Buckeyes take on Indiana in a Big Ten Series Friday-Sunday at Bill Davis Stadium – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 20, 2007
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
19-10, 4-6 Big Ten
vs.
INDIANA HOOSIERS
14-18, 4-8 Big Ten
April 20-22, 2007
Bill Davis Stadium (Capacity: 4,450)
Columbus, Ohio
Friday, April 20 – 6:35 p.m.
Saturday, April 21 (DH) – 1:05 p.m.
Sunday, April 22 – 1:05 p.m.
Series History:
Ohio State leads 149-96
Last Meeting: April 23, 2006; Ohio State 8-6
RADIO/INTERNET
Games 1, 3 and 4: AM 920 WMNI
All four games: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
TELEVISION
Games 1 and 4: Columbus Sports Network
(Game 1: Tape Delay – 10 p.m. Friday night)
(Game 4; Tape Delay – 7 p.m. Sunday night)
GAMETRACKER
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State kicked off the week by splitting a seven-inning doubleheader vs. Ball State Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes dropped the first game, 5-0, before rebounding to win the second game, 3-2.
Heading into the Indiana series this weekend at Bill Davis Stadium, OSU is in the midst of an 11-game homestand that started last Friday. The Buckeyes and Hoosiers play a single game at 6:35 p.m. Friday, a doubleheader starting at 1:05 p.m. Saturday and wrap up the series with a single game at 1:05 p.m. Sunday. After this weekend’s IU series, the Buckeyes play host to Xavier Wednesday at Bill Davis to wrap up the 11-game homestand.
Three of four games vs. IU (Games 1, 3 & 4) will be broadcast on radio on AM 920 WMNI. All four games will have audio available on ohiostatebuckeyes.com and be featured on Gametracker at ohiostatebuckeyes.com. Friday’s and Sunday’s games will also be televised on tape-delay on the Columbus Sports Network, with Friday’s game airing at 10 p.m. and Sunday’s at 7 p.m. AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
The Buckeyes are 189-80 (.703) during the first 10-plus seasons in Bill Davis Stadium, which opened in 1997. 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).
Ohio State is 5-6 at Bill Davis Stadium in 2007 and will play at least 12 more games this season at home. In addition to the completed Iowa and Michigan series, two more conference opponents will visit Bill Davis Stadium this season. The scarlet and gray also welcome Indiana (April 20-22) and Michigan State (May 4-6). Five more non-conference games are also on-tap including single games vs. Xavier and Akron and a pair vs. North Florida. There is a chance additional games will be added to the schedule because games have been cancelled because of weather.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are 19-10 on the year and 4-6 in Big Ten play. OSU sits in seventh place in the conference but are only two games out of third and only another half game out of second.
In game one Wednesday against Ball State, a 5-0 loss, the Buckeyes could only manage four hits in the game and only seriously threatned in one inning, loading the bases in the sixth. Rory Meister made his second career start in game one and Tony Kennedy had two of the four OSU hits. Game two saw OSU rebound for a 3-2 win after trailing 1-0. Junior catcher Eric Fryer knocked in all three runs for the Buckeyes and freshman Josh Edgin notched his second career win. Jake Hale picked up his team-leading seventh save of the year.
Fryer and Matt Angle were 2-for-4 in the BSU doubleheader and Kennedy hit .333 in the two games. J.B. Shuck leads OSU at the plate with a .388 average, while Fryer leads the team in RBI (29) and hits (40) and is batting .374, second on the team. Jacob Howell leads the squad in runs scored with 28. Matt Angle is third on the team in hitting at .359 and leads the team with 15 stolen bases.
On the hill vs. Ball State, Edgin and Hale did not surrender a run in 2.0 and 2.2 innings of work, respectively. For the season, Cory Luebke is 4-0 with a 1.92 ERA and a team-high 47 strikeouts. Shuck is 1-1 with a 4.10 ERA and is second on the team with 26 strikeouts. Josh Barrera is 4-1 with a 4.59 ERA. Hale has seven saves on the year with 23 strikeouts in 23.2 innings of work.
For the year, Ohio State has a .321 batting average, 184 RBI and is averaging 6.8 runs per game. The Buckeyes have also been running like crazy, stealing 43 bases in 54 attempts. On the mound, OSU has a 4.43 ERA and is holding opponents to a .269 average.
CSN TO TELEVISE TWO INDIANA GAMES
Columbus Sports Network (CSN) will televise Friday’s and Sunday’s Hoosier games on tape delay, with Friday’s game airing at 10 p.m. and Sunday’s at 7 p.m. CSN is scheduled to televise at least two more OSU games this season, May 6 vs. Michigan State and May 16 vs. North Florida. CSN is central Ohio’s first and only local sports television station and can be seen on Time Warner channel 78, WOW channel 96, Insight channels 78 and 524 and over the air on channel 32.
ABOUT INDIANA
The Hoosiers are 14-18 overall and 4-8 in the Big Ten. Indiana lost to Indiana State, 9-7, last Tuesday in Bloomington after dropping three of four games at Purdue last weekend. Indiana won game two, 11-3, but lost game one, 4-2, game three, 13-0, and game four, 11-7.
Andrew Means is the leading batter for the Hoosiers. He has a .360 batting average, 41 hits and a team-high 24 runs scored. Ryan Crawford is hitting .348 and is tied for the team lead in RBI with 21. IU has five homeruns on the year with no player having more than one. Indiana is batting .266 as a team and scoring 4.9 runs per game.
The top two starters for the Hoosiers are Matt Bashore and Tyler Tufts. Bashore is 3-3 with a 2.93 ERA and seven games started in 46 innings pitched. Tufts is 3-4 with a 3.12 ERA and leads IU with eight games started and 60.2 innings pitched. Joe Vicini leads the team with two saves. Tufts is expected to throw game one and Bashore game two. Jason Ferrell (3-2, 6.26 ERA) and Doug Fleenor (1-3, 4.25 ERA) are slated for games three and four, respectively. The staff has a 4.61 ERA and is holding opponents to a .291 batting average.
Tracy Smith (Miami, Ohio, 1988) is in his second year at Indiana after leaving his alma mater last year. He is 353-272 in his 11th season as a college head coach and 36-52 at IU.
AGAINST THE HOOSIERS
Ohio State leads the all-time series against Indiana 149-96 and has won 20 of 27 meetings since the 2000 season, including three of the four games last season in Bloomington. The Buckeyes have won 14 of the last 18. The series dates back to 1897 when Ohio State won 24-2. OSU skipper Bob Todd is 52-25 all-time against the Hoosiers.
OSU vs. Indiana Since 2000 (OSU leads 20-7)
| 4/21/2000 | W | 13-5 | H |
| 4/22/2000 | L | 9-4 | H |
| 4/22/2000 | W | 4-3 | H |
| 4/23/2000 | W | 9-3 | H |
| 5/5/2001 | W | 10-1 | A |
| 5/6/2001 | W | 10-8 | A |
| 5/6/2001 | L | 5-4 | A |
| 4/19/2002 | W | 14-11 | A |
| 4/20/2002 | L | 5-4 | A |
| 4/20/2002 | W | 3-2 | A |
| 5/23/2002 | W | 11-10 | 1N |
| 4/19/2003 | W | 9-3 | H |
| 4/20/2003 | W | 13-12 | H |
| 4/20/2003 | L | 13-2 | H |
| 4/20/2003 | L | 6-3 | H |
| 5/1/2004 | W | 11-6 | A |
| 5/2/2004 | W | 9-3 | A |
| 5/2/2004 | W | 8-3 | A |
| 5/3/2004 | W | 8-0 | A |
| 4/29/2005 | L | 10-1 | H |
| 4/30/2005 | W | 3-0 | H |
| 4/30/2005 | W | 7-3 | H |
| 5/1/2005 | W | 10-8 | H |
| 4/21/2006 | W | 4-2 | A |
| 4/22/2006 | L | 5-3 | A |
| 4/22/2006 | W | 11-4 | A |
| 4/23/2006 | W | 8-6 | A |
1-Big Ten Tournament, Minneapolis, Minn.
BIG TEN SERIES HISTORY VS. INDIANA
Ohio State has won 14 series against Indiana since the Big Ten began playing four-game series in 1981. That total includes four four-game sweeps, the last coming in 2004. Ohio State also has won twice in three-game rain-shortened series in 2001 and 2002. There have been eight splits. The Hoosiers have won only four series against the Buckeyes and has one sweep against Ohio State, though that was a two-game series in 1983. Indiana has never won a four-game series against the Buckeyes.
Big Ten Series History vs. Indiana
Ohio State 4-0: 2004, 1991, 1989, 1982
Ohio State 3-1: 2006, 2005, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1994, 1993, 1981
Ohio State 2-1: 2002, 2001
Split 2-2: 2003, 1998, 1995, 1990, 1988, 1987, 1985, 1984
Indiana 3-1: 1996, 1992, 1986
Indiana 2-0: 1983
Indiana 4-0: None
FRYER LIFTS BUCKEYES PAST BALL STATE
Junior all-Big Ten candidate Eric Fryer knocked in all three runs for the Buckeyes in their 3-2 win over Ball State in game two of a doubleheader vs. the Cardinals on Wednesday. It was his team-leading 38-40 RBI.
EDGIN NOTCHES SECOND CAREER WIN, HALE REGISTERS 7TH SAVE OF SEASON
Freshman Josh Edgin notched his second career win in OSU’s 3-2 win over Ball State in game two of a doubleheader Wednesday. Edgin came on in relief of Theron Minium with the game tied at 1-all and two runners on and one out. Edgin worked out of the jam without giving up a run. He pitched two innings and gave up one unearned run on one hit, striking out one and walking one. OSU close Jake Hale relieved Edgin with one out and runners on second and third in the fifth. He induced two ground balls to get the Buckeyes out of the inning with just one run for BSU. The big right-hander went 2.2 innings and gave up just one hit and striking out two for his seventh save of the year.
HOWELL NAMED ONE OF 30 FINALISTS FOR LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Fifth-year senior Jacob Howell was named one of 30 finalists for NCAA Division I college baseball players as candidates for the 2007 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in the all-new baseball division for players who excel on and off the field. Beginning this year, the award will be presented annually to college baseball’s outstanding senior student-athlete.
Lowe’s recently announced the addition of baseball and three other NCAA sports to the award program that originally launched in 2001-02 with basketball. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the award is designed to honor the attributes of college senior student-athletes who stay in school and pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring.
Candidates are selected based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. While the on-the-field performance during their collegiate baseball careers is a factor in determining candidates and the eventual winner, their personal character and off-the-field achievements in the classroom and community are major areas of focus. The list of 30 nominees represents 29 different schools and 19 different conferences.
A national media committee will select 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in May. Those 10 players will then be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning May 9 and concluding June 6. Fan balloting will be coupled with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. The award winner and the college baseball All-Senior All-America Team will be announced this June during the 2007 NCAA College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. The tribute for seniors was conceived by sportscaster Dick Enberg, who continues to serve as Honorary Chairman of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
INCLEMENT WEATHER CLAIMS FOUR BUCKEYE GAMES ON THE YEAR
The Buckeyes have had four games lost to inclement weather so far this year, two in Columbus and two in Champaign, Ill. Two conference games at Illinois were cancelled and two non-conference home games vs. Cleveland State vs. Miami (Ohio) were cancelled.
Dan DeLucia OUT AFTER ELBOW SURGERY
Senior pitcher Dan DeLucia will miss the remainder of the season after left elbow surgery April 10.
BUCKEYES IN THE MIDST OF AN 11-GAME HOMESTAND
The Buckeyes are in the midst of an 11-game homestand that began April 13 and runs through April 25. After completing a four-game Michigan series and a doubleheader vs. Ball State, OSU welcomes Indiana in a four game series March 20-22 and finishes with a single game vs. Xavier April 25.
SHUCK HITTING .388 ON THE YEAR, FRYER .374 AND .500 IN BIG TEN ACTION
Sophomore outfielder/pitcher J.B. Shuck had a 5-9 outing vs. Michigan last weekend and is hitting .388 on the year and .385 in Big Ten play. Junior all-conference catcher Eric Fryer hit .500 over the Michigan weekend and is hitting .500 in 10 Big Ten games. Fryer is hitting .374 on the year.
MILLER HITTING STREAK ENDS AT 16
Sophomore Justin Miller had hits in the first three Michigan games before going 0-for-3 in the final game of the series to snap his 16-game hitting streak. His previous high hitting streak was nine, done as a freshman. The 16-game hitting streak was the second longest of the season for the Buckeyes, with only J.B. Shuck’s 17-game streak earlier this year lasting longer.
LUEBKE SOLID, AGAIN, DESPITE NO DECISION
Junior pitcher Cory Luebke has started three Big Ten games, has a 2.75 ERA in 19.2 innings pitched in those games with 14 strikeouts and only three walks, yet he doesn’t have a decision in conference play. The big left-hander went another solid 7.0 innings in the first game of the Michigan series but got a no decision, with OSU losing in extra innings. On the season, he is 4-0 with a 1.92 ERA.
MEISTER MAKES FIRST CAREER START AFTER 65 RELIEF APPEARANCES
After 65 relief appearances, junior pitcher Rory Meister made his first career start in game four of the Michigan series April 15. He pitched 3.0 innings and gave up four earned runs on four hits. On the season, Meister has now started two games and is 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA and three saves.
TODD EARNS CAREER VICTORY 900
With a 5-3 win over Harvard on March 23 in Bradenton, Fla., Ohio State head coach Bob Todd earned his 900th career victory. The Buckeye skipper is 906-473-2 all-time, including 782-391-2 at OSU. His 905 wins rank 17th among active coaches in NCAA Division I and 47th all-time. He needs 19 victories to earn his 800th win at Ohio State.
IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
In all games played, Ohio State ranks third in the Big Ten inbatting with a .321 average. Michigan leads the league at .333. Onthe mound, OSU is fifth in the conference with a 4.43 earned runaverage, with Michigan on top at 3.65. The Buckeyes rank eight inthe league in fielding. In all games, J.B. Shuck ranks ninth in theleague in hitting at .388. In Big Ten games, Eric Fryer leads theconference with a .500 average and is first in on-base percentage(.581), tied for first in caught stealing by (13) and second inhits (18). Matt Angle is fifth in stolen bases with 15 and tied forfirst in Big Ten games with six stolen bases. On the mound, CoryLuebke ranks fourth in ERA (1.92), first in strikeouts (47), secondin opposing batting average (.204) and in innings pitched (56.1).Jake Hale is tied for first with seven saves.
LUEBKE AND BARRERA LEAD TEAM WITH FOUR WINS EACH
Junior pitcher Cory Luebke and sophomore Josh Barrera lead the Buckeyes with four wins each. Luebke, 4-0, sports a 1.92 ERA and has 47 strikeouts on the year and 16 walks in 56.1 innings. Barrera is 4-1 with a 4.59 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. In eight starts, Luebke has not gone fewer than 5.2 innings. The Maria Stein, Ohio native fired his first complete game of the year March 10 in a 10-1 win over Western Michigan. He gave up just three hits in the win. He had a season-high 11 strikeouts in a 7-2 win over Lehigh March 4. Barrera has seven appearances on the year and five starts.
HALE PACES OSU WITH SEVEN SAVES
Ohio State starter-turned-closer Jake Hale is tied for first in the Big Ten with seven saves. The sophomore has made a team-high 14 appearances on the year and has a 5.32 earned run average. He tallied saves in games two and four of the Iowa series. He has 23 strikeouts in 23.2 innings of work.
FRYER ONE OF 27 NAMED TO COLEMAN-COMPANY JOHNNY BENCH AWARD WATCH LIST
OSU catcher Eric Fryer is one of 27 catchers to appear on the official watch list for the 2007 Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced March 15.
Fryer, a second-team All-Big Ten catcher in 2006, is batting .369 in the team’s 27 games this season and .500 in 10 Big Ten games. He has a team-high 38 hits and a team-high 26 RBI. He has scored 18 runs and has six doubles, a triple and a home run. He has committed just three errors on the year and opponents are just 18 of 31 trying to steal. One of his errors was due to a middle infielder not covering second base on a steal attempt and the runner advancing to third. Last year, Fryer played all 58 games and made 57 starts, including 43 behind the plate. He was a second-team All-Midwest Region Team as selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association and finished third on the team with a .368 batting average and 78 hits. He was second on the team with 52 RBI.
The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists, which will be announced May 17. Three finalists will be selected by a national voting panel and will be announced May 30, prior to the NCAA regionals and the Major League Baseball draft. A final vote among the national committee will occur during the College World Series. All three finalists will be brought to Wichita, Kan. and the winner will be announced at the 10th Annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet on June 27.
