Baseball Home Season Closes Wednesday vs. Cleveland St. – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 13, 2003
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Ohio State Buckeyes
(35-15, 19-9 Big Ten)
vs.
Cleveland State Vikings
(9-34, 3-16 Horizon)
Bill Davis Stadium
Columbus, Ohio
Wednesday, May 13
6:35 p.m.
Radio: WOSU Radio (820 AM)
TV: ONN
All games available on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State baseball brings the 2003 home regular schedule to a close Wednesday when it plays host to Cleveland State at 6:35 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium. A victory would give the Buckeyes victories in all seven home Wednesday night games and give them the chance to play for 40 wins for the second time in three seasons.
The Buckeyes picked up six wins last week that included non-conference wins over Cleveland State and Cincinnati and a four-game Big Ten sweep of Michigan State to up their record to 35-15, the best overall record in the Big Ten. The four-game sweep of the Spartans was the third conference sweep by Ohio State this season and improved its league record to 19-9, just three games behind Minnesota, which is 21-5. The Buckeyes must sweep four games vs. Minnesota this weekend if it is to clinch the regular season championship over the Gophers.
Cleveland State dropped three of four games against Butler this past weekend to fall to 9-34 overall and 3-16 in the Horizon League. ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State swept Michigan State last weekend to improve to 35-15 overall. The sweep was the third against a Big Ten opponent in 2003 and the second at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes earlier swept Iowa and won four games at Purdue the last weekend of April. The sweep, coupled with a pair of Minnesota losses, kept Ohio State’s hopes alive for third Big Ten regular season title since 1999 and the first since 2001.
The recent story for Ohio State has been the return of Steve Caravati. The designated hitter from Dover, Ohio, was hit on the wrist while batting in the first game at Purdue and missed the next five games before returning against Michigan with a .319 batting average. Nine games later, with at least one hit in each game, he leads the team with a .356 batting average. Caravati, who is batting .485 during his nine-game hit streak, was 11-for-22 (.500) in six games last week that included a 6-for-15 (.400) effort in the Buckeyes’ sweep of Michigan State. He finished the week with seven RBI and delivered the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning in the 6-5 victory of game three against MSU.
As a team, the Buckeyes are hitting .294, which is tied for fifth best in the Big Ten. Including, Caravati, five Buckeyes are hitting better than .300: catcher Derek Kinnear (.333), second baseman Drew Anderson (.326), outfielder Christian Snavely (.322) and first baseman Paul Farinacci (.304).
The pitching staff remains one of the strongest staffs in the Big Ten with its 3.66 ERA. That figure ranks second, just behind Northwestern’s 3.65 ERA. Scott Lewis improved to 8-0 on the year and 6-0 in the Big Ten. In 80 innings, he has allowed just 17 runs (12 earned) on 43 hits. He has struck out 123 batters while walking only 23 and has a 1.35 ERA while holding batters to a .152 average.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Cleveland State is 9-34 on the year and 3-16 in the Horizon League after dropping three of four home games to Butler after losing 4-1 to Ohio State May 6 at Jacobs Field.
Leading CSU is Doug Besozzi, who is hitting .320 with 49 hits (nine doubles and one home run) for 14 RBI. Justin Poletti and Dominic Erney are also hitting better than .300. Poletti has 36 hits (six doubles, a triple and two home runs) for 18 RBI, while Erney has 45 hits (eight doubles and four home runs) for 23 RBI. As a team, Cleveland State has a .268 batting average.
On the mound, the team has a 7.00 ERA and is led by Matt Kalternbach, who has 54 strikeouts to go with a 4-7 record and 4.39 ERA in 82.0 innings.
AGAINST CLEVELAND STATE
Ohio State leads the all-time series with Cleveland State 30-5 after taking a 4-1 decision last week at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. That game ended back-to-back shutouts by the Buckeyes, which won 14-0 last season and 9-0 in 2001. The Buckeyes have won the last five games against the Vikings, which last won in the 1997 season, taking a 5-3 decision on April 26. OSU won the next day 23-6. Buckeye coach Bob Todd is 18-1 all-time against Cleveland State.
LAST WEEK VS. THE VIKINGS
Steve Caravati went 3-for-4 and Jedidiah Stephen hit a home run to lift Ohio State to a 4-1 victory over Cleveland State at Jacobs Field for the Buckeyes’ 30th win of the season. Cleveland State took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and kept the Buckeyes off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, when they scored three runs to take the lead.
Ohio State tied the game in the top of the sixth on Stephen’s lead-off home run. Facing a 2-0 count, he sent a fastball over the tall fence in left field that landed on the Home Run Porch. It was his fifth home run of the season and just the 11th collegiate home run hit at Jacobs Field. The inning continued as Drew Anderson singled to third base. Christian Snavely walked for the 48th time this season after Anderson stole second. Caravati doubled to the left-field corner and knocked in both Anderson and Snavely to give the Buckeyes a 3-1 cushion. In the eighth, Cody Caughenbaugh singled to right-center field to score Snavely and extend the Buckeye lead to three.
Greg Prenger got the start for Ohio State and pitched the first four innings in a shortened start. He left the game in the fifth trailing 1-0, allowing the one run (earned) on five hits with a walk and a strikeout. The win went to Kyle Brown, who pitched the fifth inning and was the pitcher of record when Ohio State took the lead with a three-run sixth inning. He faced one batter in the bottom of the sixth before taking a liner off the foot. With no one out, Matt Davis came in to relieve Brown and pitched the final four innings to earn his ninth save of the season.
FINAL REGULAR SEASON HOME GAME FOR SENIORS
Three Buckeyes seniors, which were honored prior to Sunday’s game vs. Michigan State, will play their final home game Wednesday against Cleveland State. The trio of seniors, which are all captains of this year’s team, include pitchers Kyle Brown, Greg Prenger and Nate Smith.
Since throwing his first pitch against Akron in 2000, Brown has show his versatility on the mound, either in relief or as a spot starter. Brown picked up his first win against Shawnee State in his first collegiate start and finished the year 4-0. He went 4-1 as a sophomore getting Big Ten wins over Illinois and Penn State and then struck out a career-best seven batters against Penn State last year. He matched that Sunday striking out seven of the nine batters he faced in relief. The right-hander from Washington Court House, Ohio, leaves Ohio State with a 10-3 career record for a win percentage of .769, which ranks 10th on the school’s all-time list. He has made 47 career appearances in the Scarlet and Gray, which will rank among the school’s all-time highest totals. Brown picked up his first two saves of his career this season against Oakland and Michigan State.
Greg Prenger reached perfection on April 9, 2003 in retiring all 21 Oakland batters he faced that night. That is something no other Ohio State pitcher has done in 120 years of Ohio State baseball. It was the eighth no-hitter in school history. The right-hander from Harpster, Ohio, leaves the Buckeye program with an 12-6 record. He went 5-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 2001 to earn All-Big Ten honors as the Buckeyes’ No. 3 starter. His career best strikeout total is six, which he has done five times. He pitched a nine-inning, seven-hit complete game shutout vs. Illinois in the conference tournament to make the All-Tournament team. Prenger has 22 career starts in 41 career appearances.
Nate Smith won his first six decisions in 2002 and did not lose until facing Notre Dame in the South Bend Regional final. The right-handed pitcher from Bryan, Ohio, went 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors. He struck out a career-high 13 batters at Iowa last season. Smith went 5-3 as a freshman in 1999. He will leave Columbus with a 16-12 record with 37 starts in 49 career appearances, which is among the best totals in school history. Smith has pitched 214 1/3 career innings, which also ranks among the school’s best.
BUCKEYES SWEEP SPARTANS
Ohio State swept for games from Michigan State last weekend and Bill Davis Stadium. In the first game, Scott Lewis struck out 11 batters in a winning effort as Ohio State defeated Michigan State 3-2. Countering the two runs scored by Michigan State via the long ball, the Buckeyes scored all three of their runs by the sacrifice. Christian Snavely finished the game 1-for-1 for the Buckeyes with a hit to center in the sixth inning to go with a sac fly and a pair of walks, his 50th and 51st of the season. Five other Buckeyes accounted for the team’s six hits, while Michigan State had five hits by different players.
In the first game of the Saturday doubleheader, Ohio State scored the decisive run on a throwing error in the bottom of the sixth inning in a 2-1 victory over Michigan State. The Buckeyes capitalized on the error to score the go-ahead run. Snavely singled to right and then moved to second on a wild pitch. Steve Caravati singled to short to move Snavely to third and then the throw by shortstop Alan Cattrysse to first sailed wide of the bag. Snavely scored on the error. Wes Schirtzinger was 2-for-2 for the game, while Snavely was 2-for-3 as the Buckeyes out-hit Michigan State 6-3 in the game. MSU had two errors and Ohio State had one. Josh Newman picked up the win, allowing just one run (earned) on three hits in his sixth complete game of the season. He also struck out a season-high nine batters in improving to 5-4 on the season.
Ohio State lost a three-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, but scored twice in the bottom half of the inning to come back and defeat Michigan State 6-5 in the nightcap of the Saturday doubleheader. The Buckeyes had a 4-1 lead entering the top of the seventh inning, but the Spartans took a 5-4 lead with four runs in the inning on two hits and three walks by Buckeye relievers. The Buckeyes led off the bottom of the inning with a double by Jedidiah Stephen and then he advanced on a wild pitch by Ryan Golem. Brett Garrard walked to put runners at the corners. Mike Rabin bunted right back to the pitcher, who threw home to nab a sliding Stephen for the first out of the inning. Snavely tied the game with a single to right-center field which scored Garrard from third. That set the stage for Caravati, who took an inside-out swing on a 1-0 fastball and punched it through the right side to bring in Rabin for the winning run. The hit for Snavely was his first hit of the game and kept alive a hit streak that reached nine games with the game-tying RBI. Caravati finished the game 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and scored a run. Garrard also went 2-for-3 and scored twice.
Garrard and Paul Farinacci each homered twice as the Buckeyes posted an 11-8 victory over Michigan Sunday to complete a four-game sweep of the Spartans. The second home run of the game by Garrard gave Ohio State the lead for good in the sixth inning. His third home run of the season was a solo shot to left-center field. Farinacci added his second home run of the game in the seventh inning to put the Buckeyes up by two runs, 10-8, and then they scored another run in the bottom of the eighth, taking advantage of Garrard’s third hit of the game, this one a leadoff hit for a double. Garrard finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI and three runs scored. Farinacci was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and a pair of runs.
BIG TEN RACE GOES DOWN TO THE WIRE
For the second consecutive season, Minnesota and Ohio State will meet in the season’s final weekend with the Big Ten Championship on the line. The Buckeyes swept four straight from Michigan State last weekend to remain alive as the Gophers split a four-game set at Iowa. Minnesota can clinch its first back-to-back conference crowns since the 1973-74 campaigns and its third championship in the last five seasons by winning one of four games at home against Ohio State next weekend. The Buckeyes can also win their third Big Ten title in the last five years with a four-game sweep, earning a measure of revenge in the process, as Minnesota clinched the 2002 league championship with a road victory at Ohio State on the final day of the season last year.
BIG TEN TOURNEY FIELD
Six teams will earn invites to the 2003 Big Ten Tournament, which will be held from May 21-24 in either Minneapolis or Columbus, depending on the results of the Buckeyes-Gophers series. With just one weekend left, eight of the 10 squads remain mathematically alive for a spot in the post-season event. Last year’s winner, Ohio State, was joined at the 2002 Big Ten Tournament by Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota, which hosted the event for the second time in the previous three years. The tournament winner is granted the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
LEWIS BETTERS ARLIN
With his ninth win of the season Friday night against Michigan State, Scott Lewis improved to 17-2 in his second year as a Buckeye. His .895 win percentage moved him in front of Steve Arlin (1965-66), who had previously held the best percentage of .889 (24-3). Lewis pitched 7 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts, moving his season total to 123, third place in school annals behind Arlin’s 1965 total of 165 and his 1966 total of 129. The Buckeye lefty now has 214 career strikeouts, moving into 14th on the school’s all-time strikeout list. The downside to his history-making victory was that he walked four batters and gave up a pair of home runs on four hits. The home runs were the first he allowed this season. He also had two errors in the game, the second of which put a runner at first base before he got his final strikeout of the night on his 126th pitch.
KYLE, SPELLED WITH A K
Senior pitcher Kyle Brown had struck out seven batters just once in his career and that came in a five-inning relief outing last year vs. Penn State. Brownie entered Sunday’s finale vs. Michigan State after a leadoff double by Charlie Braun in the seventh inning. He struck out Brandon Volas then got a ground out and pop out to end the inning. He retired all nine batters he faced in order, including the last six by strikeout. He got four out swinging and three out looking to pick up his second save of his career. The first was against Oakland earlier this season.
TWO HOMER GAMES
Brett Gatrard and Paul Farinacci became the fifth and sixth current Buckeyes to hit two home runs in a game when the both went deep twice in the series finale against Michigan State. Drew Anderson had a pair of home runs last Wednesday night against Cincinnati, while Terry Pettorini went long twice against Eastern Michigan March 15. The very next day, Derek Kinnear hit two balls out of the park against Detroit. Christian Snavely had two home runs in a game in 2002. Kinnear, Pettorini and Snavely have hit multiple home runs on more than one occasion, but none have done it more than twice.
PAIR OF BUCKEYES NAB ACADEMIC HONORS
Ohio State pitcher Greg Prenger and designated hitter/third baseman Terry Pettorini were named Second Team Verizon Academic All-District IV selections Thursday.
In the classroom, Prenger is an information systems major with a 3.41 GPA. On the field, Prenger reached acclaim earlier this season for a seven-inning perfect game against Oakland on April 9. It was the first perfect game in Ohio State history and the eighth time a Buckeye hurler had thrown a no-hitter. The senior right-handed pitcher from Harpster, Ohio, is 2-1 this season with a 4.85 ERA and owns a career record of 11-6 with a 3.94 ERA.
Pettorini is studying political science and boasts a 3.27 GPA in the classroom and has a .294 batting average, splitting time between third base and as the designated hitter. The junior from Wooster, Ohio, has 35 hits, with six doubles and three home runs that have produced 17 RBI. In his three-year career, Pettorini has a .277 batting average with 13 doubles and 10 home runs and was a Second Team Verizon All-District honoree in 2002.
The district teams are made up of student-athletes from Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Team members are selected by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district. The Verizon Academic All-District Team is part of the Verizon Academic All-America program. First team selections will appear on the national ballot for the Verizon Academic All-America Baseball Team to be announced May 27.
BUCKEYES BLAST BEARCATS 17-0
Drew Anderson accounted for two of the four Ohio State home runs as the Buckeyes easily got past Cincinnati 17-0 Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium. The three-hit shutout was the fifth straight pitched by the Buckeyes in home Wednesday night games and a school-record ninth shutout the season.
Joining Anderson in going deep were Christian Snavely and Paul Farinacci. Snavely had a three-run shot off the top of the scoreboard in the third that capped a six-run inning. It was his ninth of the season and the 27th of his career. Farinacci led off that inning with a shot to left-center field. The game was the second this season in which Ohio State had four home runs and the second time this season that a Buckeye homered twice in the same game.
The Buckeyes wasted little time putting runs on the board against the Bearcats, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, all with two outs. In the third inning, Anderson launched his sixth home run of the season over the fence in left field to give the Buckeyes a 5-0 lead.
Ohio State erupted for six runs in the third inning started by a lead-off home run by Farinacci, who teed off to left-center field for his fourth home run this season. The Buckeyes added four more hits in the inning. Kelly Houser singled through the left side to score Brett Garrard, who singled down the left field line. After a walk by Anderson and a fielder’s choice by Rabin, Snavely, who was celebrating his 21st birthday Wednesday, went long off the top of the scoreboard in right-center field to stretch the Buckeye lead to 11-0.
In the fifth inning, the Buckeyes added another five runs on seven hits – six singles and one double – to increase its lead to 16-0. Houser started the inning with a single through the left side. After the first out of the inning, Ohio State rattled off five singles, including RBI shots by Snavely, Farinacci and Caughenbaugh, before a two-RBI double by pinch hitter Terry Pettorini.
Anderson added the Buckeyes final run with a shot to left-center field. It was his second home run of the day and his seventh of the season.
The Buckeyes cranked out a season-high 17 runs on 19 hits. Snavely finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. Farinacci also had three hits in four at bats for three RBI and three runs.
Buckeye pitching allowed just three Cincinnati hits, all singles. Mike Madsen picked up the win in his third start and 14th appearance of the season. He went five innings, allowed one hit, struck out five and walked one in improving to 5-1 on the year. Cincinnati starter Justin Minges fell to 1-1 with the loss. Trent Luyster and Justin Myers each pitched two innings.
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. Ohio The Buckeyes are now 21-5 at home this season. A year ago, 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 137-49 in the facility. That is a win percentage of .737, which includes a 76-34 mark against conference foes and a 61-15 record against non-conference opponents.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Ohio State remained a perfect 7-0 in home Wednesday night games with its 17-0 shutout victory over Cincinnati. The shutout stretched the Buckeye streak to 45 innings without allowing a run by Wednesday night 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 and Bowling Green 6-0 April 30. In the last six Wednesday night games, the Buckeyes have outscored the opposition 50-1.
SHUTOUTS
The Buckeyes now have nine shutouts after beating Cincinnati 17-0 Wednesday night. The total now stands alone atop the school record book since the team had entered the game tied with eight shutouts in 1977, 2001 and 2002. Ohio State has been remarkable at home in midweek games, posting five straight shutouts on Wednesday nights. Following the 9-0 midweek shutout against Shawnee State April 23, the Buckeyes went to Purdue and handed the Boilermakers 6-0 and 4-0 shutouts. The last time the Buckeyes shutout three straight opponents was in 1977 (10-0 vs. Dayton, 8-0 and 2-0 vs. Indiana).
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
Scott Lewis now has 214 strikeouts in the middle of his second season as a Buckeye. He is currently 14th on Ohio State’s career strikeouts 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 against Iowa, also has the second best season total with 129 from 1966, when Ohio State won the National Championship. The 123 strike outs by Lewis this year has him in third place by himself, just six strikeouts behind Arlin’s second-place total.
Lewis’ 123 strikeouts this season easily leads the Big Ten. The next closest pitcher, 31 back, is Glen Perkins at Minnesota who has 92 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings. Lewis has done it 80 innings. In conference games, Lewis has 86 strikeouts in 54 innings, 18 more than Perkins.
OSU SEASON STRIKEOUT LIST (TOP 10) 1. Steve Arlin 1965 165 2. Steve Arlin 1966 129 3. Scott Lewis 2003 123 4. Paul Seitz 1960 117 5. Justin Fry 1998 113 6. Justin Fry 1999 104 Matt Beaumont 1994 104 8. Joe Sparma 1962 102 9. Justin Fry 1997 101 Joe Sadelfeld 1967 101
OSU CAREER STRIKEOUT LIST (TOP 20) 1. Justin Fry 1995-99 382 2. Steve Arlin 1965-66 294 3. Bill Cunningham 1982-85 281 4. Tim Smith 1989-91 254 5. Mark Dempsey 1977-80 250 6. Paul Semall 1974-77 247 7. Matt Beaumont 1992-94 245 8. Tom Schwarber 1987-91 244 9. Scott Klingenbeck 1990-92 238 10. E.J. Laratta 1999-02 234 11. Doug Swearingen 1980-83 224 12. Paul Ebert 1952-54 223 13. Kevan Cannon 1993-95 220 14. Scott Lewis 2002-present 214 15. Eric Thompson 1996-98 213 Chris Granata 1991-94 213 17. Dick Boggs 1966-68 212 18. Mike Biehle 1993-96 210 19. Joe Sadelfeld 1967-69 205 20. Kevin Goodrum 1998-01 204
LEWIS AMONG NATION’S BEST
Through games of May 11, Scott Lewis was second in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings and ranked third in ERA. The sophomore left-handed pitcher currently has a 1.35 ERA in 80 innings a breakdown of 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Only Ryan Wagner of Houston (16.6) outranks Lewis. He has 113 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings. Lewis’ 1.35 ERA is third best in the nation. He has allowed only 12 earned runs. His nine victories is tied for 16th nationally.
NCAA DIVISION I K/9 LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP SO K/9 1. Ryan Wagner, Houston So. 29 61.1 113 16.6 2. Scott Lewis, Ohio State So. 11 80.0 123 13.8 3. Wade Townsend, Rice So. 22 77.1 118 13.7 4. Steve Schmoll, Maryland Sr. 17 82.2 119 13.0 5. Chris Schutt, Cornell Jr. 10 62.0 89 12.9
NCAA DIVISION I ERA LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP R ER ERA 1. Cla Meredith, VCU So. 23 51.1 6 6 1.05 2. Tom Mastny, Furman Sr. 15 115.0 21 15 1.17 3. Scott Lewis, Ohio State So. 11 80.0 17 12 1.35 4. Chuck Bechtel, Marist Sr. 11 72.0 25 11 1.38 5. Aaron Sims, Alabama A&M Sr. 8 51.0 14 8 1.41
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.”
DAVIS TIES SEASON SAVES MARK
Matt Davis, the hard throwing Buckeye closer, tied the Ohio State season record by picking up his ninth and 10th saves last week. He threw his ninth save in a four-inning outing in a 4-1 victory vs. Cleveland State on May 6 and then picked up his 10th save in 1 2/3 innings vs. Michigan State in a 3-2 victory Friday night. That save matched the record set by Cory Cox in 2001. Davis also picked up his second win of the season in the 6-5 come-back victory against the Spartans in the second game of the doubleheader, getting the final two outs of the seventh before the Buckeyes won in the bottom of the inning.
Davis is tied for 18th nationally and leads the Big Ten with his 10 saves, three in front of Minnesota’s Jeff Moen, who has seven. He also leads with 25 appearances, all in relief. He has finished 23 games for the Buckeyes, which also paces the Big Ten.
One of his more impressive saves did not come in a Buckeye uniform, but came 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.
TEAM RECORD WATCH
The nine shutouts by the Buckeyes this season broke the school record of eight which was accomplished in 1977, 2001 and 2002… The 12 saves by the Buckeyes are the sixth most in a season, three off the record of 15 set in 1996 and 2001. Matt Davis has 10 of the saves, while Kyle Brown has two… Ohio State has 390 strikeouts as a team, which is the seventh highest total in school history… The teams 16 triples this season is tied for the ninth best total in school history… The 19 Big Ten wins is the third most won by Ohio State, which also won 19 in 1993. The team won 20 games in 1991, 1992 and 2001 and holds the Big Ten record with 25 conference wins in both 1994 and 1999.
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.
BEST BIG TEN FINISH HELD BY OSU
By virtue of a series split last weekend in Iowa for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Ohio State will retain its record for the most wins in Big Ten play. The Gophers can match Ohio State’s record 25 conference wins with a sweep of the Buckeyes this weekend. The Scarlet and Gray won 25 conference games in both 1994 and 1999 and won the Big Ten regular season championship each year.
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
The Buckeye pitching staff now owns a 3.66 ERA, which is second in the Big Ten (26th nationally) behind Northwestern’s 2.65 ERA. Ohio State is tied for fifth in batting (.294), tied with Penn State, and is eighth in fielding (.958). Scott Lewis leads Big Ten pitchers in ERA (1.35), strikeouts (123), batters struck out looking (32), opponent batting average (.152) and wins (9). Sophomore reliever Matt Davis leads the conference with 10 saves and 25 appearances, all in relief, which leads the conference. Davis has finished 23 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. Christian Snavely has been awarded a base on balls 51 times, that is 21 more than Indiana’s Vasili Spanos, who has walked 30 times.
In Big Ten games only, Ohio State is fifth in pitching (4.25), sixth in batting (.291) and 10th in fielding (.942). Lewis’ 0.83 ERA in conference-only games paces all conference pitchers. He also leads in strikeouts (86), batters struck out looking (24) and opponent batting average (.143). Snavely has walked 24 times in Big Ten games, a figured which sets the conference standard this season.
SCHOOL RECORD BOOK
Christian Snavely has 10 career triples, which is tied for fourth in the school record book with Mark Carek (1995-98)… His 27 career home runs is tied for 13th with Jamie Taylor (1990-92)… Snavely now has 98 career walks, which ties him for 13th in the school record book… His 51 bases on balls this year is the third highest season total by a Buckeye and only four out of second (Doug Dendinger 55 in 2001) and nine away from Nick Swisher’s 2001 record of 60… Drew Anderson has 34 career stolen bases and is tied for 12th… Josh Newman’s 21 career wins is tied for 13th… He has pitched 236.2 career innings and ranks 17th… For pitchers who have thrown at least 175.0 innings, Newman is second in fewest bases on balls (70)… Scott Lewis has 17 career wins to tie for 21st. His 214 career strikeouts is the 14th highest total… Nate Smith made his 49th appearance as a Buckeye May 3 and that is tied for 17th in Buckeye annals… Smith’s 214.1 career innings is tied for 21st in school history… Kyle Brown has the 10th best won-loss percentage at .769 (10-3). Brown has 47 career appearances, which is tied for 17th… Lewis tops that list with a .895 win percentage with a 17-2 record… Greg Prenger is tied for 28th in school history with his .667 average (12-6).
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.
Lewis fanned 20 batters in nine innings as Ohio State beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 4-1 April 11 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.
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 April 14. 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.
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
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 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.
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.
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
The Buckeyes take to the road to close out the 2003 regular season this weekend at Minnesota. The Buckeyes and Golden Gophers play a single nine-inning game at 7:35 p.m. Friday, a doubleheader at 5:05 p.m. Saturday and then close the series with a single nine-inning game at 2:05 p.m. Games one, two and four will be on WOSU Radio (820), while all four games can be heard on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
