Buckeyes to Face Georgetown, Duquesne and Lehigh – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 1, 2007
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
(1-3, 0-0 Big Ten)
at
CLEARWATER COLLEGE INVITATIONAL
March 2-4, 2007
Jack Russell Stadium
Clearwater, Fla.
Fri., March 2 vs. Georgetown (2-3), 7 p.m.
Sat., March 3 vs. Duquesne (0-3), 4 p.m.
Sun., March 4 vs. Lehigh (0-1-1), 10 a.m.
SERIES HISTORY:
Georgetown: Series tied 1-1
Last Meeting: May 29, 1931; Georgetown 11-10
Duquesne: Ohio State leads 3-0
Last Meeting: March 16, 1997; Ohio State 3-2
Lehigh: Ohio State leads 2-0
Last Meeting: March 10, 2006; Ohio State 13-6
PROBABLE OHIO STATE PITCHERS
Georgetown: Dan DeLucia (LHP)
Duquesne: Cory Luebke (LHP)
Lehigh: J.B. Shuck (LHP)
OHIO STATE RADIO AND GAMETRACKER
None
Ohio State will be trying to get above .500 when it heads to Clearwater, Fla., this weekend to participate in the Clearwater College Invitational at Jack Russell Stadium, the former spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last weekend, Ohio State opened the season as host to the Buckeye Baseball Classic at the New York Yankees Player Development Complex in Tampa. The Scarlet and Gray opened the season with a win over James Madison, but wound up losing its final three games of the weekend, including a doubleheader loss to Kansas State and a single-game setback to Seton Hall. All three losses came late in the game with the starting pitcher in the dugout. The Buckeyes play three games this weekend in Clearwater beginning with Georgetown Friday under the lights at 7 p.m. Ohio State will play Duquesne Saturday at 4 p.m. before wrapping up the weekend Sunday with a 10 a.m. first pitch against Lehigh. Please note the start time for the game Saturday vs. the Dukes was pushed back to 4 p.m. Previous scheduled had listed the game at 1 p.m.
None of the games from Clearwater will be available on the radio or Internet and none of the games will offer GameTracker.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State finds itself in a 1-3 hole to start the season after coming up short in the final three games at the Buckeye Baseball Classic in Tampa. The Buckeyes beat James Madison 8-6 in the season opener, but Kansas State claimed a doubleheader (5-4 and 5-2) before Seton Hall prevented Ohio State from getting back to .500 by scoring five runs in the final two innings for a 6-5 triumph.
Third baseman Tony Kennedy led the Buckeyes in batting .500. He was 6-for-12 at the plate, batted in one run and scored three. He also was perfect on the base paths with four stolen bases. First baseman Justin Miller also had six hits and batted .429 in the team’s four games. He scored four times and batted in one. J.B. Shuck made three starts in left field before taking the mound in the weekend finale vs. Seton Hall. Shuck batted .364 with four hits. He drove in four runs and scored once. Ohio State batted .287 in the tournament and finished third.
While the Buckeyes had chances at the plate, the story last weekend had to be pitching, or at least, relief pitching. All three losses came with the OSU starters in the dugout. Only Dan DeLucia was able to get the win. The win over James Madison was his first on opening day and the 20th of his career. Cory Luebke, Josh Barrera and Shuck started the remaining four games. In the first game of the doubleheader vs. Kansas State, Luebke left with a one-run lead through seven innings, while Barrera departed in the sixth after giving up a game-tying home run in the nightcap. Shuck, who ended up throwing 112 pitches in his first start of the year, left the Seton Hall game after giving up two home runs in the eighth inning that pulled the Pirates within one run. The Buckeyes outscored the opposition 17-6 in the first five innings last weekend, but score just two runs while giving up 16 runs the final four innings. The team ERA for the weekend was 4.41 while the collective batting average for the four teams was .284.
This weekend, Ohio State will go with a rotation of DeLucia vs. Georgetown, Luebke vs. Duquesne and Shuck vs. Lehigh.
ABOUT GEORGETOWN
The Hoyas are 2-3 on the year and have won two in a row after dropping a three-game series at Davidson Feb. 17-19 to open the season. Georgetown took both ends of a doubleheader last Saturday vs. Saint Joseph’s winning 10-2 and 9-8.
The team is batting .339 and have two players batting .579 or better. Mark McLaughlin is 10-for-17 (.588) to lead the team in it’s five games. He has hit four doubles, driven in three RBI and has scored six runs. Matt Harringan is batting .579 in four games. He paces the team with 11 hits (11-for-19) and has three doubles, two home runs, six RBI and has scored six runs. The squad has hit 10 home runs in five games, led by Sean Baumann, who has hit three for a team-high eight RBI.
On the mound, the Hoyas’ pitching staff has a 7.88 ERA. Michael Gaggioli is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in two starts. He has pitched 8.1 innings and has nine strikeouts. Erick Chandler also has started two games though does not have a record in 10.0 innings. He has struck out 12 and walked only three, but has allowed 12 runs (six earned) on 16 hits.
Georgetown is coached by Pete Wilk (Rollins, 1987) and he has a 129-258 record in his eighth season with the Hoyas and as a college coach.
AGAINST THE HOYAS
This will be the third meeting between Ohio State and Georgetown, though the first since 1931. Each team has won a game. Ohio State won the first meeting 8-1 in Washington D.C. though the Hoyas found revenge in 1931 with an 11-10 victory.
OHIO STATE / GEORGETOWN TIES
Ohio State sophomore right-handed pitcher Darren Sizemore, who is from Hamilton, Ohio (Ross H.S.), transferred from Georgetown following his freshman campaign last year. He was 7-3 with a 5.63 ERA and led the Hoyas with 13 starts in 18 appearances. He was Georgetown’s rookie of the year in 2006. His brother, Warren, also played baseball for the Hoyas and graduated last year.
ABOUT DUQUESNE
The Dukes are 0-3 after getting swept last weekend at No. 15 Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets won 11-2, 10-7 and 15-6 in the three-game series in Atlanta.
Nolan Pena leads the team with a .750 batting average through he is just 3-for-4 in two games. Aaron Janusey, Brian Bernardo, Joe Bertletic and Corey Bugno each are batting .333. Janusey was 4-for-12 last week at Georgia Tech. Eric Morrison and Derek Mechling also had four hits and drove in four runs. Mechling has the team’s lone home run. The team batted .260 last weekend.
Duquesne started Gary Pierpont, Travis Rife and Jeff Naughton against Georgia Tech. Pierpont allowed five runs on six hits and struck out four in 4.1 innings, while Rife allowed five runs on four hits in 3.0 innings. Naughton allowed nine runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings. Nine pitchers in the series combined for an ERA of 12.00 as the Yellow Jackets were able to hit .361 in the three games.
The Dukes are coached by Mike Wilson (Chadron State, 1971), who is 267-403-1 in his 14th season at Duquesne and as a college coach.
AGAINST THE DUKES
This will be just the third meeting between Ohio State and Duquesne. The Buckeyes have not lost to the Dukes, which last met in a doubleheader in 1997. Ohio State won 1-0 and 3-2 a year after the first meeting in the series, an 11-6 Buckeye victory.
ABOUT LEHIGH
The Mountain Hawks are 0-1-1 after the first weekend of the season. Delaware State won the season opener 13-7 but the opening-day doubleheader ended in a 4-all tie because of darkness. The teams were supposed to meet in another doubleheader Sunday but bad weather forced the teams to cancel. Lehigh also cancelled Wednesday’s game vs. Coppin State.
In the two games, Matt Reitz leads the Mountain Hawks with a .600 batting average. He was 3-for-5 in the two games. Of his three hits, one was a double and the other was a home run. Lehigh hit three home runs in its two games. Geoff Campbell and Nick Bet have the other two. The Mountain Hawks batted .245 in the two games against Delaware State.
Lehigh reliever Rob Russell was tagged with the loss last Saturday. He allowed four runs on two hits and a pair of walks in relief of Joe Matteo, who started game one. Matteo allowed seven runs (only two earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out five in 2.2 innings. Joel Hockman started the second game and went 5.2 innings with seven strikeouts. He gave up four runs on seven hits. Lehigh has a 7.71 ERA.
The Mountain Hawks are coached by Sean Leary (Lehigh, 1993), who is 225-263-5 in his 12th season at his alma mater and as a head coach.
AGAINST THE MOUNTAIN HAWKS
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Lehigh 2-0 after winning both ends of a doubleheader last year in Clearwater. The Buckeyes won 17-10 and 13-6.
BUCKEYES DOWN JMU IN SEASON OPENER
Ohio State opened its 124th baseball season with an 8-6 victory over James Madison last Friday. The Buckeyes used a five-run fifth inning to beat the Dukes, which featured Kellen Kulbacki the 2006 Collegiate Baseball Co-National Player of the Year.
The Dukes’ right fielder gave his a 1-0 lead with a two-out solo home run in the top of the first inning. Dan DeLucia, who played with Kulbacki with the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League last summer, lost the early battle against his former teammate who deposited the 2-1 offering over the right-field fence.
The Buckeyes tied the score in the bottom of the second inning, turning a lead-off single by Justin Miller into the tying run. It appeared runs would be hard to come by, so when Tony Kennedy led of the bottom of the fifth inning with an infield single, OSU coach Bob Todd elected to bunt him over to second on a sacrifice by Cory Rupert. Kennedy scored the go-ahead run when a line drive by Matt Angle glanced off the glove of Dukes’ second baseman Mike Fabiashi and rolled into right-center field. That run was just the beginning.
Ohio State went on to score four more runs in the inning to build a 6-1 lead. Designated hitter Jacob Howell sent Angle to third with a single to right-center field and Eric Fryer drove him in with a base hit to right-center field. Miller drew a walk to load the bases for freshman Ryan Dew. Dew, who had flied out and grounded out in his first two at bats in the game, cleared the bases with a double just to the right of center to cap a five-run inning.
James Madison tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the sixth and three more in the eighth. The Buckeyes scored twice in the bottom of the seventh.
DeLucia left the game after six innings. He allowed three runs on six hits as the opening-day starter. He struck out six and walked one to win the 20th game of his career. In his Buckeye debut, Theron Minium allowed three runs on two hits and a pair of walks in 1.1 innings before giving way to closer Rory Meister, who went the rest of the way to pick up a save.
Kennedy finished with three hits and Angle, Howell, Fryer and Miller each added two though it was Dew’s three RBI that broke open what had been a close game. Kulbacki finished 3-for-3 with four RBI. Ohio State had to overcome one error and out-hit the Dukes 13-8. A total of three true freshmen – Dew, Rupert and Minium – saw action in the game for Ohio State.
OHIO STATE IN SEASON OPENERS
Ohio State is 11-9 in season openers under head coach Bob Todd after the 8-6 victory over James Madison. In its 124th year of baseball, the Buckeyes are 76-46-2 (.621) in season openers.
KANSAS STATE SCORES LATE TO DOWN OSU
Ohio State relief pitching could not hold on to a two-run lead to Kansas State as the Wildcats scored two runs in the eighth inning to claim a 5-4 victory in the first game of a doubleheader last Saturday.
The Buckeyes took a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning, gave up a run in the fifth and gave up the tying and go-ahead runs in the top of the eighth inning. OSU starter Cory Luebke left the game after seven innings after throwing 96 pitches. He gave way to freshman Josh Edgin, who was tagged with the loss in his Buckeye debut.
Edgin hit two batters in the inning, including lead-off batter Drew Biery. He went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored the tying run on a single through the left side by J.J. Muse. He responded to catch pinch hitter Tyler Link looking at strike three before surrendering an RBI double to Brett Scott that scored the winning run. Edgin hit another batter before giving way to Rory Meister, who finished the game.
Luebke did not factor into the decision after allowing three runs (one earned) with five strikeouts in seven innings. Edgin took the loss (0-1) while K-State reliever Tyler Ruch got the win. He started the seventh in place of starter Ben Hornbeck.
The Buckeyes out-hit Kansas State, 10-7 in a sloppy game that saw a total of five errors. Fryer and Shuck each had two hits for the Buckeyes, which had hits from all but two starters. Biery and Scott each had two hits for the Wildcats. Scott knocked in two runs.
KSU COMPLETES SWEEP
Kansas State broke a 2-all tie with three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to get past Ohio State 5-2 in the nightcap to complete a doubleheader sweep.
Jordan Cruz led off the inning with a triple down the left-field line. Byron Wiley knocked in Cruz to give K-State a one-run lead. Rightfielder Michael Arp could not field the ball cleanly and Wiley was able to reach second. He moved to third on a pinch hit single through the right side by Tyler Ruch. Facing two outs, Eli Rumler doubled down the right-field line to score Wiley and when Arp’s throw missed the cut-off man, Ruch was able to score and give the Wildcats a 5-2 lead. The Buckeyes managed only a double the rest of the way.
Rumler finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, while Cruz was 2-for-5 and scored a run. Catcher Daniel Dellasega led K-State with three hits. He also scored one run. The Wildcats out-hit the Buckeyes 13-7 and three Ohio State errors proved costly in the defeat. Kansas State finished with two errors. Jason Zoeller finished 3-for-4 to pace Ohio State.
K-State reliever Todd Vogel got the victory and Trevor Hurley earned his second save. OSU reliever Trey Fausnaugh took the loss (0-1). Starter Josh Barrera lasted 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on eight hits, leaving the game after his 104th pitch. Bayuk, the starter for the Wildcats, allowed two runs on four hits in six innings.
‘HOP’ WATCHES BUCKEYES
Former Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner, Howard “Hopalong” Cassady, who now lives in the Tampa area, attended the first of two games against Kansas State. Cassady is a scout and coach in the New York Yankees organization.
SETON HALL WINS FROM BEHIND
Seton Hall scored three times in the bottom of the eighth and twice more in the bottom of the ninth to come back from a 5-1 deficit and claim a 6-5 victory over Ohio State last Sunday.
Ohio State had built a 5-0 lead through 3 ½ innings before the Pirates got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Neither team scored any runs until the eighth when Seton Hall was finally able to get to tiring OSU starter J.B. Shuck. Pinch hitter Robbie Hime led off the inning with a solo home run to left field and Matt Smedberg followed with a double and John Walsh hit another home run to pull the Pirates within one, 5-4. Shuck gave up another hit before ending his day. Reliever Theron Minium came in and got a ground out to end the inning.
The Buckeyes were retired in order in the top of the ninth, but Minium gave up a lead-off double and OSU head coach Bob Todd went to right-handed closer Rory Meister. Meister retired the first two batters he faced before surrendering a base hit to Smedberg that tied the game. Mark Pappas delivered the winning run with a shot to left field.
Greg Miller was a 4-for-4 against the Buckeyes and drove in one run. Smedberg had two hits, while Walsh delivered a pair of RBI. Justin Miller led Ohio State in a 3-for-4 day. He drove in one run and scored two. Jason Zoeller drove in two runs, while Ryan Dew had a pair of hits. The top three in the Ohio State batting order was 0-for-13. Seton Hall out-hit Ohio State 10-9 and each team had one error.
FOUR BUCKEYES MAKE TOURNEY TEAM
James Madison outfielder Kellen Kulbacki was named the most outstanding player of the Buckeye Baseball Classic last weekend at the New York Yankees Player Development Complex in Tampa. Kansas State went 4-0 to win the tournament championship and placed four players on the all-tournament team.
Wildcats Eli Rumler (shortstop), Byron Wiley (outfielder), Brad Hutt (starting pitcher) and Daniel Edwards (reliever) earned spots on the all-tournament team. Ohio State, which finished third with a 1-3 in Tampa, also placed four players on the team, including Tony Kennedy (third base), Eric Fryer (catcher), J.B. Shuck (DH/Utility) and Cory Luebke (starting pitcher). Seton Hall finished second in the event in going 3-1 and placed John Walsh (first base) and Greg Miller (outfielder) to the all-tournament. Joining Kulbacki on the team from James Madison was second baseman Mike Fabiaschi. The Dukes, though posting the same 1-3 record as Ohio State, finished fourth by virtue of losing to the Buckeyes in the opener.
Kulbacki batted .625 and led all players with 10 hits, three home runs and seven RBI. He had a 1.313 slugging percentage and a .588 on-base percentage. Miller, from Seton Hall, had the second-best batting average in the tournament. He batted .600 with nine hits and four RBI. Fabiaschi and Kennedy each batted .500.
2007 Buckeye Baseball Classic
All-Tournament Team
1B John Walsh, Seton Hall
2B Mike Fabiaschi, James Madison
3B Tony Kennedy, Ohio State
SS Eli Rumler, Kansas State
C Eric Fryer, Ohio State
OF Kellen Kulbacki, James Madison
OF Greg Miller, Seton Hall
OF Byron Wiley, Kansas State
DH/UT J.B. Shuck, Ohio State
SP Brad Hutt, Kansas State
SP Cory Luebke, Ohio State
RP Daniel Edwards, Kansas State
Most Outstanding Player: Kellen Kulbacki, JMU
Buckeye Baseball Classic Results
Friday, Feb. 23
Kansas State 4, Seton Hall 2
Ohio State 8, James Madison 6
Saturday, Feb. 24
Seton Hall 13, James Madison 9
James Madison 7, Seton Hall 2
Kansas State 5, Ohio State 4
Kansas State 5, Ohio State 2
Sunday, Feb. 25
Kansas State 11, James Madison 4
Seton Hall 6, Ohio State 5
KENNEDY STEPS IN AND STEPS UP AT THIRD
Junior Tony Kennedy, who came to Ohio State as a shortstop, but spent much of his career as a backup at second base. With the early departure of Ronnie Bourquin, the 2006 Big Ten Player of the Year and a third-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers, OSU head coach Bob Todd decided to try Kennedy at third.
Last week at the Buckeye Baseball Classic in Tampa, Kennedy started all four games at third and led the Buckeyes with a .500 batting average. He was 6-for-12 with one RBI and three runs scored. He also was perfect in four stolen base attempts. He committed only one error in 14 chances, which was a throwing error in the fourth inning against Seton Hall.
NEWCOMERS MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS
Ohio State welcomed 14 newcomers to campus last fall, including Darren Sizemore, a transfer from Georgetown University. Sizemore made the trip to Tampa last weekend, but did not see any game action.
A total of five Buckeyes made their debut at the Buckeye Baseball Classic, including redshirt freshman Eric Best, who pitched the final 1.2 innings in the second game vs. Kansas State. He allowed two hits, but did not allow a run.
Four true freshmen saw their first live action in the scarlet and gray. Cory Rupert started all four games at shortstop and Ryan Dew played in three games and made two starts in right field. Rupert, who moved into the position in place of Jedidiah Stephen, who was drafted in the eighth round of last year’s draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Rupert made two errors, but for the most part defended his position well. He got his first hit in game four vs. Seton Hall. Dew started the season opener in right field and was 1-for-4 against James Madison. His lone hit, a double, came with the bases loaded in the fifth inning and gave Ohio State a 6-1 lead.
Rookie pitchers Theron Minium and Josh Edgin also made their Buckeye debuts last weekend. Miinium made two apearances, while Edgin took the loss in game one vs. K-State in his only appearance.
PRESEASON AWARDS
Dan DeLucia was named a third-team preseason All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Last year, DeLucia was Ohio State’s first 10-game winner since 1999 and led the Big Ten with his 10-2 record and 108 innings pitched. The first-team All-Big Ten selection managed a 3.25 earned run average and limited opposing batters to a .255 average. DeLucia maintains a 19-10 career record and his 3.80 career ERA is the 13th best in school history.
DeLucia was joined by teammate J.B. Shuck on the preseason watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, the College Baseball Foundation’s player of the year award. Shuck was Ohio State’s ninth player to earn Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors last year when he went 8-5 and managed a team-best 2.51 ERA in 15 appearances. His eight victories equaled the second best total by any league pitcher and his ERA was the fourth best. The pair also appears on the preseason watch list for the Roger Clemens Award, which goes to the college baseball pitcher of the year.
Also getting preseason recognition is right-handed reliever Rory Meister, who appears on the 35-member early season watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. The award, created in 2005, is given annually to the top closer in Division I college baseball.Meister, a junior from Mansfield, Ohio, made 29 appearances last year for the Buckeyes, all in relief. Meister, who also appeared on the preseason watch list in 2006, finished 0-1 with six saves and a 3.82 ERA in 33.0 innings. Nominations were made by each school’s baseball sports information contact. A mid-season release, including the national saves leaders, will be updated during the week of April 16. Five finalists will be announced May 30 and the third annual winner will be announced June 6.
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, FLORIDA CAMPUS
Ohio State will play its first 17 games in the Sunshine State, though will play only one team from Florida – the North Florida Ospreys – during that span. The Buckeyes’ “South Beach diet” will feature four games against the Ivy League, three games against the Big East and a pair of games against the Patriot League. Ohio State also will meet teams from the Atlantic 10, Big 12, Colonial Athletic, Mid-American and Ohio Valley conferences and a non-conference game vs. league-rival Northwestern, the only Big Ten schools not on the Buckeyes’ league slate this year. Ohio State players and coaches should have a bronze glow when it returns to Columbus for its home opener vs. Toledo, March 28. Ohio State played 16 games in Florida to start the 2006 season.
OHIO STATE TEAM CAPTAINS
Ohio State elected four captains following the conclusion of the fall season in October. The team re-elected seniors Dan DeLucia and Jacob Howell, who served as captains in 2006. They also elected juniors Matt Angle and Eric Fryer. Ryan Dew and Brian DeLucia were elected freshmen captains.
TODD LEADS ACTIVE BIG TEN COACHES
Now in his 20th season at Ohio State, Bob Todd is entering his 24th season as a college head coach, including four years at Kent State. Entering the year, he owns a career record of 887-467-2 for a win percentage of .655. That win percentage is the best among active coaches in the Big Ten (minimum five years) and ranks 20th nationally. He trails Minnesota’s John Anderson in total victories by only 18. Anderson, now in his 26th season, has won 905 games. Todd’s 887 victories rank 47th in NCAA Division I history.
Todd is the winningest coach in Ohio State annals and has never had a losing season. His 40 wins in 2005 marked the 10th time he has won at least 40 games. He has won at least 35 games 16 straight seasons and has won 50 games twice including in 1991 when the Buckeyes won a school record 52 games. Todd coached his first game at Ohio State in 1988, a 16-2 win over Louisville on Feb. 27. Every recruit who has played at least four years at Ohio State has been a part of a championship team, either as part of six regular-season championships or as part of seven Big Ten tournament championships.
Bob Todd APPROACHING MILESTONE WINS
Ohio State head coach Bob Todd is approaching a couple of milestones. In his 24th season as a head coach and in his 20th as coach of the Buckeyes, Todd needs 12 wins to wins for his 900th career victory. He has a 888-468-2 record. He needs to 36 victories to earn his 800th win at Ohio State.
MILESTONE CAREER WINS
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)
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 – April 9, 2005 vs. Purdue (6-4)
*became the winningest coach in Ohio State history
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)
ABOUT THE 2006 BUCKEYES
Ohio State is a program that measures success by conference championships and participation in the NCAA tournament. In 2006, the Buckeyes came up short in both areas, despite winning at least 35 games for the 16th consecutive season. The Scarlet and Gray finished 37-21 overall and 19-12 in the Big Ten.
The Buckeyes had the best team batting average (.332) and team ERA (3.46) in the Big Ten. They also were the best in conference games, with a .338 average. Ronnie Bourquin, the Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, led the conference with his .416 batting average. The OSU third baseman also led the Big Ten in slugging percentage (.612), on-base percentage (.492), hits (91), RBI (66) and total bases (134).
Six Buckeye starters finished with batting averages better than the team average. Centerfielder Matt Angle was second on the team with a .369 average. He led the team with 63 runs scored and was second on the team with 79 hits. Catcher Eric Fryer had a .368 batting average and also was third on the team with 78 hits and second on the team with 52 RBI. Shortstop Jedidiah Stephen batted .343 and had 74 hits. He led the team with 19 doubles and nine home runs. Second baseman Jason Zoeller batted .337 and left fielder Jacob Howell, though he did not meet the stat minimum’s at 2.5 at bats per game, averaged .402.
Ohio State’s 657 hits were the sixth most in a season, while its 25 triples tied the school record set in 1991. The .332 batting average equaled the fifth best season average in school history. It was the best since the Buckeyes batted .333 in 1998. The 1994 team had a .354 average to set the record.
On the mound, the Buckeyes were the only team in the Big Ten with an earned run average of less than 4.00. At 3.46, it was the team’s lowest ERA since 1970 when that team managed a 2.57 ERA. All four starters had an ERA of less than 4.00, led by J.B. Shuck, who had a 2.51 ERA. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, who also had a .325 batting average in 40 games in the field, was 8-5 with 57 strikeouts in 79.0 innings. Ohio State had its first 10-game winner since 1999 in Dan DeLucia, who finished 10-2 to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors. DeLucia led the team with 69 strikeouts to go with a 3.25 ERA in 108.0 innings.
Cory Luebke was 7-6 with a 3.38 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 85.1 innings, while Jake Hale was 4-5 with a 3.38 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 64.0 innings. Closer Rory Meister saved six games in his 29 appearances, while reliever Trey Fausnaugh made 15 appearances in 2006 to up his career outings to 71, the third highest total in school history.
THREE PLAYERS SELECTED IN 2006 DRAFT
Three Ohio State players were selected in the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft last June. Third baseman Ronnie Bourquin, the Big Ten Player of the Year, was the second-round pick of the Detroit Tigers, while shortstop Jedidiah Stephen was picked in the eighth round by the Baltimore Orioles. On the second day of the draft, the Texas Rangers selected 21-year-old left-handed pitcher Cory Luebke, a draft-eligible sophomore, though he elected to return to Ohio State for his junior year.
BUCKEYES LEAD BIG TEN IN ATTENDANCE
Ohio State baseball again led the Big Ten in attendance in 2006 by welcoming an average of 2,260 in 18 home dates at Bill Davis Stadium, according to NCAA attendance figures. That average ranked 26th in the nation. The Buckeyes welcomed a total of 40,667 fans to Columbus last season which was the 41st best overall figure in the NCAA. Only on other Big Ten team ranked in the Top 50 either in total or average attendance. Minnesota averaged 1,189 to rank 49th.
The Buckeyes averaged more per date than many traditional baseball powers, including both Oregon State (1,643) and North Carolina (1,290), which played for the national championship in 2006. Ohio State drew 8,200 for its home series vs. Purdue and topped it for the final Big Ten series vs. Penn State when 8,327 fans visited Bill Davis Stadium. The season-high attendance figure was 4,016 against Cleveland State, which was the annual Columbus Public Schools Baseball Day.
Bob Todd RADIO SHOW ON 1460 AM
Tune in to WBNS-AM 1460 The Fan this spring for coach Bob Todd’s weekly radio show, hosted by Skip Mosic. The show will run for 10 weeks beginning Monday, March 19 with the final program broadcast on Tuesday, May 22. The nights of the show will vary this year because of station conflicts with broadcasts of either Columbus Blue Jackets hockey or Cleveland Indians baseball. Four shows will be broadcast each on Monday and Tuesday with two shows on Thursday. The 30-minute show will begin at 8 p.m. the first week before moving to 7 p.m. the final nine weeks of the show.
Bob Todd RADIO SHOW SCHEDULE
Monday, March 19 @ 8 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27 @ 7 p.m.
Monday, April 2 @ 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 12 @ 7 p.m.
Thursday, April 19 @ 7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 24 @ 7 p.m.
Monday, April 30 @ 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8 @ 7 p.m.
Monday, May 14 @ 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 22 @ 7 p.m.
Schedule Subject to change
UP NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Next week the Buckeyes make their annual trip to Jacksonville for the Kennel Club Classic. Ohio State will play three games at the University of North Florida’s Harmon Stadium, meeting the Ospreys Friday night at 7 p.m. The game is the first of three between the schools, which will play two more games in Columbus May 15-16. In Jacksonville, Ohio State also will play Western Michigan (Saturday at 4 p.m.) and Connecticut (Sunday at 11 a.m.).
