Buckeyes Welcome North Florida For A Pair, Need One Win At Penn State To Clinch Tournament Spot – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 15, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
30-19, 14-12 Big Ten
vs.
NORTH FLORIDA OSPREYS
22-28, 11-12 Atlantic Sun
May 15-16, 2007
Bill Davis Stadium (Capacity: 4,450)
Columbus, Ohio
Tuesday, May 15 @ 6:35 p.m. ET
Wednesday, May 16 @ 12:05 p.m. ET
Series History: Ohio State leads 4-2
Last Meeting: March 9, 2007; Ohio State 3-2 (11)
TELEVISION
May 16: Columbus Sports Network (same day tape-delay: 7 p.m.)
RADIO/INTERNET
May 15: AM 920 WMNI
May 16: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
GAMETRACKER
Both games: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State will wrap up its home season with a pair of non-conference games vs. North Florida Tuesday and Wednesday at Bill Davis Stadium. Tuesday’s game starts at 6:35 p.m., with first pitch at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday. After North Florida, the Buckeyes head to Penn State Friday-Sunday for the final Big Ten regular series of the season. Ohio State is 30-19 overall and 14-12 in the Big Ten, tied for fifth place.
Tuesday’s North Florida game and three of four games at Penn State (Games 1, 3 & 4) will be broadcast on radio on AM 920 WMNI. All six games have audio available on ohiostatebuckeyes.com and will be on Gametracker at ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
In Big Ten play last week, the Buckeyes split four games at Minnesota. The Gophers won game one Friday, 6-4, and game four Sunday, 5-3, with OSU taking both games Saturday, 8-1 and 13-1.
BUCKEYES WIN ONE AND THEY QUALIFY FOR THE BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
With just four games remaining in Big Ten play, Ohio State needs just one win to secure a spot in the Big Ten tournament. The Buckeyes are 14-12 in conference play, tied for fifth place with Illinois. The top six teams qualify for the tournament. Both OSU and Illinois are 1.5 games ahead of seventh place Michigan State. With llinois (14-12) and Michigan State (13-14) facing each other this weekend and OSU owning the tiebreaker over Illinois, one win gets the Buckeyes in. The first tiebreaker is head to head and the teams split two games during the regular season. The second tiebreaker is the best winning percentage against all teams ending the season (tied or not) in positions 1-2-3-4-5-6 in the final conference standings, and Ohio State has a better percentage than Illinois. The Buckeyes and Illini are two games behind fourth place Iowa and three behind third place Penn State.
AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
The Buckeyes are 195-86 (.694) 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 11-12 at Bill Davis Stadium in 2007 with the North Florida games the final home games of the season.
OHIO STATE HOSTS “CPS DAY” WEDNESDAY
The Ohio State University is joining with Columbus Public Schools (CPS) for “CPS Day” Wednesday. Nearly 3,000 sixth-graders from 30 Columbus Public Schools will travel to campus for an educational pep rally at 10 a.m. in Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium followed by a sold-out Buckeye baseball game vs. North Florida at 12:05 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.
CPS Day is designed to show young students the opportunities for and advantages of higher education and the importance of staying in school.
The sixth-graders, who met criteria set by their schools, will be welcomed to campus at the pep rally by the Ohio State cheerleaders, Brutus Buckeye and members of the Ohio State band. They’ll see a demonstration by members of the ROTC on the importance of fitness and education, and hear from CPS alums and current OSU students, as well as Gene Harris, Superintendent of Columbus Public Schools.
After lunch at the stadium, the first pitch will be thrown out by a student and Marvenia E. Bosley, deputy superintendent of CPS. Other students will act as public address announcers and guest reporters.
CPS developed a curriculum oriented around baseball, which includes the history of baseball, knowledge of the game, baseball statistics and biographies of players. The curriculum also encompasses music classes and art classes, and a contest to design the baseball game program cover.
In the case of inclement weather, the pep rally will take place in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
J.B. Shuck leads the team with a .382 average and has 55 hits and 32 RBI. Justin Miller lead OSU with 67 hits, 43 RBI and 14 doubles, and is second on the team in batting at .366 average. Matt Angle is hitting .362, is second with 64 hits and first with 18 stolen bases. Jason Zoeller leads the team with nine home runs. Eric Fryer is second on the squad with 42 RBI.
On the mound, Cory Luebke is 7-1 with a 2.09 ERA and a team-high 74 strikeouts. Shuck is 4-2 with a 3.94 ERA and is second on the team with 48 strikeouts. Josh Barrera is 4-1 with a 4.59 ERA and Eric Best is 3-1 with a 3.97 ERA. Jake Hale has a team-high 10 saves on the year with 36 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. Hale made his first start of the year in the Minnesota series, pitching a six-hit complete game to improve to 2-2.
For the year, Ohio State has a .321 batting average and 282 RBI. The Buckeyes have 56 stolen bases in 75 attempts. On the mound, OSU has a 4.56 ERA and is holding opponents to a .278 average.
ABOUT NORTH FLORIDA
The Ospreys are 22-28 overall and 11-12 in the Atlantic Sun conference after sweeping a three-game set from Campbell over the weekend. North Florida also knocked off Florida last Tuesday.
Jon Dandridge leads the Ospreys with a .359 average, 65 hits and 34 runs. He is also second with 35 RBI and four home runs. TJ Thompson is batting .333 and Jimmy Glanville leads UNF with eight home runs and 36 RBI.
The top three starters for North Florida are Brad Johnson (4-6, 13 GS, 4.23 ERA), John Atteo (5-3, 12 GS, 4.62 ERA) and Derek Bell (3-2, 9 GS, 4.29 ERA). Tyler Stohr leads the team with five saves and Antonio Franzese with 23 appearances.
Dusty Rhodes (Florida Southern, 1969) is 1,128-477 in his 28th season coaching. He is 824-360 in his 20th season at North Florida.
AGAINST THE OSPREYS
Ohio State leads the all-time series, 4-2, after beating North Florida, 3-2, in 11 innings earlier this year. The Buckeyes and Ospreys met March 9 at UNF’s Kennel Club Classic. This is the first time the two teams will meet in Columbus.
OSU vs. North Florida all-time (OSU leads 4-2)
| 3/17/1996 | W | 16-5 | A |
| 3/3/2001 | L | 14-10 | A |
| 3/1/2002 | W | 3-0 | A |
| 3/5/2004 | L | 8-0 | A |
| 3/11/2005 | W | 16-10 | A |
| 3/9/2007 | W | 3-2 (11) | A |
THE MINNESOTA SERIES
The Buckeyes ended their losing streak in style, hammering second-place Minnesota 8-1 and 13-1 in winning games two and three of the four game series. The teams split the four game series in Minneapolis, with the Gophers winning game one, 6-4, and game four, 5-3. Justin Miller led OSU at the plate, hitting .500 with four RBI. Brian DeLucia (.455), Ryan Dew (.444) and Eric Fryer (.438) all hit over .400 for the series. Fryer and Jason Zoeller led the way with six RBI, with Zoeller hitting his team-best ninth home run. Jake Hale and J.B. Shuck picked up the two wins for the Buckeyes, with Hale throwing a six-hit, seven-inning complete game and Shuck throwing three-hit ball through six. It was Hale’s first start of the year. Cory Luebke was saddled with his first loss of the year despite a solid six-inning outing. Luebke gave up six runs but only three earned in the 6-4 loss.
CSN TO TELEVISE ONE MORE GAME
Columbus Sports Network (CSN) will televise one more OSU game this season, Wednesday’s game vs. North Florida. The game will be shown on same day tape-delay at 7 p.m. 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.
COACH TODD HIT 30 WINS FOR 20TH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Since becoming Ohio State head coach in 1988, Bob Todd has at least 30 wins in all 20 seasons. The Buckeyes are 30-19 on the year.
SENIOR Jacob Howell MISSES UM SERIES
Senior Jacob Howell missed the four-game Minnesota series because of personal family reasons.
ZOELLER EXTENDS HOME RUN TOTAL
Jason Zoeller hit his ninth home run of the year in game three of the Minnesota series. His single-season high was six in 2005. He now has 20 career home runs.
HALE MAKES HIS FIRST START OF THE SEASON A GOOD ONE
After 21 appearances, Jake Hale made his first start of the season in game two of the Minnesota series. He made the start a memorable one, winning 8-1 and giving up no earned runs while throwing a six-hit complete game. The big right-hander walked two and struck out six. He is tied for the league lead with 10 saves. The sophomore started 11 games last year as a freshman.
SHUCK PICKS UP WIN NO. 4 ON THE YEAR
Sophomore J.B. Shuck notched his fourth win of the year in game three of the Minnesota series. He gave up one earned run in six innings, striking out four and walking five.
DESPITE FIRST LOSS, LUEBKE STILL SOLID
The Big Ten’s top pitcher, OSU’s Cory Luebke, continued his run of impressive performances despite losing his first game of the year in game one of the Minnesota series. Luebke went six innings, giving up six runs, three earned, in a 6-4 loss. He struck out five and walked two, falling to 7-1 on the year.
OSU POUNDS OUT A SEASON-HIGH 22 HITS IN GAME THREE AT MINNESOTA
The Buckeyes pounded out a season-high 22 hits in game three of the Minnesota series. The previous high was 21 in the home opener vs. Toledo March 28.
SHUCK HITTING .382 ON THE YEAR, SIXTH IN THE BIG TEN
J.B. Shuck leads OSU with a .382 average, good for sixth in the conference.
LUEBKE PACES OSU PITCHING STAFF AT 7-1
Junior pitcher Cory Luebke leads the OSU pitching staff with a 7-1 record, 2.09 ERA and a team-high 74 strikeouts. In Big Ten play, he is 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA in seven starts. In his 12 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, 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 22 appearances on the year and a 4.75 earned run average. He has 36 strikeouts in 41.2 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 SECOND IN BIG TEN PLAY WITH A .435 AVERAGE
Justin Miller’s .435 average in Big Ten games ranks second in the league. Purdue’s Ryne White is hitting .462 in conference action.
HOWELL TIES OSU CAREER RECORD WITH 13TH TRIPLE
Jacob Howell hit his 13th career triple in game four of the Michigan State series, tying the OSU career record held by Steve Caravati (2001-2005) and Drew Anderson (2002-2004).
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 .321 average. On the mound, OSU is fourth in theconference with a 4.56 earned run average. The Buckeyes rankseventh in the league in fielding. In all games, J.B. Shuck rankssixth in the league in hitting at .382. Jason Zoeller is tied forsecond with nine 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 .435, second in hits (40) andfourth in RBI (26). Fryer is eighth in batting at .389, third incaught stealing by (11) and fifth for on base percentage (.482).Zoeller is second in home runs at six and fourth in sluggingpercentage (.613). while Angle is fifth for runs scored (25). Onthe mound, Cory Luebke ranks first in ERA (2.09), strikeouts (74)and innings pitched (86), tied for first in wins (7) and second inopposing batting average (.213). Jake Hale is tied for first with10 saves and Shuck is ninth in ERA at 3.94.
In Big Ten games, Luebke is first in strikeouts (41) and innings pitched (49.1), second in ERA (2.55) and fifth in opposing batting average (.256). Hale is tied for third with five saves.
FRESHMEN MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS, 12 HAVE SEEN ACTION
In 49 games this season, a total of 12 Buckeye freshmen have played.
Outfielder Ryan Dew has seen the most action, appearing in 44 games with 34 starts. Two infielders, have also seen significant action. Cory Kovanda has played in 42 games, 38 starts, and Cory Rupert has played in 24 games, with 19 starts. Kovanda is hitting .323. 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 3.97 ERA and Edgin is 2-2 with a 7.56 ERA. Best has thrown 34.0 innings and Edgin 33.1. Minium is 1-2 with a 6.04 ERA in 28.1 innings.
