Baseball Closes Regular Season at Minnesota – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2003
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Ohio State Buckeyes
(36-15, 19-9 Big Ten)
at
Minnesota Golden Gophers
(34-17, 21-5 Big Ten)
Siebert Field | Minneapolis, Minn.
Friday, May 16: 8:05 p.m., EDT
WOSU Radio (820 AM)
Saturday, May 17: 5:05 p.m., EDT (DH)
Game 1: WOSU Radio (820 AM)
Game 2: Internet Only
Sunday, May 18: 2:05 p.m., EDT
WOSU Radio
All games available on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State Probable Starters G1 3 Scott Lewis, LHP 9-0, 1.35, 123K, 80.0 IP G2 23 Josh Newman, LHP 5-4, 3.60, 54K, 70.0 IP G3 6 Mike Madsen, RHP 5-1, 3.79, 36K, 38.0IP G4 17 Chris Hanners, LHP 4-2, 5.27, 27K, 42.2IP
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State picked up a 6-1 win Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium to extend its current win streak to seven games. The Buckeyes will have to stretch it to a 11 games in order to win their third regular season Big Ten title in the last five years. Second-place Ohio State needs a four-game sweep of first-place Minnesota when it travels to Minneapolis this weekend.
The Gophers, at 34-17 overall and 21-5 in the Big Ten, need to win just one of the three games to win back-to-back conference titles. Minnesota entered its series last weekend at Iowa needing to win three games to seal the championship, but it split its four games with the Hawkeyes, while the Buckeyes, at 36-15 overall and 19-9 in the Big Ten, swept Michigan State to keep stay within striking distance.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State finished the season a perfect 8-0 in Wednesday night home games by defeating Cleveland State 6-1 Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes outscored their hump-day visitors 56-2 and held opponents scoreless in a span of 49 innings. The victory over the Vikings ran Ohio State’s win streak to seven games. Over the last 28 games, going back to April 9, the Buckeyes have lost only five times.
That success was made possible by a trio of series sweeps in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes took all four games against Iowa and won four times at Purdue before taking all four against Michigan State last weekend. The losses during that time were to Indiana (twice) and Michigan (three times).
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. Caravati had a nine-game his streak snapped Wednesday night against Cleveland State, but surged to the top of all Buckeye batters with a .349 batting average. During the streak, Caravati hit .485 and was 11-for-22 (.500) in six wins last week. 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, four Buckeyes are hitting better than .300: catcher Derek Kinnear (.338), outfielder Christian Snavely (.329), second baseman Drew Anderson (.326).
The pitching staff remains one of the strongest staffs in the Big Ten with its 3.61 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. He will toss Friday night against the Gophers. Josh Newman (5-4, 3.60 ERA) and Mike Madsen (5-1, 3.79) will likely throw in Saturday’s games, while Chris Hanners (4-2, 5.27) will take to the mound in the Sunday finale.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
Minnesota is hitting an impressive .334 this season in all games, but even more impressive is in conference games, when that average jumps to .354. Both figures lead the Big Ten. The Gophers have just 25 home runs, but they have 565 hits, about 95 more than the Buckeyes have in as many games. Of those hits, 121 have gone for doubles. The Gophers are 34-17 on the season and 21-5 in conference games and have the opportunity to tie Ohio State Big Ten wins record of 25 if they can sweep the Buckeyes this weekend.
Leading the way for Minnesota is second baseman Luke Appert, who is batting .382. He has 71 hits, 21 of which have been doubles. He has a team-high 41 RBI and four home runs. His slugging percentage is .559 and he gets on base 47.3 percent of the time. His has been successful with 13 of 15 stolen bases. Of the everyday players, seven have averages above .300. Sam Steidl matched Appert with 71 hits in his team-best 190 at bats for a .374 batting average.
On the mound, Minnesota has a 4.42 ERA, which ranksfourth in the conference, behind Ohio State, Northwestern and Illinois. The star of the staff has been freshman Glen Perkins who has stromed out to an 8-1 record and 2.95 ERA. He is second in strikeouts, behind Ohio State’s Scott Lewis, with 92. He has allowed 76 hits and walked 18, compared to Lewis’ 43 hits and 23 walks. The Golden Gophers are expected to start him Friday night head-to-head against Lewis. They will likely go with C.J. Woodrow (6-3, 4.36 ERA) and Jay Gagner (4-4, 5.83) on Saturday and then throw Matt Lobert (6-1, 4.42) Sunday.
AGAINST MINNESOTA
Ohio State trials the all-time series against Minnesota by the slimmest of margins. The Golden Gophers have a one-game edge with a 61-60-2 advantage in a series that dates back to 1923. The Buckeyes and Gophers split the four regular season meetings last year before the Buckeyes defeated Minnesota 6-3 in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis. Bob Todd is 26-25-1 against Minnesota since arriving at Ohio State in 1988. Todd’s teams are 8-4 against the Gophers in the Big Ten Tournament.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE GOPHERS
Minnesota fought back from a 5-3 deficit to tie the game in the sixth and then scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-5 victory over Ohio State in the second game of Sunday doubleheader to clinch the Big Ten regular season title.
With the victory, Minnesota improved to 18-10 in conference play, while dropping Ohio State to 18-11 with the loss. The Gophers, who played one fewer league game than the Buckeyes because of rain, clinched the Big Ten title by two-tenths of a percentage point.
In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, Ohio State left little doubt handing Minnesota a 9-2 loss to make the fourth and final game of the series a true championship game. The Buckeyes benefited from three walks and two hits in take a 6-0 lead in the fourth. Minnesota scored a run in the top of the fifth, but Ohio State got it right back and then some in the bottom half, scoring three more times to go up 9-1.
On Saturday, Ohio State scored 10 runs in the fourth inning to take a 13-3 decision over Minnesota in the Big Ten series opener Saturday. A three-run home run by Doug Deeds broke a 3-3 tie. But that was not all the scoring for OSU in the inning as it would score 10 times on only seven hits with the aid of an error.
In Saturday’s second game, Minnesota starter C.J. Woodrow struck out seven Buckeyes in getting his fifth consecutive complete game Big Ten victory, this time a 4-0 shutout over Ohio State in the second game of a doubleheader last Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes mustered only five hits in the game against Woodrow, who improved to 8-4 with the victory. He had one walk in the game, but allowed only six Ohio State base runners.
VS. GOPHERS IN BIG TEN TOURNEY
Ohio State claimed a 6-3 victory over Minnesota May 25 at Minnesota’s Siebert Field to win the school’s sixth Big Ten Tournament Championship and earn the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Minnesota, which won the Big Ten regular season championship, needed two wins against Ohio State if they were going to repeat as tournament champions after winning the 2001 tournament at Ohio State’s Bill Davis Stadium.
Ohio State took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Nick Swisher drew a lead off walk on four pitches and then moved to third on a double to left-centerfield by Joe Wilkins. Swisher scored on a ground out by Drew Anderson and then Wilkins scored on a ball hit off the tip of Gopher centerfielder Sam Steidl’s glove, which went as an error.
Minnesota capitalized on a Buckeye error in the top of the third inning to get on the board. David Roach doubled with one out and then Steidl hit a ball to shallow centerfield that went under the glove of OSU centerfielder Mike Rabin. That error allowed Steidl to reach second and scored Roach to make the score 2-1. Gopher designated hitter Ben Pattee tied the game 2-2 in the top of the fourth with his third home run of the season.
But after that both teams hit the ball directly at the defense. Ohio State went down in order in the third and had walks in both the fourth and fifth innings, but that was all the Buckeyes could get against Gopher starter Jeff Moen until the sixth inning. After the Minnesota home run in the fourth inning, OSU starter Scott Lewis sat down 13 straight Gophers.
The Buckeyes took a 3-2 lead in the sixth on the 12th home run of the season by Doug Deeds. Doug Dendinger doubled and moved to third on a wild pitch with just one out, but the Buckeyes could not get him across the plate. After a walk to Wilkins, Minnesota pulled Moen and brought in Tim Theis, who promptly struck out Anderson before getting pinch hitter Terry Pettorini to ground out.
A run of insurance was provided in the seventh by Rabin, who had a two-out double to left centerfield. He was then knocked in by Deeds, who hit a bloop single over the outstretched arm of Gopher shortstop Scott Welch. The run gave Ohio State a two-run advantage, 4-2. The Buckeyes added a pair of runs in the eighth before the Gophers got their final run in the top of the ninth inning.
Lewis pitched a complete game in giving up the three runs on just six hits. He struck out six and walked two in improving to 7-2 on the year. Offensively for the Buckeyes, Deeds finished 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI. He was the only Ohio State player with multiple hits as the team only had nine hits. Ben Patte led the Gophers with a 2-for-4 effort with two RBI.
LEWIS NAMED SMITH AWARD SEMIFINALIST
Ohio State left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis has been named one of 12 semifinalists for the 2003 Rotary Smith Award, given annually to the NCAA Division I college baseball player of the year.
Lewis is a perfect 9-0 on the year with a 1.35 ERA, which is third best nationally. His nine wins are tied for 16th most in the nation. He has struck out 123 batters (third best in OSU history) in 80.0 innings, a strikeout per nine innings average of 13.8, which is second best nationally. The 2002 Big Ten Freshman of the Year as allowed only 43 hits and is holding batters to a batting average of .152 this season and he has allowed just 12 earned runs. The 2002 First Team All-Big Ten selection has made 11 starts this year with three complete games and two shutouts, both against Big Ten foes.
Against Iowa on April 11, Lewis struck out school-record 20 batters to earn Louisville Slugger National Pitcher of the Week honors and repeated the honor after striking out 16 in his next outing against Indiana on April 18. His total of 36 strikeouts in two games is believed to be the best two-game total in NCAA Division I baseball history. While Lewis has been dominant in all games, he has 0.83 ERA in Big Ten games with a 6-0 record. He has struck out 86 batters in 54.0 innings of conference play while giving up only five earned runs on 27 hits.
Now in its 16th year, the Rotary Smith Award honors college baseball’s player of the year, as voted upon by college baseball publicists, former winners and the coaches of those former winners. This year’s award will be presented June 26 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Houston. A total of 16 finalists of the award appeared on opening day rosters in Major League Baseball in 2003.
The Award pays tribute to Houston’s original baseball ambassador, R.E. ‘Bob’ Smith and his wife Vivian. It rewards the winner’s character and leadership as well as his talent on the field of play. The Award benefits the Rotary Charities, Texas Children’s Hospital and the Karl Young League.
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.
BUCKEYES BEAT CLEVELAND ST. 6-1
Ohio State finished perfect in eight midweek home games after beating Cleveland State 6-1 Wednesday night in front of 1,688 fans at Bill Davis Stadium. It was the first time since 1995 that the Buckeyes went undefeated in midweek contests. The Scarlet and Gray outscored Wednesday visitors 56-2 this season.
Trent Luyster got the midweek start for the Buckeyes, going four innings. He allowed only two hits and struck out a career-high six batters in the abbreviated start. Justin Myers came on in relief to start the fifth inning.
Cleveland state manufactured a run in the fifth. The run was first scored against Ohio State on Wednesday night in 49 innings, going back to a 2-1 Buckeye victory against Oakland on April 9. Ohio State got its first hit in the bottom of the inning. Derek Kinnear got a one-out hit, but was caught stealing for the second out of the inning.
Following a script right out of the scorebook from last week’s game against the Vikings at Jacobs Field, the Buckeyes sent their No. 9 batter to plate to lead off the inning. Last week, it was Jedidiah Stephen who sent one out to left field. This week, it was Wes Schirtzinger sending a shot over the fence in right field for his first career home run to tie the game 1-1.
The Buckeyes, which scored three times in the third inning at Jacobs Field last week, added four more runs in the inning to build a 5-1 lead Wednesday.
Schirtzinger and Snavely each finished 2-for-3 in the game. Snavely knocked in two runs and scored once, while Schirtzinger batted in one and scored twice. The Buckeyes out-hit the Vikings 9-6 and neither team committed an error. Justin Myers got his first collegiate win in just his third game, pitching just two innings. He allowed one run (earned) on a pair of hits with a strikeout in getting to 1-0 on the year.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
Ohio State finished the season a perfect 8-0 in home Wednesday night games with its 6-1 victory over Cleveland State. A streak came to an end against the Vikings, which scored a run on the Buckeyes in the fifth inning. OSU’s Wednesday night visitors had a string of 49 scoreless innings. A hump-day opponent had 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, Shawnee State 9-0 April 23, Bowling Green 6-0 April 30 and Cincinnati 17-0 May 7. Ohio State out-scored Wednesdaynight opponents 56-2.
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 finished the regular season 22-5 at home. 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 138-49 in the facility. That is a win percentage of .738, which includes a 76-34 mark against conference foes and a 62-15 record against non-conference opponents.
BUCKEYE 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 last 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 48 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.
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 42 career appearances.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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).
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
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 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 401 strikeouts as a team, which is the sixth highest total in school history… The teams 17 triples this season is tied for the seventh 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 3.61 ERA, after lowering it from 3.66 after last weekend. That figure ranked second in the Big Ten (26th nationally) behind Northwestern’s 2.65 ERA. The Wildcats also lowered their ERA Wednesday, but only to 3.64. So, the Buckeyes currently have the best ERA in the Big Ten. Other updated Big Ten rankings were not available prior to the Buckeyes’ departure to Minnesota.
Entering the week, 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 48 career appearances, which is 19th… 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 win percentage (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.
NEXT ACTION
The Big Ten Tournament is up next for the Buckeyes. The event will be played in Columbus or Minneapolis pending this weekend’s series between the Buckeyes and Gophers. If Minnesota wins at least one game, it will host the event, which begins Wednesday, May 21. Should Ohio State sweep the Gophers, the event will be held at Bill Davis Stadium. The tournament will be played May 21-24 and the champion earns the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
