Buckeyes Head To Happy Valley Looking To Clinch Big Ten Tournament Spot – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 18, 2007
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OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
32-19, 14-12 Big Ten
vs.
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
25-23, 17-9 Big Ten
May 18-20, 2007
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (Capacity: 5,406)
University Park, Pa.
Friday, May 18 @ 6:35 p.m. ET
Saturday, May 19 (DH) @ 4:05 p.m. ET
Sunday, May 20 @ 1:05 p.m. ET
Series History: Ohio State leads 47-22
Last Meeting: May 21, 2006; Ohio State 12-2
RADIO/INTERNET
Games 1, 3 and 4: AM 920 WMNI
Game 2: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
GAMETRACKER
All four games: ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State will wrap up its Big Ten regular season with a four-game series at Penn State Friday-Sunday. Ohio State is 32-19 overall and 14-12 in the Big Ten, tied for fifth place.
Three of four games at Penn State (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.
The Buckeyes started off the week in fine form, taking two games from North Florida, 8-7 and 9-3, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, at Bill Davis Stadium. 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. ABOUT OHIO STATE
J.B. Shuck leads the team with a .383 average and has 59 hits and 34 RBI. Justin Miller leads OSU with 69 hits and is tied for the team lead with 44 RBI. He is third on the team in batting at .361 average. Matt Angle is second at the plate for average (.368) and hits (68), and leads the team with 20 stolen bases and 47 runs. Jason Zoeller leads the team with nine home runs. Eric Fryer is tied for the team lead with 44 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 3.75 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 296 RBI. The Buckeyes have 62 stolen bases in 82 attempts. On the mound, OSU has a 4.56 ERA and is holding opponents to a .279 average.
ABOUT PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions are 25-23 overall and 17-9 in the Big Ten after taking three of four from Michigan over the weekend in Ann Arbors.
Joe Blackburn is batting .378 to lead Penn State. He leads the team with 71 hits and 31 RBI. Matt Cavagnaro is second on the team in hitting at .349. Three PSU players lead the team with three home runs each. Penn State is hitting .293 as a team.
Penn State is expected to throw right-hander Seth Whitehill in game one, lefty Craig Clark in game two, right hander Paul Hawkins in game three and righty John Karr in the final game. Clark leads the staff with a 4-4 record, 12 games started, three complete games and a 2.77 ERA. He is tops with 57 strikeouts. Whitehill is 5-5 with a 5.37 ERA in 11 starts. Hawkins is 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA and Karr 1-0 with a 3.63 ERA. The staff has a 4.33 ERA.
Robbie Wine (Oklahoma State, 2002) is 73-86 in his third season at Penn State and as a college coach. He is 1-7 vs. Ohio State.
COACH TODD HITS 32 WINS FOR 20TH CONSECUTIVE SEASON
Since becoming Ohio State head coach in 1988, Bob Todd has at least 32 wins in all 20 seasons. The Buckeyes are 32-19 on the year.
AGAINST THE NITTANY LIONS
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Penn State 47-22 and has won eight of the last nine games going back to 2004. The Buckeyes won three of four at home last season. Since 2000, Ohio State leads the series 20-11 by virtue of four series victories and two splits. Ohio State coach Bob Todd is 42-19 vs. Penn State in his previous 23 seasons as a college coach.
OSU vs. PSU Since 2000 (OSU leads 20-11)
| Date | W/L | Score | Site |
| 5/6/2000 | W | 8-5 | A |
| 5/7/2000 | W | 9-3 | A |
| 5/7/2000 | L | 4-1 | A |
| 5/8/2000 | W | 9-8 | A |
| 5/17/2000 | L | 8-7 | 1N |
| 4/20/2001 | L | 8-3 | H |
| 4/21/2001 | L | 9-4 | H |
| 4/21/2001 | W | 16-6 | H |
| 4/22/2001 | W | 6-4 | H |
| 5/17/2001 | L | 4-3 | 2H |
| 4/5/2002 | L | 4-2 | H |
| 4/6/2002 | W | 7-6 | H |
| 4/6/2002 | W | 10-0 | H |
| 4/7/2002 | W | 11-0 | H |
| 4/4/2003 | W | 4-3 | A |
| 4/5/2003 | L | 2-1 | A |
| 4/5/2003 | W | 7-5 | A |
| 4/6/2003 | L | 10-2 | A |
| 5/24/2003 | W | 13-3 | 1N |
| 5/8/2004 | W | 3-1 | H |
| 5/9/2004 | L | 1-0 | H |
| 5/9/2004 | L | 6-3 | H |
| 5/10/2004 | W | 9-4 | H |
| 5/7/2005 | W | 11-2 | A |
| 5/8/2005 | W | 13-10 | A |
| 5/8/2005 | W | 29-2 | A |
| 5/9/2005 | W | 11-6 | A |
| 5/19/2006 | W | 4-3 | H |
| 5/20/2006 | L | 3-2 | H |
| 5/20/2006 | W | 3-0 | H |
| 5/21/2006 | W | 12-2 | H |
1-Big Ten Tournament, Minneapolis, Minn.
2-Big Ten Tournament, Columbus, Ohio
OHIO STATE VS. PENN STATE SERIES
Ohio State has won 10 series against Penn State since the Nittany Lions began Big Ten play in 1994. There have been three 4-0 sweeps by the Buckeyes, including 2005 in State College, Pa. There have been four instances when the teams have split four-game sets and Penn State has only one series win, which came in 1996. The Lions have never swept Ohio State.
Big Ten Series History vs. Penn State
Ohio State 4-0: 2005, 1999, 1993
Ohio State 3-0: 1994
Ohio State 3-1: 2005, 2002, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1992
Split 2-2: 2004, 2003, 2001, 1995
Penn State 3-1: 1996
Penn State 4-0: None
SWEEPING THE OSPREYS
The Buckeyes wrapped up their 2007 home schedule with a pair of non-conference wins over North Florida, winning 8-7 Tuesday and 9-3 Wednesday. Against UNF, Trey Fausnaugh and Taylor Barnes picked up the wins. It was the first career win for Barnes. Matt Angle hit .500 in the two games, Jacob Howell .429 and J.B. Shuck .400. Cory Kovanda led the way with three RBI, including the game-winning RBI Tuesday after getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. Eric Fryer hit his third home run of the year in the first game of the series. Ohio State also beat the Ospreys back on March 9, 3-2 in 11 innings, at North Florida.
BARNES GARNERS FIRST CAREER WIN
Redshirt freshman Taylor Barnes picked up his first career win Wednesday in OSU’s 9-3 win over North Florida. Barnes came on in relief in the third inning and went three innings for the victory. It was just his third career appearance.
FRYER HITS THIRD HOME RUN OF SEASON
Eric Fryer hit his third home run of the season in Tuesday’s 8-7 win over North Florida. It was his 10th career home run.
RECORD AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
The Buckeyes are 197-86 (.696) through the first 11 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 finished the 2007 season 13-12 at Bill Davis Stadium in 2007.
SHUCK HITTING .383 ON THE YEAR, SIXTH IN THE BIG TEN
J.B. Shuck leads OSU with a .383 average, good for sixth in the conference. Matt Angle is hitting .368, 10th in the league.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 .383 and Matt Angle is 10th at.368. Jason Zoeller is tied for third with nine home runs, Angletied for second with four triples, Jacob Howell is second with 13sacrifice bunts and Eric Fryer ranks third with 17 caught stealingby.
In Big Ten games, Justin Miller is second in batting at .435, second in hits (40) and fourth in RBI (26). Fryer is eighth in batting at .389, third in caught stealing by (11) and fifth for on base percentage (.482). Zoeller is second in home runs at six and fourth in slugging percentage (.613). while Angle is fifth for runs scored (25).
On the mound, Cory Luebke ranks first in ERA (2.09), strikeouts(74) and innings pitched (86), tied for first in wins (7) andsecond in opposing batting average (.213). Jake Hale is tied forfirst with 10 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 51 games this season, a total of 12 Buckeye freshmen have played.
Outfielder Ryan Dew and second baseman Cory Kovanda have seen the most action. Kovanda has appeared in 44 games with 40 starts and is hitting .318. Dew has played in 45 games with 35 starts. Infielder Cory Rupert has played in 26 games, with 20 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 3.75 ERA and Edgin is 2-2 with a 6.94 ERA. Best has thrown 36.0 innings and Edgin 36.1. Minium is 1-2 with a 6.68 ERA in 32.1 innings and Barnes is 1-0 with a 6.48 ERA.
