Softball: No. 18 Ohio State Heads to Prestigious Palm Springs Classic – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Ohio State at the Palm Springs Classic
Feb. 22-24, 2008
Big League Dreams Sports Complex
Cathedral City, Calif.
OHIO STATE TRAVEL PLANS
The Buckeyes will fly from Columbus at 5:40 p.m. ET Thursday to Ontario, Calif., landing at 9:15 p.m. PT with a connection i Las Vegas. The team will return Sunday, leaving Ontario at 2:15 pm. PT and landing at 11:45 p.m. ET. The team will stay at the Doral Desert Princess Resort in Cathedral City.
IF YOU GO
All games of the Palm Springs Classic will be played at Big League Dreams Sports Complex, which contains six Major League Baseball replica stadiums and is located at 33700 Date Palm Drive in Cathedral City, Calif. For more information log on to www.BigLeagueDreams.com.
IF YOU’RE SCORING AT HOME
Live Stats: OhioStateBuckeyes.com
For More Information: Game notes, recaps, box scores, etc., available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Ohio State vs.
Fresno State: FSU leads 5-3
Cal St. Fullerton: CSF leads 17-5
Stanford: First Meeting
Oregon State: Oregon State leads 6-0
Fordham: OSU leads 1-0
FIVE WARM-UP PITCHES
1. The Buckeyes went 3-2 at the Palm Springs Classic last season after going 1-4 in 2005 and 2006.
2. Ohio State is 8-2 overall and ranked No. 18 in the USA Softball ESPN.com poll and No. 21 in the NFCA USA Today poll.
3. 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.
4. Ohio State played two tournaments in Florida this season for the first time in program history.
5. In June, a $5.9 million renovation project will begin at Buckeye Field, which opened in 1988.
SETTING THE SCENE
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Heading to one of the country’s most prestigious NCAA softball tournaments for the fourth-consecutive season, the 18th-ranked Ohio State softball team returns to Cathedral City, Calif., this weekend for the Palm Springs Classic.
Oregon State annually hosts the event at the six-field Big League Dreams Sports Complex. The schedule is predetermined and there is no championship bracket.
The Buckeyes, who are 8-2 overall, are coming off three wins and two losses last weekend at the FIU Schutt Sports Invitational in Miami.
All but five teams in the 23-team field this weekend in Palm Springs are ranked or receiving votes in the national polls, including seven that are ranked in the Top 12. In addition, the United States national team will play four exhibition games at the complex.
Friday, Ohio State will take on Fresno State at 10:30 a.m. PT and No. 13 Cal State Fullerton at 3 p.m. PT. Then Saturday, the Buckeyes will face No. 13 Stanford at 12:30 p.m. PT and Oregon State at 3 p.m. PT before concluding their weekend schedule with a 9 a.m. game Sunday against Fordham.
FOLLOW THE BUCKEYES ONLINE
Live statistics of Ohio State’s five games this weekend will be available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. In addition, check out OhioStateBuckeyes.com for tournament previews, recaps, box scores, photo galleries and much more.
BUCKEYES RANKED No. 18/21
This week in the national polls, Ohio State is ranked No. 18 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and No. 21 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
The Buckeyes were ranked No. 22 and No. 23 in the two preseason national polls and No. 18/19 last week. Ohio State ended last season ranked in the same positions as in the two preseason national polls this season.
Ohio State is 55-28 all-time when ranked.
THE LONG ROAD HOME
Ohio State only practiced Wednesday this week thanks to a long and grueling trip home from Miami last weekend. The team spent Sunday night in the Atlanta airport when storms there caused the flight from Ft. Lauderdale to be delayed, which caused the Buckeyes to miss their connecting flight to Columbus. When no flights were available from Atlanta to Columbus Monday, the team flew first to New York (LaGuardia) and then to Cincinnati, with weather causing delays to both of those flights. The team then bussed back to Columbus, arriving back on campus at 9:27 p.m.
LEADERS LAST WEEKEND IN MIAMI
Ohio State is coming off a 3-2 record last weekend at the Schutt Sports Invitational hosted by Florida International in Miami.
Sam Marder – .714 (10-14), 3 HR, 11 RBI
Brittany Vanderink – .667 (12-18), 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI
Karisa Medrano – .556 (5-9), 2 RBI
Whitney Cooper – .438 (7-16), 3 RBI
Leah Ledford – .364 (4-11)
Kim Reeder – 1-1, 1.40 ERA, 8 K, 10 IP
Lindsay Bodeker – 1-1, 1.66 ERA, 13 K, 12.2 IP
Megan Miller – 1-0, 1.91 ERA, 5 K, 7.1 IP
ROAD TRIPPIN’
The Buckeyes are playing in their third of five-consecutive early-season tournaments that will take them to DeLand, Fla. (went 5-0, Feb. 8-10), Miami (went 3-2 last 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 marked the first time Ohio State is playing in Florida twice in the same season.
A TOP PROGRAM ADDS MORE
Since 2000, the Buckeyes have won 309 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.
FACING THE BEST IN PALM SPRINGS
Ohio State annually faces some of the nation’s top teams in Palm Springs and 2008 is no exception.
Fresno State (5-1) has produced 12 Olympians, made 12 trips to the NCAA Women’s College World Series and owns 26 total NCAA tournament appearances.
No. 23/24 Cal State Fullerton (4-3-1) owns eight Big West Conference championships and has made 23 NCAA tournament appearances, advancing to the WCWS six times.
No. 10/13 Stanford (10-0) has made 11 NCAA tournament appearances since the program was founded in 1994 and twice has advanced to the WCWS.
Oregon State (5-6) has made nine NCAA tournament appearances, including last season.
BUCKEYES, TITANS TO MEET AGAIN
When Ohio State and Cal State Fullerton meet Friday afternoon at the Palm Springs Classic it will mark a rematch of the 2007 NCAA Regional finals in Columbus. The Buckeyes needed one win to advance to their first Super Regional, but Fullerton won twice, 6-5 and 10-3, on Ohio State’s home field to advance to Tucson, Ariz., against eventual national champion Arizona.
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, sophomore Sam Marder and senior Liz Caputo 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.
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
Defending Big Ten champion Ohio State got off to a 6-0 start, which is most likely the best start in program history (four seasons are missing from the 1970s). The Buckeyes are batting .333 overall with 21 extra-base hits compared to five for their opponents. Ohio State pitchers own a 1.15 staff earned run average and have thrown seven complete games in 10 outings.
Leading the Buckeyes at the plate is a pair of 2007 first-team All-Big Ten selections, including sophomore Sam Marder (.593, 4 HR, 19 RBI) and senior Brittany Vanderink (.543, 13 R, 5-5 SB). In the circle are junior Kim Reeder (3-1, 0.81 ERA), sophomores Lindsay Bodeker (3-1, 1.31 ERA) and Megan Miller (2-0, 1.47 ERA).
On paper, Ohio State has 11 letterwinners 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 them, Courtney Pruner, could miss the entire 2008 season due to injury.
The Buckeyes hosted an NCAA Regional last season and came within one win of their first trip to Super Regionals before falling twice to Cal State Fullerton.
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).
OSU, OPPONENTS CONNECTIONS…
Ohio State senior Brittany Vanderink played on a travel team two summers ago with Cal State Fullerton senior Whitney Kroh. OSU sophomores Sam Marder and Megan Miller played travel ball for three years with Fullerton sophomore Sheila Holguin.
OSU senior Liz Caputo played travel ball with CSF senior Katie Gollhardt, Stanford senior Anna Beardman and Oregon State junior Paige Lowe.
OSU junior Kim Reeder played travel ball with Stanford senior pitcher Becky McCullough and Oregon State junior Stefanie Ewing. OSU freshman Brittany Goodchild played travel ball with Fresno State freshman Caitlin Stiglich and OSU freshman Nic Perales was a teammates of Stanford freshman pitcher Ashley Chinn.
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 (382-252, .603) and is one of three Big Ten coaches with more than 650 career wins (655-367-2, .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.
SHORT HOPS…
The Buckeyes are 7-1 this season when they score first and 7-0 when leading after four innings.
Senior Brittany Vanderink has hit safely in all 10 games this season and owns multiple hits in six of those games. She is 4-for-4 this season with the bases loaded and leads the team with a .722 average with runners on base, a .667 average with runners in scoring position and a .800 success rate advancing runners.
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 46 consecutive games. The previous record of 28 consecutive games without being shut out was set in 2006.
Ohio State is batting .333 overall as a team, but the Buckeyes up that to .363 when runners are on base. Ohio State has driven in 29 of its 57 runs with two outs.
In the Buckeyes’ 16-4 win at Florida International Feb. 16, they broke the school record for runs on an opponent’s home field. The previous record was 14 runs at Wright State in a 14-2 win April 19, 2005. The 16-run outburst is six runs more than ever scored on a “southern” school, topping the 10 runs scored in an 11-10 loss at Loyola Marymount March 24, 2005.
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).
THE BUCKEYES AT NIGHT
Ohio State is 2-0 at night this season and 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.
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).
PRUNER TO MISS 2008
Ohio State junior Courtney Pruner, a first-team All-Big Ten selection last season, will miss all of the 2008 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.
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.
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.
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).
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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Contact: Tim Stried, stried.3@osu.edu
