Baker and Koyano Named 2005-06 Ohio State Captains – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Nov. 14, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State senior Chelsea Baker and junior Nycole Koyano have been selected co-captains of the Buckeyes for the 2005-06 season, head coach Linda Kalafatis has announced. Baker (Gahanna, Ohio/DeSales), an outfielder and pitcher, and Koyano (Walnut, Calif./Walnut), an infielder, will lead an Ohio State team with high goals coming off a fourth place finish in the Big Ten.
“Chelsea and Nycole give us good leadership both on the field and off of it,” Kalafatis said. “Chelsea has always done an excellent job in the classroom and is one of our more intense and competitive players on the field. As a senior, she feels the urgency of keeping our team on course. Nycole has made an impact on our program since the day she arrived and now we’ll count on her to be more directive and vocal.”
Baker, a two-year starter, owns a .316 career batting average in 85 games as a Buckeye. She hit .356 last year with four home runs and 20 RBI and earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
“I am honored and excited to be chosen by my teammates as a captain my senior year,” Baker said. “Our team has a ton of potential and I’m looking forward to being one of the ones that leads us to have a very successful season.”
Koyano, a third-team All-Big Ten pick as a sophomore, is the first OSU junior to be named captain since All-American Anna Smith in 2001. Koyano has already started 105 games for the Buckeyes and owns a career batting average of .340 to go along with seven triples, 74 runs scored and 32 stolen bases.
“It’s an honor and privilege to lead such a talented team,” Koyano said. “I am very excited about this year’s prospects for the team and am looking forward to helping lead a wonderful group to a successful season. It will be very fulfilling to look at our accomplishments in the upcoming years and I am glad to be apart of it.” Ohio State’s 2006 season begins Feb. 10-12 at the New Mexico State Tournament.
“Every coach knows that a team’s success is tied in with the quality of leadership they get,” Kalafatis said. “Our coaching staff and players are counting on Chelsea and Nycole, with the help of our upperclassmen, to keep our team focused so we can enjoy a successful 2006 softball season.”
### GO BUCKS! ###
