Ohio State Softball Takes to the Road to Face Purdue and Indiana – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 28, 2004
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team (30-20; 5-9 Big Ten) takes to the road to face Big Ten foes Purdue (28-22; 3-11 Big Ten) and Indiana (28-27; 4-10 Big Ten). The Buckeyes and the Boilermakers will play at 5 p.m. EDT Friday and at 1 p.m. EDT Saturday before Ohio State faces the Hoosiers in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday in Bloomington, Ind.
TIED IT … LOOKING FOR THE MARK
The 2004 senior class of P/1B Kristi DeVries, 3B Breana Pozzi and 1B/DP Beth McAbier has been a part of 157 victories while wearing scarlet and gray and have tied the current Ohio State record of 157 wins collected by the senior class of 2003. Should the 2004 seniors break the wins record, it would be the third-consecutive season the Buckeye senior class has broken the school’s wins record.
WRIGHT STATE RECAP
The Ohio State softball team (30-20; 5-9 Big Ten) blew by Wright State (12-33-1; 2-12 Horizon League), 11-1, in the final home game of the season Tuesday night at Buckeye Field in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes used a 10-run first inning to mercy rule the Raiders and end the game after five complete. With the victory, the senior class of Kristi DeVries, Beth McAbier and Breana Pozzi improved their class career wins to 157 and tied the record for the winningest class in Buckeye softball history. Pitcher DeVries tallied 11 strikeouts, won her fourth-consecutive game and improved to 12-9 overall. Wright State’s Jacqueline Goosen dropped to 3-5.
A LOOK AT PURDUE
A 30-win season is two wins away for the eighth year in Boilermaker history when they play at Dayton Wednesday in a non-conference doubleheader. The chances of achieving the milestone are favorable for Purdue since it leads the series with the Flyers, 3-0. Although Purdue (28-22, 3-11 Big Ten) is in last place in the conference, it plays two crucial series this weekend at home against Ohio State and Penn State. In her 11th season as head coach at Purdue, Carol Bruggeman’s team most recently spilt with Michigan State and got swept in a twin bill against Northwestern last week. In the pitching circle, the Boilermakers are sixth in the Big Ten in team pitching (1.86 ERA), as Brooke Baker (15-10, 1.70 ERA) and Diana LaRiva (13-12, 2.06 ERA) are the only pitchers on the staff. In the batters box, shortstop Tricia Lilley is Purdue’s premier offensive threat with a .363 batting average and is first on the team in hits (57), RBI’s (32) and runs (29). Ohio State has won the last four meetings with the Boilermakers, but Purdue is 3-1 against Penn State in West Lafayette.
A LOOK AT INDIANA
After splitting a doubleheader with Michigan State last weekend, the Hoosiers (28-27; 4-10 Big Ten) are in the record books as they have now won more games than any Indiana softball team since 1997. Indiana will look to add to its record-setting year and jump back into the Big Ten race this weekend with home series against Penn State and Ohio State. In only her second season at Indiana, head coach Sara Hayes Nottger’s (28-27, 4-10 Big Ten) team currently stands in 10th place in the conference. The Hoosiers have a .210 batting average, a 2.71 team pitching ERA, and a .941 team fielding percentage. Leading the way for Indiana’s offense is catcher/infielder Tory Yamaguchi, who has the most hits (55) and homeruns (seven) and is also second on the team with a .337 batting average. Mariangee Bogado is the Hoosier’s top pitcher and has carried the squad this season, as she has pitched 180.1 innings and has amassed a 15-14 record and 1.59 ERA. Before Indiana squares off with Ohio State this weekend, it travels to Kentucky Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader.
FOUR IN A ROW FOR DEVRIES
Last week, Ohio State pitcher Kristi DeVries went 3-0 with wins over Kentucky, at Illinois and at Iowa. DeVries continued the streak with a victory against Wright State Tuesday. In her four consecutive wins, DeVries racked up 32 strikeouts with a 0.84 ERA.
ON A ROLL IN EXTRA INNINGS
Ohio State won its first extra-inning game April 17 when it beat Michigan State, 8-7, in eight innings and tallied a second extra-inning victory when the Buckeyes beat the Hawkeyes of Iowa, 5-3, in game one last Sunday. Previously, Ohio State dropped a nine-inning game vs. Massachusetts Feb. 29 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., and lost to Minnesota in 10 innings, 1-0, during the Big Ten opener April 2 at Buckeye Field in Columbus, Ohio.
LARGEST HOME CROWD
The Buckeyes played host to Northwestern in a doubleheader last weekend in front of the season’s largest home crowd of 462 people.
100 AND COUNTING FOR JUAREZ
With seven strikeouts in the 8-7 Buckeye win over Michigan State last Saturday, freshman pitcher Jamee Juarez has tallied 102 total strikeouts this season. She now has 107 total strikeouts and is ranked No. 4 on the all-time rookie records list. Juarez is only the fourth freshman pitcher in Buckeye history to reach the 100 strikeouts milestone and is 19 strikes from moving to No. 3 on the rookie record list.
RACKING UP THE MILES
The Ohio State softball team will finish Big Ten play on the road the final three weekends of conference competition. The Buckeyes traveled to Illinois and Iowa last weekend, Purdue and Indiana this weekend and finish up the regular-season Big Ten schedule at Penn State May 8-9.
THE BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN
In overall Big Ten statistics as of April 26, Ohio State boasted the league’s third-best offense with a .272 batting average and are fourth with a pitching staff that had tallied a 1.61 ERA as of Monday. In addition, the Buckeyes ranked third in the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.390) and fourth in on-base percentage (.344). OSU was tied for No. 4 in the Big Ten in stolen bases (54).
Individually, rookie Megan Schwab was tied for fourth with eleven doubles. Freshman Nycole Koyano was No. 8 the Big Ten in runs scored (30), ranked fourth in on-base percentage (.447), tied for second in walks (27) and tied for No. 5 in stolen bases (15). Jamee Juarez ranked tied for third in RBI (34). Sophomore Chelsea Baker was No. 8 with a 1.52 ERA and senior Kristi DeVries ranked ninth in the league in ERA (1.54) and ninth in strikeouts (145).
KEEP YOUR EYE ON …
-With a stolen base vs. Dayton April 7, Nycole Koyano set an Ohio State record for stolen bases by a freshman with 13. She has 15 for the season. The previous record of 12 was set by Candace Kollen in 1995.
-Senior Kristi DeVries blanked Illinois April 23, 1-0, for her 25th career shutout, which is just one shutout away from the Ohio State record of 26 held by Katie Chain (2000-03).
-Sophomore Stacy Hibma’s home runs April 6 and 7 were her first of the season. Her second homer, a two-run shot vs. Dayton, accounted for her first career multi-RBI game.
-Juarez owns a team-high 34 RBI, which is closing in on the Ohio State record for RBI by a freshman, held by Kristine Himes with 35 in 2000.
-Karisa Evans, Jamee Juarez and Nycole Koyano each own a team-best 12 multi-hit games this season.
-With a homerun vs. Butler last Tuesday, Chelsea Baker extended her hitting streak to nine games, which ended a game later but ranks as the best on the team this season. Baker has improved her batting average from .100 (as of March 6) to .309 (as of April 25).
-Evans is on a six-game hitting streak.
-Koyano has upped her average from .105 (as of Feb. 28) to .353 (as of April 27).
-Koyano (at second base) has started all 50 games this year.
-Juarez’s 12 pitching wins rank fifth in Ohio State history for wins by a freshman. The record is 16 and is held by senior Kristi DeVries (2001).
-The Buckeyes have out-scored their opponents 61-22 in the first inning of games this season.
BUCKEYE LEADERS
-Nycole Koyano leads Ohio State in hits (48), followed by Karisa Evans, who has 45 on the season. Jamee Juarez and Ashley Cutcliff has nailed a team-high four homeruns, which leads OSU, followed by Karisa Evans, Chelsea Baker and Megan Schwab, who all have hit three dingers this season.
-Koyano is batting .353 with nine RBI and a .457 on-base percentage and leads the team with 32 runs and 15 stolen bases (of 17 attempted). Her 32 runs scored are No. 2 among Buckeye all-time freshmen leaders (six from the record of 38 held by Candace Kollen) and her 15 stolen bases is a record for a rookie Buckeye softball player.
-Megan Schwab (.287) has 43 hits. Schwab has 11 doubles, best on the squad.
-Juarez owns a team-best 34 RBI, while Schwab is next with 21.
-Ashley Cutcliff owns the best slugging percentage (.633) on the squad.
-Kristi DeVries (12-9, 1.54 ERA) owns a team-best 156 strikeouts in 127.2 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .182 against her, which is best of the team. Juarez (12-8, 1.77 ERA) owns 107 strikeouts and Baker is 6-3 with a 1.52 ERA.
KALAFATIS WINS NO. 250 AT OSU
With the Buckeyes’ 8-0 win vs. Dayton in the first game of a double-header April 7, Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis collected her 250th win at the helm of the Buckeye softball program. Already Ohio State’s all-time wins leader, Kalafatis has improved to 258-187-2 in her eighth season at Ohio State and 531-302-2 overall in 16 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
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 531-302-2 in her 16th season as a collegiate head coach and 258-187-2 in her eighth season at the helm of the Ohio State program.
FOWLER ADDED TO OSU STAFF
Former Buckeye standout Chrissy Fowler has joined the Ohio State softball coaching staff. Fowler, a 2002 OSU graduate, was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes from 2000-02 in the outfield and was an integral part of Ohio State’s record-setting teams in 2001 and 2002 that finished 46-18 and 55-14, respectively. In 2000, she was named the team’s scholar athlete of the year and earned the Buckeye spirit award. In 2001 she was named the team’s most improved player.
Fowler, who graduated with degrees in sociology and women’s studies, is a native of Utica. Fowler will be coaching the Buckeye outfielders in place of Drema Neal, who is on medical leave.
DEVRIES STRIKES OUT NO. 500
Senior Kristi DeVries has lowered her ERA from 3.78 (as of Feb. 27) to her current 1.54 ERA. Her ninth and final strikeout at No. 15 Fresno State March 26 was her 500th career strikeout, making her just the second pitcher in Ohio State history to reach the 500 strikeout plateau. Katie Chain holds the record with 692 from 2000-03. DeVries has a total of 582 career strikeouts.
CUTCLIFF, JUAREZ 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. 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.
BAKER, SCHWAB EARN HONORS AR 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 home run.
Schwab batted .412 (7-for-17) during the weekend with two doubles, a home run and six RBI. Her home run, 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.
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 March 6 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.
SEVEN STARTERS BACK
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.
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 home runs.
2004 OUTLOOK
The Ohio State softball program is looking to return to their winning ways under the direction of head coach Linda Kalafatis, who is in her eighth season at the helm of the Buckeye program. A combination of new talent, experienced leaders, versatility and lights at Buckeye Field for the first time in program history should prove to add up to an exciting softball season in Columbus.
Ohio State finished 55-14 in 2002 but saw its record slip to 26-23 last season.
“We were not pleased with the second half of our season (last year) and I think that really has motivated our team,” Kalafatis said. “I think we have some very determined young ladies.”
In addition to a freshman class that will contribute immediately, Kalafatis is confident in her senior class, which consists of DeVries, McAbier and Pozzi.
“We have three seniors who are all capable of having their best seasons yet,” Kalafatis said. “So far they have provided good leadership for our team and they have the potential to leave as the winningest class in Ohio State softball history, like the two previous senior classes did.”
The pitching mound will have one of the Buckeyes’ leaders and all-time best pitchers this year in DeVries, who ranks second in career wins and strikeouts at Ohio State. The infield is perhaps where the most experience and the most versatility lies on the Buckeye squad. Returnees include DeVries, who doubles as a pitcher and first base player, McAbier, who led the team with 211 putouts last year at first base, Carder and Johnson, who shared time at shortstop last season, and Pozzi, who split time between third base and shortstop. A pair of catchers, junior Natalie Hales and sophomore Stacy Hibma, played in 16 and 28 games, respectively, last year. Rowlands, who played left field last season, will shift to center field this season and will be joined by returning starter junior Karisa Evans, who batted a team-high .345 in 2003.
PERFECTION IN THE FALL
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
Ohio State finishes regular-season Big Ten competition next weekend with a two-game stand vs. Penn State in State College, Pa. The Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions play at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 8, and at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 9.
