Buckeyes Close Regular Season at Home vs. Penn State – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 18, 2006
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
32-18, 16-11 Big Ten
vs.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
19-33, 12-16 Big Ten
May 19-21, 2006
Bill Davis Stadium (Capacity: 4,450)
Columbus, Ohio
Friday, May 19: 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, May 20 (DH): 1:35 p.m.
Sunday, May 21: 1:05 p.m.
Series History: Ohio State leads 44-21
Last Year: Ohio State 4-0 in State College, Pa.
PROBABLE OHIO STATE PTICHING ROTATION
Friday: Dan DeLucia (LHP)
Saturday: Cory Luebke (LHP) and Jake Hale (RHP)
Sunday: J.B. Shuck (LHP)
RADIO
Games 1, 3 & 4 on AM 920 WMNI
OHIOSTATEBUCKEYES.COM
GameTracker, Streaming Audio and Video
Ohio State locked up its 20th appearance in the Big Ten tournament, including a streak of 10 in a row, which is the longest by a Big Ten team. Now, in a four-game series vs. Penn State this weekend at Bill Davis Stadium, the Buckeyes will be trying for an outside shot at winning the Big Ten championship and the right to host next weekend’s Big Ten tournament.
Penn State is trying to make the six-team tournament. Currently 20-32 overall and 12-16 in the Big Ten, the Nittany Lions are tied for seventh place with Iowa, but are just one game behind Purdue and Illinois, which are tied for fifth with 13-15 conference records. The final three spots are up for grabs since Northwestern, Michigan and Ohio State have secured spots in the tournament.
Games one, three and four of the Ohio State series with Penn State will be broadcast in Columbus on AM 920 WMNI. Frank Fraas, Randy Rhinehart and Brian Mannino will have the call. In addition to GameTracker and streaming audio, streaming video for games one and four also will available at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCENARIOS FOR OHIO STATE
With a 32-17 overall record, the Buckeyes, which are 16-11 in the Big Ten, sit two and a half games behind league leaders Northwestern and Michigan, which each are 19-9. Northwestern travels to Purdue and Michigan plays host to Iowa. To open the door for an Ohio State championship, the Wildcats and Wolverines both would have to lose a minimum of three games this weekend and the Buckeyes would have to sweep Penn State. Should Northwestern and Michigan each get swept, Ohio State would need to win just three games.
That is a tall order, especially considering the Buckeyes have not swept an opponent all season. They have won five of the seven series by 3-1 margins, but lost series to both Minnesota to Michigan. Against both Purdue and at Michigan State, Ohio State jumped out to 3-0 series leads only two lose the series finale. If sweeps had been recorded, this weekend’s mountain to climb to a championship would not have been so steep. The Scarlet and Gray did not face Northwestern, which holds the tie-breaker with Michigan by virtue of its series win in Ann Arbor the opening weekend of Big Ten play.
One win by Ohio State or a loss by both Purdue and Illinois guarantees the fourth seed for the Buckeyes, while any combination of two Ohio State wins or two Minnesota losses gives the Buckeyes the third seed. The only scenario for Ohio State to earn the second seed would be for the Buckeyes to sweep Penn State and have either Northwestern or Michigan lose three games.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State fell to 32-18 overall after losing 7-3 to Pittsburgh Wednesday night in a rain-shortened six innings. The Buckeyes are 16-11 in the Big Ten after dropping two of three games last weekend to Minnesota. The Buckeyes rode the arm of Dan DeLucia to his ninth win of the year and backed him up with 18 hits in a 10-2 victory in the opening game of the series. The Buckeyes had just six hits in each of the final two games of the series as Minnesota won 2-1 and 12-3.
Ronnie Bourquin was 4-for-9 with four RBI to lead Ohio State against Minnesota. Justin Miller, Matt Angle, Jason Zoeller and Jacob Howell also had four hits. Bourquin continues to lead the Big Ten with a .426 batting average and with 80 hits, is within 12 of the school record of 92 set by Steve Caravati in 2004. He has driven in 58 RBI, the most since Jason Turner had 64 in 2000. The school record is 80 set by Dan Seimetz in 1997. Eric Fryer is batting .391 while Angle owns a .380 batting average. Ohio State, which was second in the nation last week with a .341 team batting average, is batting .340 after the Minnesota series. National rankings will be released late Tuesday afternoon.
DeLucia allowed one run on six hits in eight innings against Minnesota. He is 9-2 this year with a 3.49 ERA ad a team-high 57 strikeouts in 90.1 innings. DeLucia is 18-10 in his career, a win total that ranks in the school’s Top 20 and his 3.94 ERA ranks in the Top 15. J.B. Shuck is tied for the conference lead with a 2.21 ERA. He did not pitch against the Golden Gophers when the series finale was cancelled because of a combination of rain and travel considerations, but returned for a rare midweek start vs. Pittsburgh. Ohio State’s team ERA is 3.73. Cory Luebke and Jake Hale took losses against Minnesota. The Buckeyes will stick with the same rotation it has used in each of the last six series. DeLucia will open the series and will be followed by Luebke, Hale and Shuck the remainder of the series.
1966 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM TO BE HONORED SATURDAY
Ohio State will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1966 national championship team this weekend at Bill Davis Stadium. The team will be honored on the field between games of the Saturday doubleheader vs. Penn State that gets underway at 1:35 p.m. The team is the last Big Ten team to win the College World Series.
The Buckeyes made three straight appearances in Omaha from 1965-67. They were the runnerup in 1965 after losing 2-1 to Arizona State in the championship game. The next year, Ohio State beat Oklahoma State, 8-2, to win the school’s only national championship and one of six won by Big Ten teams during a 14-year span (1953-66).
1966 College World Series Results
Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, Neb.
Ohio State 4, Oklahoma State 2
Ohio State 6, Southern California 2
Ohio State 8, St. John’s 7
Southern California 5, Ohio State 1
Ohio State 1, Southern California 0
Ohio State 8, Oklahoma State 2
SENIORS PLAY IN FINAL HOME SERIES
Prior to the series finale vs. Penn State on Sunday, the Buckeyes will honor the careers of three Ohio State seniors – Cody Caughenbaugh, Chris Hanners and Jedidiah Stephen – who will be playing their final regular-season home game.
Caughenbaugh, a fifth-year senior from Newark, Ohio (Licking Valley), has played in 132 career games and has made 86 starts either in the outfield or as the DH, including 44 starts his red-shirt freshman year when the team swept through the Auburn Regional and hosted Southwest Missouri State in an Super Regional. He was named to the all-regional team. Caughenbaugh is a two-time Academic All-District selection and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete.
Hanners, a fifth-year senior from Groveport, Ohio (DeSales), has battled through injury each of the last three seasons after making his debut in 2002. That season, the left-handed pitcher was 2-2 in 22 appearances with 24 strikeouts. In 2003, he was 4-4 in 18 appearances and made eight starts with 37 strikeouts. He will leave Ohio State with a 6-6 record and a 5.76 career ERA. He made 42 career appearances.
Stephen, a senior from Caldwell, Ohio (Shenandoah), will play the 200th game of his career in the second game of the Penn State series. Entering the Pittsburgh game, Stephen had made 187 starts and had 198 hits. He had 43 doubles, eight triples and 25 home runs, and had scored 114 runs with 137 RBI. Stephen is an Academic All-Distric selection this year and is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and OSU Scholar Athlete. He started at third his first two years and has started at short his last two seasons.
The student-athletes were part of three Big Ten tournament championship teams in 2002, 2003 and 2005 and were NCAA regional participants each of those years. The team’s record during the last five years is 190-103-1 (.648) and is 152-83 (.647) the last four.
BOURQUIN ONE OF 16 SEMIFINALISTS FOR DICK HOWSER TROPHY
Ohio State third baseman Ronnie Bourquin is one of 16 semifinalists for the Dick Howser Trophy, given to the top player in collegiate baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, announced Thursday. Bourquin, a junior from Canton, Ohio (Canton South), leads the Big Ten with a .426 batting average, 81 hits and 59 RBI. The Buckeyes’ third baseman has 13 doubles, two triples and five home runs for a slugging percentage of .595.
The membership of the NCBWA will choose the Dick Howser Trophy based on three rounds of voting. The 2006 winner will be announced at the College World Series in Omaha on Friday, June 16, at 10:30 a.m. EDT. The Dick Howser Trophy, given in memory of the former Florida State University All-American shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987, is regarded by many as college baseball’s most prestigious award. NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport’s only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
DELUCIA A 10-GAME WINNER?
With the win last Friday against Minnesota Dan DeLucia won his ninth game of the season, which is tied for the 15th best season at Ohio State. Friday against Penn State, he has a chance to become the first 10-game winner at Ohio State since the 1999 season when Justin Fry won 11 games and E.J. Laratta won 10. He is 9-2 with a 3.49 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 90.1 innings.
ABOUT PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions slipped to 19-33 overall after losing 8-5 at Villanova Tuesday night. Penn State is 12-16 in the Big Ten after losing three of four games to Michigan last weekend in State College. The Lions have split series with Minnesota, Michigan State, Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue, but have lost three of four games to Iowa and Michigan. Penn State has not been swept this season.
Lance Thompson is batting .374 to lead Penn State. He also paces the squad with 15 doubles, 44 RBI and a slugging percentage of .520. Scott Gummo, who is second on the team with a .319 batting average, has five of the team’s 24 home runs. He leads the team in conference games with a .359 batting average. Five players have double figures in doubles, led by Thompson. Gummo and Cory Wine each have 13, while Matt Cavagnaro has 11 and Scott Gaffney has 10. The team is batting .292, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Penn State’s 4.49 ERA is fourth best in the league, just behind Ohio State’s 4.00 ERA. Craig Clark leads the team with 75 strikeouts. He is 3-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 88.0 innings. Alan Stidfole is 3-4 with a 3.98 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 86.0 innings, while Mark Wyner is 2-8 with a 4.65 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 71.2 innings. Last weekend, Stidfole pitched game one vs. Michigan and was followed, in order by Wyner, Seth Whitehill and Clark. Whitehill is 2-2 with a 3.14 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 43.0 innings.
Robbie Wine (Oklahoma State, 2002) is 47-60 in his second season at Penn State and as a college coach. He is 0-4 vs. Ohio State.
AGAINST THE NITTANY LIONS
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Penn State 44-21 and has won five straight games going back to 2004. The Buckeyes swept a four-game series last season in State College, Pa. Since 2000, Ohio State leads the series 17-10 by virtue of three series victories and two splits. Ohio State coach Bob Todd is 39-18 vs. Penn State in his previous 22 seasons as a college coach.
OSU vs. PSU Since 2000 (OSU leads 17-10)
| Date | W/L | Score | Site |
| 5/6/2000 | W | 8-5 | A |
| 5/7/2000 | W | 9-3 | A |
| 5/7/2000 | L | 4-1 | A |
| 5/8/2000 | W | 9-8 | A |
| 5/17/2000 | L | 8-7 | 1N |
| 4/20/2001 | L | 8-3 | H |
| 4/21/2001 | L | 9-4 | H |
| 4/21/2001 | W | 16-6 | H |
| 4/22/2001 | W | 6-4 | H |
| 5/17/2001 | L | 4-3 | 2H |
| 4/5/2002 | L | 4-2 | H |
| 4/6/2002 | W | 7-6 | H |
| 4/6/2002 | W | 10-0 | H |
| 4/7/2002 | W | 11-0 | H |
| 4/4/2003 | W | 4-3 | A |
| 4/5/2003 | L | 2-1 | A |
| 4/5/2003 | W | 7-5 | A |
| 4/6/2003 | L | 10-2 | A |
| 5/24/2003 | W | 13-3 | 1N |
| 5/8/2004 | W | 3-1 | H |
| 5/9/2004 | L | 1-0 | H |
| 5/9/2004 | L | 6-3 | H |
| 5/10/2004 | W | 9-4 | H |
| 5/7/2005 | W | 11-2 | A |
| 5/8/2005 | W | 13-10 | A |
| 5/8/2005 | W | 29-2 | A |
| 5/9/2005 | W | 11-6 | A |
1-Big Ten Tournament, Minneapolis, Minn. 2-Big Ten Tournament, Columbus, Ohio
LAST YEAR VS. PENN STATE
Ohio State swept Penn State in State College, Pa., May 7-9, 2005. The Buckeyes won their first series opener of the season by an 11-2 score, took the doubleheader by scores of 13-10 and 29-2 and won 11-6 in the finale for the only sweep of 2005. The Buckeyes hit .453 in the four games and outscored the Nittany Lions 64-20 and outslugged them 77-41, including 33 runs in game three. Ohio State had 20 doubles, including a season-high in the game-three route. Ohio State added two triples and had only three home runs in the four games. The Buckeyes touched 44 bases in the 27-run win in the third game. Penn State had 14 errors in the series compared to only three by Ohio State. Mike Rabin, Steve Caravati and Matt Angle each had nine hits in the series. Rabin and Caravati each were 9-for-15 (.600) and Angle was 9-for-21 (.429).
OHIO STATE VS. PENN STATE SERIES
Ohio State has won nine series against Penn State since the Nittany Lions began Big Ten play in 1994. There have been three 4-0 sweeps by the Buckeyes, including last year in State College, Pa. There have been four instances when the teams have split four-game sets and Penn State has only one series win, which came in 1996, the last time the Buckeyes missed the Big Ten tournament. The Lions have never swept Ohio State.
Big Ten Series History vs. Penn State
| Ohio State | 4-0 | 2005, 1999, 1993 |
| Ohio State | 3-0 | 1994 |
| Ohio State | 3-1 | 2002, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1992 |
| Split | 2-2 | 2004, 2003, 2001, 1995 |
| Penn State | 3-1 | 1996 |
| Penn State | 4-0 | None |
THE BIG TEN RACE
The rain did not do too much to affect the standings, only Ohio State and Minnesota did not get all their games in. Northwestern and Michigan each won three of their four games. Northwestern took three of four from Michigan State and Michigan took three of four at Penn State to keep pace with each other with 19-9 records. The Buckeyes are two and a half games behind the Wildcats and Wolverines with an outside shot at the championship though they would need help. Northwestern, Michigan and Ohio State already have clinched tournament bids. Northwestern holds the tie-breaker vs. Michigan by virtue of taking three of four games in Ann Arbor the opening weekend of the season. Minnesota is fourth with a 13-14 record and Illinois and Purdue are tied for fifth with 13-15 records. Only two and a half games separate fourth place from 10th place. This weekend, Illinois is at Michigan State, Iowa is at Michigan, Northwestern is at Purdue, Penn State is at Ohio State and Indiana is at Minnesota.
BUCKEYES DROP RARE MIDWEEK GAME
A grand slam by Pittsburgh’s David Cline in the top of the second inning was the difference in a 7-3 win over Ohio State Wednesday night in front of 2,424 fans at Bill Davis Stadium. The game had continued into the bottom of the seventh inning, but since rain and lightening ended the game before Ohio State could finish batting in the bottom of the inning, NCAA rules dictate the score goes back to the last point in the game when each team played the same number of innings, even if the score in the subsequent innings had no bearing on the outcome. Instead, all team and individual stats in the seventh had to be cleared. The score was 8-5 when game was called in the bottom of the seventh. Ohio State scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but rain and lightning forced the umpires to call the game with the tying run at the plate. Ronnie Bourquin belted his fifth home run of the season in the fifth inning.
OHIO STATE FINISHES 5-2 ON WEDNESDAY
The 7-3 loss to Pittsburgh Wednesday gave the Buckeyes a 5-2 record in midweek non-conference action at bill Davis Stadium this year. On Wednesdays at home this season, Ohio State had wins vs. Toledo (8-5), Miami (9-2), Central Michigan (8-5), Oakland (8-2) and Eastern Michigan (5-2), but the only other blemish was a 7-5 defeat by Cleveland State on April 26.
The Buckeyes have hit .307 in the seven games and were led by Eric Fryer, who was 15-for-27 (.556) with 10 runs scored. He was 4-for-4 vs. Toledo, 3-for-4 vs. Miami, 1-for-4 vs. Central Michigan, 3-for-4 vs. Oakland and was 2-for-4 with two RBI in the loss to Cleveland State. He also had two hits against Eastern Michigan. Ronnie Bourquin batted .417 (10-for-24) with a pair of home runs, while Jason Zoeller batted .400 (8-for-20) while Jedidiah Stephen led the team with nine RBI. Of his seven hits, he had two doubles and three home runs. Dan Barker was 3-1 as a pitcher and had a 1.12 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 16 innings. He has appeared in six of the seven games and made three starts. Josh Barrera and Trey Fausnaugh have the other two wins. Barker also has a save. J.B. Shuck took the loss vs. Pittsburgh.
BIG TEN STATS
Ohio State continues to lead the Big Ten with a .339 batting average and a 3.72 ERA. Michigan State is second with a .316 batting average, followed by Illinois at .310. Michigan is fourth at .302. Ohio State and Purdue (3.94) have the only ERAs less than 4.00. The Buckeyes have a .960 fielding percentage, which is tied for fifth in the league.
Ronnie Bourquin continues to set the standard among all Big Ten batters. He is batting .426 while Eric Fryer’s .385 average is tied for second in the league with Purdue’s Mitch Hilligoss. Matt Angle is fourth with a .380 batting average. Bourrquin’s 81 hits also lead the conference by seven. Angle has 71 to rank fourth, while Angle is right behind with 70. Angle has scored a league best 59 runs. Bourquin has scored 47 runs, the fifth most in the Big Ten. Bourquin and Fryer rank 1-3 in RBI. Bourquin has driven in 58, while Fryer has driven in 48. Three Buckeyes also rank in the Top 5 of total bases. Bourquin tied with Hilligoss with 114 total bases. Jedidiah Stephen has 108 to rank third.
J.B. Shuck continues to own the conference’s best ERA at 2.21, though he is now tied with Michigan’s Chris Fetter after giving up two earned runs in five innings against Pitt. Dan DeLucia’s 3.49 ERA ranks 10th in the league. He is the league leader with nine victories after beating Minnesota 10-2 last Friday. Six pitchers are tied for second with six wins, including Shuck and Cory Luebke. DeLucia has pitched 90.1 innings, 2.1 better than any other pitcher in the league. Shuck’s .238 opposing batting average is tied for fourth, while DeLucia’s .254 is ninth. DeLucia’s 57 strikeouts rank seventh. Rory Meister leads with 23 games finished and his 24 relief appearances is two off the lead. His five saves this season are tied with Minnesota’s Andy Peters, but trail Iowa’s Tim Gudex (eight) and Illinois’ Matt Whitmore (six), though Whitmore has moved into a starting role with the Illini.
NATIONAL STATISTICS AS OF TUESDAY
Ohio State’s .340 batting average ranks third in the nation behind Jackson State (.359) and West Virginia (.344). The Buckeyes were second last week, but slipped after hitting .326 against Minnesota. Ronnie Bourquin is ninth nationally in individual batting average with his .426 average. Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Mike Goetz leads the nation with a .510 batting average. Eric Fryer’s .391 average ranks 55th and Matt Angle’s .380 average is 89th. Dan DeLucia is tied for 16th with nine pitching victories, while J.B. Shuck has a 2.10 ERA to rank 32nd. National statistics are only updated on Tuesday.
STEPHEN, HOWELL EARN ACADEMIC HONORS
Ohio State shortstop Jedidiah Stephen and leftfielder Jacob Howell have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Baseball Team. Each player earned second-team honors as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, the organization announced May 11.
Stephen, a senior human development and family science major from Caldwell, Ohio (Shenandoah), has started all 50 games for the Buckeyes this season and is batting .337 with a team-high 18 doubles, seven home runs and a .578 slugging percentage. He has driven in 42 runs and has scored 31 runs. Howell, a red-shirt junior majoring in communication, has started all 31 games he has played this year, which has been hampered by a hamstring injury. Howell is batting .413 with 50 hits, 21 RBI and 33 runs scored. He has played in only nine of the team’s last 28 games. He returned to the lineup as the DH in the Minnesota series.
The Academic All-District IV Team is made up of student-athletes from Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve and carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. Team members are selected by a vote of CoSIDA members within the district. The academic all-district team is part of the Academic All-America program, which is sponsored by ESPN The Magazine.
TWO FRESHMEN PART OF STARTING STAFF
Ohio State has two freshmen who have become part of the four-man starting rotation the team uses in Big Ten play. Rookies Jake Hale and J.B. Shuck are the game three and four respective starters. Hale is 3-4 overall and 2-3 in Big Ten action, while Shuck is 6-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play. Shuck is tied for the Big Ten lead with his 2.21 ERA. Never in head coach Bob Todd’s 23 years as a college head coach, has he had two freshmen as part of the starting rotation.
HOWELL HAD MISSED SIGNIFICANT ACTION
Junior left fielder Jacob Howell returned to the starting lineup in the Minnesota series, but did not return to left field. Instead he was the designated hitter. Howell has played in just nine of the team’s last 28 games after pulling his hamstring in the first inning of the Miami (Ohio) game April 5. He returned the opening game at Indiana (April 21) after a 10-game absence. He rested the hamstring April 26 vs. Cleveland State and then returned to the lineup in the series opener vs. Purdue. He reinjured his hamstring in that game and had missed eight more games before returning vs. Minnesota. Howell is not just any other player. The 2004 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American owns a .413 batting average in the 30 games he has played this season. He has 50 hits with five doubles, four triples and one home run. In his absence, J.B. Shuck, Michael Arp and Jonathan Zizzo have made starts in left field.
SELHORST ALSO OUT
Ohio State redshirt freshman pitcher Matthew Selhorst had Tommy John surgery April 27 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his left arm. Selhorst was called into the Central Michigan game April 12, but did not throw a pitch after an injury in the bullpen. Dr. James Andrews preformed the surgery in Alabama. Selhorst is hoping for a full recovery and to come back stronger than before. He had made just one official appearance this season, allowing four runs (one earned) on seven hits in two innings at then-No. 1 Florida Feb. 25. He also made an unofficial relief appearance in the exhibition game vs. Aoyama Gakuin (Japan) on March 3.
ANGLE HAS 22 STOLEN BASES
Buckeye center fielder Matt Angle stole a base in the opening game of the Michigan State series which was his 22nd stolen base of this season, That moved him into a seventh place tie on the school’s season list with Mike Durant (1991) and Don Polaski (1970). He needs two more to tie Ken Peters’ 1964 total of 24. The school record is 35 set by Mike Harris in 2001. Angle is 22-for-26 this season and is 35-for-42 in his career. His season total is tied for sixth in the Big Ten. Indiana’s Reggie Watson is the conference leader with 31. This year, Ohio State is 56-for-71. Jacob Howell is a perfect 8-for-8, while Wes Schirtzinger is 8-for-10.
BUCKEYES HAVE 24 TRIPLES
Ohio State moved within one triple of tying the school record when Jason Zoeller tripled in the opening game of the Minnesota series. The Buckeyes now have 24 triples this season, moving in front of the 1966 national championship team. The 1991 team holds the record with 25 three-baggers. Eric Fryer and Jacob Howell lead this year’s team with four triples each, while Jedidiah Stephen, Adam Schneider and Zoeller each have three. J.B. Shuck and Ronnie Bourquin each have two. The other players also have triples.
HOWELL HAS 10 CAREER TRIPLES
With four triples this season, left-fielder Jacob Howell has 10 career triples and is tied for sixth in school history. Steve Caravati tied Drew Anderson for the all-time record last year with 13. Howell also had four triples as a freshman and had two triples last year.
STEPHEN PACES OSU WITH SEVEN HOMERS
Jedidiah Stephen homered for the seventh time this season May 3 vs. Eastern Michigan. Stephen’s seven home runs this season are the most by a Buckeye and account for more than 1/3 of the team’s home run production (20). After Jason Zoeller homered in game two at Michigan State, he joined Ronnie Bourquin had his fifth home run of the season and the 12th of his career vs. Pittsburgh, while Eric Fryer has four home runs. With seven homers this season, Stephen now has 25 for his career, which gives him the 18th most by a Buckeye. He trails Steve Caravati (2001-05), Doug Deeds (2001-02) and Matt Middleton (1996-99) by one for 15th on the all-time list.
STEPHEN CLIMBING OTHER CAREER LISTS
Shortstop Jedidiah Stephen has started to climb other career lists this season, his last as a Buckeye. He is 13th with 659 career at bats and is tied for 21st with 198 career hits. He has 43 doubles to tie for 11th in addition to being tied for 11th with eight career triples and 18th with 25 home runs. He also has 137 RBI to rank 20th.
BUCKEYES AND SEASON RECORDS
The Buckeyes are making a climb on the school’s season record list. Ronnie Bourquin has 81 hits and is tied with five others for ninth. Jacob Howell, who had 81 hits in 2004, is among them. Bourquin is only 11 hits away from the school record set by Steve Caravati in 2004. His 59 RBI are tied for 10th with Jason Turner (1999) and Brian Mannino (1994). The school record is 80. Jedidiah Stephen’s 18 doubles this season tied Drew Anderson (2004) and Seimetz (1996) for 12th, while Matt Angle is 16th with 59 runs scored. The top two season totals are held by Mike Lockwood. He had 72 in 1998 and 71 in 1999.
BUCKEYES FIND EARLY GAME SUCCESS
Ohio State has found success this season by building early leads against opponents. The Buckeyes have scored more than twice as many runs as their opponents in the first four innings of games this year, 176-98. Ohio State has a 54-27 edge in the first, a 49-20 edge in the third and a 48-18 edge in the fourth. The inning with the biggest run differential, however, is the sixth when Ohio State is outscoring opponents 72-20.
DELUCIA ON CAREER LIST
Dan DeLucia has pitched 231.0 career innings, which ranks 19th all-time. He became eligible for many career stat categories when he reached 175.0 innings earlier this year. DeLucia has walked just 66 batters, which is tied for the fourth fewest by an Ohio State pitcher. He has allowed 117 runs (11th lowest) and 101 earned runs (13th lowest). DeLucia is 18-10 and his win total has him in a four-way tie for 20th on the career list. He is tied with Scott Lewis (2002-04), Kevin Goodrum (1998-01) and Bob Spears (1993-96).
FAUSNAUGH CLIMBING APPEARANCE LIST
Ohio State junior reliever Trey Fausnaugh continues to climb up the school list in career appearances. He made his 70th career appearance Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh, when he did not allow a run on two hits. His 70 appearances tie him for third all-time with Brandon Steen (1999-2002). Fausnaugh has made just one start, when he beat Eastern Michigan 5-2 in an announced short start, May 3. Cory Cox holds the school record with 96 career appearances, while Andy Lee (1996-99) is second with 79.
OTHER BUCKEYE BANTER
Ronnie Bourquin is the team’s leading batter through the team’s50 games this season. He has a batting average of .426, the best inthe Big Ten. He also is the team’s leading batter in conferencegames with a .417 average, which also leads the Big Ten. The teamis batting .339 in all games and .338 in conference play. Bothfigures lead the conference. Bourquin is the team’s leading batterin the 23 non-conference games (16-7) this season. He is batting.436 with 41 hits, 30 RBI and 25 runs scored. Jacob Howell issecond with a .434 batting average. He has 33 hits, 12 RBI and hasscored 21 runs. Eric Fryer has a .417 average with 35 hits, 27 RBIand 21 runs scored. The Buckeyes are 12-6 at home this season andare led by Bourquin’s .484 batting average (30-for-62) with 21 RBIand 13 runs scored. Fryer also is batting better than .400 at home.He has a .420 batting average and has 29 hits to go with 12 RBI.Jedidiah Stephen has 18 RBI. The team is batting .366 in its last10 games and has four players batting better than .400. J.B. Shuckis batting .517 though has made just seven appearances in thefield. He is 14-for-27. Bourquin leads the everyday players withhis .485 batting average. Justin Miller is batting .457 while JasonZoeller is batting .410. In the 32 wins this season, the team isbatting .369 and is led by Bourquin’s .440 batting average. Fryeris batting .437 in the wins, while Matt Angle is batting .397. OhioState is averaging 9.1 runs on 13.0 hits in victories. Conversely,in the 18 losses, Ohio State is batting just .281. Bourquin isbatting .400, while Angle is batting .348. Ohio State is averaging3.3 runs on 9.1 hits in losses. Ohio State is 23-15 and batting.339 during the day, compared to 9-3 and .337 at night. Bourquinleads the team with 24 multiple hit games, including 10 of the last19 games. Six others, including Angle, Fryer, Stephen, Howell,Zoeller and Wes Schirtzinger also have multiple hits in at least 11games. Bourquin has 16 multiple-RBI games, while Fryer has 15 andStephen has 11. The team’s longest hit streak belongs to Angle. Hehas at least one hit in his last seven games. The longest hitstreak of the year was by Bourquin, who hit in 14 straight gamesbefore seeing the streak get snapped in game three at MichiganState. It was the longest streak of his career. He has a hit in allbut nine of the 49 games he has played and has reached base in allbut four games. Speaking of streaks, Angle had started 80 straightgames before taking off the Wednesday game vs. Pittsburgh. Howellis batting .425 vs. left-handed pitchers and .407 vs. righties.Bourquin is the top batter against right-handed pitching with a.440 average. Bourquin is batting .455 with runners on base and.483 with runners in scoring position. Howell is batting .462 withrunners in scoring position. Fryer is the team’s leading two-outhitter. He is batting .455 (30-for-66) with two out and has drivenin 27 runs in the situation. Stephen and Bourquin each have 19two-out RBI. With a runner at third and at least two outs, Bourquinhas driven in 16 RBI. He has done that in 23 opportunities. Fryerhas driven in 14 RBI in 20 chances. In 30 of the team’s 50 games,the Buckeyes have pounded out double-digit totals in hits,including a season-high 22 in the first game vs. Lehigh on March10. The team had seven consecutive games with 16 hits or more fromMarch 5-20. Ohio State has had at least 10 hits in five of the lasteight games. The Buckeyes have scored at least 10 runs 14 timesthis season.
OSU AMONG BEST ALL-TIME CWS TEAMS
Ohio State has been named one of the top College World Series teams of all-time in a story that appeared in the Omaha World-Herald last summer. Ohio State was listed No. 22 in the Top 25 rankings. The Buckeyes have made four appearances in the College World Series, winning the national championship in 1966 after a runner-up finish in 1965. Southern California was ranked as the top CWS team of all time.
As for Ohio State, the World-Herald said, “(Steve) Arlin was selected as one of the two pitchers on the CWS’ 50-year anniversary team for his work in the 1965 and 1966 tournaments. Arlin still holds the CWS career record for ERA (0.96), and his four victories and 47 innings pitched are tied for the all-time lead. In leading the Buckeyes to the 1966 title, Arlin finished all five of their wins – two on complete games. His most memorable performance might have come the year before, when he pitched a 15-inning, 1-0 victory over Washington State after lasting just one-third of an inning in his first CWS start against Arizona State.”
The 1966 national championship is the last won by a team in the Big Ten.
STEVE ARLIN APPEARED ON FIRST EVER COLLEGE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME BALLOT
Former Ohio State pitcher Steve Arlin was one of 22 former players who appear on the 2006 ballot for induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame. A total of 46 all-time collegiate baseball greats, which also included 12 former coaches and 12 veteran candidates, appeared on the ballot earlier this month for the first-ever Hall of Fame induction class this summer. The five former players chosen for the class include Bob Horner of Arizona State, Robin Ventura of Oklahoma State, Dave Winfield of Minnesota, Will Clark of Mississippi State and Brooks Kieschnick of Texas.
Arlin helped lead the Buckeyes to back-to-back appearances at the College World Series in 1965 and 1966. He not only is considered the top pitcher in Ohio State baseball history, but he also is regarded as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the College World Series. In the 1965, facing elimination against Washington State, Arlin struck out a CWS-record 20 batters in a 15-inning 1-0 victory by Ohio State. The next year, the Buckeyes won the National Championship with Arlin on the mound in five of the team’s six games, twice beating top-seeded Southern California.
With a two-year record of 24-3 with the Buckeyes, Arlin held OSU marks for victories and strikeouts (294) until 1999 and his .889 win percentage is the best in school history. He led the nation in strikeouts as a sophomore with 165 and went 13-2 that year in leading the Buckeyes to a second-place finish at the 1965 College World Series. The next year he went 11-1 and helped Ohio State claim the championship.
10TH SEASON AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
This year marks the 10th season of Ohio State baseball at Bill Davis Stadium. One of the best college baseball stadiums has been quite an advantage for the Buckeyes, who have a 181-73 (.713) overall record there. The venue has played host to two Big Ten tournament championships (1999 and 2001), two regional championships (1999 and 2001) and two super regional championships (1999 and 2003).
BUCKEYES LED BIG TEN IN 2005 ATTENDANCE
Ohio State baseball led the Big Ten in attendance in 2005 by welcoming an average of 2,570 in 18 home dates at Bill Davis Stadium, NCAA attendance figures released last November revealed.
The Buckeyes welcomed a total of 46,266 fans to Columbus last season which was the 36th best overall figure in the NCAA. The 2,570 average ranked 23rd among NCAA institutions.
No other Big Ten team ranked in the Top 50 either in total or average attendance. Notre Dame averaged 1,991 fans to rank 28th and drew a total of 43,798 fans for the season to rank 38th. No school in the Mid-American Conference or other Ohio school cracked the Top 50. LSU led in both categories, drawing a total of 270,300 fans over 36 dates for an average of 7,508. The Buckeyes’ drew a season-high crowd of 5,128 for the doubleheader against Minnesota the final series of the regular season. That weekend, Ohio State drew 10,876 fans over three dates, outdistancing previous weekends of 7,782 vs. Indiana, 7,370 vs. Purdue and 6,839 vs. Michigan State.
OHIO STATE BASEBALL ON WMNI-AM IN 2006
Ohio State baseball games will be broadcast this season on WMNI Radio (920 AM), Gene Smith, Ohio State athletics director, announced March 9. The station will carry a minimum of 27 regular-season games and any postseason games the team could play in 2006, including the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
Games one, three and four of six Big Ten series – Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, Minnesota and Penn State – as well as two games of the series at Indiana and Michigan State will be available on WMNI. The station also will carry five home midweek evening games against Miami (Ohio), Central Michigan, Oakland, Eastern Michigan and Pittsburgh.
The WMNI broadcast schedule begins Friday, March 31 at 7:05 p.m. when the team opens a four-game series at Iowa, and continues through the regular season, which ends Sunday, May 21 against Penn State. Any postseason games the team would qualify for also would be carried by the station.
WMNI has a long-standing history of sports coverage since it went on the air in 1958 and that has included Ohio State basketball, football, men’s hockey and now baseball.
In addition, the complete WMNI broadcast inventory of OSU baseball games also will be available on the Internet at the official web site of the Ohio State athletics, ohiostatebuckeys.com.
ALL-ACCESS PASS THE KEY TO ONLINE AUDIO, VIDEO COVERAGE
The official web site of Ohio State athletics, ohiostatebuckeyes.com, in conjunction with College Sports Television, is offering subscription coverage for streaming audio and video of select Buckeye baseball games this spring.
For $6.95 per month, fans can receive streaming audio for a minimum of 27 regular-season baseball games that will be carried on the radio in the Columbus market at AM 920 WMNI. The station also is committed to all of Ohio State’s postseason games and those, too, would be available to subscribers of the CSTV All-Access pass. All Ohio State programming is included in the monthly subscription price, not just baseball coverage.
Remaining Games in Streaming Video
| May 19 | Fri. | Penn State | 6:35 p.m. |
| May 21 | Sun. | Penn State | 1:05 p.m. |
Bob Todd RADIO SHOW
The Bob Todd weekly radio show, hosted by Skip Mosic on WBNS Radio 1460 The Fan, will run each week for 10 weeks with the final program broadcast on Monday, May 22. The nights of the show vary this year because of station conflicts with either Columbus Blue Jackets or Cleveland Indians broadcasts. Six shows will be broadcast on Monday with two shows each on Tuesday and Thursday. Each of the remaining 30-minute shows will begin at 7 p.m. To participate, dial (614) 821-1460.
Bob Todd Radio Show Remaining Schedule
Monday, May 22 @ 7 p.m.
UP NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State has secured a spot in the Big Ten tournament for the 20th time in the event’s history. It is unclear if the 2006 tournament will be played in Evanston, Ann Arbor or Columbus. The double-elimination tournament begins Wednesday with the top two seeds receiving first round byes.
