Doubleheader Set vs. Wright State Wednesday – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/27/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 27, 2012
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team continues its home schedule at 5 p.m. Wednesday against Wright State in a doubleheader at Buckeye Field.
The Buckeyes (16-11, 2-1 Big Ten) went 2-1 in their Big Ten opening series over the weekend against Indiana. In the doubleheader Saturday, Ohio State won the first game, 4-3, in eight innings before falling, 4-1, in game two. The Scarlet and Gray concluded the weekend with a 7-3 victory in game three Sunday. Senior pitcher Mikayla Endicott went 2-0 over the weekend with a 2.80 ERA in 15.0 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts, while freshman Taylor Watkins batted .500 with three RBI and two runs scored and sophomore Evelyn Carrillo batted .455 with a double and three RBI.
PROMOTIONS
Wednesday, March 28 – Bleacher bonus concessions voucher giveaway
GAMETRACKER
Gametracker will be available for each game Wednesday. A link can be found on the softball schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
BROADCAST ALERT
Fans who will not be able to watch Ohio State and Wright State at Buckeye Field can catch all the action on BTN.com as part of the Big Ten Digital Network. (Note, there is a fee to view games airing on BTN.com. Fans who have already subscribed to Buckeye Vision can use the same log in information for the Big Ten Digital Network as both are part of CBSSports.com College Network.)
FOLLOW THE BUCKEYES
To stay up to date on Buckeye softball, follow the team on its official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OhioStateSoftball. Fans can also follow the squad on Twitter here: @OhioState_SB.
QUICK HITS
? Ohio State went 2-1 over the weekend in its first Big Ten series against Indiana at Buckeye Field.
? With two RBI against Indiana in game one, senior captain Alicia Herron passed former Buckeye Courtney Pruner (2006-10) for third on the OSU career RBI list with 159 RBI. She also passed former Buckeye Jennifer Link (2000-03) for third on the OSU career runs scored list with 145.
? Herron is second on the OSU all-time career home run list with 44 home runs.
? Herron is sixth in the nation in slugging percentage (.943), 13th in RBI per game (1.24), sixth in triples (4), 15th in on-base percentage (.553) and 35th in runs per game (1.0).
? In the Big Ten, Herron is first in home runs (9), RBI (31), triples (4) and total bases (66) and tied for third in walks (20) and eighth in batting average (.400).
? Senior pitcher Mikayla Endicott is fourth overall in the Big Ten in ERA with a 1.98 and third in strikeouts (111) in 21 appearances.
? As a team, Ohio State is in the Top 5 in several conference batting statistics, including tied for second in triples (5), fourth in batting average (.297), on-base percentage (.382) and slugging percentage (.427), fifth in stolen bases (30) and runs scored (138) and RBI (121).
? Three Buckeyes are on hitting streaks heading into the weekend. Freshman Taylor Watkins leads the team with an eight-game hit streak, sophomore Evelyn Carrillo has a four-game hit streak and junior Danielle LeBeau has a three-game hit streak.
? Herron has reached base safely in a career-high 22-consecutive games. Watkins has reach based safely in eight-consecutive games.
? Ohio State claimed its 1,000th win in program history after claiming a 5-0 shutout vs. Georgetown in game one and a 12-3 victory in five innings vs. Longwood in game two March 2 at the 2012 Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla.
? Ohio State returns 13 letterwinners and five starters from its 2011 squad.
? Nine newcomers join the Buckeye roster for this season, seven of them freshmen.
? The Buckeyes have made four NCAA appearances in the last six years, including their first run in program history to the NCAA Super Regional in 2009. Ohio State also made the tournament in 2006, 2007 and 2010.
SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
Wright State travels to Columbus with a 10-15 record a 1-2 mark in Horizon League play. The Raiders went 1-2 in their first conference series of the season at home against Loyola. Wright State is batting .245 as a team, led by Colleen Schneider with a .296 batting average and Kacie Rapshus at .286. Krystian DeWitt is 7-14 with a 3.14 ERA in the circle for Wright State. The team is set to play a single game at Miami Tuesday. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series between the two schools, 25-1. Last time out, Ohio State won both games in a doubleheader, 8-0, during the 2007 campaign.
HERRON CHASING MULTIPLE RECORDS
In her final season as a Buckeye, Alicia Herron is chasing multiple OSU career batting records. Most recently, the Buckeye shortstop passed former Buckeye Courtney Pruner (2006-10) for third on the OSU career RBI list with 159 RBI.
Here is where the OSU captain sits in other career batting categories:
? Second in home runs (44)
? Tied for fourth with 11 triples
? Fifth in batting average (.369)
? Fifth in walks (81)
? Tied for seventh in double (36)
? 10th overall in hits (203)
CLAIMING THE WIN
The Buckeyes are 11-0 when leading after the sixth inning in 2012. The Buckeyes posted a four-run sixth inning to take a 7-3 lead last time out against, Indiana highlighted by a solo home run by freshman Caitlin Conrad.
WATKINS, LEBEAU AT THE PLATE
Freshman Taylor Watkins and junior Danielle LeBeau are having great starts in their first season with the Buckeyes, both batting .365.
Watkins, a native of Bonney Lake, Wash., is first on the team in hits with 31 and third in runs scored with 17. The Buckeye lead-off hitter is currently on a team-high eight-game hit streak, hitting .483 with seven runs scored, four RBI, a .517 slugging percentage and a .545 on-base percentage.
LeBeau, a junior from Poway, Calif., is second on the team in RBI (16), slugging percentage (.476) and on-base percentage (.444). LeBeau, who has 17 starts as the designated player, collected a nine-game hit streak from March 2-March 20.
BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior shortstop Alicia Herron was named Big Ten Player of the Week March 19 after help leading the team to a 3-0 mark at the TSU Classic Tournament March 16-18 in Nashville, Tenn. The Cypress, Calif., native batted .500, drove in eight runs, scored five more and stole two bases in the three games. She finished the week with an OPS of 1.917 after hitting two home runs and two singles, while also drawing two walks. This is the third accolade for Herron in her career and the first for Ohio State this season.
THREE BUCKEYES NAMED TO THE TSU CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Seniors Alicia Herron and Vanessa Spears and freshman Taylor Watkins were named to the 2012 TSU Classic All-Tournament Team after leading the team to a 3-0 record at TSU Classic Tournament March 16-18 in Nashville, Tenn.
Herron, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, posted two home runs, eight RBI, five runs scored and two stolen bases in the three games in Nashville.
Spears, a native of Brea, Calif., batted .455 at the plate with five hits, a team-high six runs scored, one home run and three RBI.
Watkins, a native of Bonney Lake, Wash., led the team in hitting with a .583 average, collecting seven hits with a double and five runs scored.
HERRON DRAFTED BY AKRON
Senior captain Alicia Herron had a day to remember March 8 after being drafted in the fourth round (14th overall) of the 2012 National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) College Draft by the Akron Racers. Akron Racers President/GM Joey Arrietta added another Buckeye to the Racers roster as she selected Herron at the shortstop position.
CATHEDRAL CITY CLASSIC
Ohio State was 3-1 in action at the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs. Mikayla Endicott pitched the Buckeyes to shutout wins over Fresno State (3-0) and Cal State Fullerton (9-0) and the senior also got the win against Colorado State in a time-shortened 9-8 Buckeye victory. At the plate, Danielle LeBeau hit .400 with five RBI and Melissa Rennie hit .500 with a three-run home run.
IN LAS VEGAS
The Buckeyes posted a 4-1 record in the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic, with wins over Idaho State, Long Beach State, San Jose State and host UNLV. Outfielders Taylor Watkins and Vanessa Spears led the Buckeyes at the plate. Watkins hit .500 in three games, with a double and three RBI. Spears, who hit .438 in five games, tallied seven hits and two RBI. Shortstop Alicia Herron accounted for 18 total bases, hitting three home runs and a double among her seven hits. Mikayla Endicott posted a 3-1 record in the circle over the weekend with a 1.99 ERA.
AT THE DOT
Ohio State was 2-3 in the Dot Richardson tournament held at the National Training Center. Vanessa Spears hit .538 for the weekend, with seven hits and two RBI. Alicia Herron accounted for six hits, a home run, two triples and five RBI. Melanie Nichols was 2-1 in the circle in 15 innings pitched.
ON THE ROAD
Ohio State opens the 2012 campaign with five early-season tournaments on the road, playing 24 road games before hosting a Big Ten series vs. Indiana March 24-25 in Columbus. The Buckeyes were 2-3 in opening-weekend action at the Dot Richardson NTC tournament in Clermont, Fla.; 4-1 in action at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas; 3-1 in the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, 2-3 at the 2012 Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla., and 3-0 at the TSU Classic in Nashville, Tenn.
AT THE HELM
Head coach Linda Kalafatis, in her 16th season at the helm of the Buckeyes, is one of the most successful coaches in the Big Ten and the NCAA. She is one of four conference coaches with more than 700 career wins, placing her among the Top 30 active coaches in the country. The 2007 Big Ten Coach of the Year, Kalafatis is third among current Big Ten coaches in number of victories – with five fewer years coaching experience than her nearest colleague. Assisting Kalafatis in coaching the Buckeyes are associate head coach Ali Viola (seventh season), assistant coach Danielle Henderson (second season) and volunteer coach Dana Degan (first season).
UP NEXT
Ohio State travels for its first Big Ten road series at Michigan State March 31-April 1 in East Lansing, Mich.
