Softball: No. 22 Ohio State Opens 2008 Season at Stetson Lead-Off Classic in DeLand, Fla. – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/5/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Defending Big Ten champion Buckeyes making second trip to Stetson with six starters from 2007 team that finished 40-18
Ohio State at the Stetson Lead-Off Classic
Feb. 8-10, 2008
Patricia Wilson Field, DeLand, Fla.
OHIO STATE TRAVEL PLANS
The Buckeyes will fly to Orlando Thursday, taking off from Columbus at 11:20 a.m. and landing at 1:30 p.m. before bussing north about 50 miles to DeLand. The team will stay at the Holiday Inn in DeLand and return Sunday, departing Orlando at 7:40 p.m. and landing at 9:55 p.m.
IF YOU GO
All games of the Stetson Lead-Off Classic will be played at Patricia Wilson Field (clay infield, Bermuda grass outfield), located on East Arizona Avenue near the corner of North Garfield Avenue. Bleacher seating is available and concessions will be sold at the field.
IF YOU’RE SCORING AT HOME
Webcast: www.GoHatters.com
Audio for Stetson Games: www.GoHatters.com
Live Stats: www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com
For More Information: Game notes, recaps, box scores, etc., available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Ohio State vs.
Detroit: First Meeting
Marist: First Meeting
Stetson: Tied 1-1, both meetings at Stetson in 2006
FIVE WARM-UP PITCHES
1. Ohio State has six starters back from its 2007 team that won the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships.
2. The Buckeyes have won their last three season openers.
3. Ohio State is playing two tournaments in Florida this season for the first time in program history.
4. Ohio State went 1-3 at the Stetson Tournament in 2006.
5. In June, a $5.1 million renovation project will begin at Buckeye Field, which opened in 1988.
SETTING THE SCENE
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The defending Big Ten champion Ohio State softball team travels to DeLand, Fla., this weekend for its 2008 season opener at the Stetson Lead-Off Classic. The Buckeyes, who are ranked as high as No. 22 in the preseason national polls, have six starters back from their 2007 team that went 40-18 and won both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.
Ohio State, Detroit, Marist and host Stetson will all play two games Friday and Saturday then enter a seeded bracket Sunday. Friday, the Buckeyes face Detroit at 11 a.m. and Marist at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Ohio State takes on Marist at 1:30 p.m. before meeting Stetson at 6:30 p.m.
ABOUT THE STETSON LEAD-OFF CLASSIC
Stetson, located about 45 miles north of Orlando, hosts six tournaments this season, beginning with its Lead-Off Classic this weekend. All games will be played at Patricia Wilson Field, which is in its sixth season and has seen the Hatters fashion a 155-41 record there during that time for a .791 winning percentage. Ohio State, Stetson, Detroit and Marist all will play four games, then play a consolation and championship game Sunday, with No. 1 playing No. 2 and No. 3 playing No. 4. Stetson will play in the noon game regardless.
Friday (home team listed second for all games)
11 a.m. – Ohio State vs. Detroit
1:30 p.m. – Marist vs. Ohio State
4 p.m. – Detroit vs. Stetson
6:30 p.m. – Stetson vs. Marist
Saturday
11 a.m. – Detroit vs. Marist
1:30 p.m. – Marist vs. Ohio State
4 p.m. – Stetson vs. Detroit
6:30 p.m. – Ohio State vs. Stetson
Sunday
10 a.m. – Championship or consolation
12 p.m. – Stetson in champ./consolation
FOLLOW THE BUCKEYES ONLINE
Stetson’s web site, www.GoHatters.com, will have live audio of all Stetson games, including the two scheduled against Ohio State and possibly a third if the two teams meet Sunday. In addition, that web site will have a live webcast of all tournament games. Check out www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com for live stats, tournament previews, recaps, box scores, photo galleries and much more. In addition, check out a two-part in-depth look at Ohio State’s 2008 schedule and several features from last summer and fall.
ROAD TRIPPIN’
The Buckeyes are playing in the first of five-consecutive early-season tournaments that will take them to DeLand, Fla., Miami, Palm Springs, Calif., Las Vegas and Sacramento. 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 next two weeks mark the first time Ohio State is playing in Florida twice in the same season.
BUCKEYES IN DELAND FOR SECOND TIME
The Buckeyes are making their second trip to Stetson after playing there in their second tournament of the 2006 season. Ohio State went 1-3 in that tournament, falling to Central Florida twice and splitting with Stetson. Four current Buckeyes played in that 2006 tournament, with their statistics below.
Name 2006 Statistics at Stetson
Liz Caputo .333 (4-12), 1 R, 1 BB
Courtney Pruner .375 (3-8), 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
Brittany Vanderink .231 (3-13, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB
Kim Reeder 1-1, 0.93 ERA (2 ER, 15 IP), 9 K
OHIO STATE IN SEASON OPENERS
Ohio State has won its last three season-openers and six of its last eight. In their last eight season-opening tournaments, the Buckeyes are 25-15. Last year at the Arizona State Kajikawa Classic, Ohio State went 2-3 with wins over New Mexico and Cal State Northridge and losses to No. 1 Arizona, Texas Tech and No. 5 Arizona State. In 2006, the Buckeyes won their first four games for the first time in program history, those coming at the Hilton Las Cruces Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M.
A TOP PROGRAM ADDS MORE
Since 2000, the Buckeyes have won 301 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 last two years ranks third all-time in the program among back-to-back year win totals.
BUCKEYES RANKED AGAIN
Ohio State is ranked No. 22 in the preseason USA Today/NFCA national coaches poll, while checking in at No. 23 in the preseason ESPN.com/USA Softball poll.
The Buckeyes ended last season in the same positions in the two national polls. Ohio State enters the 2008 season 46-26 all-time when ranked.
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).
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 2008 OPENER
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.
AWARD WINNERS RETURN
Ohio State head coach Linda Kalafatis was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year last season and welcomes back three Buckeyes who earned All-Big Ten honors. 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.
HEAD COACH LINDA KALAFATIS
Head coach Linda Kalafatis is beginning 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 (374-250, .599) and is one of three Big Ten coaches with more than 600 career wins (647-365-2, .639).
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).
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
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. The Buckeyes hosted an NCAA Regional 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.
BUCKEYES-OPPONENTS CONNECTIONS
Ohio State sophomore first baseman Tory Haddad is from Valparaiso, Fla., which is a six hour drive from DeLand. Haddad was teammates with three players who are now on the Stetson roster, including junior infielder Amanda Bailey, who was both a high school and travel ball teammate. Stetson sophomore catcher Blythe Golden and senior outfielder Amy Peters were also travel ball teammates with Haddad.
A LOOK AT THE OPPOSITION
Defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion Stetson made its first NCAA tournament appearance last season and went 44-22 overall. Junior pitcher Erica Demers ranks fourth in school history with 23 shutouts.
Marist went 20-30 overall last season and placed this in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 9-7 league record. Senior captain Pamela de la Llave was a second-team All-MAAC selection.
Detroit features Horizon League Player of the Year Kaleigh Rafter, who will represent Canada in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Titans were 12-31 overall last year.
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 36 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 heads into her senior season ranked fifth all-time at Ohio State in stolen bases (46), 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.
### OhioStateBuckeyes.com ###
