Buckeyes Open Ninth Season at Bill Davis Stadium vs. Toledo – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 29, 2005
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
(12-4; 0-0 Big Ten)
vs.
TOLEDO ROCKETS
(6-9; 1-2 MAC)
2:05 p.m., March 30, 2005
Bill Davis Stadium
Columbus, Ohio
SERIES HISTORY: Ohio State leads 20-6
Last Five Meetings
March 8, 2002 – Ohio State 38, Toledo 15
April 16, 1997 – Ohio State 12, Toledo 4
April 4, 1996 – Ohio State 11, Toledo 9
May 3, 1995 – Ohio State 11, Toledo 7
April 20, 1994 – Ohio State 15, Toledo 7
OHIO STATE RADIO/INTERNET
www.wosu.org
Neil Sika and Paul Barnes
PROBABLE OHIO STATE PITCHER
12 Jeffrey Carroll, LHP (1-0, 4.32 ERA, 4K, 8.1IP)
or
45 Dan Barker, RHP (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 3K, 5.0IP)
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State closed its 16-game road schedule to open the season in grand fashion, winning all eight games during spring break to run its win streak to nine games. Now the Buckeyes return to Columbus to open the ninth season at Bill Davis Stadium Wednesday against Toledo in a rare matinee first pitch at 2:05 p.m. The start time is different on previously published schedules, but please note 2:05 p.m. is the correct time.
The home game will be the first of six scheduled midweek home games for Ohio State this season. The Buckeyes welcome in Oakland on April 6, Malone on April 13, Eastern Michigan on April 27, Cleveland State on May 4 and Miami (Ohio) on May 11. The game against Cleveland State will start at 12:05 p.m. and already is sold out. The Buckeyes were 6-2 last season against midweek opposition at home.
Ohio State will return to the road this weekend for the Big Ten conference opener at Illinois. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series with the Illini 89-79-2 and have won eight of the last 12 games in the series.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes improved to 12-4 on the year and ran its win streak to nine games by winning all eight games on its spring break trip. Ohio State, which has not lost since falling to Bradley 4-3 on March 12, has beaten Rider, Northern Iowa, Bucknell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Illinois-Chicago, and twice beaten Cornell and Dartmouth.
Jason Zoeller leads Ohio State with a .411 batting average and 23 hits and has a hit in 12 straight games, during which he has batted .449. Zoeller, a sophomore from Verona, Pa., has three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 10 RBI. The Buckeyes raised their average from .285 to .303 during the eight-game trip. Four other Buckeyes starters join Zoeller with averages better than .300. Cody Caughenbaugh is batting .362 with 17 hits (five doubles, one triple) and his batted in 13 runs. Matt Angle is batting .349 with 15 hits and four RBI. Wes Schirtzinger is batting .328 with 21 hits and six RBI, while Jedidiah Stephen is batting .327 with a team-best four home runs. Stephen is second on the team with 16 RBI, one off the pace of Paul Farinacci, who has batted in 17 runs on 13 hits (six doubles, one triple).
Dan DeLucia has the best ERA on the team at 1.54 and a record of 1-1 and 21 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. Cory Luebke has 25 strikeouts to lead the staff. He is 2-0 with a 1.57 ERA in 28.2 innings. Trent Luyster leads the team with a 4-1 record. He has a 4.08 ERA and 15 strikeouts through 28.2 innings. Trey Fausnaugh, who appears on the watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, is 1-0 and has two saves to go with a 3.95 ERA in 13.2 innings. As a staff, Ohio State’s ERA is 3.26.
ABOUT TOLEDO
Toledo took a 6-13 overall record into its Tuesday home game vs. Michigan State. The Rockets are 1-2 in the Mid-American Conference after it lost two of three games to Kent State last weekend at home to open league play. The Rockets lost 3-1 and 10-3 before winning 4-1 in the series finale. Toledo has a .249 batting average and a 7.14 ERA, while its opponents have a .321 batting average and 3.98 ERA. Brian Sanders leads the team with a .333 average, though he has played in only seven games. Dan Stong has played and started all 19 games for the Rockets and has a .319 average with 22 hits, one home run and nine RBI. Drew Hoisington (.316) leads the team with 24 hits and seven doubles, while Jason Watson (.229) leads the team with 13 RBI. Nick Szczur has made five starts on the mound and is 2-2 with a 4.55 ERA in 31.2 innings. He paces the team with 28 strikeouts. J.R. Duffey has made six starts and is 2-4 with a 5.06 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 32.0 innings. The only other player with significant starts is Joe Welsh, who is 0-4 with a 7.81 ERA in 27.2 innings and 18 strikeouts over 27.2 innings. Reliever Greg Gompf is 2-0 with a 2.08 in eight appearances (13.0 innings).
AGAINST THE ROCKETS
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Toledo 20-6 in a series that dates back to 1934, a 4-2 win by the Buckeyes in Toledo. The Scarlet and Gray has won the last 12 meetings in the series going back to a 3-2 loss to the Rockets in 1983. The last time the teams met was in 2002 when Ohio State won 38-15 in a windy Albuquerque, N.M.
Last 14 Meetings (Ohio State leads 13-1)
April 12, 1983 – Ohio State 3, Toledo 2
April 12, 1983 – Toledo 3, Ohio State 2
April 10, 1984 – Ohio State 10, Toledo 6
April 10, 1984 – Ohio State 8, Toledo 5
April 8, 1986 – Ohio State 8, Toledo 3
April 8, 1986 – Ohio State 3, Toledo 2
April 8, 1987 – Ohio State 2, @Toledo 0
April 8, 1987 – Ohio State 3, @Toledo 2
April 12, 1990 – Ohio State 17, Toledo 0
April 20, 1994 – Ohio State 15, Toledo 7
May 3, 1995 – Ohio State 11, Toledo 7
April 4, 1996 – Ohio State 11, Toledo 9
April 16, 1997 – Ohio State 12, Toledo 4
March 8, 2002 – Ohio State 38, Toledo 15
LAST TIME VS. TOLEDO
Ohio State scored a school record 38 runs, including 13 in the fourth inning, in a 38-15 win over the Toledo Rockets in extremely windy conditions March 8 at Lobo Field at the University of New Mexico. The Buckeyes also scored eight runs in each of the second and fifth innings and scored in all but the seventh scoring 38 runs off 33 hits with just two errors.
Designated hitter Tony Pettorini went 6-for-6 from the plate scoring six times. Pettorini had home runs in the third and fourth innings and had three singles and a double to knock in five Buckeyes. Doug Deeds and Lance Rolston also had two-homer games. Deeds finished 4-for-6 with six RBI while Rolston was 3-for-7, with a sacrifice fly, to produce a team-best seven RBI.
Second baseman Christian Snavely was 5-for-6, scoring five times with four RBI and centerfielder Nick Swisher was 3-for-5 with five RBI. All nine Ohio State starting batters had at least one hit. Drew Anderson missed hitting for the cycle by a home run and two others also missed hitting for the cycle. Swisher needed a home run, while Deeds needed a single.
Senior right-hander E.J. Laratta picked up the win for the Buckeyes, improving to 2-0 on the year, allowing five runs (one earned) on eight hits.
OHIO STATE SPRING BREAK
The Buckeyes went a perfect 8-0 on their spring break trip to Sarasota and Bradenton, Fla. Ohio State opened the week with an 11-3 victory over Northern Iowa at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota and then beat Bucknell 14-3 and Wisconsin-Milwaukee 4-1. It was the Buckeyes’ version of March Madness since all three of those schools had basketball teams in the NCAA tournament. The trip continued with a 4-2 win against Illinois-Chicago before a two-day layoff. Ohio State returned to beat Cornell 6-4, took two games in a doubleheader against Dartmouth, 4-1 and 5-3, before closing the trip with an 11-2 victory over Cornell.
Ohio State hit .321 in the eight games and finished with a 1.93 ERA in 70.0 innings in Florida. Sophomore Jason Zoeller hit .419 in eight starts split between second base and shortstop and was the only Buckeye to have a double-figure hit total, finishing with 13 in 31 at bats. Freshman Eric Fryer hit .400 in the seven games he played at catcher. Two of his eight hits were doubles. Junior Jedidiah Stephen batted .346 and two of his nine hits were home runs, while another two were doubles. He and junior designated hitter Cody Caughenbaugh, who batted .391, each knocked in eight RBI. But senior first baseman Paul Farinacci drove in 10 runs as half of his eight hits were for extra bases, which included three doubles and a triple.
Cory Luebke and Trent Luyster each picked up two victories during the spring break trip. Luebke took a no hitter into the seventh inning in his complete game 4-1 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but ended the game allowing one run on four hits with a season-best nine strikeouts against no walks. He pitched eight innings against Dartmouth in his next outing and allowed only one run (unearned) on three hits with six strikeouts. In a seven-inning outing against Northern Iowa, Luyster allowed one run on five hits in his first win and then against Cornell got his fourth win of the season. Dan DeLucia, Rory Meister, Jeffrey Carroll and Trey Fausnaugh also picked up wins during spring break.
AN OMEN?
The last time an Ohio State went undefeated on its spring trip was 2001 when the Buckeyes went 10-0 in Bradenton. The team went on to finish 43-18 overall and 20-7 to win the Big Ten regular season championship, which is the last title for the Buckeyes, who have finished as a bridesmaid each of the last three seasons.
IN THE RANKINGS
Ohio State has consistently been receiving votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 35 poll all season, but this week the Buckeyes started receiving votes in the Sports Weekly/ESPN coaches’ poll. Ohio State received one vote in the weekly Top 25 poll after it rattled off wins in its last nine games to improve to 12-4 on the year.
IN HOME OPENERS
Since Bob Todd arrived to Ohio State prior to the 1988 season, the Buckeyes are 12-5 in home openers. The Scarlet and Gray lost to Eastern Michigan 2-1 last season. In the eight home openers at Bill Davis Stadium, Ohio State is 5-3.
TODD CLOSING IN ON 700 AT OSU
Now in his 18th season as skipper of the Buckeyes, head coach Bob Todd needs only two victories for his 700th win at the school. Todd’s record at Ohio State is 698-359-2 (.660). Add his four-year record of 124-82 from Kent State (1984-87) and the 22nd-year career head coach has a 822-430-2 (.656) record.
Todd’s Milestone Ohio State Wins
1 – Feb. 27, 1988 vs. Louisville (16-2)
100 – Feb. 22, 1991 vs. Dartmouth (14-7)
200 – March 28, 1993 vs. Cleveland St. (9-5)
300 – April 13, 1995 at Wright State (16-6)
400 – May 16, 1997 at Michigan (9-2)
*480 – May 8, 1999 vs. Michigan St. (11-1)
500 – March 22, 2000 vs. Florida Int’l (2-0)
600 – May 19, 2002 vs. Minnesota (9-2)
700 – two wins away
*became the winningest coach in Ohio State history
Todd’s Milestone Career Victories
1 – March 23, 1984 vs. Mercer (18-4)
100 – March 25, 1987 vs. UNC-Wilm. (12-10)
200 – April 1, 1990 vs. Wisconsin (7-4)
300 – April 22, 1992 vs. Ohio (16-2)
400 – May 14, 1994 vs. Purdue (8-7)
500 – March 30, 1997 at Michigan St. (4-0)
600 – May 5, 1999 vs. Oakland (11-9)
700 – March 17, 2002 vs. Detroit (7-2)
800 – May 8, 2004 vs. Penn State (3-1)
Todd’s Milestone Big Ten Wins
1 – April 3, 1988 vs. Illinois (14-6)
100 – May 1, 1993 vs. Michigan (3-2)
200 – May 10, 1998 vs. Michigan State (5-4)
300 – April 2, 2004 vs. Illinois (5-1)
Bob Todd WAS THE FASTEST TO 300 BIG TEN WINS
With a 5-1 victory over Illinois April 2, 2004, Ohio State coach Bob Todd won his 300th career Big Ten game, becoming the second coach to ever top the number. Todd, now with 318 Big Ten victories, was the fastest to 300 wins, doing so in his 17th season. Minnesota coach John Anderson has guided the Golden Gophers to 375 and recorded his 300th conference victory during his 20th season at Minnesota in 2001.
Current Big Ten Coaching Records* Coach, School Yrs. Record Pct. John Anderson, MINN 23 375-191-0 .663 Bob Todd, OSU 17 318-163-0 .661 Bob Morgan, IND 21 236-300-1 .440 Richard Jones, ILL 14 202-191-0 .514 Paul Stevens, NW 17 201-279-1 .419 Ted Mahan, MSU 9 107-152-0 .413 Doug Schreiber, PUR 6 89-86-0 .509 Rich Maloney, MICH 2 35-27-0 .565 Jack Dahm, IOWA 1 12-20-0 .375 Robbie Wine, PSU 0 0-0-0 .000 * records entering 2005 season
BUCKEYES A LITTLE WOUNDED
Ohio State is feeling the bite of an injury bug this season. It started the first game of the season when senior co-captain Steve Caravati pulled his hamstring. The 2004 Big Ten Player of the Year played four games during spring break, but played longer than the fourth inning only once, and started at first base in the 11-2 victory vs. Cornell last Saturday. Caravati, who had not played first base since high school, made the appearance at first in hopes of limiting the outfielder’s running. Jacob Howell, the 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, injured his right shoulder diving back to first base in the game at North Florida. Howell made the spring break trip, but did not play in any of the eight games. Mike Madsen did not travel to Jacksonville because of tendonitis in his right shoulder. The senior, who has won 18 games and was a third-team All-Big Ten selection last season, returned to the mound in game two against Dartmouth, but struggled in a two-inning outing, allowing three runs on two hits, a pair of walks and a hit batsman.
LUEBKE IMPRESSIVE ON MOUND
Freshman pitcher Cory Luebke looks like anything but a rookie on the mound. The 19th-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates has made six appearances in a Buckeye uniform and has made three starts. His most impressive outing to date was March 20, a 4-1 victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee when he mowed down nine batters and took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He allowed one run on four hits and did not walk a single batter. In his next outing, March 25 in the first game of a doubleheader against Dartmouth, the lefty nearly got his second straight complete game, going eight innings and allowing one unearned run in a 4-1 victory against the Big Green. Luebke is 2-0 on the year and leads the team with 25 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. He is second on the team and fourth in the Big Ten with a 1.57 ERA, just behind Dan DeLucia, who owns a 1.54 ERA in two fewer games.
DELUCIA DEALING FOR BUCKEYES
Dan DeLucia made two starts for Ohio State last week, leading the Buckeyes with 13 strikeouts and only two walks. The sophomore from Columbus (Bishop Watterson) pitched 6.1 innings in the 4-2 win over Illinois-Chicago, a game in which he allowed two runs on eight hits with one walk and four strikeouts. The left-handed pitcher tossed only the first five innings against Cornell, but had a career-high nine strikeouts and only one walk. His previous high was four. He allowed only four hits in the 11-2 OSU win that ran the team’s win streak to nine and sealed the first undefeated spring break trip since 2001. At, 1-1, DeLucia leads the team with his 1.54 ERA, which is third in the Big Ten.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES FOR ZOELLER
In 32 games all of last season in his rookie campaign, Jason Zoeller had 17 hits in 67 at bats (.254 batting average) and batted in six runs. So far this season as a sophomore, the Verona, Pa., native has 23 hits in 56 at bats (.411) and has already knocked in 10 runs. Six of this 23 hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles, one triple and two home runs). He has touched more bases, 34, than anyone on the team, has a slugging percentage of .607 and an on-base percentage of .468 with five walks and only four strikeouts. The middle infielder has played in 14 games (11 starts at second and three at short) and is riding a 12-game hit streak, in which he is batting .449. His best game to date came against Rider when he was 5-for-6 with three RBI and three runs scored.
HIT STREAKS
Jason Zoeller is riding a 12-game hit streak, which is currently the longest by a Buckeye and the longest since Steve Caravati hit in 13 straight games last season. Zoeller is batting .449 during the streak which began in the third game of the season against then No. 7 Georgia. Zoeller did not play against North Carolina or Arizona State, but returned at North Florida and has a hit in all 11 games since. Previously, the longest hit streak of the season had belonged to Jedidiah Stephen, who had a hit in his first 11 games of the season before the streak snapped in the first game against Dartmouth.
Other current streaks of note include a seven-game streak by Buckeye designated hitter Cody Caughenbaugh, a six-game streak by first baseman Paul Farinacci and a five-game streak by designated hitter Adam Schneider. Jay Semke holds the Ohio State record with a 23-game hit streak in 1997.
BUCKEYE RECORD BOOK
Steve Caravati ranks ninth with his .356 career battingaverage. His 201 hits tie him for 16th, while his 565 at batsbarely miss the school’s Top 25 list. The fifth-year seniorco-captain from Dover, Ohio (Dover) is tied for seventh with ninetriples and his 21 career home runs are tied for 21st. Caravati hasbatted in 139 runs during his career (19th in school history),including 52 RBI last season. He needs 42 to move into second placeall-time at Ohio State. Dan Seimetz (1995-98) holds the schoolrecord with 236 RBI. Mike Rabin has 673 career at bats, which istied for the ninth most of any player in school history. The OSUrecord is 823, set by Mark Carek (1995-98). Rabin, who already has48 at bats in 2005, needs 151 at bats to break that record. He had234 at bats as a sophomore and 228 last year, so that is one recordto watch. His 35 steals are the 35th most in school history.Rabin’s 195 hits are tied for the 22nd best total in school annals.Rabin moved up on the school’s all-time stolen base list. He nowhas 38 career stolen bases, which ranks ninth best all-time. Rabinis 4-for-5 on the base paths this season. With four home runs thisseason, Jedidiah Stephen has 17 career home runs. The junior fromCaldwell, Ohio, needs three more home runs to crack the school’sTop 25 list. With 18 career victories, Mike Madsen is tied for 19thwith a win percentage of .720 (18-6) ranks 17th in school history.His 18 wins tie him for 19th in the school record book. Madsen hasnow pitched 180.2 career innings, making him eligible to be rankedamong several career stat categories. With a minimum of 175.0career innings pitched, he ranks seventh in fewest hits allowed(187), fifth in fewest bases on balls (77), eighth in fewest runs(100) and seventh in fewest earned runs allowed (88). Trent Luysterhas made 51 appearances in his career to rank 19th, while MikeMadsen has pitched in 49 games, which ties him for 21st.
BIG TEN RANKINGS
In the Big Ten rankings that were released Monday, Ohio State ranked third in team batting (.303) behind Indiana (.348) and Michigan (.317); ranked third in team ERA (3.26) behind Michigan (2.60) and Illinois (2.79); and ranked second in fielding (.975) behind Illinois (.979).
Jason Zoeller was the lone Buckeye to rank in the Top 10 in batting average. His .411 average is the eighth-best in the league. Two Ohio State pitchers check in the Top 4 spots in the conference standings. Dan DeLucia is third in the league with his 1.54 ERA, while Cory Luebke is fourth with his 1.57 ERA. At 4-1, Trent Luyster is tied for the most pitching victories in the league with Illinois’ Brian Blomquist, Indiana’s Josh Lewis and Michigan’s Jim Brauer and Derek Feldkamp.
FIELDING PERCENTAGE UP
The Buckeyes’ fielding percentage of .975 is the best it has been through 16 games in each of the last five seasons. The 2003 team was close with its .971 fielding percentage through a 10-6 record. The Buckeyes have six error-free games and are 5-1 in those games. Ohio State has committed at least one error in 10 games this season (7-3 record in those games), but only in four games has it committed more than one error. The Buckeyes had a season-high three errors in a 4-3 loss to Bradley and two errors in wins over North Florida and the two victories against Cornell. The Buckeyes have only 15 errors in 608 chances. All 16 opponents have had an error against the Buckeyes and are fielding at a percentage of .932.
Fielding Through 16 Games (since 2000) Year Pct. P.O. Asst. ERR Record 2005 .975 414 179 15 12-4 2004 .956 412 180 27 12-4 2003 .971 413 154 17 12-3-1 2002 .960 408 170 24 10-6 2001 .951 391 192 30 7-9 2000 .971 395 173 17 12-4
BUCKEYES FIND OFFENSE IN WINS IN JACKSONVILLE
Ohio State won two of three games at the Kennel Club Classic March 11-12 in Jacksonville. In the two wins Ohio State out-hit its opposition 19-18 in each game, beating North Florida 16-10 and Rider 15-9. In the loss, the Buckeyes gave up four runs in the eighth in a 4-3 loss.
Ohio State erupted for a season-high 19 hits in a 16-10 victory over North Florida March 11 at the Kennel Club Classic. The teams combined for 37 hits, but the Buckeyes hits were more timely. After only one hit in the first three innings, Ohio State had three big innings in the victory that evened the team’s record to 3-3. Ohio State scored three in the fourth inning, four in the fifth, one in the sixth and then seven runs in the seventh. Six runs crossed the plate in the seventh before the first out of the inning was recorded in the score book. Eight Buckeyes had multiple hits, including home runs by Jedidiah Stephen, a two-run shot in the seventh, Jason Zoeller, a three-run shot in the seventh, and Ronnie Bourquin, a solo shot in the ninth. Paul Farinacci and Schirtzinger each had three hits. Farinacci knocked in two runs and scored twice, while Schirtzinger drove in one run and scored once. Zoeller and Stephen each went 2-for-5 with three RBI. OSU starting pitcher Trent Luyster picked up his second win of the season to improve to 2-1.
In the loss to Bradley, Ohio State committed three errors in the bottom of the eighth inning and allowed the Braves to score four unearned runs in a 4-3 loss. The Buckeyes had scored twice in the first inning and added a run in the fifth and protected the 3-0 lead until poor defense allowed Bradley to take the lead in the eighth. Ohio State starter Dan DeLucia pitched well, but not as well as he did in his debut against Arizona State. He pitched six inning and allowed only two hits despite four walks. He also had four strikeouts, but did not factor in the decision. Brett Hatcher was pegged with the loss in his 2/3 of an inning after he allowed two runs on two hits. Five different Buckeyes accounted for the five hits. Zoeller, Cody Caughenbaugh and Angle drove in the team’s three runs.
After giving up the lead in the top of the eighth inning, Ohio State battled back to score eight runs in the bottom of the inning on its way to a 15-9 victory over Rider. The Buckeyes had Rider in a 7-0 hole, but over the course of the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, gave up eight runs to the Broncs and saw the lead vanish. Back-to-back doubles by Jason Zoeller and Ronnie Bourquin tied the game at eight. Bourquin went to third on a single by Adam Schneider and scored on a fielder’s choice by Paul Farinacci to give the Buckeyes a 9-8 lead, one it would not lose. Ohio State added six more runs in the inning on a total of six hits and three errors. Rider added a run in the top of the ninth to close within the 15-9 final score. Zoeller finished 5-for-6 in the game with two singles, two doubles and a triple, while knocking in three runs and scoring three times. Wes Schirtzinger added four hits with one run and one RBI and Bourquin added three hits with two runs and two RBI. Despite allowing the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth, Brett Hatcher got the benefit of his teammates offensive outburst in the bottom half of the inning to pick up his first win of the season. He improved to 1-1 on the season allowing two runs on five hits in 1.2 innings.
OSU GOES 1-2 IN NORTH CAROLINA, PULLS UPSET OF NO. 4 TAR HEELS
The Buckeyes might have gone 1-2 at the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C., but Ohio State did have some success in its third, fourth and fifth games against three of the top teams in college baseball. The Scarlet and Gray lost the opening game of the tournament, falling 4-3 to No. 7 Georgia, but rebounded to beat No. 4 North Carolina and Daniel Bard, 2-1. Arizona State handed Ohio State a 3-0 loss in the weekend finale.
Against Georgia, Ohio State scored first, but Georgia countered with a three-run home run in the third and a solo shot in the fifth and held on to down the Buckeyes 4-3 in the opening game. Georgia had taken a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning and kept Ohio State bats quiet until the eighth inning when it had three hits on reliever Joshua Fields. UGA starter Will Startup gave up a double to Bourquin to start the third, but retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced. Those two hits came off the bats of Jason Zoeller, who singled in the top of the fourth, and Jacob Howell, who singled in the seventh.
Ohio State made the two runs in scored in the first inning hold up in a 2-1 upset of No. 4 North Carolina. The Buckeyes took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and never surrendered it. Wes Schirtzinger singled deep in the hole at second base and Ronnie Bourquin followed with a walk. Jedidiah Stephen delivered Schirtzinger with a single down the right-field line and then Cody Caughenbaugh flew out to center, scoring Bourquin on the sac fly. OSU starter Trent Luyster kept the Tar Heels off the score board until the seventh inning when Chase Younts pulled UNC within a 2-1 score with a single to right-center field to score Seth Williams. Luyster improved to 1-1, while the Buckeyes gave Bard his first defeat against two wins. Trey Fausnaugh picked up his first save of the season in his second appearance.
Arizona State, who was playing its 21st game of the season, scored the only run it needed in the bottom of the fifth and added two more runs in the eighth to down Ohio State a 3-0 in a duel between pitchers. Each starting pitcher – Ohio State’s Dan DeLucia and Arizona State’s Pat Bresnehan – pitched great games from the opening pitch, but it was Bresnehan who had the timely offense to pick up his first victory of the season. For DeLucia, he allowed seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts in his six-inning start. The difference was the run in the fifth. DeLucia, who got the loss, allowed four hits in the first four innings, but Arizona State scored its first run on three hits, including a one-out double by Andrew Romine. Ohio State could not turn three Sun Devil errors, including two in the first inning, into any offense. The Buckeyes left 11 base runners, including six in scoring position.
LUYSTER NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ohio State senior pitcher Trent Luyster was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after leading the Buckeyes to a 2-1 victory over No. 4 North Carolina March 5 at the Keith LeClair Classic in Greenville, N.C. Luyster allowed only one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. The senior left-hander from Flushing, Ohio (Harrison Central) struck out four batters while producing only one walk to boost Ohio State to its first win over a top 25 opponent since 2003, when OSU defeated Clemson and Auburn during NCAA regional play. Luyster, who returned to Ohio State after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs last year, is the only Buckeye player to be honored this season.
WIN VS. UNC THE 200TH SINCE 2000
The 2-1 Ohio State victory over North Carolina was the 200th win since the 2000 season. The Buckeyes now have a record of 210-111-1, the best in the Big Ten. During that time, Ohio State has made three trips to the NCAA tournament, including a super regional appearance in 2003 after sweeping through the NCAA Auburn Regional with wins over Clemson and Auburn. The Buckeyes also have the best record in the Big Ten since 1990, with a record of 633-293-2.
BUCKEYES OPEN SEASON 1-1
Ohio State opened the 2005 season with an 8-4 victory over Middle Tennessee Feb. 25, but lost its second game of the season, falling to Troy, 6-4, the next day. A third game at the Wiregrass Baseball Classic in Dothan, Ala., against Iowa was rained out.
Leading 2-1 against Middle Tennessee through 6 1/2 innings, Ohio State scored six runs in the bottom of the inning on its way to an 8-4 victory over Middle Tennessee. Jacob Howell, who finished 3-for-4 in the game, led off with a triple before back-to-back walks by Mike Rabin and Steve Caravati loaded the bases. Adam Schneider delivered a pinch-hit double to left-center field to score Rabin and Caravati to give Ohio State a 5-1 advantage. Jason Zoeller walked to load the bases and Paul Farinacci doubled to left-center field to clear the bases and build the Buckeye lead to 8-1.
Middle Tennessee added a run in the eighth and a run in the ninth to close within four runs. Buckeye starting pitcher Mike Madsen retired the first six batters of the game, including three strikeouts in the first inning.
Troy’s Blake Green launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a 2-2 tie as Troy held on to down Ohio State, 6-4. Troy relied on the arm hometown standout Landon Brazell, a fifth-year Troy senior from Dothan, who came up just short of going the distance for the Trojans. He allowed four runs on nine hits, threw 127 pitches and faced three batters in the ninth inning before giving way to Ryan Ramsey, who recorded the final three outs of the game. Ohio State got to Brazell for two unearned runs in the ninth. Trent Luyster was tagged with the loss after pitching 5.0 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits with three walks and a pair of strikeouts.
Rain washed out the final day of the Wiregrass Baseball Classic at Northcutt Field. Ohio State was scheduled to play a non-conference game vs. Iowa last Sunday, but steady rain coming off of the Gulf of Mexico forced the cancellation of game.
75TH SEASON OPENING VICTORY
With the win over Middle Tennessee Feb. 25, Bob Todd’s Buckeyes are 10-8 in season openers. Now in the 122nd year of Ohio State baseball, the Buckeyes are 75-45-2 (.623) in season openers.
FAUSNAUGH ON NCBWA STOPPER OF THE YEAR AWARD WATCH LIST
Ohio State sophomore pitcher Trey Fausnaugh is one of 30 players who have been named to the initial watch list for the inaugural National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, the association announced Feb. 23. The award will be given annually to the top relief pitcher in Division I.
Fausnaugh, a 2004 Third Team All-Big Ten selection from Circleville, Ohio (Westfall), led the conference with 32 appearances, all in relief. He also led the league with nine saves and was second in the conference with 18 games finished. Fausnaugh’s nine saves and 32 appearances equaled the third most in a season by an Ohio State pitcher. He finished 2-1 with a 3.50 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 46.1 innings.
From the list of finalists, which will be announced June 1, the NCBWA’s All-America Committee will select a winner. The first annual winner will be announced on June 8, two days prior to the beginning of NCAA super regional action.
2005 SEASON OUTLOOK
The goals are simple. Ohio State has finished second in the Big Ten each of the last three seasons since winning its 14th conference championship in 2001, the sixth title since 1991. All three years the Buckeyes were edged by Minnesota in the final weekend of the regular season. Twice the Scarlet and Gray fought back to win the Big Ten tournament and the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. But even that was missing last year when the team sat out postseason for the first time since 2000.
In 2005, Ohio State believes it has what it takes to get back to the top of the league standings and back to the NCAA tournament, where it has ventured 16 times in school history and 10 times under 18th-year head coach Bob Todd.
“When people talk about Ohio State baseball, they realize we have developed a quality baseball program,” Todd said. “I know the goals of our players every year are to contend for the Big Ten championship, play in the NCAA tournament and earn the right to go to Omaha.”
Ohio State is only two seasons removed from making its most recent push to the College World Series. The Buckeyes came within two victories of securing a berth in the pinnacle of the sport in 2003. Todd’s 1999 team was within one victory of getting to Omaha and his 1992 and 1993 teams finished second in the old eight-team regional format.
The Buckeyes plan on making it back to the tournament this season. Since 1991, when Todd’s fourth Ohio State team made it to the postseason, after an eight-year absence, his teams have not missed out on the NCAA tournament in consecutive seasons.
Winning the Big Ten will be a tall order, just like every other season. The Buckeyes will have to face a much-improved Michigan team in Ann Arbor in late April and will play host to Minnesota the last week of the regular season at Bill Davis Stadium. Preseason prognosticators have said any of these three teams could make a run at the 2005 Big Ten Championship.
2005 TEAM CAPTAINS
The Buckeyes elected two fellow teammates to serve as team captains for the 2005 season: senior outfielders Steve Caravati and Mike Rabin. Caravati also was a captain during the 2004 campaign.
2004 SEASON REVIEW
Ohio State had a chance to win the Big Ten regular season title by taking three of four games at Minnesota the final week of the regular season, but fell one game short of earning the first regular season title since the 2001 season. Instead, the Buckeyes went back to Minneapolis the following week as the second seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
After losing the opening game of the tournament, Ohio State rattled off four consecutive wins to force a second championship game against Minnesota. The Buckeyes eliminated Michigan State, Purdue and Michigan before knocking off the Gophers to force the second championship, but a bid at a third straight Big Ten tournament title, which would have been a first by a school in the conference, fell one game short as Ohio State lost to Minnesota 7-3.
That left the Buckeyes hoping for at at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, but that invitation never came and the Buckeyes were left out for the first time since the 2000 season. Nevertheless, it was a year highlighted by Steve Caravati being named Big Ten Player of the Year, the first Buckeye so honored since Dan Seimetz in 1997. He was also a third-team All-America selection by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Jacob Howell was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming the eighth Ohio State rookie to win that honor. He was also named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. Six Buckeyes earned mention on the All-Big Ten teams as Caravati and Josh Newman earned first-team honors. Howell and Drew Anderson garnered second-team mention, while Trey Fausnaugh and Mike Madsen picked up third-team kudos. Cody Caughenbaugh was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, while a total of seven Buckeyes were named Academic All-Big Ten and 12 named as OSU Scholar-Athletes.
ON THE RADIO
Ohio State baseball games are being broadcast again this season on NPR 820 (WOSU-AM), which will broadcast a total of 40 regular-season games, plus all postseason contests. Neil Sika and Paul Barnes will call the action. Live audio is available on the Internet at www.wosu.org or by clicking a link at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
UP NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES…
Ohio State begins Big Ten play Friday with a four-game series at Illinois. The teams will play a single game at 5:05 p.m. Friday, a doubleheader at 1:05 p.m. Saturday and a single game at 2:05 p.m. Sunday. Game times on Friday and Saturday were moved up to accommodate the Illinois men’s basketball team’s appearance in the NCAA Final Four and differ from previously published schedules. All four games of the series will be broadcast on the Internet at www.wosu.org and the final game will also be broadcast on NPR 820 (WOSU-AM).
