Softball: No. 18 Ohio State Takes Unbeaten Record to Miami – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Defending Big Ten champion Buckeyes coming off five wins in five games at Stetson Lead-Off Classic; Reeder and Marder sweep Big Ten awards
Ohio State at the FIU Schutt Sports Invitational
Feb. 15-17, 2008
University Park Softball Complex, Miami, Fla.
OHIO STATE TRAVEL PLANS
The Buckeyes will fly to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Thursday, taking off from Columbus at 10:20 a.m. and landing at 1 p.m. The team will stay at the Comfort Suites Miami and return Sunday, departing Ft. Lauderdale at 6:20 p.m. and landing at 10:54 p.m.
IF YOU GO
All games of the Schutt Sports Invitational will be played at University Park Softball Complex on the campus of Florida International University. The field is located near the basketball arena (11200 SW 8th St., Miami, FL 33199). Bleacher seating is limited.
IF YOU’RE SCORING AT HOME
Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com and www.FIUsports.com
For More Information: Game notes, recaps, box scores, etc., available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Ohio State vs.
Providence: First Meeting
Georgia: First Meeting
Illinois State: First Meeting
Florida International: Tied 1-1, both meetings at FIU in 2003
FIVE WARM-UP PITCHES
1. Sam Marder and Kim Reeder are the current Big Ten Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
2. In Ohio State’s starting batting order, only three regular starters are back from a year ago, including Liz Caputo, Sam Marder and Brittany Vanderink. Six starters are back overall.
3. The Buckeyes are 5-0 for the first time among available records, which include all but five seasons since 1972.
4. Ohio State is playing two tournaments in Florida this season for the first time in program history.
5. In June, a $5.1 million renovation project will begin at Buckeye Field, which opened in 1988.
SETTING THE SCENE
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 18th-ranked Ohio State softball puts its 5-0 record on the line this weekend in Miami, Fla., at the Schutt Sports Invitational hosted by Florida International University.
Ohio State, Georgia, Providence, Illinois State and host FIU comprise the tournament field, which has a predetermined schedule. The Buckeyes (5-0) will take on Providence (0-0) at 10 a.m. Friday before taking on their first ranked opponent of the season, No. 21 Georgia (5-1), later that day at 12:30 p.m. Then Saturday, Ohio State will face Illinois State (2-3) at 10 a.m. and FIU (1-4) at 8 p.m., followed by a rematch with FIU at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Buckeyes won the Stetson Lead-Off Classic last weekend in DeLand, Fla., winning twice over host Stetson, the defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion and NCAA tournament team.
ABOUT THE SCHUTT SPORTS INVITATIONAL
Florida International University is located in Miami, Fla., and all games of the Schutt Sports Invitational will be held at the University Park Softball Complex. There will be no bracket or championship game.
FOLLOW THE BUCKEYES ONLINE
Live statistics of Ohio State’s five games this weekend will be available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Live statistics of all games in the Schutt Sports Invitational will be available at www.FIUsports.com. In addition, check out OhioStateBuckeyes.com for tournament previews, recaps, box scores, photo galleries and much more.
BUCKEYES’ 5-0 START COULD BE BEST
Ohio State’s 5-0 start to the 2008 season is most likely the best start in program history. It is the best start among available records, which is missing five seasons from the 1970s, but the Buckeyes had a winning record in only one of those seasons (1978, 20-7).
MARDER, REEDER EARN BIG TEN’S FIRST WEEKLY AWARDS
The Buckeyes swept the Big Ten’s first weekly awards Tuesday as Kim Reeder was named the pitcher of the week and Sam Marder was named the player of the week. In leading Ohio State to a perfect 5-0 record at the Stetson Lead-Off Classic last weekend, Reeder went 2-0 with a 0.56 earned run average and Marder batted .462 with a home run and eight runs batted in.
BUCKEYES RANKED No. 18/19
This week in the national polls, Ohio State is ranked No. 18 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and No. 19 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 22 and No. 23 in the two preseason national polls. The Buckeyes ended last season ranked in the same positions as in the two preseason national polls this season. Ohio State is 51-26 all-time when ranked.
ROAD TRIPPIN’
The Buckeyes are playing in the second of five-consecutive early-season tournaments that will take them to DeLand, Fla. (5-0 last weekend), Miami (this weekend), Palm Springs (Feb. 22-24), Las Vegas (March 7-9) and Sacramento (March 14-16).
Ohio State is scheduled to take on Houston March 18 in its 2008 home opener. The Buckeyes are 42-4 at home the last two seasons. Of note, the first two weeks of the season mark the first time Ohio State is playing in Florida twice in the same season.
WELCOME (BACK) TO MIAMI
The Buckeyes are making their fourth trip to Florida International (2000, 2001, 2003) and are 7-10 all-time in an FIU-hosted event. Ohio State is 1-1 all-time against FIU, but is meeting its other three opponents this weekend for the first time.
COACH K. WINS NO. 650
Last Saturday in the 5-2 win over Marist at the Stetson Lead-Off Classic, Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis notched her 650th career victory. She is already the all-time winningest coach in Ohio State history with a 379-250 record in Columbus and she is one of three Big Ten coaches with more than 650 career wins (652).
A TOP PROGRAM ADDS MORE
Since 2000, the Buckeyes have won 306 games, which is the third-highest win total in the Big Ten during that time. Ohio State’s .647 winning percentage and average win total of 37.6 games rank fourth in the Big Ten this decade.
The 2007 Buckeyes were the fourth team in Ohio State softball history to win at least 40 games in a season, joining teams in 1994, 2001 and 2002. Combined with 39 wins in 2006, Ohio State’s win total of 79 during the 2006 and 2007 ranks third all-time in the program among back-to-back year win totals.
HANG ON SCHLOPY
Ohio State sophomores Megan Miller and Sam Marder, along with OSU freshman Brittany Goodchild, were travel ball teammates with Georgia freshman pitcher/outfielder Taylor Schlopy.
Ohio State senior Brittany Vanderink played on a travel ball team with Georgia senior catcher Melissa Wood.
OHIO STATE WINS FOURTH-STRAIGHT SEASON OPENER
After beating Detroit 2-0 last Friday, Ohio State has won its last four season-openers and seven of its last nine. In their last nine season-opening tournaments, the Buckeyes are 30-15.
VANDERINK TO CAPTAIN 2008 BUCKEYES
The Buckeyes have elected senior second baseman Brittany Vanderink as their captain for the 2008 season. She is a two-time All-Big Ten selection and ranks sixth in program history with a .338 career batting average. A left-handed slapper, Vanderink is a career 46-for-49 base stealer and she ups her career batting average to .411 in Big Ten games.
Vanderink is the second-consecutive solo captain for the Buckeyes, following Christina Douglas, who served as captain last season.
Last season, Vanderink led the team in hits (64), at bats (192) and average with two outs (.333). She was second on team in stolen bases (16-for-17), multiple-hit games (17) and average with runners on base (.330). As a sophomore, Vanderink was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Year and the Most Improved Player when she led the team in batting average, both overall (.359) and in Big Ten games (.459) and also led the team in average with runners on base (.367) and with runners in scoring position (.391).
HEAD COACH LINDA KALAFATIS
Head coach Linda Kalafatis is in her 12th season at Ohio State in 2008 and her 20th season as a collegiate head coach. Kalafatis, who twice has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year (2002, 2007), is Ohio State’s all-time wins leader (379-250, .603) and is one of three Big Ten coaches with more than 600 career wins (652-365-2, .641).
Seven times the Buckeyes have won at least 30 games under Kalafatis, who has guided Ohio State to the NCAA tournament four times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007). She is assisted by former collegiate All-Americans Ali Viola (Nebraska) and Erica Beach (Arizona State).
MARDER NAMED TO PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
Ohio State sophomore Sam Marder was named to the Amateur Softball Association’s watch list for the Collegiate Player of the Year Jan. 31. Marder is one of only nine sophomores on the list. A list of 25 finalists will be announced by the ASA April 9.
A catcher and first baseman, Marder led the Buckeyes last season with a .359 average, 10 home runs, 49 runs batted in and a school record 44 walks on her way to earning first-team honors from the Big Ten and NFCA Great Lakes Region.
The list includes only five from the Big Ten, with three of those being sophomores. A native of Calabasas, Calif., Marder upped her average to .367 in Big Ten games last season to help lead Ohio State to a 14-2 league record and the conference championship. She was also named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team for her efforts in the Buckeyes’ three-game sweep of the league postseason tournament.
PRUNER TO MISS 08 OPENERS
Ohio State junior Courtney Pruner, a first-team All-Big Ten selection last season, will miss all of early tournaments in 2008 and possibly the entire season after undergoing hip surgery in December. Pruner batted .336 with seven home runs and 37 runs batted in last year and was penciled in to play first base this season.
AND THEN THERE WERE THREE…
Only three regulars from Ohio State’s 2007 Big Ten champion batting lineup are now in uniform for the Buckeyes. Senior Brittany Vanderink (probable No. 3 hitter), sophomore Sam Marder (probable No. 4 hitter) and senior Liz Caputo (probable No. 9 hitter) were mainstays in the 2007 OSU lineup and are back in 2008. Five seniors graduated last year and Courtney Pruner, a junior in 2008, could miss the entire season because of offseason hip surgery.
AWARD WINNERS RETURN
Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis was named the 2007 Big Ten Coach of the Year and welcomes back three Buckeyes who earned All-Big Ten honors last season. Sophomore Sam Marder and junior Courtney Pruner were first-team honorees last season, while senior Brittany Vanderink was a second-team selection. Marder earned her award at catcher and she will also see innings at first base in 2008. Pruner was the league’s pick in right field, but she is expected to play first base this season if she returns from offseason surgery (see previous note). Vanderink returns at second base and was named the Buckeyes’ 2008 captain.
In addition, Marder was named first-team all-region by the NFCA, while Vanderink was a second-team choice.
Among returning Buckeyes who received postseason team awards is Marder, who became the first freshman to earn the team’s Offensive Player of the Year award. She was also named the Rookie of the Year, while pitcher Kim Reeder earned the Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor. Pruner was named the Most Improved Player and Whitney Cooper took home the Buckeye Spirit Award.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
Ohio State said goodbye to five senior starters from its 2007 team, leaving big shoes to fill for the 2008 Buckeyes. Positions open include first base (Christina Douglas), shortstop (Nycole Koyano), pitcher/third base (Jamee Juarez), left field (Megan Schwab) and designated player (Lauren Daykin). All five of those Buckeyes earned postseason honors from the Big Ten last season.
YOUNG GUNS
The 2008 Ohio State roster includes 13 freshman and sophomores. There are three juniors and two seniors. Last year, the Buckeyes regularly had two freshmen in their starting lineup, including catcher Sam Marder and third baseman Rebecca Schultz. Marder will also see time at first base this season.
OHIO STATE AT A GLANCE
On paper, Ohio State has 11 letter-winners and six starters back from its 2007 squad that went 40-18 and 14-2 in the Big Ten, winning both the league’s regular-season and conference championships. Only four of those regulars were in the batting lineup last year, however, and one of those four, Courtney Pruner, could miss the entire 2008 season (see previous note).
The Buckeyes hosted an NCAA Regional last season and came within one win of their first trip to Super Regionals. After seeing its record dip to 14-12 March 21 last season, Ohio State went 26-6 the rest of the way and upped its home winning streak to 27 in a row, dating back to 2006 before a loss in the NCAA tournament.
In Big Ten games last season, Ohio State led the Big Ten in batting (.319) and fielding (.973) and ranked third in pitching (2.50 ERA). Overall, the Buckeyes batted .292 as a team, compared to .221 by their opponents. The pitching staff owned a 2.37 ERA, which was almost two full runs lower than the opposition (4.11).
At the plate, the Buckeyes were led by then-freshman Sam Marder (.359, 10 HR, 49 RBI, 44 BB). Four other Buckeyes hit over .300, including then-sophomore Courtney Pruner (.336, 7 HR, 37 RBI) and then-junior Brittany Vanderink (.333, 37 R, 16 SB).
In the circle, then-senior Jamee Juarez (21-9, 1.66 ERA, 240 strikeouts) and then-sophomore Kim Reeder (17-8, 2.62 ERA) combined to start 55 of Ohio State’s 58 games. Juarez set Ohio State single-season records for strikeouts and saves (5) and set five career records during the season.
A LOOK AT THE OPPOSITION
Providence went 23-24 overall last season and has 12 letter-winners and seven starters back in 2008.
Like Ohio State, Georgia was a regional runner-up last season. The Bulldogs, who are currently ranked No. 21/23, went 46-28 overall and finished fifth in the Southeastern Conference.
Illinois State was another NCAA tournament team a year ago, going 44-17-1 overall and placing second in the Missouri Valley Conference. Third baseman Kara Nelson was named to the initial ASA Player of the Year Watch List in January.
FIU finished 22-35 overall last season and placed eighth in the Sun Belt Conference. Junior outfielder Kim Rodriguez was named to the preseason All-SBC team in January. The Panthers return 11 letter-winners, including five pitchers.
SHORT HOPS…
Since being no-hit and shut out by Virginia Tech All-American Angela Tincher March 11, 2007 in Clearwater, the Buckeyes have scored at least one run in a program-record 41 consecutive games. The previous record of 28 consecutive games without being shut out was set in 2006.
In Big Ten games last season, Ohio State batted .625 (20-32) with a runner on third and less than two outs.
The 2007 Buckeyes tied the school record for walks in a season (176) and set the school record for walks per game in a season (3.03).
Ohio State went 9-2 in night games last season, including 4-0 at home, 1-0 on the road (at UAB, Kim Reeder no-hitter) and 4-2 at neutral sites. Three of the night wins at home were in the postseason, including wins over Penn State and Purdue in the Big Ten tournament and Cal State Fullerton in the NCAA Regionals. The other home night win was April 18 when Jamee Juarez perfect game against IUPUI.
Junior Courtney Pruner batted a team-best .519 (14-27) in those 11 night games last season with three home runs and 12 RBI. Sophomore Sam Marder batted .423 (11-26) with two homers and 13 RBI. In the circle, junior Kim Reeder was 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA.
The 2007 Buckeyes were the second team in program history to have five players score at least 30 runs.
How good was the top of Ohio State’s lineup last season? The Buckeyes outscored their opponents 48-24 in the first inning and 67-20 in the third inning.
Last season, Ohio State was 33-5 when scoring first and 19-5 when scoring in the first inning. Ohio State was 26-2 when leading after five innings. When the Buckeyes scored first and went on to out-hit their opponent, they were 23-1, with the only loss coming in eight innings at Cal State Fullerton March 24.
Ohio State won 13 games by one run and lost only seven by one run. Buckeye pitchers shut out the opposition 12 times, but OSU was shut out only twice.
IN THE CAREER RECORD BOOK
Brittany Vanderink ranks fifth all-time at Ohio State in stolen bases (47), tied for sixth in career batting average (.338) and tied for fifth in triples (9). Junior Courtney Pruner begins her junior season tied for sixth all-time in home runs (14). Senior Liz Caputo currently ranks 11th all-time at Ohio State in career batting average at .317.
IN THE SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOK
Sophomore Sam Marder’s 44 walks last season set a new Ohio State record, while her 49 RBI ranked third, her 10 home runs tied for third and her .647 slugging percentage ranked eighth. Junior Courtney Pruner’s 37 RBI last season ranked fifth and her 29 runs rank ninth.
THE DEFENDING BIG TEN CHAMPIONS
Ohio State went 14-2 in the Big Ten last season to win its second conference championship and first since 1990. The Buckeyes, who went 10-0 at home in league games and 4-2 on the road, had to sweep Penn State in the regular-season finale to hold off Northwestern for the title and the Buckeyes did just that, winning 4-2 and 4-0. Both games were dramatic, as the Nittany Lions scored twice in the top of the seventh inning Saturday in a comeback bid and the Buckeyes scored all four of their runs Sunday as the visiting team in the top of the seventh inning.
A 2-1 walk-off win over sixth-ranked Northwestern May 12 at Buckeye Field gave Ohio State its first Big Ten tournament title and first automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In the bottom of the seventh, senior Megan Schwab singled to center, stole second, went to third on an infield single by junior Liz Caputo and scored when senior Nycole Koyano grounded to third and Darcy Sengewald’s throw was wild, allowing Schwab to score.
The tournament championship game was televised live on CSTV, marking Ohio State’s first game on national television. With the win, Northwestern became the highest-ranked opponent ever to lose at Buckeye Field.
In a 10-2 quarterfinal win over Penn State and a 10-1 semifinal win over Purdue, the Buckeyes established and then tied a team record for runs scored in a Big Ten tournament game. The previous Big Ten tournament scoring high was nine runs in a quarterfinal win over Penn State in 2006 at Northwestern.
The Buckeyes are the third team to win the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships, joining Michigan (six double titles) and Iowa (one).
BUCKEYES IN THE BIG TEN
During the 2007 Big Ten regular season (16 games), Ohio State led the conference in batting (.319 team average) and fielding (.973 team percentage) and ranked third in pitching (2.50 staff ERA). In league games, then-sophomore Courtney Pruner ranked second in on base percentage (.529), tied for third in doubles (5), fifth in batting (.415), tied for seventh in walks (9) and 10th in slugging percentage (.683). Then-freshman Sam Marder ranked sixth in RBI (15) and then-junior Brittany Vanderink tied for third in sacrifice bunts (6).
Among the league’s pitchers in Big Ten games only, then-sophomore Kim Reeder ranked sixth in wins (5).
In all games including the postseason, Ohio State ranked third in the league in batting (.292 avg.), fifth in pitching (2.37 ERA) and ninth in fielding (.956 fielding pct.). Marder led the Big Ten in on base percentage (.520) and walks (44), ranked sixth in RBI (49), eighth in slugging percentage (.647) and tied for fifth in hit by pitch (7). Vanderink was eighth in stolen bases (16) and was fifth in sacrifice bunts (14), while Pruner ranked sixth in on base percentage (.453) and Reeder ranked ninth in opposing batting average (.219) and eighth in wins (17).
JUAREZ REWRITES RECORD BOOKS
Perhaps no Buckeye will be tougher to replace this season than Jamee Juarez, who was a senior last year and not only set nearly every Ohio State career pitching record, but ended her career ranked third in runs batted (127) in and sixth in doubles (39).
Juarez, who was a first-team All-Big Ten and all-region pick, went 12-0 with 115 strikeouts, nine walks and a 0.68 ERA in 71.2 innings pitched to end the season prior to a loss in the NCAA tournament. During those five weeks, Juarez threw eight complete games in 10 starts, pitched a perfect game and set OSU all-time pitching records for wins (76), shutouts (27), innings pitched (746.1) and strikeouts (747). In addition, her single-season total of 240 strikeouts and five saves as a senior were also school records.
ANOTHER 30, THEN 40-WIN SEASON
Last season marked the 11th time Ohio State reached the 30-win plateau since the program was founded in 1972 and the first time that the Buckeyes won at least 30 games in four consecutive seasons. Seven of the 11 all-time 30-win seasons have come under 12th-year head coach Linda Kalafatis.
A 2-1 win over No. 13 Virginia Tech May 19 in the NCAA tournament gave Ohio State its 40th win of the season, which put the 2007 Buckeyes in a group of only four teams in OSU history to win 40 or more games.
OHIO STATE AT BUCKEYE FIELD
Ohio State was dominating at home last season with a 21-2 record, which tied the best winning percentage in Buckeye Field history (.913) since the facility opened in 1988. At 16-0, Ohio State registered its first ever perfect regular season at home and the home winning streak reached a program-record 27 in a row overall dating back to mid-April 2006.
Ohio State batted .360 at home this season, compared to .184 by the opposition, and OSU pitchers compiled a 1.57 earned run average compared to 6.13 the opposing pitchers.
Three attendance records were set at Buckeye Field in May, including single-game crowd (695 vs. Penn State, May 6) and single day crowd (1,175 May 18, two games). In addition, the two games vs. Cal State Fullerton drew May 20 drew 822 fans, for a same-opponent, two-game crowd (non-doubleheader).
In 2006, Ohio State also went 21-2 at home, batted .350 as a team and owned a 1.58 staff earned run average.
Ohio State is 107-12 (.899) in nonconference games at Buckeye Field since 12th-year head coach Linda Kalafatis took over the program in 1997. The Buckeyes have won 30-consecutive regular-season nonconference home games in a streak that dates back to April 21, 2004 when Kentucky nipped Ohio State, 4-3.
Ohio State is 315-123 (.719) all-time at Buckeye Field since the facility opened in 1988. That mark includes a 124-97 (.561) record in Big Ten games and a 181-26 (.874) record in non-league games.
BUCKEYE FIELD TO GET $5.9M FACELIFT
It was announced last year that Buckeye Field, home of Ohio State softball since 1988, will get a $5.9 million renovation as soon as the 2008 season is over. The new 1,500 seat stadium will include indoor and outdoor batting cages, a three-plate bullpen, 650-square foot press box, player clubhouse, lounge and locker room, new dugouts, coaches and umpires locker room and a concession area.
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