Kennel Club Classic in Jax on Tap for Baseball Buckeyes – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2007
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
3-3, 0-0 Big Ten
at
KENNEL CLUB CLASSIC
March 9-11, 2007
Harmon Stadium, University of North Florida
Jacksonville, Fla.
Fri., March 9 at North Florida (6-9), 7 p.m.
Sat., March 10 vs. Western Michigan (2-3), 4 p.m.
Sun., March 11 vs. Connecticut (2-5), 11 a.m.
PROBABLE OHIO STATE STARTING PITCHERS
UNF: Dan DeLucia (LHP)
WMU: Cory Luebke (LHP)
UCONN: J.B. Shuck (LHP)
INTERNET AUDIO
OSU at UNF, Friday, 7 p.m. (unfospreys.com)
GAMETRACKER
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State was able to even its record to 3-3 last week after winning both games it played – -vs. Georgetown and Lehigh – at the Clearwater College Invitational at Jack Russell Stadium in Clearwater, Fla. A third game against Duquesne was rained out. This weekend, the Buckeyes head back to the Sunshine State for three games in Jacksonville.
The Buckeyes will play its first true road game at North Florida Friday at 7 p.m. The two remaining games of the weekend also will be played at UNF’s Harmon Stadium. Ohio State will play Western Michigan Saturday at 4 p.m. and Connecticut Sunday at 11 a.m.
Gametracker will be available for all three games, while North Florida’s radio broadcast of its game with Ohio State will be on unfospreys.com and linked on ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
ABOUT THE BUCKEYES
The Buckeyes were able to even their record at 3-3 this weekend after beating Georgetown 7-5 and Lehigh 7-2. The game vs. Duquesne was rained out and will not be made up. In the pair of games, Jacob Howell and J.B. Shuck each had three hits. Howell scored three runs and batted in another and Shuck batted in three runs and scored twice. Eric Fryer led the team with five RBI. He had just two hits, but had a sacrifice fly and a home run vs. the Hoyas and a two-run single vs. Lehigh. He was walked with the bases loaded in his final at bat of the weekend for his fifth RBI. The team is batting .281 in six games.
Cory Luebke picked up his first win of the season against Lehigh. He struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed only five hits in seven innings. Dan DeLucia improved to 2-0 in his start against Georgetown, getting the 21st victory of his career. He equaled his career high with nine strikeouts and allowed two earned runs in 8.0 innings. Jake Hale got the first save of his career vs. Georgetown and Rory Meister did not allow a run and struck out three in his two-inning save vs. Lehigh. The staff ERA fell to 3.59 after limiting the opposition in Clearwater to a total of four earned runs.
The Buckeyes will likely stick with the same pitching rotation this weekend with DeLucia in game one vs. North Florida, Luebke in game two vs. Western Michigan and Shuck in game three vs. Connecticut.
ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA
The Ospreys are 6-9 this season and have won six of their last eight games after starting the year 0-7. North Florida has lost to No. 2 Florida State, No. 8 Virginia and three games to No. 22 Tulane. In the current four-game win streak, the Ospreys have beaten Bethune-Cookman and Western Michigan and have twice beaten Florida A&M.
The squad is batting .273 in the 15 games. Jon Dandridge and Brian Wilson lead the team with a .333 batting average. Dandridge has 15 hits and paces the squad with four doubles. James Belyea and Mycal Jones each have 17 hits to top the Ospreys. Jimmy Glanville has 11 RBI. Ten different players account for the team’s 10 home runs.
Brad Johnson is 2-2 in his five appearances, which include four starts. He leads the team with 24 strikeouts in 28.1 innings and owns a 3.49 ERA. John Atteo and Tyler Stohr each have made three starts. Atteo is 0-2 with 12 strikeouts and a 5.87 ERA in 15.1 innings, while Stohr is 0-3 with six strikeouts and a 14.21 ERA in 12.2 innings. The Ospreys have a 7.12 team ERA and have not announced a starting rotation this weekend.
Dusty Rhodes (Florida Southern, 1969) is 1,112-458 in his 28th season as a college coach and is 808-341 in his 20th year at North Florida.
AGAINST THE OSPREYS
Ohio State leads the all-time series with North Florida by virtue of a 16-10 win in Jacksonville in 2005. The teams first met in 1996, a 16-5 OSU victory. The Buckeyes also won 3-0 in 2002. The Ospreys won 14-10 in 2001 and 8-0 in 2004.
ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN
After getting rained out in a three-game series at Austin Peay Feb. 24-25, Western Michigan headed to Jacksonville March 3 to play 11 games in nine days. The team was 2-3 through Wednesday having split two games with Bethune-Cookman to go with a win over Florida A&M before losses to North Florida and UConn. The Broncos will play four more games before meeting Ohio State Saturday at 4 p.m. and conclude the trip with a doubleheader at Jacksonville on Sunday.
Randy Ford (Michigan, 1979) is 58-49 in his third year at Western Michigan and as a college coach.
AGAINST THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan leads the all-time series with the Buckeyes 56-36-1. The series dates back to 1943, a 6-4 Ohio State victory. The Buckeyes won the first four meetings between the schools and later won five straight in the series. Western Michigan has won the last two meetings, 4-3 in 2004 and 12-11 in 2006. Both of those games were in Jacksonville. The Broncos have won 10 of the last 13 games against Ohio State, but have only beat the Buckeyes twice under Bob Todd.
ABOUT CONNECTICUT
The Huskies are 2-5 after getting by Western Michigan Wednesday in Jacksonville. Connecticut opened the season winning one of three games at Western Carolina and were swept in a three-game series last weekend at South Alabama. Before playing the Buckeyes, UConn will play Western Michigan again and meet Jacksonville twice before another game at North Florida.
Dennis Donovan was batting .423 in the team’s first six games. He was 11-for-26 with two doubles, two home runs and three RBI. Dale Brannon was batting .280 while Larry Day and Pat Mahoney each had .261 averages. The Huskies were batting .242 as a team. On the mound, UConn had a 8.45 ERA heading into the Kennel Club Classic. Mike Tarsi got the win vs. WCU in game two of the series. He is 1-0 in two starts and has five strikeouts and a 2.57 ERA in 14.0 innings. Greg Nappo is 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA.
Through the first six games of this season, coach Jim Penders (Connecticut, 1994) was 101-74-2 in his fourth season at his alma mater and as a college coach.
AGAINST THE HUSKIES
This will be the fifth meeting between Ohio State and Connecticut. The series is tied. The Huskies won the first ever meeting, 1-0, in 1970 and won again, 8-6 in Homestead, Fla., in 1999. Ohio State’s wins came in 1993, a 7-3 win in Lakeland, Fla., and again in 2004, a 4-3 triumph in Jacksonville.
BUCKEYES RALLY TO BEAT GEORGETOWN
Ohio State rallied from a two-run deficit and rode the arm of Dan DeLucia for a 7-5 victory over Georgetown last Friday night at the Clearwater College Invitational at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium.
The Buckeyes trailed 4-2 before tying the game in the sixth inning on a home run by Eric Fryer and a sacrifice fly by Tony Kennedy. Ohio State took a 6-4 lead with a pair of runs in the seventh on two hits and a pair of Georgetown miscues.
Cory Rupert led off the inning on a two-base throwing error by Hoyas third baseman Matthew Maranges. Marenges, reliever Mark Dutmers and catcher Brandon Davis converged on a bunt by Jacob Howell, who was able to beat out Davis’ errant throw to first that allowed Rupert to score and Howell to reach second. Matt Angle moved Howell over to third with a sacrifice and then with two outs, J.B. Shuck tripled to right-center field to plate Howell and give Ohio State a 6-4 lead.
Kennedy drew a one-out walk in the eighth, stole second, went to third on a fly out by Jason Zoeller and scored a single to right by Howell to life Ohio State to a 7-4 lead.
Georgetown plated one run in the ninth off starter-turned-closer Jake Hale. DeLucia tied a career high with nine strikeouts and left the game after 112 pitches through eight innings. He allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits in winning for the 21st time as a Buckeye. Hale, who was 4-5 in 11 starts as a freshman in 2006, earned a save in his first outing of 2007.
Ohio State out-hit Georgetown 9-7, getting two hits from Howell and Shuck with multiple-RBI from Fryer and Kennedy. Kennedy plated two runs without a hit thanks to a fielder’s choice and a sacrifice fly.
LUEBKE STRIKES OUT 11 IN WIN OVER LEHIGH
Ohio State left-hander Cory Luebke celebrated his 22nd birthday with 11 strikeouts to help propel the Buckeyes past Lehigh 7-2 last Sunday at the Clearwater College Invitational at Jack Russell Stadium.
Luebke gave a two-out hit in the top of the first inning, but the Buckeye defense caught him stealing second to end the inning. Luebke retired the next seven batters before walking catcher Geoff Campbell in the fourth inning. He gave up his second hit of the game with two out, but center fielder J.B. Shuck threw to third base to nab Campbell for the final out of the inning. Luebke struck out the next four batters he faced and was able to get out of the sixth after hitting Joe Erkolano.
Pitching with a 4-0 lead in the seventh, Luebke let the Mountain Hawks on the board. He gave up a one-out hit to Matt Reitz and walked pinch hitter Patrick Groome. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Reitz scored on a ground out by second baseman Stephen Salemme and scored when Kyle Dunleavy stole second. The Buckeyes scored two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings and added three runs in the eighth thanks to a pair of hits and three walks. With two out, Cory Kovanda singled through the left side and scored after three straight walks by Lehigh pitchers. Shuck drove in two more with a base hit through the right side.
Luebke, who did not get a decision the opening week of the season, improved to 1-0 with the victory. He went seven innings before handing the ball to closer Rory Meister with a two-run lead. Luebke allowed two runs on just three hits and finished with a career-high 11 strikeouts. He walked three and threw 111 pitches. Meister earned his second save of the season. He gave up two hits and struck out three. Zoeller led the Buckeyes with two hits, but Fryer paced the squad with three RBI.
LUEBKE LIFTS BUCKEYES
Ohio State junior left-handed pitcher Cory Luebke struck out a career-high 11 batters in 7-2 victory vs. Lehigh last Sunday at the Clearwater College Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. He allowed just two runs on three hits in leading the Buckeyes to a perfect weekend that evened the team’s record to 3-3. He had five strikeouts through three innings and struck out all three batters he faced in the fifth. He retired strings of six and seven straight batters and did not allow a run until the seventh, his final inning. Luebke leads the Buckeyes with a 1.93 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 14.0 innings. Opponents are batting just .152 against him in his two starts.
SHUCK BATTING .368
Outfielder/pitcher J.B. Shuck was one of two Buckeyes to lead the squad with three hits in the two games at the Clearwater College Invitational last weekend. Against Georgetown, Shuck was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. He reached on an error in the fourth inning and scored on a fielder’s choice. In the sixth, he singled to right center and scored on a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, he drove in the second of two runs with his third career triple. Leading 5-2 vs. in the eighth inning vs. Lehigh, he drove in the team’s final two runs with a single through the right side. Shuck is second on the team with a .368 average and paces the squad with seven RBI.
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 has started Kennedy at third every game this year. Through six games this season, Kennedy leads the team with a .389 batting average. He is 7-for-18 with three RBI and five runs scored. The junior from Bloomington, Ind., has made just one error in 19 fielding chances.
MEISTER EARNS SECOND SAVE
Ohio State reliever Rory Meister picked up his second save of the season in the 7-2 victory over Lehigh last Sunday. He took over for starter Cory Luebke with a 4-2 lead to start the eighth inning. In his two innings of work, he did not allow a run on two hits and struck out three. Meister, who appeared on the preseason watch list for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, is 0-1 with a 1.59 ERA. He has allowed one earned run, which was costly as it enabled Seton Hall to win 6-5 Feb. 25. The junior from Mansfield, Ohio, has seven strikeouts against two walks.
HALE SHAKY IN RELIEF, BUT PROMISING
In the four games in Tampa without sophomore right-hander Jake Hale, who stayed in Columbus to recoup from a mild pneumonia, the Buckeyes went 1-3 at the Buckeye Baseball Classic the opening weekend of the season. All three losses came in late innings against Buckeye relief pitching. Hale, who was 4-5 last year in 14 appearances, including 11 as a starter, has become an option in late innings. Pitching for the first time this year last weekend against Georgetown, Hale pitched the ninth inning and allowed one run on one hit. Despite walking two against one strikeout, he picked up his first career save.
DELUCIA NEARING TOP 10 IN INNINGS
Preseason All-American Dan DeLucia needs just one inning to crack the school’s Top 10 list in career innings pitched. Since the senior from Columbus first took to the rubber against Kansas State in Minute Maid College Classic in Houston in 2004, DeLucia has pitched 262.2 innings. He trails Tim Smith (1989-91), who holds down 10th place with 263.2 career innings. Ohio State’s all-time leader in innings pitched is Justin Fry (1995-99) with 419.2. DeLucia totaled 108.0 innings in 2006 and with another season like that, the Bishop Watterson product would likely find himself in the Top 5.
Career Innings Pitched
| 1. | Justin Fry | 1995-99 | 419.2 |
| 2. | E.J. Laratta | 1999-02 | 379.2 |
| 3. | Josh Newman | 2001-04 | 369.0 |
| 4. | Pete Perini | 1947-59 | 344.0 |
| 5. | Chris Granata | 1991-94 | 295.1 |
| 6. | Tom Schwarber | 1987-91 | 295.0 |
| 7. | Mark Dempsey | 1977-80 | 289.1 |
| 8. | Doug Swearingen | 1980-83 | 278.0 |
| 9. | Scott Klingenbeck | 1990-92 | 277.2 |
| 10. | Tim Smith | 1989-91 | 263.2 |
| 11. | Dan DeLucia | 2004-present | 262.2 |
CLIMBING CAREER APPEARANCES LADDER
Two Buckeyes are ranked among the school’s all-time leaders in career appearances. Senior Trey Fausnaugh ranks third with 72 career appearances and trails only Cory Cox, who made 96 career appearances from 1998-2001 and Andy Lee, who made 79 appearances between 1996-99. Rory Meister has made 59 career appearances, which is the 17th most in school history. Dan DeLucia’s next appearance is the 47th of his career, a figure that would rank in the Top 25 of OSU annals.
LUEBKE NEARING STAT MINIMUM
With 170.1 career innings, Cory Luebke needs 4.2 more innings to reach 175 innings pitched, which is the stat minimum at Ohio State to be included in career stats. Of the current pitching staff, only Dan DeLucia has pitched more innings.
BUCKEYES OPEN 1-3 IN BUCKEYE CLASSIC
Ohio State found 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, Fla. 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 of the 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, but scored 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 games was .284.
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.
‘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.
FOUR BUCKEYES MAKE TOURNEY TEAM
James Madison outfielder Kellen Kulbacki was named the most outstanding player of the Buckeye Baseball Classic the opening weekend at the New York Yankees Player Development Complex. 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/UTvJ.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
BASEBALL AMERICA ON OHIO STATE
An unidentified talent evaluator had this to say about Ohio State in Baseball America after the Buckeyes’ opening weekend of the season in Tampa:
“Ohio State looked like a team that was outside for the first time. I like their lineup, and it will continue to get better as they play more games. They have plus speed and skills at the top of the order with (Matt) Angle, Jacob Howell and Tony Kennedy, a three-hole (hitter) with power in (Eric) Fryer and I really liked their four-hole, J.B. Shuck, a left-handed hitter with speed and power. He could be scary after he gets some at-bats under his belt. They have the makings of a regional type team for sure.
“Ohio State’s lefty (Cory) Luebke looked like a polished college lefty with above-average stuff to me – mid-to upper-80s with three solid pitches. Maybe a fifth-to-10th-round-type guy from what I saw.”
FRESHMEN MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS
In six games this season, a total of six Buckeye freshmen have played. Five Buckeyes made their debut at the Buckeye Baseball Classic in Tampa the opening weekend of the season. Included amongst the total is redshirt freshman Eric Best, who pitched the final 1.2 innings in the second game of the doubleheader vs. Kansas State. He allowed two hits, but did not allow a run.
Fielders Ryan Dew and Cory Rupert each have appeared in five games as true freshmen. Dew has made four starts in right field, while Rupert has started all five of his games at short. Dew is batting .250 with three RBI while Rupert is batting .118 with one RBI. Cory Kovanda saw his first action of the season last Sunday vs. Lehigh when he started at second base. He was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
Rookie pitchers Theron Minium and Josh Edgin also made their Ohio State debuts the opening weekend of the season at the Buckeye Baseball Classic. Miinium made two appearances, while Edgin took the loss in game one vs. K-State in his only appearance.
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, FLORIDA CAMPUS
Ohio State is in the midst of a 16-game schedule 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 school not on the Buckeyes’ league slate this year. Ohio State players and coaches should have a bronze glow when they return to Columbus for its home opener vs. Toledo, March 28. Ohio State also 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 in 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 10 wins to wins for his 900th career victory. He has a 890-468-2 record. He needs to 34 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)
900 – Needs 10
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)
800 – Needs 34
*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)
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.
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.
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
Ohio State will head back to Columbus Sunday to wrap up Winter Quarter with final exams Monday through Thursday. Then Thursday afternoon, the squad gets back on an airplane for a flight to Tampa and a bus ride to Bradenton, where it will spend spring break. After a day of practice March 16, the Buckeyes will play seven games March 17-23 with a day off Tuesday, March 20. Ohio State will play Bucknell, Jacksonville State, Dartmouth, Yale (twice) and Harvard. The first three games will be played at Manatee Community College and the final four games will be played on one of two fields at IMG Academy.
