Buckeyes Travel to FAU for Three in Boca Raton – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 18, 2015
RELATED INFO • Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook and Twitter • PDF: Weekly Release #2 • VIDEO: Coach Beals, Riga, Post & Porter Interviews
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Coming off a weekend sweep to begin the 2015 season, the Ohio State baseball team travels south to face FAU in a three-game series Friday-Sunday in Boca Raton, Fla. Ohio State (3-0) will take on the Owls at 6:30 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and Noon Sunday at FAU Baseball Stadium.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans can find links to live stats on the schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com or follow at twitter.com/OhioState_BASE. Game 3 will be streamed online for free at fausports.com. A link to the video can also be found on the Ohio State baseball schedule page.
SWEEPING THE SNOWBIRD CLASSIC Ohio State is 3-0 to begin the year for the first time since the 2010 campaign after claiming wins against George Mason, Saint Louis and Pittsburgh Feb. 13-15 at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. The Buckeyes rallied twice to pick up victories against 2014 NCAA opponent George Mason (4-3) and A-10 regular champion Saint Louis (6-5) before shutting out Pittsburgh (8-0). The Buckeye bullpen combined to throw 11.1 scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts. Ohio State was led offensively by a pair of junior infielders. Shortstop Craig Nennig was 6-for-11 with a run scored, double, two RBI and two walks, while second baseman Nick Sergakis batted .364 with three runs scored, three doubles, three RBI and two walks. Sergakis scored the gamewinning run vs. George Mason on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth Feb. 13, while Nennig connected for the go-ahead, two-run single in the bottom of the eighth vs. Saint Louis Feb. 14.
A LOOK AT THE OWLS FAU began the year just like the Buckeyes with a 3-0 mark in the opening weekend. The Owls swept Connecticut at home at FAU Baseball Stadium Feb. 13-15. The team is set to host a midweek game against Miami (Fla.) Wednesday on its home diamond. The Owls are hitting .294 as a team over the first weekend, led by junior outfielder Christian Dicks, who batted .500 with three runs scored, a triple, home run, RBI and nine total bases. Junior right-hander Kyler Miller earned the victory in a 16-5 win in game one, throwing six scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and 10 strikeouts. Miller was named Conference USA Pitcher of the Week following his 2015 debut. The all-time series is tied at 2-2 between the two schools. This contest Friday will be the first meeting between Ohio State and FAU since the 2004 campaign.
MORE NOTES ON THE OPENING WEEKEND • Junior pitchers Jake Post and John Havird both earned wins out of the bullpen. Right-hander Post picked up the victory in the 2015 opener against George Mason, allowing one hit in four scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Left-hander Havird earned his first career win in his Buckeye debut. He posted five strikeouts in 3.1 scoreless innings of work in the comeback win over Saint Louis. • Senior left-hander Ryan Riga tossed six scoreless innings with four strikeouts to earn the win over the Panthers Feb. 15. • Senior closer Trace Dempsey earned his first save of the season against the Billikens to boost his career total to 27 (three shy for an OSU all-time record). • Sophomore Troy Montgomery made a diving catch in right center field in the bottom of the ninth with the tying run on base to punch the Buckeyes’ second victory over the season. He batted .300 and scored three runs at the classic. • Sophomore left fielder Ronnie Dawson homered on his first at-bat of the 2015 season in the win over George Mason. • Junior shortstop Craig Nennig finished off the weekend with five-consecutive hits. Nennig collected a career-high 4-for-4 performance with a double and run scored vs. Pitt. • Senior left fielder Pat Porter picked up his 12th career triple vs. the Patriots. He is two triples shy of tying the OSU career-triples record. • Freshmen Jordan McDonough and Tre’ Gantt each notched their first career hits and RBI as Buckeyes in the win over Pittsburgh.
BUCKEYES MAKE FIRST CAREER APPEARANCES Five different members made their Buckeye debuts at the Snowbird Classic, including junior transfer pitcher John Havird, sophomore transfer infielder L Grant Davis, redshirt freshman pitcher Kyle Michalik and freshmen Tre’ Gantt and Jordan McDonough. Havird earned the win in game two vs. Saint Louis, while McDonough picked up his first career hit and RBI on a double in his first start. Gantt, who also garnered his first career hit and RBI, made an incredible, over-the-shoulder diving catch as substitute in center field. In all, 25 different Buckeyes saw action in the opening weekend of 2015.
DEMPSEY CLOSING IN ON SAVES RECORD With his save in the 6-5 win over Saint Louis, senior pitcher Trace Dempsey is now just three saves of becoming the OSU all-time career saves leader. The native of Huntington, W. Va., Dempsey needs two to tie former Buckeye Jake Hale (2006-09), who collected 29 career saves. He has also made 77 career appearances, which is tied for 10th all-time with former Buckeye Brett McKinney (2010-2013).
PORTER TWO SHY OF OSU CAREER TRIPLES RECORD With a triple in the win over George Mason, senior right fielder Pat Porter climbed to a tie for fourth on the OSU all-time career triples list with former Buckeyes Zach Hurley (2007-10) and Jason Driscoll (1997-00) with 12. He needs one triple to tie the OSU career record (13) held by a trio of former players, including Jacob Howell (2004-07), Steve Caravati (2001-05) and Drew Anderson (2002-04).
ON THE ROAD Ohio State plays its first 12 games on the road in 2015, opening the season against 2014 NCAA Tournament participant George Mason Feb. 13 in Port Charlotte, Fla., before facing A-10 defending regular season champion St. Louis Feb. 14 and conclude the Snowbird Classic vs. Pittsburgh Feb. 15. The Snowbird Classic marks the lone tournament on the OSU schedule to begin the year – a change from previous seasons. The Buckeyes will then begin three-game road series at Florida Atlantic Feb. 20-22 in Boca Raton, Fla., followed by a three-game set at UAB Feb. 27-March 1 in Birmingham, Ala. Ohio State will conclude the 12-game stretch at Western Kentucky March 6-8 in Green, Ky.
TULLY, DAWSON AND LAKINS NAMED TO B1G WATCH LIST Ohio State sophomores Tanner Tully, Ronnie Dawson and Travis Lakins were named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch List, the conference announced Feb. 11. In addition, the Buckeyes were selected sixth in the Big Ten preseason coaches’ poll. Maryland enters its first season in the Big Ten as the conference favorite followed by Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
BUCKEYE CATCHERS NAMED 2015 CAPTAINS Aaron Gretz and Connor Sabanosh were both named captains of the 2015 Ohio State Baseball team, head coach Greg Beals announced last fall. The co-captains will share the catching duties and the designated hitter role. “I am excited about the leadership on this baseball team,” Beals said. “The announcement of the 2015 captains Aaron Gretz and Connor Sabanosh comes on the heels of spending six weeks last fall on the field together where it became evident that Aaron and Connor had the pulse of this team.” Gretz, from Apple Valley, Minn., has appeared in 122 games, starting in 105 contests the past three seasons for the Scarlet and Gray. The OSU catcher has a .263 career batting average to go along with 43 runs scored, 17 doubles, one triple, 44 RBI and 60 walks. Sabanosh, from Cave Creek, Ariz., is in his second campaign as a catcher for the Scarlet and Gray. He had a successful first year in 2014, batting .291 with 12 runs scored, two doubles, one triple and nine RBI with 12 walks.
THE NEWCOMERS Ohio State welcomes eight new faces in the spring and all but two are freshmen. Left-handed pitcher John Havird, a junior from Mesa, Ariz., transferred from Mesa Community College. He joins freshmen pitchers Jacob Niggemeyer (Powell, Ohio; Olentangy Liberty) and Seth Kinker (Huntington, W. Va.; Cabell-Midland). Sophomore infielder L Grant Davis joins the Scarlet and Gray from Arizona State (Newport Beach, Calif.) as well as freshman infielder Nate Romans (Canton, Ohio; Walsh Jesuit). The group has one freshman catcher – Jordan McDonough (Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Xavier). Rounding out the incoming group is a pair of freshmen outfielders – Tre’ Gantt (Fishers, Ind.; Hamilton Southeastern) and Ridge Winand (Mansfield, Ohio; Clearfork).
COACH BEALS Fifth-year head coach Greg Beals is the 11th head coach in Ohio State history and only the fourth in the last 60 years. He has a 370-307 career record and is in his 13th season as a collegiate head coach.
19TH SEASON AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM Ohio State is 296-152 all-time at Bill Davis Stadium for a fine .661 winning percentage. Ohio State is 162-93 vs. the Big Ten Conference at home.
UP NEXT Ohio State travels next to Birmingham, Ala., for a three-game series at UAB. Game times are 5 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 1 p.m. ET Feb. 28 and 1:30 p.m. ET March 1 at Regions Field.
