Buckeyes Have Crucial Four-Game Series At Minnesota Friday-Sunday – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 11, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
28-17, 12-10 Big Ten
vs.
MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS
33-10, 14-5 Big Ten
May 11-13, 2007
Siebert Field (Capacity: 1,100)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Friday, May 11 – 7:35 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 12 (DH) – 3:05 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 13 – 2:05 p.m. ET
Series History: Minnesota leads 73-71-2
Last Meeting: May 26, 2006; Minnesota 7-3
RADIO/INTERNET
Games 1, 3 and 4: AM 920 WMNI
Game 2: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
GAMETRACKER
All four games: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State embarks on a key four-game Big Ten series Friday-Sunday at Minnesota. The Buckeyes sit in fifth place in the conference, two games ahead of Illinois in sixth and 3.5 ahead of Purdue and Michigan State tied for seventh. OSU trails Penn State and Iowa by two games for third. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the league tournament. After Minnesota, the Buckeyes wrap up conference play at Penn State (May 18-20).
Three of four games at Minnesota (Games 1, 3 & 4) will be broadcast on radio on AM 920 WMNI. All four games have audio available on ohiostatebuckeyes.com and will be on Gametracker at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
In Big Ten play last week, the Buckeyes dropped three of four games against Michigan State at home. In the MSU series, OSU won game one Friday, 8-4, before losing the final three games of the series, 5-1, 6-4 and 7-5. The Buckeyes didn’t start off the week well, losing two games at home to Western Carolina, 7-3 and 12-2. FIGHTING FOR A BIG TEN TOURNAMENT SPOT With three loses to Michigan State last weekend, Ohio State finds itself in a fight for a spot in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Buckeyes sit in fifth place, two games ahead of sixth place Illinois and 3.5 games in front of seventh place Purdue, with eight league games left. OSU trails Penn State and Iowa by two games for third place in the conference. The Buckeyes trail second-place Minnesota by 3.5 games.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
The Buckeyes are 28-17 on the year and 12-10 in Big Ten play.
J.B. Shuck leads the team with a .405 average and has 53 hits and 32 RBI. Matt Angle and Justin Miller lead OSU with 60 hits each, while Miller is tops with 39 RBI and Angle with 40 runs. Angle is hitting .368 and Miller .355. Jason Zoeller leads the team with eight home runs.
On the mound, Cory Luebke is 7-0 with a 1.91 ERA and a team-high 69 strikeouts. Shuck is 3-2 with a 4.19 ERA and is second on the team with 44 strikeouts. Josh Barrera is 4-1 with a 4.59 ERA and Rory Meister is 3-5 with a 5.25 ERA. Jake Hale has a team-high 10 saves on the year with 30 strikeouts in 34.2 innings.
For the year, Ohio State has a .319 batting average and 255 RBI. The Buckeyes have 55 stolen bases in 73 attempts. On the mound, OSU has a 4.68 ERA and is holding opponents to a .280 average.
ABOUT MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers are 33-10 overall and 14-5 in the conference after splitting last weekend’s series against Northwestern. Northwestern won Friday, 9-7, and Sunday, 6-5, with Minnesota taking two on Saturday, 5-4 and 5-4.
Mike Mee leads the Gophers with his .423 batting average, 69 hits, four home runs and 42 RBI. Matt Nohelty is hitting .371 and Nate Hanson .360, with Hanson and Dan Lyons leading the Gophers with seven home runs each. Lyons leads the team in runs scored with 41 and Nohelty leads with 20 stolen bases.
Minnesota ranks first in the Big Ten with a 3.92 ERA, led by left-hander Marcus McKenzie, who is 7-0 with a 5.44 ERA and is expected to throw Saturday in game three. The other starters slated to pitch are righty Tom Buske (2-1, 3.13) in game one, right-hander Gary Perinar (3-3, 4.53) in game two and right-hander Dustin Brabender (5-1, 4.53) in game four. Josh Oslin leads UM with 10 saves and a 0.66 ERA. Kyle Carr leads the team in appearances with 15.
John Anderson (Minnesota, 1977) is 938-583-3 in his 26th season coaching his alma mater and as a college coach.
AGAINST THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
Minnesota leads the all-time series, 73-71-2, after taking three of four games from the Buckeyes last season, including a game in the Big Ten tournament. Since 2000, Ohio State leads the all-time series 20-17. In his previous 18 seasons, OSU head coach Bob Todd is 37-37-1.
OSU vs. MINN Since 2000 (OSU leads 20-17)
| 4/7/2000 | W | 6-3 | A |
| 4/8/2000 | W | 7-3 | A |
| 4/8/2000 | L | 13-5 | A |
| 4/9/2000 | L | 7-1 | A |
| 4/27/2001 | W | 7-2 | H |
| 4/28/2001 | W | 4-3 | H |
| 4/28/2001 | W | 5-3 | H |
| 4/29/2001 | W | 5-1 | H |
| 5/20/2001 | L | 6-5 | 1H |
| 5/18/2002 | W | 13-3 | H |
| 5/18/2002 | L | 4-0 | H |
| 5/19/2002 | W | 9-2 | H |
| 5/19/2002 | L | 8-5 | H |
| 5/25/2002 | W | 6-3 | 2A |
| 5/16/2003 | L | 9-2 | A |
| 5/17/2003 | L | 5-2 | A |
| 5/17/2003 | W | 5-1 | A |
| 5/18/2003 | L | 5-4 | A |
| 5/24/2003 | L | 5-4 | 2A |
| 5/25/2003 | W | 10-8 | 2A |
| 5/25/2003 | W | 17-10 | 2A |
| 5/21/2004 | L | 13-1 | A |
| 5/22/2004 | W | 10-6 | A |
| 5/22/2004 | L | 7-2 | A |
| 5/29/2004 | W | 3-2 | 2A |
| 5/30/2004 | L | 7-3 | 2A |
| 5/20/2005 | L | 9-3 | H |
| 5/21/2005 | W | 2-1 | H |
| 5/21/2005 | W | 3-2 | H |
| 5/22/2005 | W | 6-5 | H |
| 5/27/2005 | W | 15-6 | 3N |
| 5/28/2005 | L | 4-3 | 3N |
| 5/29/2005 | W | 14-6 | 3N |
| 5/12/2006 | W | 10-2 | A |
| 5/13/2006 | L | 2-1 | A |
| 5/13/2006 | L | 12-3 | A |
| 5/26/2006 | L | 7-3 | 4N |
1-Big Ten Tournament, Columbus, Ohio
2-Big Ten Tournament, Minneapolis, Minn.
3-Big Ten Tournament, Champaign, Ill.
4-Big Ten Tournament, Ann Arbor, Mich.
BIG TEN SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA
Ohio State and Minnesota have met only 13 years since the Big Ten went to playing four-game series beginning with the 1981 season. The teams did not meet in Big Ten play from 1981 through 1989 and have not met four times since Minnesota swept Ohio State in 1990. The Buckeyes got their sweep of the Gophers in 2001, with 2005 being the only other series win, 3-1. Minnesota has four series wins, including 3-1 victories in 1991, 1992 and most recently in 2003. The Gophers also won rain-shortened series’ 2-1 in 2004 and 2006, but the teams have split the other five meetings.
Big Ten Series History vs. Minnesota
Ohio State 4-0: 2001
Ohio State 3-1: 2005
Split 2-2: 2002, 2000, 1997, 1996, 1993
Minnesota 2-1: 2006, 2004
Minnesota 3-1: 2003, 1992, 1991
Minnesota 4-0: 1990
THE WESTERN CAROLINA SERIES
Jason Zoeller led the Buckeyes in their two-game series vs. Western Carolina, batting .625 (5-8). Matt Angle hit .571 in the two games and freshman pitcher Eric Best had a quality start, going five innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out seven.
BEST SETS CAREER HIGH SEVEN STRIKEOUTS
Redshirt freshman Eric Best set a career high with seven strikeouts in OSU’s May 8 game vs. Western Carolina. His seven strikeouts came in five innings of work and he did not walk a batter while allowing five hits. His previous high for strikeouts was five, March 22.
ZOELLER HITS TEAM-BEST EIGHTH HOME RUN, EXTENDS CAREER HIGH
Senior Jason Zoeller hit his team-leading eighth home run in game one of the Western Carolina series. The eight home runs extends career high, besting the six he hit as a sophomore in 2005.
SHUCK HITTING .405 ON THE YEAR, SITS TIED FOR 2ND ON CAREER AVERAGE LIST
J.B. Shuck leads OSU with a .405 average, good for fifth in the conference. He is hitting .400 in 17 Big Ten games, 10th in the conference. His .366 career average is fourth on the all-time OSU career list.
LUEBKE PACES OSU PITCHING STAFF AT 7-0
Junior pitcher Cory Luebke leads the OSU pitching staff with a 7-0 record, 1.91 ERA and a team-high 69 strikeouts. In Big Ten play, he is 3-0 with a 2.28 ERA in six starts. In his 11 starts, Luebke has not gone fewer than 5.2 innings. The Maria Stein, Ohio native fired his second complete game of the year April 27 in a 6-2 win at Purdue. His other complete game was March 10 in a 10-1 win over Western Michigan. He had a season-high 11 strikeouts in a 7-2 win over Lehigh March 4.
HALE TIED FOR BIG TEN LEAD WITH 10 SAVES, RANKS TIED FOR 2ND ON OSU SINGLE-SEASON LIST
Closer Jake Hale is tied for the Big Ten lead with 10 saves. The sophomore has a team-high 21 appearances on the year and a 5.45 earned run average. He has 30 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work. His 10 saves rank tied for second with Cory Cox (2001) on the Ohio State single season list, four behind Matt Davis’ 14 in 2003.
MILLER HITS FIRST CAREER HOME RUN, BATS .571 IN MICHIGAN STATE SERIES
Sophomore Justin Miller hit .571 in the Michigan State series, going 8-14 with seven RBI, two runs scored and one home run. The home run in game one of the MSU series was his first career round tripper.
MILLER SECOND IN BIG TEN PLAY WITH A .423 AVERAGE
Justin Miller’s .423 average in Big Ten games ranks second in the league. Purdue’s Ryne White is hitting .442 in conference action.
HOWELL TIES OSU CAREER RECORD WITH 13TH TRIPLE
Jacob Howell hit his 13th career triple in game four of the MSU series, tying the OSU career record held by Steve Caravati (2001-2005) and Drew Anderson (2002-2004).
SHUCK HAS HITS IN 32 OF 36 GAMES HE HAS BATTED IN
Sophomore J.B. Shuck has at least one hit in 32 of the 36 games he has batted in. Shuck does not bat in some games that he pitches.
CSN TO TELEVISE ONE MORE GAME
Columbus Sports Network (CSN) will televise one more OSU game this season, May 16 game 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.
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.
IN THE BIG TEN RANKINGS
In all games played, Ohio State ranks fourth in the Big Ten inbatting with a .319 average. On the mound, OSU is tied for fourthin the conference with a 4.68 earned run average. The Buckeyes rankeighth in the league in fielding. In all games, J.B. Shuck ranksfifth in the league in hitting at .405. Jason Zoeller is tied forsecond with eight home runs, Matt Angle tied for second with fourtriples, Jacob Howell is second with 12 sacrifice bunts and EricFryer ranks third with 17 caught stealing by.
In Big Ten games, Justin Miller is second in batting at .423, tied for second in doubles (8) and third in hits (33). Shuck is second in on base percentage at .500. Jason Zoeller is tied for second in home runs at five.
On the mound, Cory Luebke ranks third in ERA (1.91), first instrikeouts (69) and innings pitched (80), tied for first in wins(7) and third in opposing batting average (.210). Jake Hale is tiedfor first with 10 saves.
In Big Ten games, Luebke is first in ERA at 2.28, strikeouts (36) and tied for first in innings pitched (43.1). Hale is tied for first with five saves.
FRESHMEN MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS, 12 HAVE SEEN ACTION
In 45 games this season, a total of 12 Buckeye freshmen have played.
Outfielder Ryan Dew has seen the most action, appearing in 40 games with 31 starts. He is hitting .245 on the year. Two infielders, have also seen significant action. Cory Kovanda has played in 38 games, 34 starts, and Cory Rupert has played in 21 games, with 16 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, Eric Best and Taylor Barnes. Best is 3-1 on the year with a 3.99 ERA and Edgin is 2-2 with a 7.92 ERA. Best has thrown 29.1 innings and Edgin 30.2. Minium is 1-2 with a 6.26 ERA in 27.1 innings.
CAREER RECORD BOOK
Three Buckeyes ranks in the top 23 on the school’s all-timecareer batting average list. Outfielder/pitcher J.B. Shuck ranksfourth on the list at .366, Matt Angle 15th at .350 and Eric Fryertied for 23rd at .343. Jacob Howell hit a triple in game four ofthe MSU series to tie Steve Caravati (2001-05) and Drew Anderson(2002-04) for the school record at 13. Junior Jason Zoeller is tiedfor 11th all-time for triples with eight. Angle is fourth all-timefor stolen bases with 56, and Howell sits tied for 9th. Angle’s 18stolen bases rank tied for 17th on the single-season OSU list.Howell ranks tied for 8th in stolen bases with 43. Howell has movedinto the top-20 all-time for career hits, tied for 18th with 208.Howell has 639 career at bats, 20th all-time. Senior Dan DeLucia’s21 wins are tied for 15th, while his 265.2 career innings pitchedranks 10th. Junior Cory Luebke ranks in numerous pitchingcategories. For his career, he has pitched 236.1 innings (20thall-time) and has allowed 222 hits, 16th fewest. His 63 issuedwalks ranks 4th, while his 112 runs rank 9th fewest. Of that total,77 have been earned and that ranks tied for fifth. Luebke’s 2.93career ERA is fifth and his winning percentage is 28th (.692,18-8). He is also closing in on the top-22 (195) all-time forstrikeouts with 188. Jake Hale’s 10 saves ranks tied for second onthe single-season OSU saves list. Trey Fausnaugh ranks 2nd all-timein appearances with 81 and Rory Meister is 4th with 73.
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 915-478-2 all-time, including 791-396-2 at OSU. His 915 wins rank 17th among active coaches in NCAA Division I and 47th all-time. He needs nine victories to earn his 800th win at Ohio State.
