Ohio State vs. Michigan On Tap at Bill Davis Stadium – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 1, 2003
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Ohio State Buckeyes
(28-12, 14-6 Big Ten)
vs.
Michigan Wolverines
(22-18, 9-9 Big Ten)
Bill Davis Stadium * Columbus, Ohio
Friday, May 2: 6:35 p.m.
WOSU Radio (820 AM)
Saturday, May 3: 4:05 p.m. (DH)
Game 1: WOSU Radio and ONN-TV
Game 2: ONN-TV
Sunday, May 4: 1:05 p.m.
WOSU Radio
All games available on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com and www.underground.fm
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After a 6-0 shutout victory at over Bowling Green Wednesday night, Ohio State will head back into conference play this weekend against the Michigan Wolverines. With the victory over the Falcons, Ohio State improved to 28-12 overall to go with its 14-6 record in the Big Ten following last weekend’s sweep of Purdue. Ohio State is enjoying a six-game upswing and has won 15 of its last 17 games. The Buckeyes are second in the league standings behind Minnesota (27-14, 15-3), which leads the Buckeyes by one game in the win column and three games in the loss column.
The Buckeyes beat Purdue with a pair of shutouts in Saturday’s doubleheader (6-0 and 4-0) and then followed with 6-3 and 10-6 victories in Sunday’s doubleheader. Conversely, Michigan split with Penn State by taking both ends of Saturday’s doubleheader (4-2, 6-5) but losing the first (6-5) and final (6-4) games of the series. The Wolverines, which are tied for fourth in the Big Ten with an even 9-9 conference record, did pick up a Tuesday night win over No. 16 Notre Dame, which eliminated Ohio State from the NCAA Tournament a year ago. Michigan is now 22-18 overall. ABOUT OHIO STATE
Last weekend, Derek Kinnear went 6-for-13 in the four games at Purdue (.462), including two home runs that helped produce eight RBI. The candidate for the Johnny Bench Award, given annually to the best catcher in college baseball, had a three-run home run in the 4-0 shutout victory over the Boilermakers and had a two-run home run in the 6-3 win over Purdue. The junior catcher from Kenton, Ohio, had a bases-loaded double that knocked in the first three runs of the 10-6 victory in the series finale. He continues to pace Ohio State with a .387 batting average after going 2-for-2 against Bowling Green. The Buckeyes are batting .297 as a team. Drew Anderson is second on the team with a .344 batting average. He has a team-best nine doubles and four triples for 87 total bases.
On the mound, the story belongs to Scott Lewis, who was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after he lowered his ERA to a conference best 1.24. In conference games, that average dips to 0.46. He pitched a two-hit complete game shutout in the series opener at Purdue and had 10 strikeouts. He now has 104 Ks for the year, which is tied for the fifth best season in school history. Following the shutout against Bowling Green, the ERA fell to 3.71, which puts the Buckeyes on top of the Big Ten in pitching. Ohio State will likely throw Lewis Friday night and follow up with Josh Newman (4-3, 3.58) and Nate Smith (2-5, 5.73) Saturday and Chris Hanners (4-1, 3.78) Sunday in the finale.
FRED TAYLOR’S NO. 27 TO BE RETIRED SATURDAY
The first Ohio State baseball jersey will be retired prior to the doubleheader against Michigan Saturday. The school will honor former Buckeye Fred Taylor, who played baseball for Ohio State from 1947-50 and was the program’s first All-American on the baseball field.
Taylor, who wore No. 27 and played first base, 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, while a student at Ohio State, Taylor played both basketball and baseball. On the diamond, he became the school’s first baseball All-American in 1950. After his junior year, the Pittsburgh Pirates offered him a contract, but he turned it down. After graduation in 1950, Taylor played baseball in the Washington Senators’ farm system for three years.
Director of Athletics Andy Geiger will present the Taylor Family with a framed Taylor jersey in a pre-game ceremony that is scheduled to begin at 3:58 p.m. before team introductions and the National Anthem. Representing the Taylor Family on the field will be Fred Taylor’s wife, Eileen, and three of his four daughters: Janna Roewer, Krista Zimmerman and Nikki Kelley. Taylor’s name will be displayed permanently at Bill Davis Stadium beginning in the 2004 season.
Taylor’s jersey is the first of three that is scheduled to be retired. Pitching great Steve Arlin, who played at Ohio State in 1965 and 1966 will have his jersey retired Saturday, May 10 against Michigan State, while former player and coach Marty Karow (player 1925-27 and coach 1951-75) will have his jersey retired in the 2004 season.
ABOUT MICHIGAN
Michigan is 22-18 on the year after beating Notre Dame Tuesday night at Fifth Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids, Mich. The Wolverines handed the No. 16 Irish an 8-4 loss and will now visit Columbus with a 9-9 record in the Big Ten, which is tied for fourth in the league standings.
Brock Koman leads Michigan with a .391 batting average with 61 hits, including 16 doubles and seven home runs for 44 RBI. Jake Fox is the team leader with 11 home runs and 48 RBI. He has a slugging percentage of .725 As a team, the Wolverines have 42 home runs and a batting average of .318, which is second in the Big Ten.
On the mound, Michigan has a 5.44 ERA, which is eighth in the league. Ohio State is expected to see Drew Taylor (5-1, 4.88) Friday, Bobby Garza (5-1, 4.92) and Michael Penn (1-6, 6.08) Saturday and Phil Tognetti (4-3, 4.14) Sunday. Garza leads the team with 42 strikeouts, while Taylor is the team leader with 62 2/3 innings pitched.
AGAINST THE WOLVERINES
Ohio State trails the all-time series against Michigan 137-83-2 after the teams split a pair of meetings a year ago in Ann Arbor. Ohio State won the opener (11-6) and finale (9-5) of the series, but Michigan took both ends of the Saturday doubleheader (5-4, 1-0). That was the first split in the series since 1997, which was also played in Ann Arbor. The last time the teams played in Columbus, in 2001, Ohio State took three of four games from the Wolverines after dropping the first game of the series. Ohio State has a commanding 26-10 advantage in the series since 1994, while Bob Todd is 44-25 all-time against Michigan.
LAST TIME VS. MICHIGAN
Ohio State scored six times in the fifth inning on its way to a 9-5 victory over Michigan in the series finale at Ray Fisher Stadium. With the victory, the Buckeyes prevented the first series loss in conference play since losing three of four games at Michigan in 2000.
In the series opener, Ohio State scored four times in the first inning and never looked back in beating Michigan 11-6. Nick Swisher went 3-for-6 in the game and knocked in four runs, including a three-run triple in the top of the ninth to give the Buckeyes a five-run advantage. Swisher doubled in the first inning to extend his hit streak to 19 games.
Saturday was a different day, however, as the Wolverines swept Ohio State. It was the first doubleheader sweep of the Buckeyes since Michigan did that in Ann Arbor in 2000. In the first game of the doubleheader, Michigan scored five unearned runs in the fourth inning to hand Ohio State a 5-4 loss. The Wolverines scored five runs on five hits and was aided by a pair of Ohio State errors.
Swisher’s 19-game hit streak came to an end. It was the longest by a Buckeye this season and was only four games short of the Ohio State record of Jay Semke, who had a 23-game hit streak in 1987. In the nightcap, Michigan starting pitcher Jim Brauer struck out eight Buckeyes and carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning to beat Ohio State 1-0. Michigan scored its only run on a pair of base hits and two Buckeye errors. Ohio State threatened in the sixth inning, but left the bases loaded. It was the first shutout pitched against the Buckeyes since Illinois’ Ryan Kvasnicka blanked them on May 20, 2000.
OHIO STATE POSTS 6-0 SHUTOUT
Ohio State tied a school record for shutouts in a season with a 6-0 victory over Bowling Green Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium. The shutout against the Falcons was the eighth shutout of the season recorded by the Buckeye defense and pitching staff, tying the school record from the 1977, 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Ohio State took a 1-0 lead on Bowling Green on a passed ball in the bottom of the second inning. Cody Caughenbaugh singled to center field to lead off the inning and was bumped to second on a base hit to left by Derek Kinnear. Caughenbaugh and Kinnear advanced a base on a wild pitch by Bowling Green starter Tyler Johnson. Caughenbaugh scored on a passed ball.
The Buckeyes added a run in the fifth inning on the fourth home run of the season by Jedidiah Stephen.
Two runs scored in the seventh inning on a Paul Farinacci double to the gap in right-center field. His ninth double of the year scored Drew Anderson, who had a one out single to center, and Christian Snavely, who was intentionally walked with two outs. The Buckeyes lead increased to 4-0.
The final two runs plated in the bottom of the eighth on a two-RBI triple to left-center field by Mike Rabin. The triple was the first in Rabin’s career and scored Terry Pettorini, who singled to center to lead off the inning and Anderson, who had a two-out single to left.
Rabin and Farinacci each had a pair of RBI for Ohio State, but it was Anderson, who finished with a team-high three hits in five at bats. Kinnear was 2-for-2 on his shortened night. Mike Madsen picked up the win in the shortened start to improve to 4-1 on the year. He allowed just three hits and struck out four and gave way to four relievers in the abbreviated start.
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
The 6-0 shutout win by Ohio State over Bowling Green stretched the Buckeye streak to 36 innings without allowing a run by midweek opposition. A hump-day opponent has not scored on Ohio State since Oakland scored in the fifth inning of a 2-1 Buckeye victory on April 9. Right-handed pitcher Greg Prenger then threw a perfect game against the Golden Grizzlies in a 2-0 victory in the second game of the doubleheader. Ohio State then beat Wooster 14-0 April 16 and beat Shawnee State 9-0 April 23. In the last five Wednesday night games, the Buckeyes have outscored the opposition 33-1.
STEPHEN HOT IN LAST SIX
Freshman infielder Jedidiah Stephen has played the Buckeyes’ last six games at third base in place of Terry Pettorini, who needed a rest for his throwing shoulder before taking on the role of designated hitter in the second game at Purdue for an injured Steve Caravati. In those six games in the Buckeyes’ hot corner, Stephen is batting .389 (7-of-18). In his last three games, he is batting .444 (4-of-9), with three of his four career home runs. In his last three games, he has touched a team-leading 13 bases for a slugging percentage of 1.444. He also has a team-high six RBI while enjoying a three-game hit streak, his longest at Ohio State. He is hitting .244 for the year with 11 hits, four home runs, in 45 at bats. He has 10 RBI.
BUCKEYES SWEEP PURDUE
After getting rained out Friday, the Buckeyes and Boilermakers were forced to play doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, but Ohio State rose to the challenge and swept the series. In the first game, Scott Lewis struck out 10 and Drew Anderson had three of the Buckeyes’ 11 hits to lead Ohio State to a 6-0 shutout in the first game. Anderson had a hit to lead off the game, a shot to left that scored one in the fifth and a shot to left-centerfield that scored two. He finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and scored once. Lewis got the two-hit, complete game shutout to improve to 7-0 on the year and 4-0 in the Big Ten. In the second game, Ohio State scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning thanks to a wild pitch and three-run home run by catcher Derek Kinnear to beat Purdue 4-0 to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Boilermakers. Ohio State broke a scoreless tie in the top of the sixth inning, capitalizing on a lead-off double by Anderson. A sacrifice bunt by Mike Rabin moved Anderson to third and then Anderson scored on a wild pitch to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. Cody Caughenbaugh then walked to put runners at first and second for Kinnear, who hit his fourth home run of the season to put the Buckeyes on top 4-0. Buckeye starting pitcher Josh Newman got the complete game victory to move to 4-3 on the year. He gave up six hits with a pair of walks and the seven strikeouts.
Kinnear and Jedidiah Stephen each had two-run home runs in the sixth inning as Ohio State scored four times in the frame en route to a 6-3 victory in Sunday’s first game. Ohio State jumped on the board in the fourth with three straight hits. A double down the left line by Caughenbaugh scored both Christian Snavely and Paul Farinacci to put the Buckeyes up 2-0. In the sixth, Kinnear hit his second home run of the series and the fifth long ball of the season that scored Caughenbaugh, who reached on a one-out single up the middle. Drew Thomas drew a walk before Stephen went long for the second time of his career to give the Buckeyes a 6-1 lead. The Boilermakers got two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Nate Smith got his first win since beating Wichita State March 9 to improve to 2-5 in six innings of work. He allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits, striking out five without a walk. Matt Davis picked up his seventh save of the season.
In the second game, Ohio State scored six runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back on its way to a 10-6 victory over Purdue Sunday to complete a four-game sweep of the Boilermakers. Ohio State scored six runs, all with two outs, in the top of the first inning to take command early. Kinnear delivered with a bases-clearing double down the right field line that started the six-run inning. Purdue responded in the bottom half of the inning with two runs. Anderson had a two-run home run in the fourth inning to stretch the lead to 8-2. The shot over the left-field fence was his fifth of the season. Brett Garrard finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored. Anderson and Stephen also had multiple hits to lead the Buckeyes’ 11-hit charge.
Kinnear finished the series 6-for-13 with two home runs and eight RBI, while Anderson was 6-for-12 with a home run and five RBI.
The sweep was the second by the Buckeyes this season, going with a sweep of Iowa April 11-13. It was the first sweep on the road for Ohio State since taking four at Minnesota in 2001.
LEWIS NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Scott Lewis was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the week for his 10-strikeout performance in leading Ohio State to a 6-0 shutout in the first game of a doubleheader last Saturday. Lewis struck out two in the first before striking out the side in the second inning. He retired the first eight batters of the game before walking shortstop Mitch Koester in the third. He then gave up a hit to Tyler Johnstone, but got the out at second on a fielder’s choice to the shortstop to end the inning. Lewis struck out the side in the fourth to get strikeouts six, seven and eight of the game and then got just two strikeouts the rest of the game – one in the fifth and the other, the final out of the game. Lewis got the two-hit, complete game shutout to improve to 7-0 on the year and 4-0 in the Big Ten. He now has 77 strikeouts in his last five starts and 46 Ks in his last three games. His ERA lowered to 1.24 in his 65 1/3 innings this season and 0.46 in conference games. He has 104 total strikeouts, which ties for the fifth best season total in school history.
AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State won its first 13 games at Bill Davis Stadium this season before Indiana snapped the streak on April 19. 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 130-46 in the facility. That is a win percentage of .739, which includes a 71-31 mark against conference foes and a 59-15 record against non-conference opponents. Ohio State has never lost a conference series at Bill Davis Stadium.
BUCKEYES SHUTOUT SHAWNEE ST.
Four different Ohio State pitchers tossed a two-hit 9-0 shutout and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning against Shawnee State April 23. As much as the story was about pitching, the same can be said for hitting as seven Buckeyes accounted for 11 hits, including multiple hits by Drew Anderson, Brett Garrard and Jedidiah Stephen. Mike Rabin, Terry Pettorini and Paul Farinacci each finished the game with a pair of RBI, though each had just one hit.
Left-hander Chris Hanners got the midweek start, pitching the first four innings without allowing a hit and striking out five batters. OSU coach Bob Todd went into the game with the plan to throw several pitchers in the game, so Hanners got the start to improve to 3-1 on the season. The lefty was replaced by Mike Madsen to start the fifth, who equaled a career best with six strikeouts. He went three innings allowing the first hit in the sixth. Trent Luyster and Matt Davis each pitched an inning. Shawnee State starter.
SHUTOUTS
Ohio State had a string of three straight games with shutouts. Following the 9-0 win over Shawnee State, OSU handed Purdue 6-0 and 4-0 shutouts in the first two games of that series. The last time the Buckeyes shutout three straight opponents was in 1977 (10-0 vs. Dayton, 8-0 and 2-0 vs. Indiana). Ohio State also had eight shutouts that season and each of the last two seasons.
LEWIS AMONG NATION’S BEST
Scott Lewis is second in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings and ranks third in ERA. The sophomore left-handed pitcher has 104 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings a breakdown of 14.4 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Only Ryan Wagner of Houston (16.6) outranks Lewis. He has 94 strikeouts in 51 innings. Lewis’ 1.24 ERA is third best in the nation. He has allowed only nine earned runs over 65 1/3 innings.
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
Scott Lewis now has 195 strikeouts in the middle of his second season as a Buckeye. He is now tied with Joe Sparma (1962-63) in the 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 from 1966, when Ohio State won the National Championship. The 104 strike outs by Lewis this year is tied for fifth. He needs nine strikeouts to tie Fry’s 1999 total of 113, which ranks fourth, and 13 Ks to tie Paul Seitz’s 1960 total of 117, which ranks third.
Lewis’ 104 strikeouts this season easily leads the Big Ten. The next closest pitcher is Glen Perkins at Minnesota who has 72 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings. Lewis has done it 65 1/3 innings. In conference games, Lewis has 67 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings, 19 more than Perkins.
LEWIS SECOND BEST IN WIN-LOSS PERCENTAGE
Scott Lewis is 15-2 in his second year as a member of the Buckeye pitching staff, which equates to a .882 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. If Lewis wins his next outing Friday against Michigan, he would tie Arlin’s win percentage.
LEWIS NAMED LOUISVILLE SLUGGER PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWICE
Scott Lewis was the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week for the second straight week, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper released April 21. It marked the second straight week Lewis was so-named after he and teammate Greg Prenger were both recognized April 14. The southpaw fanned 16 batters against Indiana in a 9-3 victory over the Hoosiers April 18, 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 against Iowa on April 11. In those two starts, which spanned over 17 innings, Lewis has struck out 36 batters, which is believed to be the highest two-game total in Division I history.
“You don’t see pitchers strike out 36 batters over two outings very often,” Lou Pavlovich Jr., 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.”
LEWIS BETTER THAN MOST
It has been difficult to find pitchers who have done better than Scott Lewis as of late. Looking at strikeout leaders from the last several years, Lewis has topped what they accomplished. The only pitcher to come close to Lewis was Evan Thomas, who played at Florida International and finished with 220 strikeouts in 1996. In checking on Barry Zito and Mark Pryor at Southern California, Brad Sullivan at Houston, Ben Sheets at Northeastern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe), Shane Komine at Nebraska and Thomas at FIU, Lewis easily had the two-game strikeout record. Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper and the NCAA was also contact about possible other candidates that might have done what Lewis has been able to do in his last few outings.
In two games Lewis struck out 36 batters, four more than Komine struck out in a a two-game span. The OSU lefty struck out 47 batters in three games, which tied Thomas’ three-game record. In Lewis’ next outing, he struck out 10, stretching his four-game total to 57, one more than Komine at Nebraska. Lewis also fanned 10 batters the week before the 20-K effort against Iowa to give him a five-game total of 67, two off Thomas’ five-game total. That could change in Lewis’ next outing.
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. Surprisingly, none of those teams went on to win the Big Ten title. Minnesota currently has a one-game lead in the win column over Ohio State.
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
Ohio State climbed to the top of the Big Ten in pitching after shutting out Bowling Green Wednesday night. The Buckeye pitching staff now owns a 3.71 ERA, just ahead of Northwestern’s 3.83. Ohio State is fifth in batting (.297) and eighth in fielding (.955). Scott Lewis leads Big Ten pitchers in ERA (1.24), strikeouts (104), batters struck out looking (31), opponent batting average (.147) and wins (7). Sophomore reliever Matt Davis leads the conference with seven saves and is tied for second with 19 appearances, all in relief, which leads the conference. He has finished 17 games, which is the best total in the league. Drew Anderson is tied for the Big Ten lead in triples with four, while teammate Brett Garrard has three to tie for third. The only other offensive category in which the Buckeyes lead is in walks as Christian Snavely has been awarded a base on balls 43 times, that is 17 more than Indiana’s Vasili Spanos, who has walked 26 times.
In Big Ten games only, Ohio State is third in pitching (4.24), fourth in batting (.306) and 10th in fielding (.938). Lewis’ 0.46 ERA in conference-only games paces all conference pitchers. He also leads in strikeouts (67), batters struck out looking (23), innings pitched (39.1) and opponent batting average (.131). Snavely has walked 18 times in Big Ten games, a figured which sets the conference standard this season
SCHOOL RECORD BOOK
Christian Snavely has nine career 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)… Snavely now has 90 career walks which has him 18th in the school record book… His 43 bases on balls already this year is tied for seventh most in a season by a Buckeye… Drew Anderson has 32 career stolen bases and is tied for 13th… Josh Newman’s 20 career wins is tied for 15th… He has pitched 222.0 career innings and ranks 19th… For pitchers who have thrown at least 175.0 innings, Newman is second in fewest bases on balls (65), tied for 11th in fewest runs (122) and is tied for eighth in fewest earned runs (97)… Nate Smith’ made his 48th appearance as a Buckeye April 20 and that is 18th in Buckeye annals… Matt Davis’ seven saves this season is tied for seventh.
DAVIS SAVES
Matt Davis, the hard throwing Buckeye closer, has seven saves this season. The total is tied (with Brandon Steen, 7 in 2002) for the seventh 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, twice at Penn State and most recently at Purdue.
His seven 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.
SNAVELY SHARES BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS TWICE
Christian Snavely was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week April 21 after batting .529 (9-for-17) in games against Wooster and Indiana with home runs in the first three games against the Hoosiers. It was the second straight Big Ten Player of the Week honor for Snavely, who also shared accolades April 14. 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.
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.
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.
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.
THE CAPTAINSTHE 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 PROSPECTSNAVELY 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.
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 now is off to Jacobs Field Tuesday for a matchup with Cleveland State at 6:05 p.m. Tickets are $5 and available at the Gate D on Ontario Street the day of the game. Gate D is the gate directly behind home plate. The Buckeyes return to Bill Davis Stadium Wednesday night for a 6:35 p.m. game vs. Cincinnati. The game marks a return of Buck-A-Burger Night.
