Baseball Hosts Michigan St. in Final Home Big Ten Series – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 9, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Ohio State Buckeyes
(31-15, 15-9 Big Ten)
vs.
Michigan State Spartans
(18-28, 8-13 Big Ten)
Bill Davis Stadium – Columbus, Ohio
Friday, May 9: 6:35 p.m.
WOSU Radio (820 AM)
Saturday, May 10: 4:05 p.m. (DH)
Game 1: WOSU Radio and ONN-TV
Game 2: Internet Only
Sunday, May 11: 1:05 p.m.
WOSU Radio
All games available on the Internet at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State Probable Pitching Rotation No. Name 2003 Stats G1 3 Scott Lewis, LHP 8-0, 1.24, 112K, 72.2 IP G2 23 Josh Newman, LHP 4-4, 3.71, 45K, 63.0 IP G3 21 Nate Smith, RHP 2-6, 5.12, 41K, 51.0 IP G4 17 Chris Hanners, LHP 4-2, 4.15, 25K, 39.0IP
COLUMBUS, Ohio -After picking up victories in a pair of midweek games, the Buckeyes close out the home portion of the Big Ten schedule this weekend in a four-game series against Michigan State.
Ohio State dropped three of four games to Michigan last weekend in Columbus to fall to 15-9 in the Big Ten. The series loss marked the first time since Bill Davis Stadium opened in 1997 that a conference visitor had won a series. The Buckeyes won 2-1 on Friday, but lost 5-4 and 3-1 in the Saturday doubleheader before falling 9-4 in the finale.
Ohio State improved to 31-15 beating Cleveland State 4-1 Tuesday night at Jacobs Field and Cincinnati 17-0 Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium. Michigan State also grabbed a pair of non-conference wins during the week, beating Indiana Tech 12-9 Tuesday and Eastern Michigan 15-3 Wednesday to improve to 18-28 on the year. The Spartans are 8-13 in the Big Ten and sit in eighth place, four games out of sixth place in the win column.
The Top 6 teams advance to the Big Ten Tournament, which will be held at the site of the regular season champion. Minnesota needs to win three of its final eight league games to win a second straight regular season championship. The Buckeyes are in second place, six games behind the Gophers in the loss column and two games ahead of third-place Northwestern in the win column.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State improved to 31-15 with a couple of wins since last weekend. After beating Cleveland State 4-1 Tuesday and Cincinnati 17-0 Wednesday, the Buckeyes improved their team batting average to .292. The 17 runs were the most scored by the offense this season, while the 19 hits were the third highest total. Ohio State went back-to-back games without an error for just the second time this season.
The recent story for Ohio State has been the return of Steve Caravati. The designated hitter from Dover, Ohio, was hit on the wrist while batting in the first game at Purdue and missed the next five games before returning against Michigan with a .319 batting average. Five games later, Caravati is leading the team with a .351 average, thanks to 10-of-18 (.556) hitting with seven RBI. He even hit his first home run of the season in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader against the Wolverines to go with his seven doubles and two triples. In the last five games, the redshirt sophomore has touched 14 bases for a slugging percentage of .778.
Another story is freshman third baseman Jedidiah Stephen, who went long at Jacobs Field for his fifth home run of the year. In his last nine games, he has nine hits in 23 at bats and of those hits, one was a double and four were hit out of the park. That gives him 22 total bases (a .957 slugging percentage) and 10 RBI.
Despite the troubles at the plate and in the field, the pitching staff held its ERA to under four runs per game against the Wolverines. Following the two games this week, the team ERA dipped to 3.59, which leads the Big Ten. Scott Lewis gave up an earned run for the first time since April 4 at Penn State, a span of three starts. He got the 2-1 win to improve to 8-0 on the year and 5-0 in the Big Ten. In 72 2/3 innings, he has allowed just 15 runs (10 earned) on 39 hits. He has struck out 112 batters while walking only 19 and has a 1.24 ERA while holding batters to a .152 average. Following a Friday night start, Ohio State will likely toss Josh Newman (4-4, 3.71) and Nate Smith (2-6, 5.12) in the Saturday doubleheader. Like the last two Big Ten series, Chris Hanners (4-2, 4.15) likely will start the finale.
ARLIN’S NO. 22 TO BE RETIRED SATURDAY
Steve Arlin is considered the top pitcher in Ohio State baseball history after posting a record of 24-3 in two his two years as a Buckeye. He held OSU marks for victories and strikeouts (294) until 1999 and his .889 win percentage is the best in school history. He led the nation in strikeouts as a sophomore with 165. Arlin, who wore No. 22, went 13-2 that year in leading the Buckeyes to a second-place finish at the 1965 College World Series. The next year he went 11-1 and helped Ohio State claim the National Championship. He was a two-time First Team All-American and All-Big Ten selection and still holds two College World Series records. He was honored by being the Most Valuable Player at the College World Series in 1966 and is a member of the All-Time College World Series Team.
SENIOR TRIBUTE
Three Buckeyes seniors will be recognized Sunday for their contributions to the Ohio State baseball program. The trio of seniors, which are all captains of this year’s team, include pitchers Kyle Brown, Greg Prenger and Nate Smith. They will play their final home game Wednesday night against Cleveland State at 6:35 p.m.
Since throwing his first pitch against Akron in 2000, Brown left a memorable impression on Ohio State baseball. Brown picked up his first win against Shawnee State in his first collegiate start and finished the year 4-0. He went 4-1 as a sophomore getting Big Ten wins over Illinois and Penn State. The right-hander from Washington Court House, Ohio, leaves Ohio State with a 9-3 career record and has made 46 career appearances in the Scarlet and Gray, which will rank among the school’s all-time highest totals. Brown picked up his first career save earlier this season against Oakland.
Greg Prenger reached perfection on April 9, 2003 in retiring all 21 Oakland batters he faced that night. That is something no other Ohio State pitcher has done in 120 years of Ohio State baseball. It was the eighth no-hitter in school history. The right-hander from Harpster, Ohio, leaves the Buckeye program with an 11-6 record. He went 5-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 2001 to earn All-Big Ten honors as the Buckeyes’ No. 3 starter. He pitched a seven-hit complete game shutout vs. Illinois in the conference tournament to make the All-Tournament team. Prenger has 22 career starts in 40 career appearances.
Nate Smith won his first six decisions in 2002 and did not lose until facing Notre Dame in the South Bend Regional final. The right-handed pitcher from Bryan, Ohio, went 6-1 with a 3.12 ERA to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors. Smith went 5-3 as a freshman in 1999. He will leave Columbus with at least a 16-12 record with 37 starts in 49 career appearances, which is among the best totals in school history. Smith has pitched 214 1/3 career innings, which also ranks among the school’s best.
ABOUT THE SPARTANS
Michigan State is 18-28 on the year and 8-13 in the Big Ten after taking two of three games at Illinois last weekend. The Spartans picked up a 12-9 win Tuesday night against Indiana Tech and then beat Eastern Michigan 15-3 Wednesday. MSU has won six of its last eight games.
Brady Burrill is the leading hitter on this season’s Michigan State squad. He is batting .379 with 58 hits, including a team-high 11 doubles. Travis Gulick is leading the team with nine home runs, 35 RBI and a slugging percentage of .603. He is batting .358, third on the team. As a offense, the Spartans are batting .292, the same as Ohio State, which is sixth in the Big Ten.
On the mound, Michigan State owns a 5.40 ERA, which is eighth best in the conference. Ryan Golem has a 2.33 ERA in 18 appearances and 27.0 innings with the team’s only two saves. The Buckeyes will likely see right-handed pitcher Bryan Gale Friday night. He is 6-5 with a 2.87 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings. Tim Day and Patrick Gill are likely to toss in Saturday’s doubleheader. Day is 3-6 with a 5.30 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings. Gill is 0-7 with a 6.89 ERA. Sunday, the Spartans are projecting a start for Chris Toepper, who is 0-3 with a 5.27 ERA.
AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE
Friday’s game vs. the Spartans will be the 186th meeting between the two schools, which first met in 1911. Ohio State leads the series 111-73-1 after splitting a pair of games with Michigan State last year. The Buckeyes have not lost a series to the Spartans since 1988 when they took three of four in Columbus. Since that time, Ohio State has swept MSU five times and has taken at least three games in the series a total of five times. The teams have four series splits since 1988. Bob Todd is 42-18 against Michigan State.
LAST YEAR VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Ohio State and Michigan State split a pair of games last year at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing before the final two games of the series were rained out. The Spartans won Friday’s game 12-5, putting up a five-spot in the second inning to take a 6-1 lead. Right fielder Bob Malek launched a line drive home run over the fence in right field that scored three and then Chris McCuiston, launched a long ball to left-centerfield. Michigan State scored five runs in the fifth inning to extend its lead to 12-1 before Ohio State could muster any more offense. The Buckeyes scored four times in the top of the sixth. Jesse Paciorek came on in relief of E.J. Laratta with one gone in the fifth inning, but the senior left the game charged with all 12 Spartan runs on 13 hits, walking one and striking out two. Christian Snavely and Doug Deeds each went 2-for-5. Deeds scored once and drove in a run.
Lefthanded pitcher Josh Newman struck out eight batters and the Ohio State offense rallied with four runs in the sixth to beat Michigan State 6-4 in the second game of the series. The Buckeyes scored four runs in the sixth inning to take a 6-2 advantage. The Spartans rallied to score two in the bottom of the sixth to pull within the two-run final margin of victory. Newman pitched all seven innings allowing the four Michigan State runs on four hits. He had two walks vs. the eight strikeouts in improving to 8-4 on the year. Swisher finished the game 2-for-4 for the Buckeyes, scored a run and knocked in a run. Doug Dendinger was 1-for-2, scored once and drove in a pair of runs.
PAIR OF BUCKEYES NAB ACADEMIC HONORS
Ohio State pitcher Greg Prenger and designated hitter/third baseman Terry Pettorini were named Second Team Verizon Academic All-District IV selections Thursday.
In the classroom, Prenger is an information systems major with a 3.41 GPA. On the field, Prenger reached acclaim earlier this season for a seven-inning perfect game against Oakland on April 9. It was the first perfect game in Ohio State history and the eighth time a Buckeye hurler had thrown a no-hitter. The senior right-handed pitcher from Harpster, Ohio, is 2-1 this season with a 4.85 ERA and owns a career record of 11-6 with a 3.94 ERA.
Pettorini is studying political science and boasts a 3.27 GPA in the classroom and has a .294 batting average, splitting time between third base and as the designated hitter. The junior from Wooster, Ohio, has 35 hits, with six doubles and three home runs that have produced 17 RBI. In his three-year career, Pettorini has a .277 batting average with 13 doubles and 10 home runs and was a Second Team Verizon All-District honoree in 2002.
The district teams are made up of student-athletes from Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Team members are selected by a vote of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district. The Verizon Academic All-District Team is part of the Verizon Academic All-America program. First team selections will appear on the national ballot for the Verizon Academic All-America Baseball Team to be announced May 27.
BUCKEYES BLAST BEARCATS 17-0
Drew Anderson accounted for two of the four Ohio State home runs as the Buckeyes easily got past Cincinnati 17-0 Wednesday night at Bill Davis Stadium. The three-hit shutout was the fifth straight pitched by the Buckeyes in home Wednesday night games and a school-record ninth shutout the season.
Joining Anderson in going deep were Christian Snavely and Paul Farinacci. Snavely had a three-run shot off the top of the scoreboard in the third that capped a six-run inning. It was his ninth of the season and the 27th of his career. Farinacci led off that inning with a shot to left-center field. The game was the second this season in which Ohio State had four home runs and the second time this season that a Buckeye homered twice in the same game.
The Buckeyes wasted little time putting runs on the board against the Bearcats, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning, all with two outs. In the third inning, Anderson launched his sixth home run of the season over the fence in left field to give the Buckeyes a 5-0 lead.
Ohio State erupted for six runs in the third inning started by a lead-off home run by Farinacci, who teed off to left-center field for his fourth home run this season. The Buckeyes added four more hits in the inning. Kelly Houser singled through the left side to score Brett Garrard, who singled down the left field line. After a walk by Anderson and a fielder’s choice by Rabin, Snavely, who was celebrating his 21st birthday Wednesday, went long off the top of the scoreboard in right-center field to stretch the Buckeye lead to 11-0.
In the fifth inning, the Buckeyes added another five runs on seven hits – six singles and one double – to increase its lead to 16-0. Houser started the inning with a single through the left side. After the first out of the inning, Ohio State rattled off five singles, including RBI shots by Snavely, Farinacci and Caughenbaugh, before a two-RBI double by pinch hitter Terry Pettorini.
Anderson added the Buckeyes final run with a shot to left-center field. It was his second home run of the day and his seventh of the season.
The Buckeyes cranked out a season-high 17 runs on 19 hits. Snavely finished the game 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored. Farinacci also had three hits in four at bats for three RBI and three runs.
Buckeye pitching allowed just three Cincinnati hits, all singles. Mike Madsen picked up the win in his third start and 14th appearance of the season. He went five innings, allowed one hit, struck out five and walked one in improving to 5-1 on the year. Cincinnati starter Justin Minges fell to 1-1 with the loss. Trent Luyster and Justin Myers each pitched two innings.
AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State won its first 13 games at Bill Davis Stadium this season before Indiana snapped the streak on April 19. Ohio The Buckeyes are now 17-5 at home this season. A year ago, the Buckeyes were 15-10 in the stadium, which included a 10-6 mark in Big Ten play. Since opening Bill Davis Stadium in 1997, the Buckeyes are 133-49 in the facility. That is a win percentage of .729, which includes a 72-34 mark against conference foes and a 61-15 record against non-conference opponents.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
The 17-0 shutout win by Ohio State over Cincinnati stretched the Buckeye streak to 45 innings without allowing a run by Wednesday night opposition. A hump-day opponent has not scored on Ohio State since Oakland scored in the fifth inning of a 2-1 Buckeye victory on April 9. Right-handed pitcher Greg Prenger then threw a perfect game against the Golden Grizzlies in a 2-0 victory in the second game of the doubleheader. Ohio State then beat Wooster 14-0 April 16 and beat Shawnee State 9-0 April 23 and Bowling Green 6-0 April 30. In the last six Wednesday night games, the Buckeyes have outscored the opposition 50-1.
SHUTOUTS
The Buckeyes now have nine shutouts after beating Cincinnati 17-0 Wednesday night. The total now stands alone atop the school record book since the team had entered the game tied with eight shutouts in 1977, 2001 and 2002. Ohio State has been remarkable at home in midweek games, posting five straight shutouts on Wednesday nights. Following the 9-0 midweek shutout against Shawnee State on 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).
BUCKEYES WIN AT JACOBS FIELD
Steve Caravati went 3-for-4 and Jedidiah Stephen hit a home run to lift Ohio State to a 4-1 victory over Cleveland State at Jacobs Field for the Buckeyes’ 30th win of the season. Cleveland State took a 1-0 lead in the third inning and kept the Buckeyes off the scoreboard until the sixth inning, when they scored three runs to take the lead.
Ohio State tied the game in the top of the sixth on Stephen’s lead-off home run. Facing a 2-0 count, he sent a fastball over the tall fence in left field that landed on the Home Run Porch. It was his fifth home run of the season and just the 11th collegiate home run hit at Jacobs Field. The inning continued as Drew Anderson singled to third base. Christian Snavely walked for the 48th time this season after Anderson stole second. Caravati doubled to the left-field corner and knocked in both Anderson and Snavely to give the Buckeyes a 3-1 cushion. In the eighth, Cody Caughenbaugh singled to right-center field to score Snavely and extend the Buckeye lead to three.
Greg Prenger got the start for Ohio State and pitched the first four innings in a shortened start. He left the game in the fifth trailing 1-0, allowing the one run (earned) on five hits with a walk and a strikeout. The win went to Kyle Brown, who pitched the fifth inning and was the pitcher of record when Ohio State took the lead with a three-run sixth inning. He faced one batter in the bottom of the sixth before taking a liner off the foot. With no one out, Matt Davis came in to relieve Brown and pitched the final four innings to earn his ninth save of the season. That total is one off the Ohio State season saves record set by Cory Cox in 2001. The appearance was his 23rd of the season, all of which have been in relief.
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.
LEWIS TIES ARLIN FOR BEST WIN PERCENTAGE
Scott Lewis is 16-2 in his second year as a member of the Buckeye pitching staff, which equates to a .889 win-loss percentage. That figure equals Steve Arlin (1965-66), who finished his career with a 24-3 record, a win percentage of .889. The stat includes pitchers with at least 10 career wins.
LEWIS AMONG NATION’S BEST
Through games of May 4, Scott Lewis was second in NCAA Division I in strikeouts per nine innings and ranked third in ERA. The sophomore left-handed pitcher currently has a 1.24 ERA in 72 2/3 innings a breakdown of 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. Only Ryan Wagner of Houston (16.5) outranks Lewis. He has 106 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings. Lewis’ 1.24 ERA is third best in the nation. He has allowed only 10 earned runs over 72 2/3 innings. His eight victories is tied for 25th most nationally.
NCAA DIVISION I K/9 LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP SO K/9 1. Ryan Wagner, Houston So. 27 57.2 106 16.5 2. Scott Lewis, Ohio State So. 10 72.2 112 13.9 3. Wade Townsend, Rice So. 19 71.1 105 13.3 4. Steve Schmoll, Maryland Sr. 16 75.2 111 13.2 5. Chris Schutt, Cornell Jr. 10 62.0 89 12.9
NCAA DIVISION I ERA LEADERS Name, University Cl. Ap. IP R ER ERA 1. Cla Meredith, VCU So. 21 47.0 5 5 0.96 2. Chuck Bechtel, Marist Sr. 10 66.0 21 8 1.09 3. Scott Lewis, Ohio State So. 10 72.2 15 10 1.24 4. Tom Mastny, Furman Sr. 14 106.0 21 15 1.27 5. Aaron Sims, Alabama A&M Sr. 8 51.0 14 8 1.41
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
Scott Lewis now has 203 strikeouts in the middle of his second season as a Buckeye. He is currently 20th 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, also has the second best season total with 129 from 1966, when Ohio State won the National Championship. The 112 strike outs by Lewis this year has him in fifth place by himself, one behind Fry’s 1999 total of 113, which ranks fourth, and five behind Paul Seitz’s 1960 total of 117, which ranks third.
Lewis’ 112 strikeouts this season easily leads the Big Ten. The next closest pitcher is Glen Perkins at Minnesota who has 84 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings. Lewis has done it 72 2/3 innings. In conference games, Lewis has 75 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings, 15 more than Perkins.
OSU SEASON STRIKEOUT LIST (TOP 10) 1. Steve Arlin 1965 165 2. Steve Arlin 1966 129 3. Paul Seitz 1960 117 4. Justin Fry 1998 113 5. Scott Lewis 2003 112 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. Eric Thompson 1996-98 213 Chris Granata 1991-94 213 16. Dick Boggs 1966-68 212 17. Mike Biehle 1993-96 210 18. Joe Sadelfeld 1967-69 205 19. Kevin Goodrum 1998-01 204 20. Scott Lewis 2002-present 203
LEWIS NAMED LOUISVILLE SLUGGER PLAYER OF THE WEEK TWICE
Scott Lewis was the Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week for the second straight week, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper released April 21. It marked the second straight week Lewis was so-named after he and teammate Greg Prenger were both recognized April 14. The southpaw fanned 16 batters against Indiana in a 9-3 victory over the Hoosiers April 18, in which he threw 7 1/3 innings, allowing three runs (all unearned) on three hits. That effort followed a school record 20 strikeouts in a complete game against Iowa on April 11. In those two starts, which spanned over 17 innings, Lewis has struck out 36 batters, which is believed to be the highest two-game total in Division I history.
“You don’t see pitchers strike out 36 batters over two outings very often,” Lou Pavlovich Jr., editor of Collegiate Baseball, said. “That is an incredible achievement. Frankly, I have never heard of a pitcher ever doing this going back to 1970 when I began covering college baseball. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened. But I never recall anyone doing this before.”
DAVIS’ 9 SAVES RANKS NATIONALLY
Matt Davis, the hard throwing Buckeye closer, entered the week with eight saves and tied for 29th in the NCAA this year. The redshirt sophomore from Mason, Ohio, will move up the list after picking up his ninth save Tuesday night in the 4-1 win over Cleveland State at Jacobs Field. With his ninth save, Davis is now only one save away from tying the school record of 10, set by Cory Cox in 2001. He is currently tied with Cox (1999) and Mark Mesewicz (1992).
The right-handed closer has picked up saves against Eastern Michigan, Detroit and Columbia before dropping a decision to Vermont on March 22. He then picked up saves against Illinois, twice at Penn State, Purdue, Michigan and Cleveland State. He has one win to his credit this season, having beaten Iowa in the series finale. His nine saves this season are the only of his career as a Buckeye.
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.
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
The Buckeye pitching staff now owns a 3.59 ERA, which lead the Big Ten just ahead of Northwestern’s 3.60 ERA. Ohio State is sixth in batting (.292), tied with Michigan State, and is eighth in fielding (.956). Scott Lewis leads Big Ten pitchers in ERA (1.24), strikeouts (112), batters struck out looking (31), opponent batting average (.152) and wins (8). Sophomore reliever Matt Davis leads the conference with nine saves and 23 appearances, all in relief, which leads the conference. His nine saves are three more than the next closest reliever, Jeff Moen of Minnesota, who has six. Davis has finished 21 games, which is the best total in the league. Drew Anderson is tied for the Big Ten lead in triples with four, while teammate Brett Garrard has three to tie for third. Christian Snavely has been awarded a base on balls 49 times, that is 20 more than Indiana’s Vasili Spanos, who has walked 29 times. Anderson also leads with 187 at bats this year, eight more than Michigan State’s Travis Gulick, who has 179.
In Big Ten games only, Ohio State is third in pitching (4.16), seventh in batting (.287) and 10th in fielding (.936). Lewis’ 0.58 ERA in conference-only games paces all conference pitchers. He also leads in strikeouts (75), batters struck out looking (23) and opponent batting average (.141). Snavely has walked 22 times in Big Ten games, a figured which sets the conference standard this season.
SCHOOL RECORD BOOK
The nine shutouts by the Buckeyes surpassed the previous record of eight from the 1977, 2001 and 2002 seasons… The 10 saves by Ohio State this season (nine by Matt Davis and one by Kyle Brown) is tied for seventh in school history… Christian Snavely has nine career triples, which is tied for fifth in the school record book with Mike Lockwood and Gary Jones… His 27 career home runs is tied for 13th with Jamie Taylor (1990-92)… Snavely now has 96 career walks, which ties him for 14th in the school record book… His 49 bases on balls this year is the fourth highest season total by a Buckeye… Drew Anderson has 34 career stolen bases and is tied for 12th… Josh Newman’s 20 career wins is tied for 15th… He has pitched 229.2 career innings and ranks 17th… For pitchers who have thrown at least 175.0 innings, Newman is second in fewest bases on balls (69) and is tied for eighth in fewest earned runs (101)… Scott Lewis has 203 career strikeouts which is the 20th 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…. With his next appearance, Kyle Brown will move into the school’s Top 20 list.
BEST BIG TEN START REMAINS WITH 1970 BUCKEYES
The longest winning streak to start Big Ten play still remains with the 1970 Ohio State Buckeyes, which won their first 13 games. Minnesota challenged the record with an 11-0 start this year before losing two games at Illinois April 19. The start by the Golden Gophers was the second best on record, equaling their 11-0 start in 1993 and Illinois’ 11-0 start in 1982. Surprisingly, none of those teams went on to win the Big Ten title. Minnesota currently has a one-game lead in the win column over Ohio State.
SNAVELY SHARES BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS TWICE
Christian Snavely was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week April 21 after batting .529 (9-for-17) in games against Wooster and Indiana with home runs in the first three games against the Hoosiers.
It was the second straight Big Ten Player of the Week honor for Snavely, who also shared accolades April 14. Against Indiana, he batted .500 (7-for-14) with seven RBI and six runs scored. Of his nine hits for the week, three were doubles and three were home runs, giving him 21 total bases and a slugging percentage of 1.235.
NATIONAL AWARDS FOR 2 BUCKEYES
Greg Prenger and Scott Lewis were named National Players of the Week by Louisville Slugger/Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and by College Baseball Insider for their amazing performances April 9 and 11, respectively.
Prenger retired all 21 batters he faced to post a 2-0 perfect game victory over Oakland in the second game of an April 9 doubleheader. It was the first no-hitter by an Ohio State pitcher since Eric Thompson no-hit Michigan State on May 10, 1998 and believed to be the first perfect game in Ohio State’s 120-year history. It was the eighth no-hitter in Ohio State history. The right-handed pitcher struck out one batter in the first, two in the third, two in the fifth and one for the seventh out of the seventh and final inning. He had seven fly or pop outs and eight ground or line outs to go with the six strikeouts, which equaled the most in his career. He moved to 2-0 this year with the victory, which was also the 11th of his career against five losses. He has 4.43 season ERA and 16 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.
Lewis fanned 20 batters in nine innings as Ohio State beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 4-1 Friday night in the opening game of a four-game Big Ten series at Bill Davis Stadium. The 20 strikeouts tied the school record held by Steve Arlin, which he set in a 15-inning 1-0 victory over Washington State at the 1965 College World Series. Lewis, whose previous career high in strikeout was 12 last season against Purdue, had that total through the first five innings. The left-hander moved to 5-0 with the two-hit complete game against the Hawkeyes. Iowa finished with just two hits. Lewis has a 1.59 ERA and now has 78 strikeouts in only 51.0 innings.
DUO JOINED BY SNAVELY IN GETTING BIG TEN HONORS
Fresh off a banner week in which the Ohio State baseball team won all six games, three Buckeyes have earned weekly honors, the Big Ten office announced Monday. Christian Snavely joined Greg Prenger and Scott Lewis, who split Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors, to earn Co-Big Ten Player of the Week with Minnesota’s Sam Steidl.
Prenger and Lewis’ accomplishments last week have been well documented, but Snavely hit .538 with six RBI in a four-game sweep of Iowa, as the Buckeyes climbed into sole possession of second place in the conference race. The junior outfielder boasted a slugging percentage of .688 for the week with seven RBI in six games. He finished the week going 8-for-16 (.500) and was 7-for-13 (.538) in the four Big Ten games vs. Iowa. He touched 11 total bases after a two-run home run in the second game vs. the Hawekeyes.
PRENGER PERFECT IN 2-0 WIN
Right-handed pitcher Greg Prenger retired all 21 batters he faced to post a 2-0 perfect game victory over Oakland in the second game of a doubleheader April 9 at Bill Davis Stadium.
It was the first no-hitter by an Ohio State pitcher since Eric Thompson no-hit Michigan State on May 10, 1998 and believed to be the first perfect game in Ohio State’s 120-year history. It was the first perfect game coached by Ohio State head coach Bob Todd, who is in his 20th year as a collegiate head coach. There had only been seven no-hit games on record by Buckeye pitchers since 1955.
Prenger, a former walkon who missed all of last season after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder in the summer of 2001, said he once threw a new hitter on his high school junior varsity team when he was a freshman at Upper Sandusky.
Prenger struck out one batter in the first, two in the third, two in the fifth and one for the seventh out of the seventh and final inning. He had seven fly or pop outs and eight ground or line outs to go with the six strikeouts, which equaled the most in his career. He moved to 2-0 this year with the victory, which was also the 11th of his career against five losses.
The Buckeyes scored once in the first inning as Mike Rabin turned his free opportunity into the first run of the game. Rabin was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, stole second and then scored on a throwing error by Oakland third baseman Ty Herriott, who threw wide of first on a grounder by Cody Caughenbaugh. The second run crossed the plate in the third inning when catcher Kelly Houser doubled in Caughenbaugh with two outs. Caughenbaugh reached on a fielder’s choice that caught Christian Snavely at second base. Terry Pettorini was stranded at second base after an infield single.
Ohio State used a sacrifice fly and a passed ball to score both of their runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to beat Oakland 2-1 in the first game. Trent Luyster picked up the win in five innings, allowing the one run (unearned) on four hits. He struck out four and walked three. Kyle Brown came on in relief and picked up his first collegiate save for his two innings of work.
BUCKEYE NO-HITTERS
The perfect game by Greg Prenger Wednesday against Oakland is believed to be the first-ever perfect game in the 120-year baseball history of Ohio State. However, there are seven no-hitters listed in the record book, but none before 1955, when Bill Soter and Ron Disher combined to throw a seven-inning no-hitter against Pittsburgh on April 2. Only two of the listed no-hitters were by more than one pitcher. The other was thrown on April 13, 1982 by Bill Cunningham and Jeff Aurentz in a 4-1 win over Bowling Green.
That means, Prenger is just the sixth individual to keep an opponent hitless on his own. The last no hitter was thrown by Eric Thompson against Michigan State on May 10, 1998. It had been a little more than nine years since anyone else had thrown a no-hitter, a 2-0 win over Indiana by Dave Mumaw. All eight no-hitters in the history of Ohio State have been thrown in seven-inning games. None have been recorded in a complete nine-inning game.
NO-HITTERS Greg Prenger Oakland W,2-0 4/09/2003 Eric Thompson Michigan State W,3-0 5/10/1998 Dave Mumaw Indiana W,2-0 4/23/1989 Bill Cunningham Bowling Green W,4-1 4/13/1982 and Jeff Aurentz Kerry Sabo Cleveland St. W,12-0 4/16/1980 Gene Rogers Purdue W,6-0 5/23/1969 Joe Sparma Michigan W,3-0 5/18/1963 Bill Soter Pittsburgh W,8-1 4/02/1955 and Ron Disher
KINNEAR NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ohio State catcher Derek Kinnear, who was 8-for-12 (.667) in four games against Detroit and Eastern Michigan, was the Big Ten Player of the week (March 18). Kinnear knocked in eight RBI and scored four times and doubled in the winning run in a 4-2 game in the first game of a doubleheader against Eastern Michigan. He went 2-for-3 in all four games in improving the Buckeyes to 7-3. A three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader with Detroit gave the Buckeyes a come-from-behind 5-3 victory. He also had a solo home run the inning before. At the conclusion of the series, Kinnear was batting .438, up from a .182 average last year.
KINNEAR NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
Ohio State catcher Derek Kinnear has been named to watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, which is given annually to the National Collegiate Catcher of the Year, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced March 20.
The watch list, which currently consists of 32 players, will be updated to include other candidates until May 2 and will then be narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists May 20 and sent to the national voting panel at the end of May to determine the three finalists. Those finalists will be announced June 2, prior to the College World Series and the winner will be announced at the Sixth Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet June 24.
THE CAPTAINS
Senior pitchers Kyle Brown, Greg Prenger and Nate Smith, as well as junior infielder/outfielder Christian Snavely will share captain duties for the 2003 Buckeyes. All captains were selected by a vote of the team at the conclusion of fall practice in October.
SNAVELY NAMED TOP 100 PROSPECT
Baseball America named Christian Snavely to their Top 100 College Prospects list entering the 2003 season. Snavely, who last year played second base, was ranked 64th by the baseball magazine. The junior from Defiance, Ohio, can play a plethora of positions and has already seen time at first and third in addition to left field this season. Snavely batted .360 last season and owns a career batting average of .330 with 127 hits, 19 doubles, seven triples and 19 home runs, not to mention 87 RBI. This season he has just three hits in 20 at bats for a .150 average.
LEWIS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
Left-handed pitcher Scott Lewis received preseason mention as a Third Team Preseason All-American as selected by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Lewis, the 2002 Big Ten Freshman of the Year was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and finished the year with an 8-2 record and a team-best 2.84 ERA. Lewis finished the year with a Buckeye-best 91 strikeouts in 92.0 innings and was named to the all-tournament teams at the Big Ten Tournament and at the South Bend Regional.
LAST SEASON
Ohio State might not have won the 2002 Big Ten regular season championship, but the Buckeyes got the better end of the deal when they qualified for their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That reward came when Ohio State claimed the Big Ten Tournament Championship May 25 at Minnesota’s Siebert Field with a 6-3 victory over the Golden Gophers, which had won the regular season championship by .22 percentage points in front of the Buckeyes the final weekend of the regular season at Bill Davis Stadium in Columbus.
OSU was the only team from the conference to earn a bid to NCAA Tournament. Ohio State drew the third seed at the South Bend Regional, but lost its first-round game to second-seeded Notre Dame before bouncing back to win elimination games over Kent State, the fourth seed, and top-seeded South Alabama. Notre Dame beat the Buckeyes to advance to the Super Regional and ultimately the College World Series.
Along the way, several Buckeyes picked up honors. Eight OSU players were named to the All-Big Ten teams, including Nick Swisher, Scott Lewis and Nate Smith, which all three garnered first-team honors. Lewis was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year (the fourth straight such honoree from Ohio State) and Joe Wilkins was voted the Most Outstanding Player at the Big Ten Tournament. The Buckeyes landed six on the 12-member all-tournament team. Additionally, Lewis was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.
BUCKEYES IN 120TH SEASON
The 2003 season marks the 120th year of Ohio State baseball, which first took to the field in 1880, though did not play any games in 1887, 1908 and 1910. Ohio State won its 2,000th game last season and entered this season with an overall record of 2,032-1,306-4, a win percentage of .607.
The Buckeyes have been to the NCAA Tournament of 15 times, four of which have ended with a trip to the College World Series. After finishing second in 1965, Ohio State won the 1966 CWS, its only national championship in baseball. Other appearances in the CWS were in 1951 and 1967. In the NCAA Tournament, OSU is 35-31 (.530)
In Big Ten play, the Buckeyes own a 751-561-2 record, a win percentage of .572. A total of 15 times, Ohio State has won the regular Big Ten title and another six times has won the Big Ten Tournament, including last season when it won the tournament championship at Minnesota.
NEXT ACTION
Ohio State closes out the home portion of its 2003 schedule Wednesday night when Cleveland State travels to Bill Davis Stadium for a 6:35 p.m. game. The Buckeyes are then off to Minneapolis to close out the regular season at Minnesota, May 16-18.
