Ohio State Softball Heads West For Spring Break Trip – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 22, 2004
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PLEASANTON, Calif. – The Ohio State softball team (15-7) arrived in Pleasanton, Calif., Monday as the Buckeyes prepare for a five-game, six-day spring break trip through central California. Ohio State, winner of 10 of its last 11 games, will play St. Mary’s at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in a double-header, followed by a single game Wednesday at 2 p.m. at No. 13 Pacific. After an off day, the Buckeyes will travel to No. 15 Fresno State at 6 p.m. Friday for a double-header.
Upon their return home, the Buckeyes will play 18 of their next 20 games at Buckeye Field, which hosted the first home night game in Ohio State softball history last Friday night when the Buckeyes defeated Loyola-Chicago, 3-0, in the first day of the Buckeye Invitational. Ohio State posted a 3-0 record in the weather-shortened tournament.
BUCKEYES ON A ROLL
Ohio State has out-hit its last 11 opponents, 112-40, and out-scored them, 77-17. The last three weeks have seen the Buckeyes post a seven-game winning streak, have a player, Kristi DeVries, earn Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors and place four players on two respective all-tournament teams (Chelsea Baker and Megan Schwab at the Winthrop Invitational and Ashley Cutcliff and Jamee Juarez at the Buckeye Invitational). Ohio State posted a 2-0 record at the Dayton Invitational, March 6, a 5-1 record and runner-up finish at the Winthrop Invitational, March 12-14, and a 3-0 record at the Buckeye Invitational, March 19-20. A RETURN TO RANKED FOES
After playing ranked opponents in six of their first 10 games, the Buckeyes faced 13 consecutive opponents that are not appearing in the national polls. That trend will come to an end this week, however, as Ohio State takes on No. 13 Pacific and No. 15 Fresno State. The Buckeyes are 3-3 against ranked foes this season.
OHIO STATE PERFECT IN BUCKEYE INVITATIONAL
With a 3-0 record at the Buckeye Invitational last weekend, Ohio State improved to 16-0 all-time in their early-season tournament, which is in its fourth year. The Buckeyes defeated Loyola-Chicago, 3-0, and Robert Morris, 8-1, Friday and topped Northern Illinois, 11-3, Saturday before cold weather forced the cancellation of Sunday’s slate of games. Past teams that the Buckeyes have defeated in the tournament include Buffalo (2001), Cleveland State (2001), IUPUI (2001), Robert Morris (2002), Kent State (2002), Seton Hall (2002), Oakland (2003) and Morehead State (2003).
TOUGH SCHEDULE PAYING OFF
Of Ohio State’s first 10 opponents this season, all but one was selected for the NCAA tournament last season and six are currently ranked or receiving votes in the national polls. Since then, however, just one of the Buckeyes’ last 11 opponents were postseason qualifiers last year and none currently appear in the national polls. Ohio State posted a 10-1 record against those foes to improve to eight games over .500 for the first time since March 16 of last season when the Buckeyes were 14-6 following the 2003 Buckeye Invitational.
BUCKEYE LEADERS
Ohio State’s Megan Schwab, Nycole Koyano, Karisa Evans and Ashley Cutcliff, who bat 1-2-3-4 in the lineup, are at or near the top of nearly every Buckeye statistic. Cutcliff, a junior, boasts a team-best .560 batting average (14-for-25) and also leads the team in slugging percentage (.880) and on-base percentage (.645). Evans (.361, 22-for-61), a junior, and Schwab (.344, 22-for-64), a freshman, lead the team in base hits, while Koyano (.389, 21-for-54), also a freshman, trails them by just one hit.
Freshman Jamee Juarez leads the squad in RBI with 19, while other RBI leaders include Schwab (12), Cutcliff (10) and junior Natalie Hales (10 RBI, .266). Senior Beth McAbier (.320) leads the team in doubles (5) and has nine RBI. Other offensive leaders include sophomore Chelsea Baker (.346), junior Meghan Rowlands (.289) and senior Breana Pozzi (.281).
Juarez leads the pitching staff in innings pitched (64.0), strikeouts (66) and wins (7) and owns a 1.53 ERA. Senior Kristi DeVries (5-3, 1.84 ERA) has won her last five consecutive starts and has 54 strikeouts in 45.2 innings pitched. Baker leads the staff in ERA at 0.84 in 33.1 innings pitched.
CUTCLIFF, JUAREZ NAMED BUCKEYE INVITATIONAL ALL-STARS
Ohio State junior Ashley Cutcliff and freshman Jamee Juarez both were named to the nine-member Buckeye Invitational All-Tournament Team last weekend. Cutcliff batted .833 (5-for-6) during the weekend with three RBI, while Juarez batted .556 (5-for-9) with a double, triple and four RBI. Juarez also went 1-0 on the mound with a 0.00 ERA in nine innings pitched.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE BUCKEYE INVITATIONAL
– Senior Kristi DeVries’ one-hit shutout of Loyola-Chicago marked her 21st career shutout, which is five shy of the Ohio State record of 26 held by Katie Chain. DeVries’ strikeout total of 11 in that game tied her season-high.
– Junior Meghan Rowlands blasted her first career homerun in Ohio State’s 8-1 win vs. Robert Morris Friday night.
– Freshman Jamee Juarez knocked her first career triple vs. Robert Morris.
– With three hits vs. Northern Illinois, junior Ashley Cutcliff tied her career high for hits in a game.
– With two hits vs. Northern Illinois, Karisa Evans notched her team-leading seventh multi-hit performance of the season.
– Against Northern Illinois, senior Beth McAbier hit her team-leading fifth double of the season.
– Freshman Jamee Juarez knocked in her team-leading 18th and 19th runs of the season vs. Northern Illinois. Juarez is on the brink of entering the Top 5 for freshman RBI at Ohio State and is chasing the record of 35 held by Kristine Himes in 2000.
– Sophomore Chelsea Baker’s single in the second inning vs. Northern Illinois extended her current hitting streak to six consecutive games, the best active streak on the squad and one game shy of the team’s best streak of the season.
– With her pinch-hit double in the sixth inning vs. Loyola-Chicago Friday afternoon, sophomore Billie Jo Carder competed in her first game of the season. Later that night Carder made her first start of the season in Ohio State’s contest vs. Robert Morris.
WINTHROP INVITATIONAL RECAP
Ohio State traveled to Rock Hill, S.C., March 12-14 and placed second at the Winthrop Invitational. The Buckeyes went 4-0 in pool play then defeated Jacksonville State, 10-1, in the semifinals. Ohio State was defeated by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 6-0, in the tournament championship game.
The Buckeyes batted .395 during the tournament, compared to .189 for their opponents, and in their five wins OSU out-scored the opposition, 38-6. Twelve different players batted .300 or better during the weekend, led by Nycole Koyano (.562, 9-for-16), Ashley Cutcliff (.500, 6-for-12) and Chelsea Baker (.467, 7-for-15). Ohio State is now 9-3 against unranked teams this season.
BAKER, SCHWAB RECEIVE HONORS AT WINTHROP INVITATIONAL
Ohio State’s Chelsea Baker and Megan Schwab both were named to the all-tournament team of the Winthrop Invitational March 12-14. Baker went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 15.0 innings during the tournament and tossed a one-hit shutout vs. Furman Saturday. She also was impressive with the bat, hitting .467 (7-for-15) with a double and homerun. Schwab batted .412 (7-for-17) during the weekend with two doubles, a homerun and six RBI. Her homerun, a leadoff homer vs. Jacksonville State, was her second of the season and her 4-for-4 performance vs. tournament host Winthrop was her second such perfect effort of the season.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM S.C.
– Ashley Cutcliff and Nycole Koyano both extended their respective hitting streaks to seven games during the tournament, which marks Ohio State’s longest hitting streaks this season. Against North Carolina A&T, Stacy Hibma collected a pair of doubles for her first two hits of the season.
– Against Winthrop, Megan Schwab went 4-for-4 at the plate for her second such performance of the season.
– Jamee Juarez blanked North Carolina State, 2-0, for her first shutout of the season. Her nine strikeouts in that game is her season high for a seven-inning game. Meghan Rowlands’ triple against Furman was Ohio State’s first triple of the season and the second of her career.
– Kristi DeVries’ strikeout total of 11 against Jacksonville State is her season high. She posted a 2-0 record during the weekend with 15 strikeouts in nine innings pitched and allowed only one run.
– Against Jacksonville State, Megan Schwab led off the first inning with a homerun and Ashley Cutcliff led off the second inning with a homerun. Both homers were their second of the season. Schwab’s homer came exactly one month after her first round tripper, a three-run shot vs. Oregon, Feb. 13.
– Prior to her one-hitter vs. Furman, Chelsea Baker pitched five scoreless innings vs. North Carolina A&T with four strikeouts to earn her first win of the season. She also had a career best day at the plate with three hits, which included her first career double and homerun. Her two-run homer capped a six-run sixth inning for the Buckeyes.
DEVRIES PERFECT VS. WRIGHT STATE
Senior Kristi DeVries tossed a six-inning perfect game in Ohio State’s 8-0 mercy rule win vs. Wright State last Saturday at the Dayton Flyer Invitational. DeVries set down all 18 Raider batters she faced, striking out a season-high 10 hitters and retiring the remaining eight batters with four ground-outs and four pop-outs. The Big Ten named her the league’s Pitcher of the Week for her efforts. The game marked DeVries’ 20th career shutout (ranked 2nd all-time) and second career no-hitter, with her first coming April 17, 2002 vs. Morehead State. She took a perfect game into the seventh inning vs. Robert Morris as a freshman (March 20, 2001) but allowed a hit in the seventh inning. DeVries currently ranks second in the Ohio State career record book in both wins (46) and strikeouts (454). Her season-high strikeout total vs. Wright State tops the eight K’s she racked up in her last outing, which was a 4-3 win vs. Florida Atlantic Feb. 28 in Georgia.
SEVEN STARTERS RETURN
Seven starters return for the Buckeyes in 2004, including senior P/1B Kristi DeVries (.288, 15 RBI, 12-8, 1.33 ERA), junior OF Karisa Evans (.345, 13 2b, 17 RBI), junior 1B/DP Ashley Cutcliff (.280, 5 HR), sophomore SS Billie Jo Carder (.271), junior OF Meghan Rowlands (.192), senior 1B/DP Beth McAbier (.185) and junior IF Jennifer Johnson (.169). A total of 13 letterwinners return.
DEVRIES, POZZI NAMED CAPTAINS
Senior P/1B Kristi DeVries and senior 3B Breana Pozzi have been selected as co-captains for the 2004 Buckeyes. DeVries is already near the top of most Ohio State pitching records and also has been a solid contributor at the plate for the Buckeyes, as well. Pozzi, who heads into the 2004 season as the starter at third base, has proven to be a spark at the plate for Ohio State. Nagging injuries hampered her junior season after she batted .329 with 12 RBI as a sophomore.
SENIORS AIMING FOR WINS RECORD
The 2004 senior class of P/1B Kristi DeVries, 3B Breana Pozzi and 1B/DP Beth McAbier has been a part of 142 victories while wearing scarlet and gray, which is 15 wins shy of the Ohio State-record of 157 wins collected by the senior class of 2003. Should the 2004 seniors break the wins record, it would mark the third consecutive season the Buckeye senior class has broken the school’s wins record.
A HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR JUAREZ
Freshman Jamee Juarez celebrated her 19th birthday Feb. 15 with an outstanding performance in Ohio State’s 6-3 win vs. then-No. 19 Arizona State. The La Puente, Calif., native pitched all seven innings, allowing just six hits, and got the job done at the plate, as well, with a grand slam homerun to put the Buckeyes on top, 5-0, in the fourth inning. In the Arizona State Fiesta Bowl Tournament, which marked her collegiate debut, Juarez was 3-0 on the mound with a 1.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 21 innings of work.
KALAFATIS REACHES MILESTONES
The 2003 season provided Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis with a pair of prestigious accomplishments. A 4-1 win vs. Toledo April 9 was Kalafatis’ school-record 221st while at Ohio State, surpassing the previous record of 220 set by Gail Davenport from 1989-1996. Then April 30 a 6-0 win vs. Marshall gave Kalafatis her 500th career victory as a collegiate head coach. Kalafatis is now 516-289-2 (.643) in her 16th season as a collegiate head coach and 243-174-2 (.581) in her eighth season at the helm of the Ohio State program.
LOSSES FROM 2003 SQUAD
The 2003 senior class left Ohio State as the winningest class in the history of the program. 3B Kristine Himes, 2B Jennifer Link, IF Elizabeth Kacsanek, OF Rogeanna Hottinger, OF Amy Ellis, C Annie Dedic and P Katie Chain racked up 157 victories while wearing scarlet and gray. Chain set career records at Ohio State for innings pitched (677.1), wins (67), strikeouts (692) and shutouts (26). She and Link received All-America honors in 2002, while Himes belted a school-record 41 career homeruns.
BUCKEYES PERFECT IN FALL BALL
Ohio State fashioned a perfect 9-0 record during the fall over two weekends of tournament play. Once again Ohio State hosted the Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic, which raised nearly $10,000 for breast cancer research. Kalafatis’ squad won the event with a 5-0 record for the third consecutive year. A week later, the Buckeyes were a flawless 4-0 at the Wright State Fall Tournament in Dayton, Ohio.
NEXT UP
Following their spring break trip to California, the Buckeyes will play 18 of their next 20 games in Columbus at Buckeye Field. That stretch of games will begin with a pair of Big Ten series as Ohio State welcomes Minnesota and Wisconsin to Buckeye Field. The Buckeyes and Golden Gophers will meet at 6 p.m., Friday, April 2 and at noon, Saturday, April 3. Ohio State and Wisconsin will do battle in a double-header beginning at noon, Sunday, April 3.
### Go Bucks! ###
