Ohio State Opens 20th Season at Bill Davis Stadium vs. Hofstra – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2016
RELATED INFO
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PDF: Weekly Release #4 | Season Stats | Big Ten Standings | Buy Tickets | Promotional Calendar
New Padding at Bill Davis Stadium
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After spending the first four weeks of the season on the road, the Ohio State baseball team is ready to open its 20th season at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes (8-6-1, 0-0 B1G) host Hofstra in a three-game series Friday-Sunday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. Last time out, the Scarlet and Gray split a four-game series at UNLV during their spring break trip in Las Vegas, Nev., while Hofstra (5-11, 0-0 CAA) travels to Columbus after splitting a pair of midweek games.
| Friday, March 18 | Time | Site | Follow Along |
| Game 1 | 5:05 p.m. ET | Columbus, Ohio | Live Stats/Live Video ($) |
| Saturday, March 19 | |||
| Game 2 | 3:05 p.m. ET | Columbus, Ohio | Live Stats/Live Video ($) |
| Sunday, March 20 | |||
| Game 3 | 1:05 p.m. ET | Columbus, Ohio | Live Stats/Live Video ($) |
PARKING NOTE – OHSAA BOYS BASKETBALL, NCAA WOMEN’S BBALL & OTHER OSU EVENTS
Friday, March 18
- Fans will be able to park for FREE in the Gray Lots
- Please enter the Gray Lots from Fred Taylor Dr.
- If these lots fill, please follow the instruction of the parking attendants for the nearest available lot.
- NOTE: Because of the boys basketball game taking place at 5:15 p.m., please allow for extra travel and parking time.
Saturday, March 19
- Fans will be able to park for FREE in the Gray Lots
- Please enter the Gray Lots from Fred Taylor Dr.
- If these lots fill, please follow the instruction of the parking attendants for the nearest available lot.
Sunday, March 20
- Fans will be able to park for FREE in the Gray Lots
- Please enter the Gray Lots from Fred Taylor Dr.
- If these lots fill, please follow the instruction of the parking attendants for the nearest available lot.
FOLLOW THE BUCKEYES
GameTracker will be available for all three contests. Buckeye Vision ($) will also be available vs. the Pride. For up-to-minute action, follow the Buckeyes on twitter via @OhioState_BASE.
ON THE BUMP
GAME 1: LHP Tanner Tully (2-1, 3.42 ERA) vs. RHP Alec Eisenberg (1-3, 3.32 ERA)
GAME 2: RHP Adam Niemeyer (1-1, 4.30 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Weiss (1-1, 5.09 ERA)
GAME 3: LHP John Havird (0-1, 4.98 ERA) vs. RHP Bowie Matteson (1-1, 2.49 ERA
BUCKEYES IN A NUTSHELL
- Friday marks the home opener of the 133rd season of baseball at Ohio State.
- The team is led by sixth-year head coach Greg Beals, who has taken the Buckeyes to five-consecutive B1G tournament appearances.
- Ohio State returns 20 letterwinnenrs, including six starting position players and three starting pitchers.
- The Buckeyes are led by one of their largest senior classes in recent history – 10 members.
- Senior infielder Nick Sergakis and junior catcher Jalen Washington were both named captains last fall.
- Junior outfielder Troy Montgomery was named a NCBWA Third Team Preseason All-American. He was joined by junior outfielder Ronnie Dawson and junior pitcher Tanner Tully on the B1G Preseason Players to Watch List.
- Ohio State is in the Top 5 in multiple B1G offensive statistics, including first in home runs (18), third in RBI (89) and fourth in slugging percentage (.439).
- The OSU pitching staff has struck out 144 opponent batters (second-most in Big Ten).
- Sergakis leads the team with a .397 average and has reached base safely in all 15 games.
- Dawson posted a .600 slugging percentage collecting seven doubles, one triple, three home runs, 14 RBI and three stolen bases in the four-game series at UNLV.
- Tully, the Buckeyes’ Friday night starter, is 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA, fanning 24 batters to two walks.
- Eleven of the next 12 games will be played at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
2016 Record: 5-11, 2015 Record: 19-29
Hofstra enters the weekend with a 5-11 record after splitting two midweek games. The Pride claimed a 4-1 road win at Fairleigh Dickinson Tuesday before falling, 7-6, at home against Fordham on Wednesday. Hofstra opened the season with a three-game road series at No. 4 Texas A&M Feb. 19-21 before playing four games against Missouri Feb. 26-28. At the plate, Ryan Karl lead the team with a .311 average with eight extra-base hits, while Vito Friscia is hitting .306. The Hofstra pitching staff has a 5.45 team ERA and has fanned 119 batters to 62 walks. This will be the first meeting between Ohio State and Hofstra.
A LOOK BACK AT VEGAS
The Buckeyes went 2-2 in their lone four-game series of the season at UNLV March 11-15 during their spring break trip. Ohio State dropped the first game 5-2 before winning game No. 2 by a 20-3 score. After falling short, 8-7, in game three, the Buckeyes held on to an 8-7 victory in the series finale at Wilson Stadium. Nick Sergakis batted .444 (8-for-18) with a double, four RBI and three walks, while Ronnie Dawson posted a .353 average (7-for-17) with two doubles, three home runs, seven RBI and seven runs scored. Troy Kuhn batted .500 (6-for-12) with two doubles and three RBI. In all, the Buckeyes had 19 extra-base hits in the series and plated a combined 37 runs, including a season-high 20 runs on 21 hits in game No. 3. Dawson launched his second career grand slam with two home runs and went back-to-back with freshman Brady Cherry. The OSU pitching staff posted a 4.24 ERA with 38 strikeouts to 16 walks.
SOME MORE NOTES
- The trio of Tully, Niemeyer and Havird has collected four quality starts in 2016, combining for 58 strikeouts to 11 walks.
- The OSU bullpen has an ERA of 3.47 in 49.1 innings pitched.
- Ohio State is 6-1 when leading after six innings and 4-0-1 when scoring in the first inning. The Buckeyes are 8-3-1 when scoring more than two runs in a game.
- The Buckeyes have buckled down with runners on base, allowing opponent to hit jus
- Yianni Pavlopoulos has tossed 8.2 consecutive shutout frames, striking out 14.
- Michael Horejsei has 13 strikeouts to two walks out of the bullpen.
- Jalen Washington has thrown out 7-of-14 attempted base stealers.
- Dawson leads the team with six two-out RBI, while Montgomery is batting .414 (12-for-12) when leading off.
20TH SEASON AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State is 314-161 all-time at Bill Davis Stadium for a fine .661 winning percentage. Ohio State is 168-99 vs. the Big Ten Conference at home.
NEW PADDING AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Bill Davis Stadium has a new look for its 20th season. New gray padding from foul pole to foul pole and behind home plate was mounted this past week before the Buckeyes’ home opener vs. the Pride. The foul poles were also painted neon green last fall. Bill Davis Stadium used to have wooden outfield walls with scarlet paint and white foul poles.
BUCKEYES ON BTN
The Buckeyes will be aired on national television there times during the 2016 spring season. The team will first be on the conference network at home in the final game of the opening conference series against Northwestern at Noon ET March 27. Ohio State’s next conference game – on the road at Maryland – will be aired nationally at 5:30 p.m. ET April 8 before the final televised game on Senior Day at 3 p.m. ET May 15 against Michigan in Columbus. Nineteen home games will be streamed on BTN Plus.
COACH BEALS
Sixth-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 410-333-1 career record and is in his 14th season as a collegiate head coach.
UP NEXT
Ohio State continues its seven-game home stand with a midweek contest vs. Xavier. First pitch is at 5:05 p.m. ET Tuesday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium.
