning. Mark Parrish entered the game in relief of starter James Amendola, who had given up the first three runs on eight hits. Parrish lasted just 2/3 of an inning and gave way to a nine-run inning.
Parrish did coax a ground out to start the inning, but he walked Christian Snavely setting the stage for an inning that saw 15 Buckeyes go to the plate. Steve Caravati doubled to left-center field to bring in Snavely after he had advanced to second on a wild pitch. Farinacci had his third hit of the game, a single up the middle to score Caravati. He then moved to second base on the second wild pitch of the inning by Parrish and then moved to third on a ground out, the second of the inning, by Caughenbaugh.
Pettorini sent a shot through the left side to score Farinacci and give the Buckeyes a 6-0 lead, but Ohio State went on to double that score before the conclusion of the inning. Parrish tried to pick off Pettorini at first, but threw wide of the base, allowing the Buckeye third baseman to reach second. After a walk to Brett Garrard, Kelly Houser split third and short with a shot that scored Pettorini.
Drew Anderson homered to straight-away center field, hitting the batter’s eye about six feet above the fence. It scored three more runs to stretch the lead to 10-0. That shot, Anderson’s fourth home run of the season, prompted Wooster coach Tim Pettorini to opt for Luke Katich, but six more batters made their way to the plate seeing the Buckeyes score two more runs on four more hits before Katich got Terry Pettorini to fly out to right field. The Buckeyes added two more runs in the seventh inning for the final 14-0 margin.
Mike Madsen got the win in his first collegiate start. He pitched only the first four innings, but OSU skipper Bob Todd had planned to use at least four pitchers entering the game. Madsen sat in the dugout watching the hit parade by his teammates and gave way to Trent Luyster. Madsen gave up two hits and tied his career high with five strikeouts against 14 batters. Luyster and Chris Hanners each pitched an inning before closer Matt Davis pitched the final inning. Buckeye pitching allowed only five hits by the Fighting Scots.
NATIONAL AWARDS FOR 2 BUCKEYES
Greg Prenger and Scott Lewis were named National Players of the Week by Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and by College Baseball Insider for their amazing performances April 9 and 11, respectively.
Prenger retired all 21 batters he faced to post a 2-0 perfect game victory over Oakland in the second game of an April 9 doubleheader. 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 eighth no-hitter in Ohio State history. The right-handed pitcher 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. He has 4.43 season ERA and 16 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.
Lewis fanned 20 batters in nine innings as Ohio State beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 4-1 Friday night in the opening game of a four-game Big Ten series at Bill Davis Stadium. The 20 strikeouts tied the school record held by Steve Arlin, which he set in a 15-inning 1-0 victory over Washington State at the 1965 College World Series. Lewis, whose previous career high in strikeout was 12 last season against Purdue, had that total through the first five innings. The left-hander moved to 5-0 with the two-hit complete game against the Hawkeyes. Iowa finished with just two hits. Lewis has a 1.59 ERA and now has 78 strikeouts in only 51.0 innings.
DUO JOINED BY SNAVELY IN GETTING BIG TEN HONORS
Fresh off a banner week in which the Ohio State baseball team won all six games, three Buckeyes have earned weekly honors, the Big Ten office announced Monday. Christian Snavely joined Greg Prenger and Scott Lewis, who split Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors, to earn Co-Big Ten Player of the Week with Minnesota’s Sam Steidl.
Prenger and Lewis’ accomplishments last week have been well documented, but Snavely hit .538 with six RBI in a four-game sweep of Iowa, as the Buckeyes climbed into sole possession of second place in the conference race. The junior outfielder boasted a slugging percentage of .688 for the week with seven RBI in six games. He finished the week going 8-for-16 (.500) and was 7-for-13 (.538) in the four Big Ten games vs. Iowa. He touched 11 total bases after a two-run home run in the second game vs. the Hawekeyes.
BUCKEYES SWEEP IOWA
Ohio State had its first sweep in the Big Ten last weekend vs. Iowa. It was the first sweep by the Buckeyes in conference play since they took four games from Minnesota in 2001.
The series began and ended in dramatic fashion. On Friday, Scott Lewis struck out 20 batters in nine innings as Ohio State beat Iowa 4-1. He actually had a no-hitter going entering the sixth inning, giving the Buckeyes 12 innings of no-hit baseball in two games to go with Greg Prenger’s seven innings of perfection against Oakland. Lewis’ bid April 11 night was broken up when Iowa centerfielder Kyle Thousand led off the frame with a bunt that caught Lewis off guard.
Christian Snavely homered in the first inning to put Ohio State out to an early 2-0 lead fueling the Buckeyes took a 6-1 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday. The home run was his fifth home run of the year, a shot that was still climbing when it cleared the fence in right field. He picked up his 12th and 13th RBI of the year in also scoring Drew Anderson, who reached on an infield single to short. Iowa scored one time in the top of the second inning, but Ohio State added two runs in each of the third and fifth innings for the five-run victory. Newman evened out his record to 3-3 in picking up the victory. He went the distance allowing the one run (earned) on five hits. He walked one and struck out four in getting the third straight complete game by Buckeye pitchers.
In the Saturday’s second game, Ohio State scored five times in the bottom of the fourth inning to break a 4-4 tie on its way to a 9-5 victory. The five runs in the inning by the Buckeyes came on five hits, including four in a row. Brett Garrard led off the inning with an infield single and then moved to third as catcher Kelly Houser drew a walk. A fielding error by Iowa pitcher Chris Maliszewski on a bunt by Mike Rabin loaded the bases. Snavely singled through the right side to score both Garrard and Houser to break the 4-4 tie and then Steve Caravati duplicated with a two RBI shot to right-center field to put the Buckeyes up 8-4. After a stolen base by Caravati, Paul Farinacci then doubled down the right-field line to bring in Caravati and give the Buckeyes a 9-4 lead.
The sweep was concluded in come-from-behind fashion as Anderson knocked in five runs on three hits, including a one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Ohio State entered the bottom of the seventh inning trailing Iowa 9-2, but Anderson also delivered with a bases-loaded triple that began an amazing Buckeye comeback. A single by Snavely brought in Anderson to pull the Buckeyes within three runs. The second hit by the Buckeyes in the eighth, a double to center by Kinnear with one out, scored Garrard to close the gap to just two runs. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Wes Schirtzinger came on to pinch run for Farinacci, who reached via a base on balls. Cody Caughenbaugh singled between first and second to score Caravati from second and put Schirtzinger, the tying run, only 90 feet away. A failed squeeze opportunity prompted a throw from Iowa catcher Brad Husz, who had hopes of catching Schirtzinger at third, but Hawkeye third baseman Luis Andrulonis, could not come up with the ball on the throw and the run scored to tie the game 9-9. The fifth Iowa double play of the game ended the inning and pushed the game to extra innings.
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 April 9 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.
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.
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.
Ohio State used a sacrifice fly and a passed ball to score both of their runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to beat Oakland 2-1 in the first game. Trent Luyster picked up the win in five innings, allowing the one run (unearned) 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.
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 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
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 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 his heroics 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.
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.
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 IN 120TH SEASON
The 2003 season marks the 120th year 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 takes to the road for a four-game conference series at Purdue this weekend. First pitch will be at 4:05 p.m. (EDT) on Friday and 2:05 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The next home action for Ohio State will be April 30 when it plays host to Bowling Green at 6;35 p.m.
