Buckeyes’ Fall Schedules Opens Sunday – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sept. 25, 2015
RELATED INFO: 2015-16 Roster | 2015 Fall Schedule | Charity Classic Schedule | Follow the Charity Classic on Twitter | Register for Charity Classic Clinic | Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Softball fans will have their first chance to see the 2015-16 Buckeyes in action on Sunday as they open up their fall schedule with a short trip to Dayton, Ohio to face Wittenberg (10 a.m.) and Wright State (12:15 p.m.).
BUCKEYES IN A NUTSHELL
- Ohio State returns two All-Big Ten selections – Erika Leonard and Maddy McIntyre – along with starters Anna Kirk, Cammi Prantl, Alex Bayne and pitchers Lena Springer and Shelby Hursh from a 2014 squad that was 30-22 overall and 11-10 in the Big Ten.
- Leonard and McIntyre spearheaded an offense that rewrote the record books in 2014, setting schools marks for batting average (.348), runs scored (380), home runs (75) and extra base hits (164). Leonard also set a Big Ten record, recording 34 RBI and 23 games. Over the final 24 games of the season, she batted .512 with 53 RBI, 15 home runs, 43 hits and a 1.083 slugging percentage.
- McIntyre, a second team All-Big Ten selection at shortstop, set career highs in every offensive category, hitting .378 with 14 home runs (second highest on the team), 50 RBI, 11 doubles, a team-high 55 runs scored and a .540 on base percentage.
- For the first time in school history, four different players his 10+ home runs last year. Three of them return this season – McIntyre (14), Leonard (15) and Anna Kirk (10).
- In the circle, Lena Springer and Shelby Hursh are the Buckeyes returning pitchers and are joined by three newcomers – freshmen Morgan Ray and Katya Duvall and sophomore transfer Shelby McCombs.
FOLLOWING ALONG
Live stats for both games on Sunday will be available at the following links:
- vs. Wittenberg: http://go.osu.edu/SB_LiveStats1
- vs. Wright State: http://go.osu.edu/SB_LiveStats2
CHARITY CLASSIC – OCT. 3-4
Following this weekend’s games in Dayton, Ohio State will host the annual Ohio Collegiate Charity Classic Oct. 3-4. The schedule is highlighted by a Scarlet vs. Gray intrasquad game on Oct. 2 and a matchup with Miami on Saturday. On Sunday, the team will split into two teams – Team Scarlet and Team Gray. The Buckeyes’ slate of games is as follows:
Friday, Oct. 2: Scarlet vs. Gray Game (Buckeye Field, 6 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 3: Ohio State vs. Miami (Field 1, Fred Beekman Park, 12:45 p.m.)
Sunday, Oct. 4: Team Scarlet vs. Northern Kentucky (Buckeye Field, 9:30 a.m.); Team Gray vs. Toledo (Buckeye Field, 11:45 a.m.).
For a full schedule of Charity Classic games, click here
The event, which the Buckeyes have hosted since the 2001 campaign, has become one of the largest fundraisers for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in central Ohio. This year, there will be a free clinic for children on Field 7 at Fred Beekman Park from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Fans can follow @OSUClassic_SB or @OhioState_SB on Twitter for updates on the Charity Classic.
FALL SCHEDULE
In addition to games this weekend and next weekend’s Charity Classic, the Buckeyes will also host Kent State and Kentucky on Sunday, Oct. 11 to close out the fall schedule. Ohio State meets Kentucky at 11 a.m. and Kent State at 3:30 p.m.
WHAT’S RETURNING
This season, Ohio State welcomes back:
- 70.8% of its total RBI production last year
- 73.3% of its total home run production
- 63.1% of its total runs scored
- 53.1% of its total stolen bases
- 48.6% of its innings pitched
NOTING ERIKA LEONARD’S 2015 SEASON
Erika Leonard (.414, 60 RBI, 15 HR, .782 slugging percentage) had a historically good year last season in Big Ten play, driving in a conference-record 37 runs over 23 games (average of 1.61 per game). She also hit .420 with 11 home runs and a .913 slugging percentage. Among all players, she finished first in RBI and home runs, 12th in batting average, third in slugging percentage and 13th in hits.
Her ascent to becoming one of the best hitters in the conference began in late March. In the final 24 games, she batted .512 with 53 RBI, 15 home runs, 43 hits and a 1.083 slugging percentage. It began with a 5-for-8 performance with three home runs and eight RBI in a doubleheader sweep of Maryland. She hit the game-tying home run in the seventh inning of the second game and added another in the eighth inning, leading to a 9-5 victory.
In a 24-1 win over Indiana in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament, Leonard went 4-for-4 with a school-record 10 RBI, including two grand slams. In the Ohio State record book, she ranks:
- Second in single-season RBI (60)
- Fifth in single-season batting average (.414)
- Fourth in single-season home runs (15)
NEW FACES IN THE CIRCLE
While Shelby Hursh and Lena Springer are the veterans of this year’s pitching staff, a group of newcomers is primed to make an impact.
Morgan Ray, who three times was the Gatorade Montana Player of the Year, won three state titles in high school and then added a national championship to her resume over the summer as she was the winning pitcher at the TC/USA Nationals.
Katya Duvall was her league’s Pitcher of the Year at Los Alamitos High School last season, finishing with a sub 1.50 ERA. She played her summer ball for the nationally-renowned SoCal Athletics.
Shelby McCombs, a Ohio native and graduate of Licking Valley, spent the 2015 season at Louisville where she went 10-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 105.0 innings.
DOUBLE VISION
Senior Cammi Prantl, a catcher/outfielder, is closing in on Ohio State’s career record for doubles. She is 14 shy of Krinon Clark’s all-time total of 58 and has 16 doubles in each of the past two seasons. Prantl, a career .338 hitter, has started all 163 games in her Buckeye career.
THE GREAT STATE OF OHIO
Of the 22 players on this year’s roster, seven are from the greater Columbus area – Emily Clark (Prospect, Ohio/North Union), Cammi Prantl (Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley), Bailee Sturgeon (Ashville, Ohio/Teays Valley), Shelby McCombs (Newark, Ohio/Licking Valley), Anna Kirk (Groveport, Ohio/Bishop Hartley), Becca Gavin (Gahanna, Ohio/Gahanna Lincoln) and Maddie Marotti (Dublin, Ohio/Bishop Watterson).
The Buckeyes also have three other native Ohioans, seven players from California, two from Indiana and one each from Texas, Montana and Connecticut.
