Ohio State Begins Big Ten Play on the Road at Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 31, 2005
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
(13-4; 0-0 Big Ten)
at
ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
(10-5-1; 0-0 Big Ten)
April 1-3, 2005
Illinois Field (2,000), Champaign, Ill.
Fri., April 1 5:05 p.m. Web Sat., April 2 1:05 p.m. (DH) Web/Web Sun., April 3 2:05 p.m. Radio
SERIES HISTORY
Ohio State leads 89-79-2
last game: April 4, 2004, Illinois 12-4
OHIO STATE RADIO/INTERNET
NPR 820 (WOSU-AM)
www.wosu.org
GAMETRACKER
www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHING G1 39 Trent Luyster, LHP 4-1, 4.98 ERA, 15K, 28.2IP G2 6 Mike Madsen, RHP 1-1, 6.00 ERA, 10K, 15.0IP G3 19 Cory Luebke, LHP 2-0, 1.57 ERA, 26K, 28.2IP G4 36 Dan DeLucia, LHP 1-1, 1.54 ERA, 21K, 23.1IP
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Riding a 10-game win streak after beating Toledo 12-4 Wednesday night in the home opener at Bill Davis Stadium, Ohio State returns the road again this weekend to open Big Ten play at Illinois.
Buckeye head coach Bob Todd will be going for his 700th win at Ohio State, needing only one victory. The 18th-year mentor enters the weekend series with a 699-359-2 record at Ohio State and is 823-430-2 in his 22nd year as a head coach. Last year in the series opener against Illinois at Bill Davis Stadium, Todd became the fastest coach and only the second ever to win 300 Big Ten games.
The series gets underway Friday with a single game at 5:05 p.m. and continues with a doubleheader Saturday at 1:05 p.m. The series concludes Sunday with a single game at 2:05 p.m. 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). Neil Sika and Paul Barnes will describe the action.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes improved to 13-4 on the year and ran its win streak to 10 games after beat Toledo 12-4 Wednesday night to open the ninth season at Bill Davis Stadium. Ohio State, which has not lost since falling to Bradley 4-3 on March 12, and followed that up with a win over Rider before winning all eight games on its spring break trip – Northern Iowa, Bucknell, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Illinois-Chicago, and two wins each against Cornell and Dartmouth – before the win Wednesday over Toledo.
Jason Zoeller leads Ohio State with a .417 batting average and 25 hits and has a hit in 13 straight games, during which he has batted .460. Zoeller, a sophomore from Verona, Pa., has three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 10 RBI. The Buckeyes have raised their team batting average from .261 prior to the win streak to .309 after the win over Toledo on Wednesday. Five other Buckeyes starters join Zoeller with averages better than .300. Cody Caughenbaugh is batting .367 with 18 hits (five doubles, one triple) and his batted in 14 runs. Matt Angle is batting .349 with 15 hits and four RBI. Jedidiah Stephen is batting .339 with a team-best four home runs and is second on the team with 18 RBI, one off the pace of Paul Farinacci, who has batted in 19 runs on 14 hits (seven doubles, one triple). Wes Schirtzinger and Ronnie Bourquin round out those batting at least .300. Each has 21 hits and is batting .304.
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. As a staff, Ohio State’s ERA is 3.31, down from 3.97 before the 10-game win streak.
Against Illinois, Ohio State is expected to go with a starting rotation of Luyster in game one, and then Luebke and Mike Madsen in games two and three before tossing DeLucia in game four.
ABOUT ILLINOIS
The Fighting Illini improved to 10-5-1 after beating Indiana State 8-4 in its home opener Tuesday night at Illinois Field. Illinois has won six of its last eight games and has a .296 batting average as a team, averaging 6.1 runs per game on 10.3 hits per game and leads the conference in fielding with a .980 fielding percentage, just in front of Ohio State. On the mound, the Illini have a 2.87 team ERA.
Ryan Rogowski has played all 16 games and leads Illinois with a .400 batting average. He has a team best 26 hits and three doubles. J.R. Kyes is batting .395 in 11 games. Dusty Bensko leads the team with 15 RBI, while batting .356 on 21 hits, including a team-best five doubles and five of the team’s 12 home runs. Chad Frk is batting .344, while Trevor Huisinga is batting .341.
Brian Blomquiest has made five starts and leads the Illini with a 4-1 record and a 1.82 ERA in 34.2 innings. He has 21 strikeouts, second to Jimmy Conroy, who has fanned 25. Conroy is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings. Matt Whitmore and Andy Sigerich each have made three starts. Whitmore is 1-1 with a 5.24 and eight strikeouts in 22.1 innings, while Sigerich is 0-1 with a 8.25 ERA and four strikeouts in 12.0 innings. Reliever Jake Toohey is 0-0 with two saves and 15 strikeouts in seven appearances totalling 15.0 innings. Six other pitchers have yet to allow an earned run in 20.1 innings. Illinois did not announce a pitching rotation for this weekend’s Big Ten opener.
AGAINST THE ILLINI
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Illinois 89-79-2 in a series that dates back to 1904, when the teams split two games. Ohio State won the first-ever meeting, 6-5, on May 18, before losing 5-4 on June 15. Since 2000, the Buckeyes are 10-7 against the Illini and won three of four meetings last year. The last time Ohio State played at Illinois was in 2000 when the teams split four games.
Since 2000, OSU leads 10-7
April 28, 2000 – at Illinois 5, Ohio State 2
April 29, 2000 – Ohio State 6, at Illinois 4
April 29, 2000 – Ohio State 6, at Illinois 1
April 30, 2000 – at Illinois 6, Ohio State 3
May 20, 2001 – Illinois 4, Ohio State 0
April 6, 2001 – at Ohio State 11, Illinois 6
April 7, 2001 – at Ohio State 6, Illinois 5
April 7, 2001 – at Ohio State 5, Illinois 2
April 8, 2001 – Illinois 9, at Ohio State 6
May 19, 2002 – at Ohio State 10, Illinois 0
March 24, 2003 – Illinois 4, Ohio State 1
March 24, 2003 – Illinois 5, Ohio State 2
March 25, 2003 – Ohio State 6, Illinois 3
April 2, 2004 – at Ohio State 5, Illinois 1
April 3, 2004 – at Ohio State 14, Illinois 3
April 3, 2004 – at Ohio State 5, Illinois 3
April 4, 2004 – Illinois 12, at Ohio State 4
1-Big Ten Tournament, Minneapolis, Minn.
2-Big Ten Tournament, Columbus, Ohio
3-Non-conference game in Bradenton, Fla.
SERIES HISTORY
Since the Big Ten began playing four-game conference series in 1981, Ohio State has dominated the Illinois series, winning the series six times compared to only two wins in the series by the Illini. The teams have split 2-2 five times. The teams did not play a conference series from 1981-87, 1990-91 and 2002-2003.
Four-Game Series History Since 1981 Ohio State 4-0 1999, 1992 Ohio State 3-1 2004, 2001, 1994, 1993 Split 2-2 2000, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1989 Illinois 3-1 1996, 1988 Illinois 4-0 None
IN BIG TEN OPENERS
The Buckeyes are 11-6 in conference openers since head coach Bob Todd arrived in Columbus prior to the 1988 season. Ohio State has won it last six Big Ten openers, including last season’s 5-1 victory over Illinois at Bill Davis Stadium. When opening league play at home, the Buckeyes are 8-4 under Todd. Since 1988 when the team is on the road to open Big Ten play it is 2-2 and at a neutral site, the team is 1-0. Ohio State has not lost a Big Ten season opener at home since dropping a 5-2 decision to Iowa March 23, 1996.
LAST YEAR VS. ILLINOIS
Ohio State won the first three games against Illinois, including the game Friday, April 2, the 300th Big Ten victory for head coach Bob Todd, before falling 12-4 in the finale. The Buckeyes won 5-1 Friday, 14-3 in the first game of the doubleheader and 5-3 in the nightcap.
Josh Newman pitched his 15th-ever complete game and fanned a career-high 14 batters to lead Ohio State to a 5-1 victory over Illinois in the Big Ten opener for both teams. The Buckeyes answered an Illini home run in the third inning by scoring three runs on four hits on a pair of Illini errors in the bottom of the inning. Drew Anderson plated two more runs for Ohio State in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Buckeyes a 5-1 lead. Four different players each had two hits. Anderson and Jacob Howell each finished 2-for-5, while Paul Farinacci was 2-for-4 and Ronnie Bourquin was 2-for-3.
In the second game of the series, Ohio State stormed out to a 12-3 lead through three innings and cruised to a 14-3 victory in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader. Illinois took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and then Ohio State answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning thanks to five hits, including singles by both Anderson and Howell to open the inning. That lead did not last long as the Illini scored twice in the top of the second to tie the game, but Ohio State erupted for six runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 9-3 lead. The Buckeyes plated another three runs in the third inning and then added two runs in the fifth to go up 14-3. Howell finished 3-for-5 with one RBI and scored three times while Bourquin was 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Bourquin took a 0-1 fastball and launched a rocket over the fence in right field for two runs lifting Ohio State to a 5-3 victory over Illinois in the nightcap of the doubleheader. It was his first home run as a Buckeye. Trailing 3-1 entering the top of the seventh, Illinois catcher Chris Robinson tied the game with a two-run home run he poked over the fence in right field. Bourquin, who was 3-for-3 with three RBI in the first game of the doubleheader, provided the heroics giving the Buckeyes their second win this season in their last at bat. Bourquin finished the Saturday nightcap 2-for-4 and was 5-for-7 on the day with five RBI. Bourquin was the only Buckeye with multiple hits as the team out hit the Illini 6-5.
Facing a potential sweep by Ohio State in the opening Big Ten series of the season, Illinois stormed out to a 12-0 lead, which is all it needed in a 12-4 victory over the Buckeyes to deny the Buckeyes their first sweep of the Illini since 1999.
OSU DOWNS TOLEDO IN 10TH VICTORY IN A ROW
With the scored tied 3-3 Ohio State scored five runs in the fourth to take an 8-3 lead before claiming a 12-4 victory over Toledo in the home opener Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes later added four runs in the eighth to extend its win streak to 10 games.
With one run already across the plate, the bases loaded and only one out, Adam Schneider drove a double down the right-field line to score all three runners and give the Buckeyes a 7-3 lead. Jedidiah Stephen’s poke down the third-base line with two outs plated Schneider to cap the inning and put the Buckeyes up by five runs.
Toledo shortstop Jason Watson hit his fourth home run of the season to pull within four runs, but the Buckeyes added four runs on four hits in the bottom of the eighth for the 12-4 victory that ran the team’s record to 13-4 heading into Big Ten action this weekend.
Cody Caughenbaugh and Kelly Houser each drove in a run and then with runners at first and second, Paul Farinacci’s seventh double of the season plated the final two runs of the day, scoring his 18th and 19th RBI of the season.
Steve Caravati led the Buckeyes in going 3-for-4 with one RBI, but it was Schneider’s three RBI in the fourth that took the headline. Schneider finished 2-for-3 and scored once. Stephen was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Farinacci was 1-for-5 and plated two.
Both Ohio State and Toledo had designated short starts for their starting pitchers, but it did not matter. Toledo’s Joe Welsh last only one inning, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits, while Mike Madsen went three innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Rory Meister, who replaced Madsen in the fourth, got the win for the Buckeyes to improve to 2-0. Meister went only two innings and allowed one run on a pair of hits. Joe Roberts, who replaced Welsh in the second, got the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in 2.2 innings. Ohio State tossed four more pitchers in the game and allowed only one hit the final four innings of the contest.
IN HOME OPENERS
Since Bob Todd arrived to Ohio State prior to the 1988 season, the Buckeyes are 13-5 in home openers. The Scarlet and Gray lost to Eastern Michigan 2-1 last season, but returned to the win column against Toledo and improved to 6-3 in home openers at Bill Davis Stadium.
TODD CLOSING IN ON 700 AT OSU
Now in his 18th season as skipper of the Buckeyes, head coach Bob Todd needs only one victory for his 700th win at the school. Todd’s record at Ohio State is 699-359-2 (.660). Add his four-year record of 124-82 from Kent State (1984-87) and the 22nd-year career head coach has a 823-430-2 (.657) 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 – next victory
*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 in the 2004 series opener, 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 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
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 10 games to improve to 13-4 on the year.
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. He pitched three innings against Toledo, but gave up three runs on six hits. He should pitch in one of the Saturday games against Illinois.
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 on spring break, 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 25 hits in 60 at bats (.417) and has already knocked in 10 runs. Six of this 25 hits have gone for extra bases (three doubles, one triple and two home runs). He has touched more bases, 36, than anyone on the team, has a slugging percentage of .600 and an on-base percentage of .478 with five walks and only four strikeouts. The middle infielder has played in 15 games (12 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 13-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 .470 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 12 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 an eight-game streak by Buckeye designated hitter Cody Caughenbaugh, a seven-game streak by first baseman Paul Farinacci and a six-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 is tied for seventh with his .359 career battingaverage. His 204 hits rank him 16th, while his 569 at bats have himranked 25th. The fifth-year senior co-captain from Dover, Ohio(Dover) is tied for seventh with nine triples and his 21 careerhome runs are tied for 21st. Caravati has batted in 140 runs duringhis career (tied for 18th in school history), including 52 RBI lastseason. He needs 41 to move into second place all-time at OhioState. Dan Seimetz (1995-98) holds the school record with 236 RBI.Mike Rabin has 678 career at bats, which is ranked ninth by anyplayer in school history. The OSU record is 823, set by Mark Carek(1995-98). Rabin, who already has 53 at bats in 2005, needs 146 atbats to break that record. He had 234 at bats as a sophomore and228 last year, so that is one record to watch. His 38 steals arethe ninth most in school history. Rabin’s 196 hits are the 22ndmost in school annals. With four home runs this season, JedidiahStephen has 17 career home runs. The junior from Caldwell, Ohio,needs three more to crack the school’s Top 25 list. With 18 careervictories, Mike Madsen is tied for 19th with a win percentage of.720 (18-6) ranks 17th in school history. His 18 wins tie him for19th in the school record book. Madsen has now pitched 183.2 careerinnings, making him eligible to be ranked among several career statcategories. With a minimum of 175.0 career innings pitched, heranks eighth in fewest hits allowed (193), fifth in fewest bases onballs (77), eighth in fewest runs (103) and tied for seventh infewest earned runs allowed (90). Trent Luyster has made 51appearances in his career to rank 19th, while Mike Madsen haspitched 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 17 games in each of the last five seasons. The 2003 team was close with its .971 fielding percentage through a 11-6 record. The Buckeyes have six error-free games and are 5-1 in those games. Ohio State has committed at least one error in 11 games this season (8-3 record in those games), but in only 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 16 errors in 647 chances. All 17 opponents have had an error against the Buckeyes and are fielding at a percentage of .932.
Fielding Through 17 Games (since 2000) Year Pct. P.O. Asst. ERR Record 2005 .975 441 190 16 13-4 2004 .959 439 194 27 7-10 2003 .971 434 163 18 11-6 2002 .961 432 179 25 12-4-1 2001 .952 409 201 31 13-4 2000 .972 413 180 17 12-5
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.
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, 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 211-111-1, 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 634-293-2.
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 returns to Bill Davis Stadium Wednesday for a midweek non-conference game against Oakland. The game begins a stretch of 10 straight home games for the Buckeyes, which is the longest home stretch of the season.
