No. 25 Softball Gears Up For Toledo and Akron – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 8, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 25 Ohio State softball team (17-12, 2-2 Big Ten) will look to put last weekend behind them when they play host to Toledo (5-18, 2-8 MAC) at 3 p.m. Wednesday for a doubleheader at Buckeye Field and travel to Akron (14-13, 5-5) at 2 p.m. Thursday for a matchup with the Zips in Akron, Ohio.
The Buckeyes were forced to adjust its regular scheduled games because of rain in the Akron, Ohio area Wednesday and rescheduling conflicts.
Dedic Enjoying 12-Game Hit Streak
Senior Annie Dedic is riding a 12-game hitting streak entering the game at Akron. The streak is the longest of the year for the Buckeyes. Dedic is batting .382 on the year with four doubles and 10 RBI’s.
About Toledo
The Rockets are 5-18 overall and 2-8 in the MAC. They are led by Gina Muratori who is batting .339 and leads the team in runs scored (13), hits (21), RBI’s (8) and slugging percentage (.452). Keri Perkins and Kim Pettitt have seen all the action from inside the circle for the Rockets. Perkins is 4-7 with a 4.22 ERA with 58 strikeouts. Pettitt is 1-11 with a 4.32 ERA and has 68 K’s in 84.1 innings.
Toledo Coach Jo Ann Gordon
Jo Ann Gordon is in her first season as the head coach at Toledo. She is the sixth head coach in the Rocket’s 22-year history.
Gordon came to Toledo after serving as the head softball and volleyball coach at Thiel College, an NCAA Division III school in Greenville, Pa. In her three seasons on the diamond, she guided the Tomcats to a 47-53 overall mark and a 14-10 win-loss ledger in the President’s Athletic Conference.
About The Zips
Akron is 14-13 on the year and 5-5 in the MAC – East Division. Seniors Tracee McCoy and Melissa Hurley lead the Zips offensively. McCoy is batting .359 and leads the team in home runs (7), RBI’s (26) and slugging percentage (.756). Hurley is right behind McCoy with a .344 average and is the team leader in doubles (7) and hits (31) and has three home runs to her credit.
The Akron pitching staff is led by sophomore Tina McCauley and freshman Megan MacKenzie. McCauley is 7-5 with a 2.39 ERA and 41 K’s in 73.1 innings. MacKenzie is 6-7 with 52 K’s in 92.1 innings of work. The two have started 25 of the 27 games for Akron.
Akron Coach Deanna Parks
Deanna Parks is in her seventh year at the helm of the University of Akron softball program. A year ago she led the Zips back to the Mid-American Conference elite, which included the Zips first trip ever to the conference tournament title game and their third 30-win season in the past five years.
The Series
The Buckeyes are 10-5 all-time against the Zips and 3-0 in the last three meetings. Ohio State won the last meeting in 2002, 4-0. Akron last defeated Ohio State in May 1989 in Columbus during the second game of a doubleheader, 8-1.
The Buckeyes are 11-1 all-time against Toledo. The Buckeyes and Rockets last met in March 2001 in Columbus when the Buckeyes took both games of a doubleheader, 3-1 and 10-0. Kalafatis is 9-7 all-time against Toledo and 4-0 while at Ohio State.
Kalafatis On Akron
“Akron always has a solid team. But more than anything we need to get ourselves back in a groove. It’s not about our opponent right now. It’s all about Ohio State stepping up and playing like we are capable. This will be the last homecoming game for several of our players so we’ll hope to use some of that energy as well.”
Familiar Face
Buckeye head coach Linda Kalafatis knows Akron well where she served as head coach from 1994-1996. During that time Kalafatis was 98-62-1 before leaving to take over in Columbus in 1997. Kalafatis is 5-2 all-time against the Zips, including a 3-0 record while at OSU.
Assistant coach Belinda Cernava will also be making a return trip to the rubber city. Cernava served as an assistant coach at Akron from 1993-1996.
Buckeyes In The Big Ten
Ohio State is in the top 5 in several Big Ten statistical categories. In all games, the Buckeyes are fourth in the conference in team pitching with a 1.51 ERA. Karisa Evans in fourth in batting (.377) and second in on base percentage (.473). Kristine Himes is tied for third in home runs with eight and is second in slugging percentage (.765). Freshman Chelsea Baker’s three saves leads the conference.
In Big Ten games, the Buckeyes are No. 1 in hitting with a .340 clip. Annie Dedic is sixth in individual batting (.500) and Evans is first in runs scored with seven. Himes is fourth in slugging percentage (.923).
Himes Honored
Kristine Himes was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week April 1 for her performance against Indiana. The weekly honor is the third this season for Himes and the fourth overall for the Buckeyes.
Himes, Ohio State’s career home run leader (40), batted .667 in two conference victories against Indiana (8-1, 9-0) March 28-29. Himes went 4-for-6 with a double, one home run (a two-run shot) and six RBI’s in the two games. She recorded eight total bases for a 1.333 slugging percentage and also stole a base in the Saturday win. The Buckeyes outscored the Hoosiers 17-1 in the two games.
Himes is batting .341 with a team-leading eight home runs and 27 RBI’s to compliment her .765 slugging percentage.
Northwestern Recap
The Buckeyes had a weekend they would like to forget as they tasted defeat for the first time in conference play, dropping two games to the Wildcats Saturday at Drysdale Field in Evanston, Ill.
In game one the Buckeyes had a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the sixth before the Wildcats exploded offensively with six hits and five runs in the sixth frame.
The second game saw little for the Buckeyes to cheer about. The lone bight spots came when senior outfielder Amy Ellis hit her first career home run in the second inning and when senior catcher Annie Dedic extended her hitting streak to 12 games with a single in the sixth.
600 And Counting
Katie Chain, Ohio State’s career strikeout leader with 632, is the first Buckeye to reach 600 strikeouts.
Chain reached her latest pitching milestone as she recorded her 600th career strikeout in a 4-2 win over Oakland March 15. She recorded nine strikeouts in the complete game and gave up only three hits over the seven innings.
Home Sweet Home
Ohio State is a perfect 6-0 at home this season, with two wins over Indiana (8-1; 9-0) and two victories each over Oakland (7-1; 4-2) and Morehead State (6-1; 14-0), which gave the Buckeyes the 2003 Buckeye Invitational title.
Home Run Derby
The Buckeyes have been a tear recently, having hit 13 home runs in 15 games. Senior Amy Ellis hit the most recent long ball, the first of her career, in the 10-3 loss at Northwestern Saturday. Leading the way in the homer category is senior Kristine Himes with eight. Sophomore Ashley Cutcliff is next with three followed by Rogeanna Hottinger with two. Ellis, Karisa Evans, Jennifer Johnson and Beth McAbier each have one.
Early Offense
The Buckeyes have done a majority of their damage offensively early in games. They have scored 80 of their 122 runs this year in the first three innings, 62 of which have been in the second and third innings. The Buckeyes are outscoring the opposition 122-70 and are averaging 4.2 runs per contest.
Nail Biters
The Buckeyes are no strangers to close contests as 12 games this season have been decided by one run. Ohio State is 5-7 in one-run games, 2-2 in two-run games and 4-4 against ranked opponents.
Battle Tested
Karisa Evans and Kristine Himes are the only two Buckeyes to have started all 29 games this season. Kristi DeVries and Rogeanna Hottinger have started all of the 27 games in which they have played.
Team Effort
The Buckeyes’ offense is a team effort this season. Entering the game at Akron, Karisa Evans, Annie Dedic, Ashley Cutcliff and Kristine Himes are leading the way for Ohio State.
Evans is batting .377 on the year and has recorded at least one hit in 18 of the 29 games, including 10 multiple hit games. She has one home run, one triple, four doubles and 11 RBI’s to her credit and leads the team in runs scored with 24. Dedic is batting 21-for-55 (.382) with 10 RBI’s and four doubles and is currently riding a 12-game hit streak. Cutcliff is hitting .311 this season with seven RBI’s, three home runs and three doubles. Himes, the Big Ten player of the Week March 3,14 and April 1, is batting .341 and leads the team in home runs (8) and RBI’s (27). She also has two triples, eight doubles and 14 runs scored.
Fresh off a wrist injury sustained early in the season is third team All-American Jennifer Link. In her first weekend back at Northwestern, Link batted .333 with two hits and a run scored. She is batting .268 on the year and is second on the team with six stolen bases. Meghan Rowlands has seven stolen bases to lead the Buckeye base thieves.
Chain and DeVries are leading the way in the circle as they have combined for 174 of the teams’ 207 strikeouts. Chain is 7-7 with a 1.43 ERA and 102 K’s in 17 appearances. DeVries is 8-4 with a 1.47 ERA and 72 K’s.
Four And Counting
The 2003 senior class is four wins away from recording more wins than any other class in the history of Ohio State softball. The 2002 seniors set the mark last season, recording 149 wins over the last four years. The class of 2003 currently has 146 wins.
Next Up
Ohio State will face off against Big Ten leader Iowa in a doubleheader Sunday beginning at noon at Buckeye Field.
