Buckeyes Set for Midweek Doubleheader with Kent State – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 2, 2016
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team begins a five-game regular season ending homestand on Wednesday when it welcomes in-state foe Kent State to Buckeye Field for a doubleheader. The opening game will start at 4 p.m. with the second beginning approximately 20 minutes after the conclusion of the first.
THE BASICS
Wednesday, May 4
Kent State at Ohio State | 4 p.m.
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Kent State at Ohio State | Approx. 6:30 p.m.
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BUCKEYES IN A NUTSHELL
• Following last weekend’s series at Indiana, Ohio State is 30-14-1 overall and 12-7-1 in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes currently stand in fourth place in the league standings.
• Four everyday starters are batting .300 or better, led by senior Cammi Prantl, who checks in with a .380 average and 22 extra base hits (team-high 14 doubles, seven home runs, one triple). Prantl has added 37 RBI and 36 runs scored. Junior Alex Bayne is hitting .364 with a team-high 18 home runs, 46 RBI and 47 runs scored. Freshman Emily Clark is next with a .340 average, 23 RBI and five home runs. Taylor White is hitting .323 with 27 RBI, 31 runs scored and a team-best 12 stolen bases.
• Just outside the group of .300 hitters is Maddy McIntyre (.296, 20 RBI, 11 doubles, .454 on-base percentage) and Ashley Goodwin (.293, 20 RBI, four home runs). Jess Machovina, who has played in 32 of 45 games with 21 starts at either first base or DH, is hitting .309 with two home runs and 14 RBI.
• Five starters have an on-base percentage of .390 or better – Prantl (.453), Bayne (.468), Clark (.426), White (.399) and McIntyre (.454). Ohio State’s overall on-base percentage of .397 ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
• In the circle, Shelby Hursh continues to lead the team in every statistical category. She’s logged 143.0 innings with a 2.50 ERA, 162 strikeouts, seven complete games and 14 wins. Next in line is junior Lena Springer, who has a 2.82 ERA in 57.0 innings and two complete games.
• Rounding out the rotation is freshman Morgan Ray (3.89 ERA, 54.0 IP, 42 strikeouts), Katya Duvall (4-0, 3.23 ERA, 13.0 IP) and Shelby McCombs (6-3, 31.1 IP, 28 strikeouts).
• The Buckeyes’ 3.21 team ERA is good for fourth best in the Big Ten and their opponent batting average of .242 is third best.
FOLLOWING ALONG
Both games on Wednesday will be steamed live on BuckeyeVision (subscription required). A link to live stats is available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com and fans can also follow the official Twitter account @OhioState_SB.
SCOUTING KENT STATE
The Golden Flashes are 32-18 overall and 14-6 in the MAC following a weekend sweep of Bowling Green. They completed the sweep with a 2-1 nine-inning triumph on Sunday when Hunter Brancifort singled, advanced to third on a double and eventually scored on a RBI groundout.
As a team, Kent State is hitting .268 with Maddy Grimm leading the way (.343, 16 home runs, 34 RBI, 44 runs scored). Holly Speers (.327, 11 home runs, 30 RBI), Ronnie Ladines (.325, 17 RBI) and Shelbi Tilton (.309, 23 RBI) are the other starters who are batting over .300.
In the circle, Kent State sports a team ERA of 2.97, led by Ladines, who is 19-7 this year with a 2.71 ERA in 173.0 innings pitched. Janel Hayes has tossed 130.0 innings with a 3.12 ERA and .277 batting average against.
HOME SWEET HOME
Ohio State has played nine games at Buckeye Field this year, winning eight while averaging 5.8 runs/game and only giving up 3.1. The top hitters at home include Bayne (.478, six home runs, 16 RBI, 1.348 slugging percentage) and White (.444, one triple, five RBI, six stolen bases). The Buckeyes have also been impressive in the circle, as five of Hursh’s 14 wins have come at home and she has a 2.10 ERA in eight appearances.
Over the past four years, Ohio State is 43-18 at home and has won at least 11 games at Buckeye Field in each of the last three seasons.
STARS OF THE WEEKEND – AT INDIANA
Cammi Prantl | .455, two doubles, two RBI, .636 slugging %
Collected a hit in each of the Buckeyes’ three games last weekend at Indiana, including two doubles in a doubleheader on Friday that tied the career record (58) … has hit safely in nine of the last 10 games.
Emily Clark | .300, five RBI, three-run HR
Drove in two runs with a single in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader and followed that up by going 2-for-3 with a three-run home run in the series finale on Sunday … has hit safely in eight of the last 11 games.
Maddy McIntyre | .429, two doubles, .714 slugging %
Had a game-tying double in the first game of Friday’s doubleheader and another double in the Friday nightcap … walked four times and had a .636 on-base percentage.
MASTERFUL MIDWEEK
In the last three weeks in midweek games against Penn State, Dayton and Ohio, Hursh has a 0.29 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched with four wins, a save, 31 strikeouts and .120 batting average against. She tossed a no-hitter against Penn State and complete game shutouts vs. Dayton and Ohio.
IT’S ALL SITUATIONAL
With a runner on third and less than two outs, Buckeye batters are cashing in 51 percent of the time (47-for-93) and leadoff batters get on base at a .447 clip (135-for-302). With the bases loaded, Ohio State is 22-for-56 and McIntyre has been the most dangerous, going four-for-four, including a grand slam at Wisconsin.
DOWN WITH OPS
Three starters have a 1.000 or better OPS this year (on base + slugging %) – Alex Bayne (1.265), Cammi Prantl (1.080) and Emily Clark (1.002). Ohio State’s .899 team OPS would rank fourth in the Big Ten.
THE 30 WIN MARK
With Friday’s 5-3 win, Ohio State reached the 30-win mark for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons and fourth time under head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly. In her 10th year as a head coach, Kovach Schoenly-coached team have won 30 or more games in a season eight consecutive seasons (2009-12 at Miami, 2013-16 at Ohio State).
UP NEXT
The Buckeyes conclude the regular season with a three-game series at home vs. Michigan State. The first two contests will be steamed live on BuckeyeVision with the third game airing live on BTN.
