Buckeyes Head to Michigan State for Final Road Test in ’06 – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 4, 2006
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
28-14, 12-8 Big Ten
at
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
21-21, 9-11 Big Ten
May 5-7, 2006
Oldsmobile Park (Capacity: 8,000)
Lansing, Mich.
Friday, May 5: 2:05 p.m.
Saturday, May 6 (DH): 5:05 p.m.
Sunday, May 7: 1:05 p.m.
Series History: Ohio State leads 120-77-1
Last Meeting: April 17, 2005: Ohio State 8-7
PROBABLE OHIO STATE STARTERS
Friday: Dan DeLucia (LHP)
Saturday: Cory Luebke (LHP) and Jake Hale (RHP)
Sunday: J.B. Shuck (LHP)
RADIO
Games 2, 3 & 4 on AM 920 WMNI
OHIOSTATEBUCKEYES.COM
GameTracker and Streaming Audio
Ohio State takes to the road for the final time during the 2006 regular season this weekend for a four-game Big Ten series at Michigan State. All four games of the series will be playing in Lansing, Mich., at Oldsmobile Park, where the Spartans have played a majority of their games this season. Oldsmobile Park is home to the Lansing Lugnuts, the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Buckeyes won their Big Ten-best 28th game of the season Wednesday in a 5-2 home victory over Eastern Michigan. Ohio State is 28-14 overall and 12-8 in the Big Ten after winning three of four games at home vs. Purdue last weekend. The Buckeyes are third in the Big Ten, two games off league-leaders Northwestern and Michigan, and have a two-game lead ahead of Illinois. Michigan State did not play a midweek game after it lost three of four games last weekend in a home-and-home series vs. Michigan. The Spartans are 21-21 overall and are among four teams tied for fifth place with 9-11 conference records. Ohio State and Michigan State rank first and second in the Big Ten in team batting average.
Games two, three and four of the series will be broadcast in Columbus on AM 920 WMNI. Randy Rhinehart and Eric Welch will have the call. In addition to GameTracker, streaming audio for the final three games of the series also will available at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
WMNI ADDS GAME
The new broadcast home of Ohio State baseball AM 920 WMNI has added a game to its schedule this weekend when the Buckeyes play at Michigan State. The station was to broadcast only the third and fourth games of the series, but now will do the last three games against Michigan State, meaning both games of the Saturday doubleheader and the series finale on Sunday will be broadcast. Only game one, Friday at 2:05 p.m., will not be on the air.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State has the most wins (28) and the fewest losses (14) by a Big Ten team entering conference play this weekend. The Buckeyes turned back Eastern Michigan 5-2 to improve to 5-1 in home non-conference action this year. That win followed a weekend in which the Scarlet and Gray won three of four games from Purdue The Buckeyes won 10-5 Friday and swept the doubleheader Saturday by scores of 4-0 and 4-1. Purdue won game four, 7-6, after stopping a late rally. The Buckeyes scored three in the eighth and another in the ninth and had runners at second and third when the game ended.
Ronnie Bourquin led the Buckeyes in the series, batting .667 at the plate with 10 hits and had five RBI and scored four runs. The junior third baseman had a slugging percentage of .733 and an on-base percentage of .688. Matt Angle also had a great weekend for the Buckeyes with nine hits, including two doubles, and a .643 batting average. He knocked in three runs and scored five times. Jedidiah Stephen was 7-for-14 with a pair of doubles and one home run that yielded six of the team’s 23 runs in the series. Bourquin overtook Purdue’s Mitch Hilligoss for the Big Ten batting lead in the head-to-head matchup. Bourquin maintained the led after the win Wednesday vs. Eastern Michigan and is batting .422. He leads the Big Ten with 70 hits and 50 RBI. Eric Fryer is batting .396, while Stephen is batting .367 with 16 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. Angle is batting .366. Jacob Howell, who has missed 15 of the team’s last 21 games with a pulled hamstring is batting .421 after going 2-for-4 last Friday in his lone game of the series. The Buckeyes continue to lead the Big Ten with their .333 team batting average. Ohio State has 77 doubles, 21 triples and 19 home runs and averaging 7.0 runs on 11.5 hits per game.
The pitching also continues to lead the Big Ten with its 3.64 ERA. Last weekend, the staff had a 3.09 ERA in the Purdue series and held the Boilermakers to a .254 batting average while the OSU offense backed it up with a .392 batting average. Cory Luebke and Jake Hale pitched complete games in the doubleheader sweep to follow Dan DeLucia’s 10-5 win in the series opener. J.B. Shuck nearly was bailed out in the finale, but was saddled with just his second loss as a Buckeye, against six wins. He still manages a 6-2 record to go with a conference-best 1.57 ERA. He also leads the team with 48 strikeouts.
The Buckeyes were flawless in the field in the first three games against Purdue, but committed two errors, both in the first inning, of the finale. Ohio State is tied for seventh in fielding with a .959 percentage, though in the 20 Big Ten games, the percentage swells to .966, fourth best in the league.
BOURQUIN RECEIVES CONFERENCE LAURELS
In a five-game homestand last week, Ronnie Bourquin batted .706 (12-for-17) with seven RBI and five runs scored. He touched 16 bases for a .941 slugging percentage and added four walks for an on-base percentage of .762, while posting three of four stolen bases. After a 2-for-2 performance against Cleveland State earlier in the week, the Buckeye junior third baseman batted .667 (10-for-15) in the 3-1 series win over Purdue with five RBI and four runs scored. He had multiple hits in four of the five games last week and is currently riding a career-long 11-game hit streak. Bourquin now leads all conference batters with a .426 batting average, up from .393 before the week started. Bourquin also was named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll.
FIVE PLAYERS MAKE NATIONAL HONOR ROLL
Five different Ohio State players have been named to the College Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll, which recognizes the top national performances each week in college baseball. Ronnie Bourquin is the latest to receive national acclaim after batting .706 (12-for-17) with seven RBI and five runs scored in five games last week. Dan DeLucia and Jake Hale were mentioned March 21 after getting the Buckeyes off to a strong start on the spring trip with solid pitching performances against UMass and Cornell. Eric Fryer gained mention last week (April 11) after leading the team vs. Illinois. Pitcher/first baseman/left fielder J.B. Shuck has appeared on the honor roll three times this season.
STEPHEN’S HOMER LIFTS BUCKEYES
After Eastern Michigan pulled within one run in the top of the seventh inning, Jedidiah Stephen launched a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the inning to give the Buckeyes a 5-2 victory over the Eagles Wednesday in front of 1,416 at Bill Davis Stadium.
Eastern Michigan reliever Dan Puls walked Eric Fryer to start the Ohio State seventh and then came back with a strikeout. Matt Shoemaker came in to face Stephen and with a 1-0 count, Stephen sent the ball over the left-field fence to score two insurance runs. It was his team-best seventh home run of the season and was the 25th of his career, which ranks 18th in school history.
It was one of the strangest games in terms of pitching. Making his 68th career appearance, Trey Fausnaugh started his first game as a Buckeye. He went four innings in a pre-determined abbreviated start to get his first win of the season (1-0). He allowed one run on three hits with a pair of strikeouts. Ohio State used a total of five pitchers, including Dan DeLucia, who made his first relief appearance since April 2004, a span of 32 starts. Dan Barker pitched the ninth and did not allow a hit to earn his first career save.
OHIO STATE 5-1 AT HOME ON WEDNESDAY
With the 5-2 victory vs. Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, the Buckeyes improved to 5-1 in non-conference action at Bill Davis Stadium this year. Ohio State will not play a midweek game next week, but will play host to Pittsburgh, May 17 in the final non-conference game of the regular season. Ohio State also has wins vs. Toledo (8-5), Miami (9-2), Central Michigan (8-5) and Oakland (8-2), but the lone blemish is a 7-5 defeat by Cleveland State on April 26.
The Buckeyes have hit .316 in the six games and are led by Eric Fryer, who is a monstrous 15-for-24 (.625) 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. Jason Zoeller is batting .412 (7-for-17) while Ronnie Bourquin is batting .409 (9-for-22). Jedidiah Stephen leads the team with nine RBI. Of his seven hits, he has two doubles and three home runs. Dan Barker is 3-1 as a pitcher and has a 1.12 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 16 innings. He has appeared in all six games with three starts. Josh Barrera and Trey Fausnaugh have the other two wins. Barker also has a save.
ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE
The Spartans are 21-21 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten after losing three of four games last weekend against in-state rival Michigan. The Wolverines won 7-1 in the opener in Ann Arbor before the teams went to Lansing to play the doubleheader at Oldsmobile Park. Michigan won the first game 6-2 and Michigan State scored three in the bottom of the seventh for a 7-6 win in the nightcap. Sunday, back in Ann Arbor, Michigan clinched the series with an 11-5 victory.
Ryan Basham leads the Spartans at the plate with a .377 batting average. He is tied for the team lead with 57 hits and has 10 doubles, one triple and six home runs for a team-best 43 RBI. Seven other players are batting better than .300, including Steve Gerstenberger (.357), Alan Cattrysse (.355) and Troy Krider (.354). Michigan State is averaging 6.7 runs on 10.6 hits per game. The Spartans have a 5.84 team ERA and are allowing opponents to hit .326 while allowing 6.5 runs on 11.1 hits. Michigan State is expected to toss John Dwan in game one, Jeff Gerbe in game two and Craig Brookes in game three. They have not specified a probable starter in game four. Dwan is 1-4 with a 6.06 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 49.0 innings, while Gerbe is 4-4 with a 3.92 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 64.1 innings. Brookes is 1-2 with a 4.92 ERA and has 34 strikeouts in 53 innings. Chris Cullen threw game four last week vs. Michigan. Cullen is 3-2 with an ERA of 11.00.
These will be the first meetings against Michigan State under first-year head coach David Grewe (Dayton, 1988). Grewe, one of the youngest coaches in the nation at 29 at the time he was hired, spent three years on the coaching staff at Notre Dame.
AGAINST THE SPARTANS
Ohio State leads the all-time series against Michigan State 120-77-1 and is 15-8 against the Spartans since the 2000 season. The Buckeyes had won nine of 10 meetings before losing three of four last season. The series began in 1911, a 6-1 win by MSU. Bob Todd is 51-22 all-time against Michigan State. The last time Ohio State played at Michigan State was in 2004 when the Buckeyes took three of four games at Kobs Field on the MSU campus. The last time the teams met at Oldsmobile Park was in 2002, when the teams split a pair of games in a rain-shortened series.
OSU vs. MSU Since 2000 (OSU leads 15-8)
| Date | W/L | Score | Site |
| 5/12/2000 | L | 8-3 | H |
| 5/13/2000 | W | 2-1 | H |
| 5/13/2000 | L | 6-5 | H |
| 5/14/2000 | W | 7-3 | H |
| 4/13/2001 | W | 10-9 | A |
| 4/14/2001 | L | 14-3 | A |
| 4/14/2001 | W | 4-0 | A |
| 4/15/2001 | W | 13-3 | A |
| 5/10/2002 | L | 12-5 | 1N |
| 5/11/2002 | W | 6-4 | 1N |
| 5/9/2003 | W | 3-2 | H |
| 5/10/2003 | W | 2-1 | H |
| 5/10/2003 | W | 6-5 | H |
| 5/11/2003 | W | 11-8 | H |
| 4/16/2004 | L | 10-7 | A |
| 4/17/2004 | W | 8-7 | A |
| 4/17/2004 | W | 19-2 | A |
| 4/18/2004 | W | 12-10 | A |
| 5/28/2004 | W | 8-3 | 2N |
| 4/15/2005 | L | 2-0 | H |
| 4/16/2005 | L | 12-3 | H |
| 4/16/2005 | L | 8-1 | H |
| 4/17/2005 | W | 8-7 | H |
1-at Oldsmobile Park, Lansing, Mich.
2-Big Ten Tournament, Minneapolis, Minn.
LAST YEAR VS. MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State was trying to do something last year at Ohio State no team had ever been able to do and that was sweep the Buckeyes at Bill Davis Stadium. The Spartans won the first three games of the series and were going for a sweep in game four, but Ohio State denied the attempt, winning the finale in the bottom of the ninth. Ohio State lost the first three games 2-0, 12-3 and 8-1. It scored only four runs and had only 22 hits in the first three games of the series. The Buckeyes won 8-7 in the series finale, getting an RBI single from Matt Angle to score Eric Fryer, who reached on a hit of his own and then stole second to set up the score. Ohio State relief pitching allowed a grand slam to tie the game in the top of the ninth after leading by as many as five runs two different times. The Buckeyes finished the series with 12 runs on 35 hits, while Michigan State scored 29 runs on 45 hits.
BIG TEN SERIES HISTORY VS. MSU
Since the Big Ten began playing four-game conference series in 1981, Ohio State has claimed 15 of the 25 meetings with Michigan State. The Buckeyes have six four-game sweeps and have won three of four games nine times. The teams have split eight times and the Spartans have won only two series against Ohio State, last doing so in 2005. The other series win by Michigan State was in 1988, Bob Todd’s first season.
Big Ten Series History vs. Michigan State
| Ohio State | 4-0 | 2003, 1996, 1994, 1992, 1990, 1989 |
| Ohio State | 3-1 | 2004, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1993, 1985, 1984, 1982 |
| Split | 2-2 | 2000, 1995, 1991, 1987, 1986, 1981 |
| Split | 1-1 | 2002, 1983 |
| Michigan St. | 3-1 | 2005, 1988 |
| Michigan St. | 4-0 | None |
IN THE BIG TEN
Ohio State could have picked up one game on league-leading Northwestern and Michigan if it could have completed the sweep of Purdue Sunday at Bill Davis Stadium. With the 7-6 loss, the Buckeyes slipped to 12-8 in the Big Ten remained two games back in third place. The Wildcats and Wolverines are 14-6. Ohio State has a two-game advantage on Illinois, which is fourth at 10-10. Purdue, Michigan State, Minnesota and Penn State all are tied for fifth at 9-11, while Indiana and Iowa are tied for ninth at 7-13. When Ohio State plays Michigan State this weekend at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing, Mich., Iowa will travel to Indiana. Other games feature Minnesota at Northwestern, Penn State at Purdue and Michigan at Illinois.
BIG TEN STATS
Through conference stats released Monday, Ohio State continues to be the top batting and pitching team in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes lead the league with its .334 batting average and their 3.68 ERA. This weekend’s series between Ohio State and Michigan State will pit the top two hitting teams in the Big Ten with the Spartans right behind the Buckeyes with a .323 batting average. In Big Ten games, Michigan State has a slight edge on Ohio State for the Top 2 batting averages: .322 to .321. The Buckeyes are tied for seventh in fielding with a .959 fielding percentage. They are fourth in Big Ten games with a percentage of .966.
Last weekend in a head-to-head match up with Purdue’s Mitch Hilligoss, Ohio State third baseman Ronnie Bourquin overtook the Big Ten batting lead from the Boilermakers’ short stop. Bourquin now leads all conference batters with a .426 average. Teammate Jacob Howell is second with his .421 average, while two other Buckeyes rank in the Top 5. Eric Fryer is batting .393 and is fourth, while Matt Angle is fifth with his .378 average. Jedidiah Stephen is eighth with his .370 batting average. Bourquin also leads the conference with 69 hits and 50 RBI. The Buckeyes are 1-2 in RBI with 44 by Fryer. Three Buckeyes have hit totals in the league’s Top 5. Joining Bourquin are Angle and Fryer who each have 59 to tie for fourth. Bourquin’s 42 runs scored are tied for fourth.
J.B. Shuck continues to lead the Big Ten with a 1.57 ERA, while teammate Dan DeLucia leads all conference pitchers with seven wins. DeLucia is 7-2 and is 4-1 in the Big Ten. DeLucia has pitched 73.2 innings, which is tied for the conference lead. Rory Meister has finished 21 games, which leads the Big Ten. His 21 relief appearances ranks second.
FIRST CAREER START FOR FAUSNAUGH
Ohio State junior reliever Trey Fausnaugh made his first career start in his 68th career appearance Wednesday in the 5-2 victory over Eastern Michigan. Making an announced short start, Fausnaugh picked up his first win of the season (1-0) and in four innings, allowed just one run on three hits. His 68 career appearances, including 12 this year, are tied for fifth most in school history. He is tied with Kevin Goorum (1998-2001) and Chad Hale (1991-94). The all-time record for appearances is 96 held by Cory Cox (1998-2001). His next appearance will tie him for fourth with Dennis Pachner (1992-94) and two more would tie Brandon Steen (1999-2002) for third.
DELUCIA MAKES RELIEF APPEARANCE
As odd as it was to see Trey Fausnaugh on the mound to start a game, many Buckeye fans were stunned when public address announcer Bob Kennedy introduced Dan DeLucia as the fourth of five pitchers in the 5-2 win Wednesday over Eastern Michigan. The Ohio State junior from Columbus had made 32 straight starts and has been the team’s No. 1 starter much of last season and all of 2006. He had not pitched in relief since April 7, 2004 in a one-inning outing vs. Oakland his freshman year. DeLucia has made only six relief appearances, including Wednesday, with 34 career starts. He has a 16-10 record and is fully expected to get the ball in the series opener at Michigan State.
KEEP AN EYE ON ANGLE
Buckeye center fielder Matt Angle was perfect on three stolen base attempts last Friday in the series opening 10-5 victory vs. Purdue. That gave him 21 stolen bases this season, which equaled the 10th best season total in school history, and gave him 34 for his career, which is tied for 14th. The school record is 32 set by Mike Harris in 2001. Angle is 21-for-25 this season and is 34-for-41 in his career. This year’s team is 50-for-65. Jacob Howell is a perfect 8-for-8, while Wes Schirtzinger is 7-for-9.
BUCKEYES HAVE 21 TRIPLES
Ohio State has 21 triples this season and is nearing the school record of 25, which was set in 1991. The team had three triples in the series finale at Indiana and Jacob Howell had another in the opening game against Purdue. The 21 triples is the third best season total by a Buckeye team and is two behind the 23 triples the 1966 national championship team hit. Howell leads the team with four triples this season, while Eric Fryer, Jedidiah Stephen and Adam Schneider each have three. Ronnie Bourquin and Jason Zoeller each have two. Four other players also have tripled.
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 Wednesday vs. Eastern Michigan. The two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh extended the Buckeye lead to three after the Eagles had pulled within one run, 3-2 in the top of the inning. 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 (19). Ronnie Bourquin and Eric Fryer each have four homers. With his 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 tied for 21st with 630 career at bats and is 24th with 193 career hits. He has 41 doubles to tie for 19th in addition to being tied for 11th with eight career triples and 18th with 25 home runs. He also has 133 RBI to rank 21st.
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, 146-72. Ohio State has a 46-21 edge in the first and a 42-17 edge in the third. The inning with the biggest run differential, however, is the sixth when Ohio State is outscoring opponents 60-16.
DELUCIA MOVES INTO CAREER RANKINGS
Dan DeLucia has pitched 214.1 career innings, which is tied for 24th all-time. When he topped 175 career innings on the team’s spring break trip, he reached the stat minimum for several career pitching stats. DeLucia has allowed 212 hits, the 12th lowest total by a Buckeye. He has walked just 62 batters, which is fourth fewest by an Ohio State pitcher. He has allowed 114 runs (ninth lowest) and 99 earned runs (12th lowest). DeLucia is 16-10 with a 4.16 ERA and 126 strikeouts, though this year he is 7-2 with a 4.03 ERA and 47 strikeouts.
BOURQUIN AND SHUCK NAMED TO DICK HOWSER TROPHY WATCH LIST
Ohio State players Ronnie Bourquin and J.B. Shuck are among the 64 candidates who appear on the watch list 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 last Thursday.
Bourquin, a junior from Canton, Ohio (Canton South), leads the Big Ten with a .426 batting average, 69 hits and 50 RBI. The Buckeyes’ third baseman has 12 doubles, two triples and four home runs for a slugging percentage of .599. Shuck, a true freshman from Galion, Ohio (Galion), owns the best ERA in the Big Ten at 1.59 and is 6-2 in his rookie campaign. He has 48 strikeouts in 63.0 innings and has started nine of his 10 appearances with one complete game. Shuck, who is listed on the watch list as a DH/Athlete, also has made 22 starts at either first base or in the outfield and has a .294 batting average with 25 hits and 15 RBI.
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.
OTHER BUCKEYE BANTER
Ronnie Bourquin is the team’s leading batter through the team’s42 games this season. He has a batting average of .422, the best inthe Big Ten. He also is the team’s leading batter in conferencegames with a .405 average, which ranks second to Michigan’s JeffKunkel. The team is batting .333 in all games and .321 inconference play. Jacob Howell is the team’s leading batter in the22 non-conference games (16-6) this season. He is batting .438 with32 hits, 12 RBI and 21 runs scored. Bourquin is second with a .435average, 40 hits, 29 RBI and 24 runs scored. Eric Fryer has a .432average with 35 hits, 27 RBI and 21 runs scored. The Buckeyes are11-3 at home this season and are led by Bourquin’s .490 battingaverage (25-for-51) with 16 RBI and 12 runs scored. Fryer andJedidiah Stephen also are batting better than .400 at home. Fryerhas a .482 batting average with a team-high 27 hits and has 12 RBI,while Stephen is batting .408 with 20 hits and 17 RBI. BothBourquin and Fryer are batting better than .400 in the team’s last10 games. Bourquin is batting .559 with 19 hits and 14 RBI, whileFryer is batting .417 with 15 hits and 12 runs scored. Stephen has12 RBI in the last 10 games. In the 28 wins this season, the teamis batting .356 and is led by Fryer’s .442 batting average.Bourquin is batting .432 and Stephen is batting .406 in the wins.Conversely, in the 14 losses, Ohio State is batting just .285.Bourquin is batting .400, while Matt Angle is batting .364. OhioState is 21-12 and batting .335 during the day, compared to 7-2 and.325 at night. Bourquin leads the team with 21 multiple hit games,including seven of the last 11 games. Four others, includingStephen, Angle, Fryer and Howell, also are in double figures.Bourquin and Fryer each have 14 multiple-RBI games. The team’slongest hit streak belongs to Bourquin, who has a hit in acareer-long 12 straight games. He will be trying to break JasonZoeller’s season long hit streak, which also reached 12 games.Fryer is batting .472 vs. left-handed pitchers and .373 vs.righties. Bourquin is batting .447 with runners on base and .461with runners in scoring position. Howell is batting .500 withrunners in scoring position. Fryer is the team’s leading two-outhitter. He is batting .466 (27-for-58) with two out and has drivenin 25 runs in the situation. Stephen has 18 two-out RBI, whileBourquin has two. With a runner at third and at least two outs,Bourquin has driven in 13 RBI in 19 opportunities. Fryer also hashad success with 12 RBI in 16 chances. In 25 of the team’s 42games, the Buckeyes have pounded out double-digit totals in hits,including a season-high 22 in the first game vs. Lehigh. The teamhad seven consecutive games with 16 hits or more from March 5-20.Ohio State has had at least 10 hits in four of the last eightgames.
BUCKEYES WIN SECOND ROAD SERIES
Ohio State won its third conference series of the year by winning three of four games at Indiana April 21-23 in Bloomington, Ind. Ohio State won game one 4-3, game three 11-4 and game four 8-6. The Hoosiers won the second game 5-3.
Eric Fryer and Ronnie Bourquin both batted .500 in the five games last week. Fryer was 9-for-18 with two triples, a home run, four RBI and eight runs scored, while Bourquin was 8-for-16 with a double, a triple, two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored. Ohio State batted .296 in the Indiana series and Bourquin led the team with a .462 batting average. He was 6-for-13 with a triple, two home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored. Jacob Howell, who returned in game one after missing 10 games with a pulled hamstring, and Fryer both were 6-for-14 (.429). Howell had two RBI and scored twice, while Fryer had a triple, a home run, three RBI and six runs scored. Howell is second in the Big Ten with a .417 average, though Fryer, who has played in all 37 games this season, is batting .397 with 42 RBI. Bourquin leads the everyday players with a .401 average and has 59 hits and 45 RBI.
Both Dan DeLucia and J.B. Shuck won their sixth games of the season at Indiana. DeLucia (6-2) beat the Hoosiers Friday, missing his third complete game of the season by one out. Rory Meister came in and picked up his fourth save of the season. Shuck (6-1) won the series finale and did not allow an earned run on eight hits. Jake Hale was the other winner last weekend. He won the third game and allowed three runs on five hits in his six innings.
BUCKEYES SWEPT AT MICHIGAN
For just the third time in Bob Todd’s 19 years at Ohio State, the Buckeyes were swept in a four game series. Minnesota swept Ohio State in Columbus in 1990 and then during the opening weekend of Big Ten play last year, Illinois took all four games. Michigan won 14-3 on Friday and then won by scores of 7-1 and 2-1 Saturday before winning 5-4 Sunday to complete the sweep.
The Buckeyes took a .343 batting average into Ann Arbor, but left with a .334 average after batting .269. Ohio State did not hit the ball all that poorly, but it did not get the timely hitting it had displayed entering the series. Center fielder Matt Angle led the Buckeyes at the plate in going 6-for-14 (.429) at Michigan. He drove in two runs and scored twice and was 1-for-2 in stolen bases. Jedidiah Stephen was 5-for-15 (.333) and Jonathan Zizzo was 4-for-13 (.308) as he continues to get playing time in left field.
The pitching staff also showed vulnerability allowing Michigan to hit .368 for the weekend as it outscored the Buckeyes 28-9. The Buckeyes, which had led the Big Ten with a 3.29 ERA before the series, had an 8.28 ERA in the four games. Dan DeLucia and Cory Luebke the starters in the first two games allowed uncharacteristic nine and seven earned runs, respectively. Even J.B. Shuck, who had allowed only five earned runs all year, allowed three in the series finale. Jake Hale pitched well in his 7.1 innings in the third game of the series despite getting the loss.
BUCKEYES WIN THREE VS. ILLINOIS
Ohio State improved to 19-7 after winning three of four games at home vs. Illinois. After getting rained out Friday night, Ohio State and Illinois were forced to play two doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, playing the series in order with a nine-inning and a seven-inning game Saturday followed by a seven-inning and a nine-inning game Sunday. Ohio State won 4-1 and 5-1 on Saturday. Down 6-0 in the first game Sunday, the Buckeyes tied the game in the bottom of the sixth before allowing two runs in the top of the ninth in an 8-6 extra-inning defeat. The Scarlet and Gray clinched the series with a 9-1 triumph in the nightcap.
For the series, the team batted .331 and was led by center fielder Matt Angle, who was 7-for-15 (.467) with a pair of doubles and four runs scored. Shortstop Jedidiah Stephen batted .462 and third baseman Ronnie Bourquin batted .429, while J.B. Shuck, who had one start at first and two in left field, batted .400. Shuck, also a freshman pitcher, went the distance to pitch his first career complete game in the series clinching victory on Sunday. He allowed only one run on seven hits and struck out five. Catcher/first baseman Eric Fryer batted .389 with six RBI and seven runs scored.
Six pitchers combined for a 2.12 ERA and struck out 30 Illini batters in 34.0 innings pitched and limited Illinois to a .203 batting average. Dan DeLucia and Cory Luebke joined Shuck in pitching complete games. DeLucia allowed one run on six hits with a career-high tying nine strikeouts, while Luebke allowed one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in his 7.0-inning complete game.
BUCKEYES OPEN LEAGUE PLAY 3-1 AT IOWA
Ohio State won three of four games from Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, March 31-April 2. Ohio State won the first, third and fourth games of the series by respective scores of 12-5, 6-4 and 15-1, with the only blemish of the week coming in game two, a 7-1 loss. The most dominating win was the 15-1 series clincher on Sunday that kept the Buckeyes on top of the Big Ten standings.
While the offense pounded out 17 hits, it was the pitching that grabbed national headlines as freshman pitcher J.B. Shuck took a no-hitter into the eighth inning before giving up a solo home run to the lead-off batter that inning. It was the only hit allowed by Buckeye pitching. Shuck struck out eight batters in the game and turned the game over to Dan Barker, who pitched the ninth without a hit.
The team outscored the Hawkeyes 34-17 while 15 of the team’s 44 hits were for extra bases. The team had nine doubles, two triples and four home runs after entering the weekend with only three round-trippers the first 17 games of the season. Ronnie Bourquin batted .438 in the four games, going 7-for-16 with three doubles, a home run, five RBI and six runs scored. He had an .813 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. He did not strikeout in the series and drew two walks. Jason Zoeller also had a strong series, batting .417.
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 171-67 (.718) 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 LEAD BIG TEN IN 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 12 | Fri. | Minnesota | 6:35 p.m. |
| May 14 | Sun. | Minnesota | 1:05 p.m. |
| 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
Thursday, May 11 @ 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 18 @ 7 p.m.
Monday, May 22 @ 7 p.m.
UP NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State will not play a midweek game next week and will return to action next weekend vs. Minnesota in a four-game Big Ten series at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes close the regular season by playing their last nine games at home. The Buckeyes and Gophers get underway Friday at 6:35 p.m., followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 1:35 p.m. The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m. After that, Ohio State will play host to Pittsburgh on May 17 before closing the season May 19-21 with a four-game series vs. Penn State.
