Buckeyes Open NCAA Tournament vs. Clemson – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 28, 2003
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No. 31 Ohio State Buckeyes
(41-19, 20-12 Big Ten)
vs.
No. 21 Clemson Tigers
(38-20, 15-9 ACC)
Friday, May 30, 2003
3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Plainsman Park o Auburn, Ala.
Radio: WOSU Radio (820 AM)
All games available on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Rankings above are highest ranking among the four polls. Ohio State is No. 31 by NCBWA, while Clemson is No. 21 in the Sports Weekly/ESPN poll.
Ohio State Probable Pitching Rotation No. Name 2003 Stats G1 23 Josh Newman, LHP 7-5, 3.78, 61K, 85.2 IP G2 6 Mike Madsen, RHP 7-1, 3.33, 41K, 51.1IP G3 17 Chris Hanners, LHP 4-4, 5.82, 31K, 51.0IP
Ohio State Probable Position Players Pos. No. Name 2003 Stats C 8 Derek Kinnear .307 BA, 51 H, 38 RBI, 5 HR 1B 29 Paul Farinacci .295 BA, 54 H, 33 RBI, 7 HR 2B 1 Drew Anderson .307 BA, 70 H, 26 RBI, 7 HR 3B 20 Jedidiah Stephen .250 BA, 25 H, 18 RBI, 5 HR SS 7 Brett Garrard .295 BA, 56 H, 25 RBI, 7 HR LF 14 C. Caughenbaugh .305 BA, 39 H, 17 RBI, 0 HR CF 25 Mike Rabin .300 BA, 64 H, 17 RBI, 2 HR RF 36 Christian Snavely .344 BA, 63 H, 51 RBI, 15 HR DH 4 Steve Caravati .330 BA, 60 H, 42 RBI, 4 HR TEAM TOTALS .294 BA, 558 H, 303 RBI, 56 HR
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State drew a third seed and will open the NCAA Tournament at the Auburn Regional in Auburn, Ala. against the second-seeded Clemson Tigers Friday at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) game at Samford Stadium and Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park. Auburn and Princeton are the other two teams in the regional.
No. 1 seed Auburn will play No. 4 seed Princeton at 7:30 p.m. The loser’s of those two games will meet Saturday at 12:30 p.m. with the winners meeting at 4 p.m. The winner of Saturday’s first game will play the loser of the second game Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. The winner of the Saturday night game would have to beat the undefeated team twice on Sunday to advance to a Super Regional against the winner of the Lincoln Regional, which includes Nebraska, Coastal Carolina, Southwest Missouri State and Eastern Michigan. The two Sunday games of the Auburn Regional will be played at 2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m., if a second championship game is necessary.
The second-seeded Buckeyes finished the Big Ten Tournament with a 4-1 record, beating Minnesota twice Sunday to win their second straight Big Ten Tournament and earn the Big Ten’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State enters the tournament with a 41-19 overall record after finishing second in its conference with a 20-12 record. The 41 wins are the most by the Buckeyes since they won 43 games in 2001 and marked the third time in the last five seasons they have won at least 40 games. It was the ninth time in coach Bob Todd’s 16 years at Ohio State that his teams won at least 40 games.
This is the school’s 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the 10th, including four in the last five seasons, under Todd. Ohio State played six teams – Lamar (1-0), McNeese State (1-0), Wichita State (1-0), Eastern Michigan (2-0), Southwest Missouri State (0-1) and Minnesota (3-4) – in this year’s field of 64 and is 7-6 in those games.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes, winners of 28 of their last 37 games and have scored 40 runs in their last three games, are led on offense by First Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament selection Christian Snavely. Snavely leads the team in batting average (.344), doubles (11), home runs (15), RBI (51), total bases (125), slugging percentage (.683), walks (57) and on-base percentage (.496). He also has six sacrifice flies and eight stolen bases to go with his second-best 63 hits. He trails Drew Anderson with his team-best 70 hits that include 11 doubles, four triples and seven home runs. His 17 stolen bases and 228 at bats also pace the team. The Buckeyes are hitting .294 as a team with 56 home runs, 11 of which came in the Big Ten Tournament.
Just like it was in the conference tournament, Ohio State will be without sophomore ace Scott Lewis, a national player of the year candidate. The Big Ten Pitcher of the Year tore his ulnar collateral ligament against Minnesota May 16 and will undergo surgery in Birmingham, Ala. Thursday, May 29. The Buckeyes responded well despite the left-hander’s absence in Minneapolis. Josh Newman, a Second Team All-Big Ten selection, picked up two wins in the Big Ten Tournament. He beat Michigan and Minnesota in the second championship game to improve to 7-5 on the year with a 3.78 ERA in 85 2/3 innings. He has 61 strikeouts and just 17 walks with seven complete games, including a shutout at Purdue. Matt Davis picked up a win (3-1) and a save (11) in the tournament. As a staff, the Buckeyes have a 3.84 ERA, which leads the Big Ten.
OSU IN THE NCAA TOURNEY
Ohio State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1951. Since that time, the Buckeyes have qualified for the tournament 15 more times. Since coach Bob Todd arrived at Ohio State 16 years ago, OSU has earned a berth into the tournament 10 times, and all have been since 1991. The Buckeyes were in the tournament last season, playing at the South Bend Regional, where they played No. 2 seed Notre Dame in the championship game as the No. 3 seed. Notre Dame ended its season at the College World Series after upsetting national No. 1 seed Florida State in Tallahassee to advance to Omaha. The Buckeyes lost to Notre Dame in the opener before rebounding in the loser’s bracket with wins over No. 4 seed Kent State and No. 1 seed South Alabama.
OHIO STATE AT THE CWS
Thirty-seven years ago, the Ohio State Buckeyes ruled college baseball. OSU defeated Oklahoma State, 8-2, and won the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The following year, in 1967, the Buckeyes returned to Omaha and were eliminated in two games. Since that time, OSU has never made it back to the College World Series. Ohio State has appeared a total of four times at the CWS (1951, 1965, 1966 and 1967). The Buckeyes have compiled a 9-7 record with one national championship (1966) and one runner-up finish (1965).
BUCKEYES WERE CLOSE IN 1999
In 1999, the NCAA Tournament returned to Columbus, this time at Bill Davis Stadium. It ended a 35-year absence after the last tournament was played at old Trautman Field in 1966.
The nation took notice as the Buckeyes used their home-field advantage to help propel themselves to the Columbus Regional Championship. After wins over Bowling Green and Mississippi State, OSU took home its first regional title in 32 years with a 10-7 victory over the Bulldogs.
The following weekend, the Buckeyes played host to the NCAA Columbus Super Regional, a three-game showdown vs. Cal State-Fullerton, the winner of the South Bend Regional. After winning game one 10-7 courtesy of an eighth-inning grand slam, the Buckeyes lost the final two games and the Titans advanced to the College World Series.
ABOUT CLEMSON
Clemson, at 38-20 overall, finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with its 15-9 conference record. The Tigers were 0-2 in the ACC Tournament, dropping a 10-2 decision to North Carolina in the opener before losing 7-4 to Duke in an elimination game. Clemson, which advanced to the College World Series in 2002, is making its 17th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson is 8-7 against ranked teams in 2003.
Brad McCann, who played summer ball in the Cape Cod League with Buckeyes Christian Snavely and Josh Newman last year, leads the Tigers with a .351 batting average and has started 57 of the team’s 58 games. The third baseman also leads the team in hits (84), at bats (239), doubles (21), RBI (66) and total bases (134). First baseman Michael Johnson has 12 of the team’s 53 home runs and has a team-best .589 slugging percentage. He is hitting .346 with 49 RBI and an on-base percentage of .514. Clemson is hitting .311 as a team. On the mound, the Tigers have a 4.02 ERA and are led by Tyler Lumsden, who is 8-2 with a 3.62 ERA. In 79 2/3 innings, the left-handed pitcher has 69 strikeouts with 31 walks, while allowing 74 hits. Jason Berken (RHP) is 4-2 with a 3.09 ERA and Steven Jackson (RHP) is 7-3 with a 4.27 ERA.
AGAINST THE CLEMSON TIGERS
Clemson leads the all-time series with Ohio State by a 10-4 margin. The teams have not met since 1988, Bob Todd’s first year as coach of the Buckeyes. The Tigers took two of three games in Clemson, winning the first and third games, 11-4 and 4-3, respectively, but dropping the middle game 7-1.
March 26, 1954 Clemson 7, Ohio State 4 March 27, 1954 Ohio State 11, Clemson 5 March 25, 1980 Clemson 4, Ohio State 1 March 26, 1980 Clemson, 2, Ohio State 0 March 27, 1980 Clemson 6, Ohio State 0 March 27, 1980 Clemson 8, Ohio State 3 March 23, 1981 Clemson 4, Ohio State 2 March 24, 1981 Ohio State 8, Clemson 7 March 24, 1982 Ohio State 7, Clemson 2 March 25, 1982 Clemson 7, Ohio State 1 March 23, 1983 Clemson, 10, Ohio State 1 March 24, 1988 Clemson 11, Ohio State 4 March 26, 1988 Ohio State 4, Clemson 1 March 26, 1988 Clemson 4, Ohio State 3
ABOUT AUBURN
Auburn is 40-19 on the year, thanks to a 24-5 start to the season. The Tigers finished 18-12 to finish second in the Southeastern Conference’s Western Division, behind first-place LSU, and then went 2-2 in the SEC eight-team tournament. Auburn opened with a 3-1 win over Vanderbilt then lost 7-5 to Alabama before rebounding for a 5-1 victory over South Carolina. Alabama then eliminated the Tigers 13-3 before going on to win the tournament championship. Auburn is making its seventh straight appearance and, like the Buckeyes, is making its 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Tug Hulett leads the Tigers with a .373 batting average. He also paces the team with 87 hits, 23 of which have been for two bases. The team is hitting .304 with a 4.27 ERA. Leading the pitching staff is Levale Speigner, who is 9-0 with a 2.72 ERA. He has 45 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings.
AGAINST THE AUBURN TIGERS
Auburn has a 4-1 series edge over the Buckeyes, but have not played since 1995, when the Tigers eliminated the Buckeyes from the Midwest II Regional in Oklahoma City, Okla. with an 8-6 loss. The Buckeyes finished 40-23 that season after winning the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships. The biggest game ever played between the schools was in the College World Series in 1967. The Buckeyes went in as the defending champion, but the Tigers handed Ohio State its first loss in Omaha that season. The Buckeyes also lost their next game, 7-6 to Houston, and were eliminated.
N/A, 1924 Ohio State 7, Auburn 4 N/A, 1924 Auburn 2, Ohio State 1 June 12, 1967 Auburn 1, Ohio State 0* Feb. 25, 1995 Auburn 9, Ohio State 5 May 26, 1995 Auburn 8, Ohio State 6 * College World Series, Omaha, Neb.
ABOUT PRINCETON
Princeton won the Ivy League with its 15-5 record to go with an overall mark of 27-21. This third set of Tigers to appear in the Auburn Regional, took two of three games from Harvard in the league championship, May 10-11. Princeton is 1-9 against the five teams it played in the regular season that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. John Miller is the leading hitter with a .346 average on a squad that is hitting .266 as a unit. He has 55 hits with 13 doubles and a team-best 32 RBI. On the mound, the Tigers have a 4.94 ERA and are led by Thomas Pauly, who is 6-1 with a 1.25 ERA. He has 73 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings. He has walked 23 batters and has allowed 30 hits.
AGAINST THE PRINCETON TIGERS
Ohio State leads the series with Princeton by a count of 3-1. The schools first met in 1927 and have not played a game in the series since 1986.
N/A, 1927 Ohio State 13, Princeton 6 March 26, 1975 Ohio State 7, Princeton 0 March 29, 1975 Ohio State 9, Princeton 4 March 22, 1986 Princeton 11, Ohio State 8
REGIONAL STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN NCAA Auburn Regional Category AUB CLEM OSU PRIN Record 40-19 38-20 41-19 27-21 Batting Average .304 .311 .294 .266 Runs/Games 6.3 6.8 5.6 5.4 Home Runs 45 53 56 28 Steals 46-62 33-64 68-89 52-64 ERA 4.27 4.02 3.84 4.94 K/BB 2.46 1.95 3.21 2.01 Opp. BA .266 .267 .248 .282 Fielding % .969 .970 .962 .960 NCAA Tourneys 16th 29th 16th 8th
IN THE RANKINGS
Auburn is the highest ranked team in the Auburn Regional. It is ranked in all four of the major polls and ranked 13th by both Baseball America (Top 25) and Sports Weekly/ESPN (Top 25). It is ranked 15th by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (Top 35) and 16th by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (Top 30). Clemson is ranked 21st by Sports Weekly/ESPN 27th by Collegiate Baseball and 33rd by NCBWA. Ohio State 31st in the NCBWA poll and is receiving votes in the Sports Weekly/ESPN poll and would rank 33rd if places were extended beyond the Top 25. Princeton is not ranked or receiving votes in any of the four polls.
PSEUDO RPI’S
It might be surprising that a team ranked no higher than 13th in any of the four national polls is the one of the four national seeds, but Auburn’s RPI is one of the strongest in the country. According to the Pseudo RPI’s published by Boyd’s World, Auburn ranks fourth with its 0.634 rating. Clemson is 13th (0.605). Ohio State is 47th (0.558) and Princeton is 77th (0.539). Boyd’s World claims that their formula and bonus amounts are in line with the official results from the 2001 season.
IN THE TOURNAMENT LAST YEAR
The Buckeyes went to the South Bend Regional as the No. 3 seed a year ago and advanced to the championship game, need two wins over host and No. 2 seed Notre Dame. The Buckeyes came up short, losing the first game 9-6 paving the way for the Fighting Irish for its upset over national No. 1 seed Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regional to advance to the College World Series.
Ohio State opened the regional with an 8-6 loss to Notre Dame. Christian Snavely gave the Buckeyes a three-run advantage with a two-run shot to right field in the top of the seventh inning that seemed to give Ohio State the needed momentum at the upset, but Notre Dame scored five runs on six hits in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-5 lead. A solo home run by Matt Bok in the eighth gave the Irish an 8-5 lead before the Buckeyes added a run in the top of the ninth on a pair of doubles, the second of which by Brett Garrard, scored catcher Joe Wilkins.
Facing elimination, Ohio State set a school NCAA Tournament record with eight steals and 17 hits to beat Kent State 12-8. The 17 hits by Ohio State matched the number of hits the Buckeyes had against Mississippi State in the 1999 regional in Columbus and the eight stolen bases broke the 35-year record of six against Houston in the 1967 College World Series. Garrard went a perfect 4-for-4 in the game with two RBI and scored three runs. Six other Buckeyes had two hits apiece, including a home run by Snavely.
That win set up a matchup with the loser between Notre Dame and top-seeded South Alabama. The Jaguars lost that game 25-1, sending them to face Ohio State. Two solo home runs lifted the Buckeyes to a 6-4 victory and sent them to the regional final. Terry Pettorini broke a 4-4 tie in the fourth inning and Nick Swisher, the 16th overall pick last June by the Oakland Athletics, added another in the bottom of the eighth.
In the regional final, Notre Dame scored twice in the first and added three runs in the fourth to put Ohio State in a 5-0 hole. The Buckeyes scored once in the bottom of the fourth, but Notre Dame came back with a two-run answer in the sixth and added another run in the bottom of the inning. The Irish scored once more, but the Buckeyes scored four times in the eighth to pull within the 8-6 final.
BUCKEYES WIN BIG TEN TOURNEY FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW
Four Buckeyes hit home runs, including two by Brett Garrard, as Ohio State cruised to a 17-10 victory over Minnesota at Siebert Field in the second championship game to win its second straight Big Ten Tournament title and the sixth in the program’s history.
It is the first back-to-back tournament titles since the Buckeyes won titles in 1994 and 1995. Ohio State has tournament titles in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2002, when it beat Minnesota 6-3, also at Siebert Field.
Unlike last year, when Ohio State won it with a three-game sweep, it had to win it this year out of the loser’s bracket after stumbling in its second game, 5-4, against host Minnesota. After a first-round bye, the Buckeyes beat Michigan 4-2 to set up the date with the Golden Gophers. Minnesota scored five runs in the first three innings and held on against an Ohio State comeback. Brett Garrard made it a two-run game in the two-run game in the fourth inning and then Minnesota made two spectacular defensive plays in the seventh to keep the Buckeyes off the base paths. That prevented Paul Farinacci from tying the game or perhaps giving the Buckeyes the lead with what turned out to be a solo home run that made it a one-run game.
The loss sent the Buckeyes to a loser’s bracket game against Penn State. Ohio State quickly disposed of the Nittany Lions for a 13-3 victory. Steve Caravati launched two three-run home runs and Christian Snavely added another as Ohio State hit four home runs in the game. The Buckeyes scored three times in the third, four times in the fourth and five times in the fifth before adding a run in the eighth. The victory meant Ohio State would have to beat Minnesota twice Sunday to win its second straight Big Ten Tournament.
Playing as the home team in the first game Sunday, the Buckeyes scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 7-7 tie and then hung on for a 10-8 victory over Minnesota to force another championship game. Recaps of all five Big Ten Tournament games and a list of records set by Ohio State are included later in the game notes.
GARRARD NAMED TOURNEY M.O.P.
Brett Garrard was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Big Ten Tournament in going 9-for-19 with a .474 batting average. He had four home runs for five RBI and touched 23 bases for a slugging percentage of 1.211. Joining him on the all-tournament team by pitcher Josh Newman, outfielders Christian Snavely and Mike Rabin, and designated hitter Steve Caravati.
Newman picked up two wins at the tournament in 9 2/3 innings with one start. He picked up his first win in a 4-2 victory over Michigan and then came in the second championship game in relief in the 17-10 triumph. He allowed three runs (two vs. Michigan) on 10 hits. He had five strikeouts and only one walk.
Snavely batted .421 (8-for-19) in the five games and had one double and three home runs for 11 RBI, while Rabin had a tournament record 11 hits in leading the Buckeyes with a .579 batting average (11-for-19). Caravati had a tournament record 13 RBI in going 7-for-20 (.350) in five games.
Big Ten All-Tournament Team
M.O.P. – Brett Garrard, Ohio State
P – Josh Newman, Ohio State
P – Glen Perkins, Minnesota
P – Josh Lewis, Indiana
C – Jake Elder, Minnesota
1B – David Roach, Minnesota
2B – Luke Appert, Minnesota
3B – David Hrncirik, Minnesota
SS – Brett Garrard, Ohio State
OF – Christian Snavely, Ohio State
OF – Mike Rabin, Ohio State
OF – Ben Pattee, Minnesota
DH – Steve Caravati, Ohio State
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 May 20 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, May 16, 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 leads the team with a .344 batting average and also paces the team in runs (49), doubles (11), home runs (15), RBI (51), total bases (125), slugging percentage (.683), walks (57) and on-base percentage (.496).
Davis, who earned all-conference kudos for the first time in his career, set the school record with 11 saves this season in a Big Ten best 29 appearances, all of which have been in relief. His 27 games he finished this season also are the best in conference. Davis is 3-1 with a 5.66 ERA with 34 strikeouts and just five walks in 35 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 70 hits to go with his .307 batting average. Of his 70 hits, 22 have gone for extra bases, including 11 doubles, a team-best four triples and seven home runs, which is second on the team. He has knocked in 26 runs. Anderson has stolen a team-best 17 bases. Newman earned second-team recognition for the second straight season. He is 7-5 this season with a 3.78 ERA. He has 61 strikeouts against just 17 walks in 85 2/3 innings.
Kinnear has a .307 batting average with 51 hits, including eight doubles and five home runs. He has batted in 38 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 has a .330 batting average, which is second on the team. He has 10 doubles, two triples and four home runs that have knocked in 42 runs. He has 11 stolen bases.
LEWIS OUT FOR REMAINDER OF THE YEAR
Ohio State left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis sustained a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left arm May 16 against Minnesota when he had to leave the game in the fourth inning. An MRI performed May 19 revealed the tear.
Lewis was scheduled to for surgery Thursday, May 29, in Birmingham, Ala. by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who specializes in this type of injury. He is out for the year.
PAIR OF BUCKEYES EARN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT IV HONORS
Ohio State pitcher Greg Prenger and designated hitter/third baseman Terry Pettorini were named Second Team Verizon Academic All-District IV selections May 8.
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 4.81 ERA and owns a career record of 12-6 with a 3.98 ERA.
Pettorini is studying political science and boasts a 3.27 GPA in the classroom and has a .286 batting average, splitting time between third base and as the designated hitter. The junior from Wooster, Ohio, has 36 hits, with seven doubles and three home runs that have produced 18 RBI. In his three-year career, Pettorini has a .273 batting average with 14 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.
FIVE BASEBALL BUCKEYES NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN
Five Buckeye baseball players were honored by the Big Ten May 28 as Academic All-Big Ten selections. Josh Newman and Terry Pettorini also were honored in 2002. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a career grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or better.
Overall, the Big Ten Conference recognized 1,851 Academic All-Big Ten honorees during the 2002-03 academic year, the highest total in the last seven years, eclipsing the previous best of 1,745 set in 2000-01. Ohio State ended Penn State’s six-year run atop the Academic All-Conference list by setting a single-season record with 250 honorees this year, improving on the Nittany Lions’ previous record of 227 selections during the 2000-01 academic year. Penn State still tops all League schools with 1,472 Academic All-Big Ten picks over the last seven years, followed by the Buckeyes with 1,324 honorees.
Baseball Academic All-Big Ten Selections Name Yr. GPA Major Mike Madsen So. 3.18 Sport & Leisure Studies Josh Newman Jr. 3.34 History Terry Pettorini Jr. 3.27 Political Science Greg Prenger Sr. 3.41 Information Systems Nate Smith Sr. 3.02 Marketing
TWELVE BUCKEYES NAMED OSU SCHOLAR ATHLETES
Twelve Buckeye baseball players were selected as part of 413 Ohio State student-athletes to be recognized by The Ohio State University, the Athletic Council and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. This group has distinguished itself by performing brilliantly in the classroom and in athletic competition this past year. All of these individuals have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better since the end of the winter quarter of their freshman year. Senior Greg Prenger was honored for the fifth time, while Terry Pettorini was selected to the group for the fourth time.
Baseball OSU Scholar-Athletes Name Yr Award Cody Caughenbaugh So. 2nd Trey Fausnaugh Fr. 1st Jacob Howell Fr. 1st Mike Madsen So. 1st Philip Mattingly Fr. 1st Josh Newman Jr. 3rd Terry Pettorini Sr. 4th Greg Prenger Sr. 5th Wes Schirtzinger Fr. 1st Nate Smith Sr. 1st Jedidiah Stephen Fr. 1st Greg Uland Fr. 1st
DAVIS OWNS SEASON SAVES MARK
Matt Davis, the hard throwing Buckeye closer, picked up his 11th save of the season in the 4-2 win over Michigan to open the Big Ten Tournament. That total broke his tie with Cory Cox, who had 10 saves in 2001. Davis also picked up the win in the first championship game Sunday at Minnesota. He is now 3-1 on the year with 24 strikeouts and five walks in 35 innings as the Buckeye closer. The redshirt sophomore has a 5.66 ERA.
Davis is tied for 18th nationally and leads the Big Ten with his 11 saves, two in front of Minnesota’s Jeff Moen, who has nine. He also leads with 29 appearances, all in relief. He has finished 27 games for the Buckeyes, which also paces the Big Ten. His 29 appearances is tied for the third most in a season and is four behind Bob Spears’ 1995 total of 33. Spears is a color analyst for Buckeye Baseball telecasts on the Ohio News Network.
One of Davis’ 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.
BOMBS AWAY
Ohio State exploded for 11 home runs over the five games at the Big Ten Tournament. That included tournament record four from junior shortstop Brett Garrard, who had entered the week with just three home runs all season. Junior outfielder and First Team All-Big Ten selection Christian Snavely had three home runs in the tournament at Minnesota’s Siebert Field after launching three in the final series of the regular season against the Golden Gophers. He had the six home runs in a span of eight games at the park. He did not have a home run in the series opener against Minnesota or the first championship game against the Gophers last Sunday. Sophomore designated hitter Steve Caravati also had three home runs in the Big Ten Tournament, including a pair of three-RBI shots in the third and fourth innings of the 13-3 win over Penn State Saturday. Caravati had just one home run all season. Sophomore first baseman Paul Farinacci was the only other Buckeye to hit a home run in the conference tournament.
TWO HOMER GAMES
Steve Caravati became the seventh current Buckeye to hit two home runs in game when he hit two bombs against Penn State in the Buckeyes’ 13-3 victory. Brett Garrard hit two home runs the next day in the 17-10 win over Minnesota that clinched the Big Ten Tournament and automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. It was the second time this season he had two home runs in the same game. Garrard and Paul Farinacci both went deep twice in the series finale against Michigan State May 11. Drew Anderson had a pair of home runs May 7 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. In addition to Garrard, Kinnear, Pettorini and Snavely have hit multiple home runs on more than one occasion, but none have done it more than twice.
RBI MACHINES
Steve Caravati batted in 13 runs in five games in the Big Ten Tournament. That included the game against Penn State when he had back-to-back three-run home runs in the third and fourth inning that produced six RBI. Christian Snavely finished the tournament with 11 RBI, meaning the duo accounted for 24 of the team’s 46 RBI.
FORTY RUNS IN THREE GAMES
In the final three games of the Big Ten Tournament, in a win over Penn State and two against Minnesota, Ohio State scored 40 runs. That is the highest three game total posted by the Buckeye offense since last season when it scored 51 runs in three games. Of course, that included a 38-15 victory over Toledo in Albuquerque, N.M. with the wind blowing out to right. The last time Ohio State had three consecutive games in which it scored in double figures was in 2001, when the team beat Cincinnati 14-3 on May 3, before following up with 10-1 and 10-8 wins at Indiana, May 5-6.
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 13 saves by the Buckeyes are the third most in a season, two off the record of 15 set in 1996 and 2001. Matt Davis has 11 of the saves, while Kyle Brown has two… Ohio State has 434 strikeouts as a team, which is the second highest total in school history and only 16 off the season record of 450 set in 1991, when the team won a record 53 games… The team’s 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… The 41 overall wins this season is ninth most wins in school history… The 489 2/3 innings pitched by the Buckeyes this season is seventh most in school history.
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
The Buckeye pitching staff now owns a 3.84 ERA, which is the best in the Big Ten… Ohio State is tied for sixth in the league in batting (.294) and is eighth in fielding (.962)… Scott Lewis leads Big Ten pitchers in ERA (1.61), strikeouts (127), batters struck out looking (33) and opponent batting average (.160)… Sophomore reliever Matt Davis leads the conference with 11 saves and 29 appearances, all in relief, which leads the conference. Davis has finished 27 games, which is the best total in the league… Christian Snavely has been awarded a base on balls 57 times, that is 22 more than Indiana’s Vasili Spanos, who has walked 35 times… Spanos has a slight edge in on-base percentage over Snavely. Spanos gets on base 51.3 percent of the time, while Snavely is on 49.6 percent of the time… Snavely’s .683 slugging percentage is third in the conference behind Spanos (.703) and Jake Fox of Michigan (.696)… Snavely is tied for the lead – with Fox – with 15 home runs… Drew Anderson has 228 at bats to lead conference hitters.
In Big Ten games only, Ohio State finished 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 walked 27 times in Big Ten games, a figure which set 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 stole 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 33 career home runs is the eighth highest figure by a Buckeye… Snavely now has 104 career walks, which ties him for 11th in the school record book… His 15 home runs this season is tied for the eighth best season with Nick Swisher (2001), Mike Lockwood (1999) and Dan Seimetz (1998)… Snavely’s 57 bases on balls this year is the second highest season total by a Buckeye and only three away from Swisher’s 2001 record of 60… Drew Anderson has 37 career stolen bases and is tied for eighth… Josh Newman’s 23 career wins is tied for 11th with Kevan Cannon (1993-95) and Doug Swearingen (1980-83)… He has pitched 252 1/3 career innings and ranks 12th… For pitchers who have thrown at least 175.0 innings, Scott Lewis is second in fewest walks (53), first in fewest runs (59), first in fewest earned runs (44) and third in ERA (2.25)… Newman is tied for third in fewest bases on balls (75), behind Lewis’ 53 walks in his 175 2/3 innings… Lewis has 17 career wins to tie for 21st… His 218 career strikeouts is the 14th highest total… Nate Smith made his 50th appearance as a Buckeye last Sunday and that is 18th in Buckeye annals… Smith’s 217 2/3 career innings is tied for 20th in school history… Kyle Brown has the 10th best won-loss percentage at .769 (10-3). Brown has 51 career appearances, which is 17th… 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).
LEWIS AMONG NATION’S BEST
Though the season for Scott Lewis has come to an end, he is ranked third in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings and 10th in ERA. The sophomore left-handed pitcher finished the year with 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) and Wade Townsend of Rice (13.7) outrank Lewis. Sullivan has 130 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings, while Townsend has 131 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings. Lewis’ 1.61 ERA is 10th best in the nation. He allowed only 15 earned runs.
NCAA DIVISION I K/9 LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP SO K/9 1. Ryan Wagner, Houston So. 33 69.7 130 16.8 2. Wade Townsend, Rice So. 24 86.3 131 13.7 3. Scott Lewis, OSU So. 12 83.2 127 13.7 4. Thomas Pauly, Princeton Jr. 17 50.1 73 13.1 5. Chris Schutt, Cornell Jr. 10 62.0 89 12.9
LEWIS MOVES TOWARDS TOP OF SCHOOL RECORD LISTS
Scott Lewis now has 218 strikeouts after two seasons 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 placed him third place, just two strikeouts behind Arlin’s second-place total. Lewis’ 127 strikeouts this season easily led the Big Ten.
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 15) 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
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 LED BIG TEN IN ERA AND KS
Scott Lewis became the second pitcher in the last three years to rank first in the Big Ten in both ERA and strikeouts in conference games. His 90 Ks shattered the previous Big Ten record of 74 strikeouts, established by Penn State’s Nate Bump in 1998, while his 1.25 ERA was the second lowest in the last 10 years, trailing only Minnesota’s Ben Birk, who boasted a 1.21 ERA in 2000. Lewis is the first Buckeye to lead in both areas since Matt Beaumont in 1993 and the first to lead in strikeouts since Beaumont topped the league in 1994.
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.”
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 May 9-11 in Iowa for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Ohio State will retain its record for the most wins in Big Ten play. The Gophers could have matched Ohio State’s record 25 conference wins with a four-game sweep of the Buckeyes the final week of the regular season, but only took three wins. The Scarlet and Gray won 25 conference games in both 1994 and 1999 and won the Big Ten regular season championship each year. Minnesota finished with 24 conference wins.
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 Wednesday night 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 May 7. 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 Hawkeyes.
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.
