Buckeyes Wrap Up 11-game Homestand Wednesday Against Xavier, Travel To Purdue Friday-Sunday – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 24, 2007
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Ohio State Buckeyes
23-10, 8-6 Big Ten
vs.
Xavier Musketeers
19-21, 12-3 Atlantic 10
(Xavier plays at Cincinnati Tuesday)
April 25, 2007 ? 6:35 p.m.
Bill Davis Stadium (Capacity: 4,450)
Columbus, Ohio
Series History: Ohio State leads 26-7
Last Meeting: March 3, 2000; OSU 5-0
Series History (Last 10 Games)
| 5/16/1978 | W | 7-6 | H |
| 5/16/1978 | W | 2-1 | H |
| 4/14/1979 | W | 5-2 | H |
| 4/14/1979 | W | 7-3 | H |
| 4/24/1984 | W | 9-3 | H |
| 4/17/1985 | L | 9-5 | A |
| 4/23/1986 | W | 10-6 | H |
| 4/14/1987 | W | 9-2 | A |
| 4/14/1987 | W | 8-7 | A |
| 3/3/2000 | W | 5-0 | 2N |
2-at Jacksonville, Fla.
RADIO
None
INTERNET AUDIO
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
GAMETRACKER
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State made a jump in the Big Ten standings after sweeping a four-game series from Indiana over the weekend at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes jumped from seventh to fourth with the sweep, just one game out of third and 2.5 out of second. For the week, OSU went 5-1 after splitting a seven-inning doubleheader vs. Ball State last Wednesday at home.
The Buckeyes downed Indiana 6-4 Friday, 4-3 and 9-8 Saturday and 11-3 Sunday. Against Ball State, OSU dropped game one, 5-0, before winning game two, 3-2.
This week, the scarlet and gray start a five-game week by wrapping up an 11-game homestand at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday vs. Xavier before heading to West Lafayette, Ind., for a four-game conference series against Purdue Friday-Sunday.
Three of four games vs. Purdue (Games 1, 3 & 4) will be broadcast on radio on AM 920 WMNI. All five games will have audio available on ohiostatebuckeyes.com and be featured on Gametracker at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
MOVING UP THE BIG TEN LADDER
Ohio State’s four-game home sweep of Indiana jumped the Buckeyes from seventh to fourth in the Big Ten. OSU is just one game behind Penn State for third and 2.5 games behind Minnesota for second. Michigan sits in first place, four games ahead of the Buckeyes.
BUCKEYES ADD TWO GAMES VS. WESTERN CAROLINA MAY 8-9 AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State has added a pair of games to its schedule vs. Western Carolina May 8-9 at Bill Davis Stadium. The games have been added because four games were lost this season because of inclement weather. The Buckeyes will face the Catamounts at 6:35 p.m. May 8 and at 1:05 p.m. May 9. Both games will be nine-inning contests.
AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
The Buckeyes are 193-80 (.707) 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 9-6 at Bill Davis Stadium in 2007 and will play at least 10 more games this season at home. In addition to the completed Iowa, Michigan and Indiana series, one more conference opponent will visit Bill Davis Stadium this season as well as four non-conference foes. The scarlet and gray will welcome Michigan State (May 4-6) and non-conference opponents Xavier, Akron, Western Carolina (two games) and North Florida (two games) to Columbus.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are 23-10 on the year and 8-6 in Big Ten play, good for fourth place.
On the week, Tony Kennedy led OSU with a .471 average (8-17), five RBI, five runs scored and two game-winning RBI. Freshman Cory Kovanda also had a good week, hitting .455 and J.B. Shuck hit .429. The Buckeyes also hit three home runs in the series, one each by Jason Zoeller, Eric Fryer and Jacob Howell. Fryer led the club with seven RBI in the six games. Shuck leads OSU at the plate with a .406 average, while Fryer leads the team in RBI (33) and hits (43) and is batting .355. Kennedy is second on the team in batting at .370. Howell and Kennedy lead the squad in runs scored with 29 and Zoeller leads the team with five home runs. Matt Angle is third on the team in hitting at .356 and leads the team with 15 stolen bases.
On the hill last week, OSU closer Jake Hale had a big week, saving three games and earning a win. He saved the second Ball State game and games one and two of the IU series. Although he did blow a save in game three vs. the Hoosiers, he earned the win as the Buckeyes scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh for the victory. Cory Luebke picked up his first Big Ten win in game one of the IU series, going a solid eight innings. Rory Meister captured his first career win as a starter in game two vs. Indiana, pitching 5.2 innings, and Shuck won game four of the series, going eight solid innings and matching his career best for strikeouts with eight.
For the season, Luebke is 5-0 with a 2.10 ERA and a team-high 53 strikeouts. Shuck is 2-1 with a 3.57 ERA and is second on the team with 34 strikeouts. Josh Barrera is 4-1 with a 4.59 ERA and Meister is 3-3 with a 3.70 ERA. Hale has nine saves on the year with 27 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.
For the year, Ohio State has a .324 batting average, 211 RBI and is averaging 6.9 runs per game. The Buckeyes have also 44 stolen bases in 56 attempts. On the mound, OSU has a 4.44 ERA and is holding opponents to a .275 average.
ABOUT XAVIER
The Musketeers are 19-21 overall and 12-3 in the Atlantic 10. Xavier plays at Cincinnati Tuesday. Xavier went 4-1 last week, beating Miami, 4-3, and Eastern Kentucky, 8-7, in non-conference action and then taking two-of-three at Temple over the weekend. XU won games one, 11-4, and two, 6-3, against Temple before dropping game three, 8-7.
Jordan Wolf leads the Musketeers at the plate with a .359 average. Wolf also leads Xavier in hits (55), runs scored (31), RBI (28), stolen bases (12-13) and home runs (6). Sean Farrell is the second leading hitter on the team at .337. Xavier is batting .276 as a team.
The top two starters for the Musketeers are Bill Konecny and Michael Lucas. Konecny is 3-3 with a 3.14 ERA and 10 games started in 57.1 innings pitched. Lucas is 2-4 with a 5.75 ERA and 10 games started in a team-high 61.0 innings pitched.
Zac Richard leads the team with five saves and is 4-2 on the year in 41.2 innings of work. Mark Janszen leads XU with 16 appearances. The Xavier staff has a 5.36 ERA and a 3.09 opponents batting average.
Scott Googins (Ohio Wesleyan, 1992) is in his second year at Xavier and his second as a head coach. He is 38-58 overall.
OSU WRAPPING UP 11-GAME HOMESTAND
The Xavier game Wednesday will end an 11-game homestand that began April 13. The Buckeyes are 5-5 in the homestand.
FIRST BIG TEN SWEEP SINCE 2005
The four-game Big Ten sweep vs. Indiana was OSU’s first since May 7-9, 2005 at Penn State. It was the first four-game Big Ten sweep at home since May 9-11, 2003 vs. Michigan State. The Buckeyes last took four from Indiana April 30-May 2, 2004 in Bloomington, Ind.
SHUCK TIES CAREER HIGH FOR STRIKEOUTS
J.B. Shuck tied his career high for strikeouts in a game with eight Sunday in game four of the Indiana series. He went eight innings and picked up his second win of the season.
HALE SAVES THREE GAMES, WINS ONE LAST WEEK
OSU closer Jake Hale appeared in four games last week and came away with three saves and a win in those four appearances. He saved the second Ball State game and games one and two of the IU series. Although he did blow a save in game three vs. the Hoosiers, he earned the win as the Buckeyes scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh for the victory.
KENNEDY HAS BIG WEEK
Tony Kennedy had a big week last week, going 8-17 (.471) in the six games, including 6-11 (.545) in the four-game Big Ten series vs. Indiana. He had all five of his RBI on the week against the Hoosiers, including two game-winning RBI (games 2 and 3). The third baseman also had an 11-pitch at bat in the bottom of the eighth in game one with the score tied at three, that resulted in a single and a three-run inning for OSU in the 6-4 win. His game three game-winning RBI came in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly as the Buckeyes scored three times in the inning for a 9-8 win. For the week, he had a .529 slugging percentage, five runs scored, two walks and only struck out once.
MEISTER EARNS FIRST CAREER WIN AS A STARTER
Junior right-hander Rory Meister picked up his first career win as a starter in game two of the IU series. Meister has appeared in 68 games but only three as a starter, with all three starts coming this season. He is 11-6 all-time with a 3.02 ERA.
ZOELLER POUNDS HIS TEAM-LEADING FIFTH HOME RUN VS. IU
Senior Jason Zoeller pounded his fifth home run of the season over the left field wall in game four of the Indiana series. He is one away from tying his career high of six done as a sophomore in 2005. He also hit five in 2006.
HOWELL AND FRYER ALSO HIT HOMERS
Jacob Howell and Eric Fryer also hit home runs in the Indiana series. Howell hit his third of the year and Fryer his second.
HOWELL TALLIES 200TH CAREER HIT
Senior Jacob Howell tallied a hit in game four of the IU series for his 200th career hit. The 200 hits rank 20th on the all-time OSU hit list.
Dan DeLucia OUT AFTER ELBOW SURGERY
Senior pitching ace Dan DeLucia will miss the remainder of the season after left elbow surgery April 10.
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.
SHUCK HITTING .406 ON THE YEAR, MOVES INTO CAREER AVERAGE LIST AT 7TH
Sophomore outfielder/pitcher J.B. Shuck hit .545 in the four-game Indiana series to raise his season average to .406, good for fifth in the conference. He is hitting .432 in 14 Big Ten games. He also notched his 75th career hit over the weekend which qualifies him for the all-time OSU average list. His .361 career average is good for seventh all-time.
LUEBKE PACES OSU PITCHING STAFF AT 5-0
Junior pitcher Cory Luebke leads the OSU pitching staff with a 5-0 record, 2.10 ERA and a team-high 53 strikeouts. He garnered his first Big Ten win of the year in game one of the Indiana series. He is 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA in conference play, with four starts. In nine 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. Josh Barrera is second on the team in wins at 4-1. He has a 4.59 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 33.1 innings.
HALE PACES OSU WITH NINE SAVES, RANKS TIED FOR THIRD ON SEASON LIST
Closer Jake Hale is tied for first in the Big Ten with nine saves. The sophomore has a team-high 17 appearances on the year and a 5.27 earned run average. His nine saves ranks tied for third on the OSU single-season list. He has 27 strikeouts in 27.1 innings of work.
IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
In all games played, Ohio State ranks third in the Big Ten inbatting with a .324 average. Michigan leads the league at .334. Onthe mound, OSU is sixth in the conference with a 4.44 earned runaverage, with Minnesota on top at 3.59. The Buckeyes rank tied forseventh in the league in fielding. In all games, J.B. Shuck ranksfifth in the league in hitting at .406 and Tony Kennedy tenth at.370. Eric Fryer is fourth in RBI with 33. Fryer also ranks thirdwith 14 caught stealing by.
In Big Ten games, Shuck ranks third at .432, Fryer fifth at .420 and Kennedy eight at .405. Fryer ranks tied for second in hits at 21 and third for on base percentage at .517. Shuck is second in on base percentage at .522 and Zoeller is second with three home runs.
On the mound, Cory Luebke ranks fourth in ERA (2.10), first instrikeouts (53), second in opposing batting average (.210) and ininnings pitched (64.1). Jake Hale is tied for first with nine savesand third in appearances (17).
In Big Ten games, Luebke is seventh in ERA at 2.93, tied for second in strikeouts (20) and fourth in innings pitched (27.2). Hale is tied for first with four saves.
CSN TO TELEVISE TWO MORE GAMES
Columbus Sports Network (CSN) will 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.
FRESHMEN MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS, 11 HAVE SEEN ACTION
In 33 games this season, a total of 11 Buckeye freshmen have played.
Outfielder Ryan Dew has seen the most action, appearing in 31 games with 25 starts. He is hitting .241 on the year. Two infielders, have also seen significant action. Cory Kovanda has played in 26 games, 23 starts, and Cory Rupert has played in 17 games, with 13 starts. The other freshman field players to see action are Brian DeLucia, Ben Toussant, Zach Hurley, Chris Griffin and Nick Steponovich.
Rookie pitchers to appear are Theron Minium, Josh Edgin and Eric Best. Best and Edgin are 2-1 on the year, Best with a 4.74 ERA in 19.0 innings and Edgin with a 9.64 ERA in 18.2 innings. Minium is 1-1 with a 8.22 ERA in 15.1 innings.
CAREER RECORD BOOK
Three Buckeyes ranks in the top 19 on the school’s all-timecareer batting average list. Outfielder/pitcher J.B. Shuck ranks7th on the list at .361, Eric Fryer 15th at .350 and Matt Angletied for 19th at .345. Jacob Howell needs just one more triple totie Steve Caravati (2001-05) and Drew Anderson (2002-04) for theschool record at 13. Howell, who had four triples last year and hastwo this year, has 12 for his career. Junior Jason Zoeller is tiedfor 11th all-time for triples with eight. Angle is fourth all-timefor stolen bases with 53, and Howell sits in 11th all-time. Angle’s15 stolen bases rank tied for 18th on the single-season OSU list.Howell has moved into the top-20 all-time for career hits at 200,tied for 20th. Howell is also just five at bats away from movinginto the top-25 all-time. Senior starter Dan DeLucia’s 21 wins aretied for 15th, while his 265.2 career innings pitched ranks 10th.Junior Cory Luebke topped the 175-inning mark with his nine-inningcomplete game vs. Western Michigan March 10. That figure is whenpitchers can start being included in the career record book. Forhis career, he has pitched 220.2 innings (23rd all-time) and hasallowed 210 hits, 13th fewest in school history. His 60 issuedwalks ranks 4th, while his 108 runs rank 8th fewest. Of that total,75 have been earned and that ranks fifth. Luebke’s 3.06 career ERAis fifth and his winning percentage is 30th (.667, 16-8). JakeHale’s nine saves ranks tied for third on the single-season OSUsaves list.
TODD EARNS CAREER VICTORY 900, CLOSING IN ON OSU WIN 800
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 910-473-2 all-time, including 786-391-2 at OSU. His 910 wins rank 17th among active coaches in NCAA Division I and 47th all-time. He needs 14 victories to earn his 800th win at Ohio State.
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 .355 this season and .420 in Big Ten games. He has a team-high 43 hits 33 RBI. He has scored 22 runs and has eight doubles, a triple and two home runs. He has committed just three errors, with three passed balls. One of his errors was due to a middle infielder not covering second on a steal attempt and the runner advancing. He has thrown out 14 would be base stealers. 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 list will be narrowed down to 10 semi-finalists and be announced May 17. Three finalists will be selected by a national voting panel and be announced May 30, prior to the NCAA regionals. 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.
