Ohio State Begins Tourney Defense Thursday – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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May 20, 2003
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
(37-18, 20-12 Big Ten)
at
Big Ten Tournament
Wednesday, May 21 to
Saturday, May 24, 2003
Siebert Field
Minneapolis, Minn.
First Game: vs. TBA
Thursday, May 22, 4:35 p.m.
Radio: WOSU Radio (820 AM)
All games available on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State Pitching Rotation No. Name 2003 Stats G1 23 Josh Newman, LHP 5-5, 3.91, 56K, 76.0 IP G2 6 Mike Madsen, RHP 6-1, 3.53, 38K, 43.1IP G3 17 Chris Hanners, LHP 4-3, 5.14, 30K, 49.0IP
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State saw its hope for a regular season Big Ten title end at Minnesota’s Siebert Field against Minnesota last Friday. This week, the Buckeyes return to Minneapolis with a new hope: repeating as Big Ten Tournament champions.
The Buckeyes won their fifth conference tournament championship crown last year at Siebert Field by sweeping through three games, including a 6-3 triumph over No. 1 seed Minnesota in the championship game. Second-seeded Ohio State also took wins over Indiana (11-10 in 10 innings) and Northwestern (5-2).
Minnesota is once again the No. 1 seed and Ohio State is the No. 2 seed. The two are joined by No. 3 seed Michigan, No. 4 seed Penn State, No. 5 seed Northwestern and No. 6 seed Indiana. The Nittany Lions and Wildcats open tournament play at 1:05 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday and will be followed at 4:35 p.m. by the Wolverines and Hoosiers. The losers of those two games will meet in the first elimination game Thursday at 1:05 p.m.
Ohio State will meet the higher-seeded winner of the Wednesday games Thursday at 4:35 p.m. (EDT), while Minnesota will square off against the lower-seeded winner from Wednesday action at 8:05 p.m. A tournament bracket appears on the last page of this release.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State earned the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with its 20-12 conference record, four wins behind No. 1 seed Minnesota. The Buckeyes have a 37-18 record overall and are just one win away from their win total last year when the finished 38-20-1 after winning the Big Ten Tournament and advancing to the South Bend Regional championship game.
Leading the Buckeyes this year is Christian Snavely, who was named First Team All-Big Ten Tuesday. He is currently riding a career-long 15 game hit streak and is batting .467 (21-for-45) during that streak with 10 extra-base hits, including five doubles, a triple and four home runs, including on in each of his last three games. During the streak, he has batted in 13 runs, scored 13 times and has touched 40 bases for a slugging percentage of .889 and an on-base percentage of .583. As a team, the Buckeyes are hitting .291, which is seventh in the Big Ten. Including, Snavely, four Buckeyes are hitting better than .300: designated hitter Steve Caravati (.327) catcher Derek Kinnear (.327), second baseman Drew Anderson (.320).
The pitching staff remains the strongest of staffs in the Big Ten with its 3.70 ERA. That figure ranks 27th nationally. Much of that success has been because of Scott Lewis, the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. The lefty from Washington Court House, Ohio left in the fourth inning of last Friday’s game with what turned out to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament, but got the loss, his first in 16 outings dating back to last year. The sophomore First Team All-Big Ten selection did not travel with the team to Minneapolis for the Big Ten Tournament. Instead, the Buckeyes will go with Second Team All-Big Ten pitcher Josh Newman in their first game. Newman is 5-5 with a 3.91 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 76 innings. Ohio State will also throw Mike Madsen (6-1, 3.53) and Chris Hanners (4-3, 5.14).
IN THE TOURNAMENT
The Buckeyes are making their 17th appearance in the Big Ten Tourament, where they hold a 30-23 overall record (.566). That win percentage is third best in the conference, behind Michigan and Minnesota. The Buckeyes 17th appearance trails only the Gophers, which are making their 18th appearance this season. In all, the Buckeyes have won five conference tournament championships. Ohio State swept through the 1991, 1997 and 2002 championships in three straight games, but went 3-1 in 1994 and 4-1 in 1995.
ABOUT THE FIELD
Top-seeded Minnesota is making its 18th appearance in the Big Ten Tournament, while Michigan is making its 15th appearance. Six of the seven most successful teams in the history of the event made the trip this year. Only Illinois, which has finished an even .500 in 12 appearances as the fourth most successful tournament team, did not qualify for this year’s event. Indiana (.417), Penn State (.385) and Northwestern (.375) qualified instead.
AGAINST THE FIELD
Ohio State is a combined 8-12 against this year’s Big Ten Tournament field. The Buckeyes split four games with Penn State, Northwestern and Indiana, while dropping three of four games against Minnesota and Michigan. The Wolverines were the first visiting team to ever win a series at Bill Davis Stadium. Summaries from each of the series are contained in this release.
AGAINST THE FIELD ALL-TIME School Overall Bob Todd Indiana 141-94-0 42-23-0 Michigan 84-140-2 45-28-0 Minnesota 61-64-2 27-28-1 Northwestern 72-38-0 28-11-0 Penn State 36-19-0 32-16-0
IN THE TOURNAMENT LAST YEAR
Ohio State went a perfect 3-0 to win its fifth Big Ten Tournament Championship last year at Siebert Field in Minneapolis, Minn.
The Buckeyes opened with an 11-10 10-inning victory over fourth-seeded Indiana. A walk-off home run by Joe Wilkins in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Ohio State the victory. With two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Wilkins took a 1-2 offering from Indiana reliever Ryan Smith and launched it to left-centerfield. The ball hit a tree and bounced back onto the field. There was some doubt as to whether it was a home run, but that was cleared up after the second base umpire pointed over his head to signal a home run. Doug Dendinger had tied the game 10-10 in the ninth inning on a two-run, two-out double.
The Buckeyes advanced to the final by beating sixth-seeded Northwestern 5-2 on May 24. Ohio State starter E.J. Laratta pitched his fifth complete game of his career and the 14th of his career in leading the Buckeyes. Laratta went all nine innings and gave up the two Northwestern runs on nine hits. He struck out three Wildcats and walked one.
The tournament championship came with a 6-3 victory over Minnesota on its own field to win the school’s fifth Big Ten Tournament Championship and earn the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. Minnesota won the Big Ten regular season championship on Ohio State’s home field the final day of the regular season and had celebrated the 2001 Big Ten Tournament Championship in Columbus.
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. Moen got the loss to drop to 0-2. 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 BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Ohio State left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis has been named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and six other Buckeyes join him on the All-Big Ten teams, which were announced Tuesday by the conference office. All-conference and individual honors are determined by a vote of the 10 league coaches.
Lewis ran his record to 9-0 before suffering a loss in his last outing of the regular season that snapped a string of 15 consecutive victories. His 17-3 career record is a win percentage of .850, which is third best in school history. He finished 8-2 a year ago in being named a First Team All-Big Ten selection and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and then went 9-1 this season. To go with that he has a 1.61 ERA on the year and is holding opposing batters to a .160 batting average. His 127 strikeouts in 83 2/3 innings is the third highest total in school history. He has walked only 24 batters and given up just 48 hits. Lewis finished 6-1 in conference games with a 1.35 ERA and 90 strikeouts. He earned National Player of the Week honors twice this season in back-to-back outings in which he struck out 20 vs. Iowa and then 16 against Indiana and twice earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors.
SEVEN BUCKEYES EARN ALL-BIG TEN HONORS
Scott Lewis, who was a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection, is joined on the first team by outfielder Christian Snavely and relief pitcher Matt Davis.
Snavely, who was a second-team selection in 2002, currently is riding a career-long 15 game hit streak and is batting .467 (21-for-45) during that streak with 10 extra-base hits, including five doubles, a triple and four home runs, including on in each of his last three games. During the streak, he has batted in 13 runs, scored 13 times and has touched 40 bases for a slugging percentage of .889 and an on-base percentage of .583. Snavely now leads the team with a .335 batting average and also paces the team in runs (42), doubles (10), home runs (12), RBI (40), total bases (107), slugging percentage (.652), walks (54) and on-base percentage (.498).
Davis, who earned all-conference kudos for the first time in his career, tied a school record with 10 saves this season in a Big Ten best 26 appearances, all of which have been in relief. His 24 games he finished this season also are the best in conference. Davis was 2-1 with a 5.10 ERA with 30 strikeouts and just five walks in 30 innings.
Second baseman Drew Anderson and left-handed pitcher Josh Newman earned second-team honors, while catcher Derek Kinnear and designated hitter Steve Caravati earned third-team mention.
Anderson leads the Buckeyes with 65 hits to go with his .320 batting average. Of his 65 hits, 20 have gone for extra bases, including nine doubles, a team-best four triples and seven home runs, which is second on the team. He has knocked in 25 runs and has a slugging percentage of .507, which is second best on the team. Anderson has stolen a team-best 16 bases. Newman earned second-team recognition for the second straight season. He is 5-5 this season with a 3.91 ERA. He has 56 strikeouts against just 16 walks in 76 innings.
Kinnear has a .327 batting average with 48 hits, including six doubles and five home runs. He has batted in 32 runs. His name appeared on the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, going to the best college catcher, after a strong start at the plate. He entered the month of May with a .387 batting average. Caravati also has a .327 batting average, which is second on the team. He has nine doubles, two triples and one home run that have knocked in 29 runs. He has 11 stolen bases.
LEWIS TO MISS TOURNAMENT
Ohio State left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis sustained a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left arm Friday night against Minnesota when he had to leave the game in the fourth inning. An MRI performed Monday evening revealed the tear.
Lewis is scheduled to get a second opinion Tuesday, May 27, from Birmingham, Ala. orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who specializes in this type of injury. Surgery likely will be required to repair the tear.
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. 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 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.
LEWIS MOVES TOWARDS TOP OF SCHOOL RECORD LISTS
Scott Lewis now has 218 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 127 strike outs by Lewis this year has him in third place by himself, just two strikeouts behind Arlin’s second-place total.
Lewis’ 127 strikeouts this season easily leads the Big Ten. The next closest pitcher, 26 back, is Glen Perkins at Minnesota who has 101 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings. Lewis has done it 83 2/3 innings. In conference games, Lewis has 90 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings, 13 more than Perkins.
OSU SEASON STRIKEOUT LIST (TOP 10) 1. Steve Arlin 1965 165 2. Steve Arlin 1966 129 3. Scott Lewis 2003 127 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 218 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 this past weekend, Scott Lewis is ranked second in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings and 12th in ERA. The sophomore left-handed pitcher currently has a 1.61 ERA in 83 2/3 innings a breakdown of 13.7 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Only Ryan Wagner of Houston (16.8) outranks Lewis. He has 122 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings. Lewis’ 1.61 ERA is 12th best in the nation. He has allowed only 15 earned runs.
NCAA DIVISION I K/9 LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP SO K/9 1. Ryan Wagner, Houston So. 31 65.1 122 16.8 2. Scott Lewis, Ohio State So. 12 83.2 127 13.7 3. Wade Townsend, Rice So. 23 78.2 119 13.6 4. Thomas Pauly, Princeton Jr. 17 50.1 73 13.1 5. Casey Abrams, Wright St. Jr. 18 105.0 152 13.0
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.”
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 3-1 this season with a 4.50 ERA and owns a career record of 12-6 with a 3.89 ERA.
Pettorini is studying political science and boasts a 3.27 GPA in the classroom and has a .282 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 .271 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.
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 against Cleveland State and Michigan State. 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 May 9. 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 24th nationally and leads the Big Ten with his 10 saves, two in front of Minnesota’s Jeff Moen, who has eight. 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 415 strikeouts as a team, which is the fourth highest total in school history… The teams 18 triples this season is tied for the fifth best total in school history… The 20 Big Ten wins is the second most won by Ohio State, which also 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 REMAINS WITH 1994 AND 1999 BUCKEYES
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 3.70 ERA, which is the best in the Big Ten and 27th nationally. Ohio State is seventh in batting (.291) and is eighth in fielding (.958). Scott Lewis leads Big Ten pitchers in ERA (1.61), strikeouts (127), batters struck out looking (33), opponent batting average (.160) and wins (9). Sophomore reliever Matt Davis leads the conference with 10 saves and 26 appearances, all in relief, which leads the conference. Davis has finished 24 games, which is the best total in the league. Drew Anderson and teammate Brett Garrard each have four triples, which is the second best total in the Big Ten. Christian Snavely has been awarded a base on balls 54 times, that is 21 more than Indiana’s Vasili Spanos, who has walked 33 times. Spanos has a slight edge in on-base percentage over Snavely. Spanos gets on base 50.5 percent of the time, while Snavely is on 49.8 percent of the time. Snavely’s .652 slugging percentage is fourth in the conference behind Spanos (.706), Jake Fox of Michigan (.704) and Luke Appert of Minnesota (.658).
In Big Ten games only, Ohio State is tied for fourth in pitching (4.34), seventh in batting (.286) and 10th in fielding (.946). Lewis’ 1.25 ERA in conference-only games paces all conference pitchers. He also leads in strikeouts (90), batters struck out looking (25) and opponent batting average (.155). Snavely has walked 27 times in Big Ten games, a figured which sets the conference standard this season. Snavely has touched 69 total bases in conference play, eight behind Spanos’ 77. He also trails Spanos’ .778 slugging percentage and .525 on-base percentage with a .719 slugging percentage and .504 on-base percentage. Mike Rabin, has stolen 10 bases in league action, three behind Penn State’s Zack Smithlin.
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 30 career home runs is tied for 10th with Ken Tirpack (1989-92)… Snavely now has 101 career walks, which ties him for 11th in the school record book… His 12 home runs this season is tied for the 17th best season… Snavely’s 54 bases on balls this year is the third highest season total by a Buckeye and only one out of second (Doug Dendinger 55 in 2001) and six away from Nick Swisher’s 2001 record of 60… Drew Anderson has 36 career stolen bases and is tied for 12th… Josh Newman’s 21 career wins is tied for 13th… He has pitched 242.2 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 218 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 49 career appearances, which is 19th… Lewis is third on that list with his .850 win percentage with a 17-3 record… Greg Prenger is tied for 28th in school history with his .667 win percentage (12-6).
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.
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.
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).
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.
2003 RECAPS VS. TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT
MINNESOTA BEATS BUCKEYES THREE OF FOUR GAMES
Ohio State entered its series at Minnesota this past weekend with a remote shot winning the Big Ten regular season, needing wins in all four games. Instead, the Gophers won three of four, including an opening night 9-2 win that clinched the title. Gopher freshman Glen Perkins improved to 8-0 in the conference and 9-1 overall with the victory. He took the decision over Ohio State’s Scott Lewis, who had his 15-game win streak snapped. Lewis allowed six runs (three earned) on five hits with a walk and a season-low four strikeouts before departing in the fourth inning with an elbow injury. The Buckeyes started the game off by jumping out to a 2-0 lead, but Perkins gave up just three hits over the last six innings, and at one point, retired 12 Buckeyes batters in a row. Minnesota took control in the bottom of the third, countering one run by Ohio State with three of their own. It also scored three in the fourth, another two in the sixth and another in the seventh.
In the second game of the series, Minnesota shortstop Scott Welch hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning on its way to beating Ohio State 5-2.The Buckeyes jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but gave way to three runs in the bottom of the inning and single runs in the second and third inning. The Buckeyes picked up a run in the fourth inning thanks to a lead-off home run by Christian Snavely that made the score 5-2. Drew Anderson and Paul Farinacci each went 2-for-3 in the game, but it was Snavely who batted in both Buckeye runs in a 1-for-3 effort.
After two losses to open the series, Ohio State rebounded to win the nightcap of a Saturday doubleheader 5-1 against Minnesota and end the Gophers’ home conference win streak dating back to May 12, 2002. Iowa was the last Big Ten team to beat the Gophers in a regular season game at Siebert Field, a streak of 14 games. Ohio State jumped out to the early lead, but this time, stayed in front of the Gophers. In the top of the fourth inning, Snavely sent a shot off the scoreboard to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead. Ohio State manufactured the first run of a three-run fifth inning on a bunt by Kelly Houser and a fly out by Jedidiah Stephen to score Garrard, giving the Buckeyes a 3-0 lead. A two-out throwing error on Welch at short led to two more Ohio State runs, giving the Buckeyes a 5-0 lead. Minnesota posted a single digit on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth to end the Buckeye bid at a 10th shutout of the season. Mike Madsen pitched 5 1/3 innings, surrendering one run on five hits. He walked three and struck out two in improving to 6-1 on the year. Anderson went 2-for-4 in the game with singles in the first and fifth innings. Mike Rabin, Snavely and Brett Garrard also had hits for Ohio State.
In the finale, Ohio State built a 3-2 lead fifth inning, but could hold on to it as Minnesota scored twice in the seventh and added another run in the eighth to rally for a 5-4 victory over the Buckeyes.
The Golden Gophers came back in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the lead, scoring twice on a double down the right-field line by Welch. The Gophers added a run of insurance with a home run by Gary Dick that cleared the park over the right-field fence to give the Gophers a 5-3 lead. The Buckeyes scored one run in the top of the ninth inning to close the final score to 5-4. The Buckeyes out-hit the Gophers 13-8, but stranded a season-high 13 base runners. Snavely homered for the third time in three games. The blast left the park in right-center field and bounced off the scoreboard to tie the game 1-1. The shot was his 12th of the season and the 30th of his career, which tied him for 10th on the school’s all-time list with Ken Tirpack (1989-92).
MICHIGAN TAKES THREE FROM OSU
Michigan beat Ohio State 9-4 in the series finale to become the first opponent to win a four-game Big Ten series in the history of Bill Davis Stadium, which opened in 1997. The Wolverines took the final three games of the series after the Buckeyes won 2-1 Friday in the series opener. The Buckeyes had not lost a home series since 1996 when Indiana took three of four games at old Trautman Field. Trailing 5-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, Ohio State scored four runs with two outs to pull within one run, but Michigan got all four runs back in the top of the ninth on its way to the 9-4 victory. Steve Caravati was 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead Ohio State. Mike Rabin was 2-for-5 and Derek Kinnear had two RBI on a 1-for-3 day.
In the series opener, Paul Farinacci drew a walk with the bases loaded to knock in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving Ohio State a 2-1 victory over Michigan. The win gave Ohio State its seventh straight win and victories in 16 of 18 games. Farinacci’s bases-loaded walk scored Jedidiah Stephen, who, with one out, was hit by Michigan starter Michael Penn on his 100th pitch of the game. Scott Lewis picked up the win, going 7 1/3 innings, to improve to 8-0 on the year. The victory over the Wolverines matched his win total from last season. Farinacci finished 1-for-1 with the sacrifice in the first and the walk to knock in a pair of runs. He had a base hit in the third and walked again in the sixth.
Both games of Saturday’s doubleheader went the way of the Wolverines. In the first game, Ohio State came back from a 4-2 deficit to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Michigan took a 5-4 lead in the top of the eighth and hung on for the victory. Ohio State tied the game with a pair of hits and a pair of Wolverine errors in the bottom of the seventh. Cody Caughenbaugh led off the inning with a base hit to left-center field. Wes Schirtzinger came in to pinch run for Caughenbaugh and moved to second on a walk by Derek Kinnear. Stephen had a one-out single to left-center field to bring home Schirtzinger from second. Then Michigan catcher Jake Fox tried to catch Kinnear at third on a double steal, but threw past third and Kinnear was able to cross home plate to tie the game and send it to extra innings. Michigan re-claimed the lead in the top of the eighth on a single to right by Matt Butler that scored Chris Burhans.
Michigan defeated Ohio State 3-1 in the nightcap. Michigan turned a lead-off hit in the top of the second inning by Jake Fox into the first run of the game. He singled through the left side and then moved to second on a passed ball. OSU starter Nate Smith struck out Mike Sokol and got Jordan Cantalamessa to fly out to center field. Brandon Roberts sent a shot to left that was misplayed by Caughenbaugh and Fox was able to score from second to give Michigan a 1-0 lead. The Wolverines added a run in the third inning with two outs. Ohio State scored its only run in the sixth inning. Rabin drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a two-out single to left-center by Steve Caravati. Farinacci walked to load the bases full of Buckeyes and then pinch hitter Terry Pettorini grounded to third. Koman could not come up with the ball, allowing Caravati to reach third and Rabin to score.
BUCKEYES SPLIT WEEKEND SERIES WITH INDIANA
Ohio State left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis out-dueled Indiana righty Jacob Cary to lead the second-place Buckeyes to a 9-3 victory against the third-place Hoosiers in the first game.
Lewis, who entered the game with a 5-0 record and 1.59 ERA opposing Cary’s 7-0 record and 2.25 ERA, struck out 16 Indiana batters, giving him 36 strikeouts in his last two starts, both against Big Ten opponents. He equaled a school record last Friday by fanning 20 batters in a 6-1 complete game victory over Iowa. Lewis went 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (all unearned) on three hits with 16 strikeouts and five walks in getting to 6-0 on the season.
Christian Snavely had three hits – a double in the first, a single in the third and a home run in the fifth – and needed a triple to complete the cycle. A triple was not out of the realm of possibility since Snavely is tied for fifth in school history with nine career triples. He struck out in his fourth at bat of the game in the sixth inning after the Buckeyes held a 9-0 lead.
A bases-loaded single in the bottom of the eighth inning by Buckeye second baseman Drew Anderson lifted Ohio State to an extra-inning victory over Indiana in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday.
The RBI capped a crazy game that saw the Hoosiers come back from an 8-0 deficit to take a 9-8 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Buckeyes tied the game in the bottom half of the inning on a home run by Mike Rabin before Indiana scored three runs in the top of the seventh to take a 12-9 lead putting pressure on the Buckeyes to tie or win the game in the bottom of the inning.
Ohio State tied the game on a Derek Kinnear home run that scored three to even the game 12-12. Anderson had three hits in the game in his six at bats, plating the one run while scoring once. The first four batter’s at the top of the Ohio State order each finished with three hits, including home runs by Rabin and Snavely.
Indiana shortstop Seth Bynum went 4-for-5 from the plate and Josh Lewis pitched a complete game to lead the Hoosiers to a 13-2 win over Ohio State in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday. The loss ended Ohio State’s nine-game win streak and was the first home loss for the Buckeyes this season. The Hoosiers scored single runs in the second, fourth and seventh innings and exploded for six runs in the fifth and another four runs in the sixth, outing hitting the Buckeyes 16-5 in the game. The Buckeyes committed five errors in the game.
Indiana used home runs by Ryan Donley and Vasili Spanos to salvage a series split with a 6-3 victory over Ohio State in the Sunday series finale. Ohio State overcame two errors to tie the game in the second inning, but Donley’s homer broke the tie in the fourth and Spanos’ jack scored two in the fifth.
Kinnear batted .545 in the series to lead the Buckeyes. Snavely was 7-for-14 with a double and three home runs for seven RBI and 17 total bases (1.214 slugging percentage).
BUCKEYES SPLIT WITH PENN STATE
After splitting with Northwestern the opening week of conference play, the Buckeyes got the same result at Penn State. Despite taking wins in two of the first three games to go for a series win in the finale, Ohio State dropped the fourth game to even the Big Ten record to 4-4.
Christian Snavely provided the tying run in the top of the ninth inning and a winning triple in the top of the 10th as the Buckeyes overcame seven errors to hand Penn State a 4-3 loss in its home opener Friday at Beaver Field. Trailing 3-2 entering the ninth inning, Snavely delivered with a lead-off home run over the fence in left-center field, a shot that went at least 395 feet. Snavely again rose to the challenge as he got his ninth triple of this career (tied for fifth all-time in OSU history) to score Derek Kinnear and give the Buckeyes the win. Mike Madsen picked up the win in relief to move to 2-1 on the year. Madsen came on to relieve starter Scott Lewis in the eighth inning trailing 3-1. Madsen pitched 2.0 innings and allowed just one hit while Lewis went 7.0 innings with 11 strikeouts and two walks. He gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits. Davis notched his fifth save of the season.
Penn State capitalized on two Ohio State errors, one more costly than the other, to hand the Buckeyes a 2-1 defeat in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Beaver Field. Willie Melendez and Mike Milliron got hits to start the bottom of the fourth inning and scored on an error by Snavely, and a single by Derrick Barr. Those runs would be all the Nittany Lions would need to counter Ohio State’s only run, which was scored in the second inning. Terry Pettorini singled deep in the gap to left-center field to score Drew Anderson, who reached on a one-out single to center one batter earlier. Mike Rabin went 3-for-4 on the day to lead Ohio State. His lead-off hit to start the game ended an 0-for-16 streak. Anderson finished 2-for-3 and Pettorini had the only other hit in two at bats.
Steve Caravati knocked in three on a pair of doubles and scored once to help lead Ohio State to a 7-5 win over Penn State in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday to salvage a split with the Nittany Lions after they claimed the first game 2-1. Caravati was 2-for-4 and got his second and third doubles of the season. Wes Schirtzinger and Kinnear were also 2-for-4 in the game. Kinnear delivered an RBI and scored twice. Rabin was 1-for-4, but batted in a pair while scoring twice himself. Kyle Brown got the win for the Buckeyes in a career long 6.1 innings in a starting role. He moved to 1-0 on the year, his first win since beating Penn State in April, 2001. He allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits, while walk four and striking out four.
Penn State sprinted out to a 7-0 lead in the first three innings before handing the Buckeyes a 10-2 loss in the series finale Sunday at Beaver Field. Penn State used five hits and two Ohio State errors to jump out to an early 5-0 lead on the Buckeyes. A home run by Wes Reohr scored two in the bottom of the third. Ohio State finally got on the board in the fifth inning thanks to back-to-back doubles by Brett Garrard and Wes Schirtzinger. Cody Caughenbaugh, who capitalized on a fielding error by the Penn State second baseman, scored on the two-bagger by Garrard. Schirtzinger’s shot down the left-field line scored Garrard to close the gap to five runs.
BUCKEYES SPLIT WITH WILDCATS
Ohio State and Northwestern split the opening Big Ten series of the year, which was played at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. instead of the Evanston, Ill., where the teams were originally scheduled to meet. Both teams were planning spring break trips to Bradenton and decided to extend the stay and move the conference series to the locale in hopes of good weather.
The series got underway with a Buckeye victory in game one as Scott Lewis sat down the first 11 batters of the game and gave up just four hits in a 1-0 complete game shutout against Northwestern. Lewis struck out 10 batters and allowed just one walk in moving to 4-0 on the year. The game turned out to be an old-fashioned pitchers dual between Lewis and Northwestern starter Dan Konecny, who got the loss to fall to 2-2. Despite a rocky start, Konecny sat down 10 straight batters after Ohio State took a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Konecny struck out five, but walked a career-high four batters as Ohio State had eight base runners in the first four innings. The Buckeyes scored the only run of the game in the fourth. With two outs, Doug Larason doubled to left-centerfield. A line drive by Derek Kinnear into rightfield moved Larason to third. Jedidiah Stephen drew a walk to load the bases and then Mike Rabin walked to score Larason and give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead.
Josh Newman took a shutout into the bottom of the seventh before Northwestern scored its only run of the game in a 4-1 win by Ohio State in game two. Newman was going for a second straight shutout by the Buckeye pitching staff, but that bid was broken up in the bottom of the seventh inning as Pat McMahon doubled in Mark Ori. That run ended a streak of 22 scoreless innings by Buckeye pitching. Newman allowed the one run (earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts, including the final out of the game. He had just one walk in evening his record to 2-2 on the year. Ohio State scored first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning and then added a pair of runs in the fourth inning to take a 3-0 lead. Jedidiah Stephen hit his first career home run to extend the lead to four runs.
Games three and four went the way of the Wildcats. In the second game of the doubleheader Ohio State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but did not score the rest of the way as Northwestern cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Buckeyes. A sacrifice fly by Christian Snavely gave the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Northwestern took its first lead (2-1) in the series by scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Pohlman broke the game open in the fifth inning with a two-run triple to left-centerfield. By the end of the inning the Wildcats owned a 6-1 lead. Second baseman Eric Roeder homered in the sixth to give the Wildcats the 7-1 final margin.
In game four, Northwestern had 13 hits and benefited from six Ohio State miscues in handing the Buckeyes a 13-4 defeat. Northwestern got on the board in a big way in the bottom of the second, capitalizing on five hits, including two home runs, three errors and a walk to take a 7-0. Ohio State cut the lead to four by scoring three times in the top of the third, but the Wildcats bought those three runs back and added another as they scored four in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead to 11-3. Northwestern added another pair of runs in the fifth inning off back-to-back doubles from Roeder and Gresky to go up 13-3. The Buckeyes added a run in the seventh inning, capitalizing on a lead-off double by Steve Caravati. It was his first extra-base hit of the season in a 3-for-5 effort.
