In The Dugout – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 9, 2003
As a senior at Lakota East High School in West Chester, Ohio (near Cincinnati), Mike Rabin had no idea that baseball was in his future.
“It was kind of a fluke how I ended up at Ohio State,” Rabin said. “My high school coach kept nagging the Ohio State coaches to come take a look at me and it seemed as if they weren’t interested in me. Finally, (assistant) coach (Greg) Cypret came to an all-star game that I was playing in and I guess he saw something he liked and gave me an opportunity to come here. So far I think it has worked out well.”
Although Rabin, a sophomore communications major, came to Ohio State wanting to play right away, he knew himself that he was not ready to play on the next level just yet and decided to redshirt the 2001 season.
“Personally, I felt I wasn’t ready to play at this level and the extra year gave me an opportunity to improve as a hitter and become a better fielder,” Rabin said.
“In the fall when you come in you are constantly being evaluated and you don’t need the coaches to say that you’re not hitting the ball and you’re not playing well, you can see it yourself. If you’re striking out or hitting weak little grounders then you’re not ready to go. The coaches told me I was going to get redshirted and I couldn’t have been happier doing it.”
When he finally took to the field for the Buckeyes in 2002, Rabin split time between left, where he made 24 starts, and center field, where he made 20 starts. Having batted .319 overall, a figure that was fifth best on the team, in Big Ten games, he led the team with a .373 batting average, which was sixth best in the conference.
This season, Rabin is the starting centerfielder and already has started as many games as he did all of last season. He is batting .282 with three doubles, a triple and the first two home runs of his career.
The 6-foot Rabin said that his redshirt year not only prepared him for the physical aspects of the game but the mental ones as well. “During the season when we are on the road its tough,” Rabin said. “From Thursday to Sunday we’re traveling so you have to bring your books with you to study if not, you really have to focus when you’re in town to concentrate on your studies.”
