Ohio State Opens 21st Season at Bill Davis Stadium against Xavier Saturday
3/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 17, 2017
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The boys are back in town. The Ohio State baseball team opens the 2017 home schedule against Xavier at 3 p.m. Saturday at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. Due to predicted weather, the Buckeyes (8-8, 0-0 B1G) and Musketeers (7-10, 0-0 Big East) will conclude the series in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a doubleheader beginning at Noon Sunday at Hayden Field.
The Scarlet and Gray are on a three-game win streak, including a win over No. 24 FGCU last Sunday, while Xavier has dropped its last three games.
THE BASICS
Game 17 | vs. Xavier | Saturday, March 18 | 3 p.m. ET
Live Stats | Â Â Buckeye Vision ($) | Twitter Updates
Game 18 | at Xavier| Sunday, March 19 | Noon ET
Live Stats | Twitter Updates
Game 19 | at Xavier | Sunday, March 19 |3 p.m. ET
Live Stats | Twitter Updates
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Video stream (Buckeye Vision) will be available for game one vs. the Musketeers ($). A link to live stats links can be found by going to the schedule page of Ohio State Baseball on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Fans should follow the action on Twitter via @OhioState_BASE.
ON THE MOUND
Saturday: RHP Jake Post (1-1, 4.05 ERA) vs. LHP Zac Lowther (2-2, 2.61 ERA)
Sunday G1: RHP Ryan Feltner (0-3, 6.75 ERA) vs. RHP Garrett Schilling (1-2, 3.13 ERA)
Sunday G2: RHP Adam Niemeyer (2-2, 4.26 ERA) vs. LHP Greg Jacknewitz (0-2, 5.00 ERA)
LEADING OFF
- Ohio State is 8-8 overall after going 3-2 during its spring break trip in Florida last week. The Buckeyes fell in the first two games at No. 24 FGCU but rebounded with a 5-4 victory last Sunday for their second Top 25 victory of the year. Ohio State went 2-0 at the 2017 Snowbird Classic, beating Lehigh, 7-3, and Bucknell, 5-2, in Port Charlotte, Fla.
- Ohio State is led by seventh-year head coach Greg Beals, who claimed his 450th career win March 4 at Campbell.
- Ohio State went 1-3 at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge Feb. 23-26 in Surprise, Ariz. Highlighting the weekend was a 5-1 upset win over No. 5 Oregon State.
- The Buckeyes began their 134th season of baseball with a 2-2 record during the opening weekend at Sunshine State Classic Series Feb. 17-19 in Kissimmee, Fla. Twelve Buckeyes made their Ohio State debuts.
- Thirty-four percent (44-of-129) of the team’s hits have gone for extra-bases. Ohio State is third in the Big Ten in doubles (28) and tied for fourth in home runs (13).
- Junior outfielder Tre’ Gantt leads the team with a .345 average (20-for-58) with four doubles, one triple, two home runs, eight RBI and three stolen bases. The OSU lead-off hitter has reached base in all 16 games.
- Fifth-year senior Zach Ratcliff has powered his way to a team-high four home runs, which is tied for second in the league. He is slugging .541.
- Fifth-year senior right-handed pitcher Jake Post is 1-1 with a 4.05 ERA with 16 strikeouts and eight walks in 20.0 innings pitched.
- Redshirt junior right-hander Yianni Pavlopoulos was named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week Feb. 27.
- Junior right-hander Seth Kinker has made a team-high seven appearances out of the bullpen. He is 1-0 with a 3.14 ERA in 14.1 innings pitched.
- The 2017 Buckeyes return 17 letterwinners this season, including a five-member senior class, from the squad that won 44 games, tied for fifth all-time in program history and the most since 2003, and advanced to a NCAA Regional after claiming the program’s ninth Big Ten tournament title. The team also welcomed 17 newcomers last fall.
- Last season, the Buckeyes broke single-season records in stolen bases (101) and strikeouts by a staff (495).
- The 2016 team’s fielding percentage was second-best all time at .975. A Big Ten-best six Buckeyes were taken in the MLB Draft.
- Ohio State played its first 16 games away from the friendly confines of Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium.
- Senior infielder Jalen Washington and redshirt junior pitcher Adam Niemeyer were each named captains.
21st SEASON AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State is 337-165 all-time at Bill Davis Stadium for a fine .671 winning percentage. Ohio State is 177-102 vs. the Big Ten Conference at home. The Buckeyes went 23-4 at home last year for fifth-most home wins in school history.Â
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
XAVIER MUSKETEERS
2017 Record: 7-10
2016 Big East Finish: Big East regular season and tournament champions
Top Hitter: Rylan Bannon, .284, 5 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI
Top Pitcher: Zac Lowther, 2-2 ERA, 25 K, 20.2 IP
All-Time Series Record: Ohio State leads, 31-9
Last Meeting: OSU won, 11-6, in Columbus (3/22/16)
LAST TIME VS. XAVIER
A grand slam by Brady Cherry and home run by Craig Nennig highlighted an 11-6 comeback victory over Xavier March 22, 2016, in Columbus. The Buckeye bats were kept off the scoreboard through the first four innings vs. Xavier left-hander starter Brad Kirschner until the squad unleashed a two-run fifth, four-run sixth, three-run seventh and two-run eighth. Austin Woodby received the win, tossing 2.0 innings of relief work with two strikeouts.
DUNK CITY REWIND
Ohio State went 1-2 in a three-game series at No. 24 FGCU last weekend in Fort Myers, Fla. The Eagles rallied with six runs in the bottom of the ninth to win, 10-9, and took game two by a score of 13-1. The Buckeyes answered with a 5-4 win in the series finale March 12, snapping a 10-game win streak for FGCU, who recently beat both No. 2 Florida and No. 1 Florida State in midweek games. Tre’ Gantt batted .364 (4-for-11) with two RBI, while Adam Niemeyer claimed the victory in game three, limiting FGCU to one run on three hits with two walks and a pair of strikeouts in five innings of work.
UNDEFEATED AT SNOWBIRD CLASSIC
The Buckeyes got back to .500 in the standings with two midweek wins March 14-15 at the 2017 Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla. Ohio State topped Lehigh, 7-3, totaling 12 hits in the win. Each Buckeye in the lineup recorded a hit led by Noah McGowan, Bo Coolen and Dominic Canzone with multi-hit games. The combination of Austin Woodby, Joe Stoll and Curtiss Irving out of the bullpen kept the Mount Hawks off the scoreboard for the final 5.1 innings. Jake Vance made his first collegiate start, throwing 3.2 innings on three runs, five hits and one strikeout. In game two, the Buckeyes took down Bucknell, 5-2. Connor Curlis struck out a career-high eight batters in his first career start, while Jalen Washington had a clutch two-out, two-run double in the bottom of the fifth.
OHIO STATE ON BTN FOUR TIMES THIS SPRING
The Buckeyes will be seen four times on BTN this spring. Ohio State will host Minnesota Sunday, March 26 live on the network at Noon to conclude its first conference series of the season. A week later, the Scarlet and Gray and Purdue will play its middle game of a three-game set at 6 p.m. ET Saturday, April 1, live on BTN. The Buckeyes will then be featured twice on the road on national television. The series finale at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 9, at Penn State as well as the final game at Michigan at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 7, will both be shown on BTN.
BTN will offer its most extensive baseball and softball coverage ever in 2017, with over 400 games airing on BTN/BTN2Go and BTN Plus during the upcoming season.
A LOOK BACK AT CAMPBELL SERIES
Ohio State won two of three games in its first trip to Buies Creek, N.C., at Campbell March 3-5. After a loss in game one, the Buckeyes rebounded with back-to-back road wins. Jake Post got the team back on track when he tossed a career-high eight strikeouts in six innings of work. It marked his first win in nearly two years after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2016. Zach Ratcliff homered twice, while Jalen Washington also hit his first home run of the year in game two. Ohio State held on to a 7-6 win in the series finale last Sunday. Seth Kinker improved to 1-0 on the year, throwing two innings and allowing one run on three hits with three strikeouts. Yianni Pavlopoulos tossed a scoreless ninth to claim his first save of the year. Tre’ Gantt had the go-ahead RBI in the top of the eighth on a sacrifice fly. Jacob Barnwell registered his first three-hit day of his career in the win. Gantt led the team at the dish with a .400 average (4-for-10) with a run scored, double and two RBI.
OTHER NOTES
- Ohio State is 8-2 when scoring first and 7-1 when leading after seven innings.
- The Buckeyes are 8-3 in day games and 4-1 when outhitting their opponents
- Tre’ Gantt is on a career-high 16-game reached base streak. Bo Coolen has reached base in 10-consecutive games, while Zach Ratcliff has reached base in seven straight contests.
- Ratcliff, Gantt and Jalen Washington each have five-multi hit games. Ratcliff in on a five-game hit streak. Â
- Tyler Cowles has a team-high four multi-RBI games.
- Right-handed reliever Kyle Michalik had an earned run scoreless streak of 22.1 innings (dating back to 2016), snapped in the win over Bucknell March 15.
- Seth Kinker has made 62 career appearances, which is 21st in the OSU career appearances list.
BIG TEN CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt junior pitcher Yianni Pavlopoulos was named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week, the
conference office announced Feb. 27. Pavlopoulos, from Homer Glen, Ill., led the Buckeyes to a Top 10 win in a 6-1 win over No. 5 Oregon State Feb. 24 in Surprise, Ariz. The right-hander threw six shutout innings and scattered three hits with four strikeouts to claim his first career win as a Buckeye starter. Named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List, Pavlopoulos led the Big Ten with 14 saves in 2016.
PAVLOPOULOS CLIMBING CAREER SAVES LIST
Redshirt junior right-hander Yianni Pavlopoulos is currently climbing the Ohio State all-time career saves list.
CAREER SAVES
- Trace Dempsey ……………………………2012-15 …………………..33
- Jake Hale ……………………………………2006-09 ……………………29
- Cory Cox……………………………………..1998-01 ……………………27
- Yianni Pavlopoulos……………….. 2014-Present …………………16
- Rory Meister…………………………………2005-08 ………………….15
B1G/PAC-12 CHALLENGE RECAP
Ohio State had a challenging set of games out west at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge Feb. 23-26 in Surprise, Ariz.. The Buckeyes fell in two games against the defending Pac-12 Champions Utah, and split two games against No. 5 Oregon State. At the plate, Jacob Barnwell batted .455 (5-for-11) with two doubles, while Tre’ Gantt hit .375 (6-for-16) with two doubles and one home run. Pavlopoulos claimed the win in game two vs. the Beavers and Seth Kinker picked up his second save of the season, throwing the final three innings vs. Oregon State. Brady Cherry also homered vs. the Beavers.
OPENING WEEKEND REWIND
Ohio State went 2-2 to open the 2017 campaign Feb. 17-19 at the Sunshine State Classic Series in Kissimmee, Fla. The Buckeyes defeated Kansas State, 6-3, in game one before coming from behind to beat Delaware, 15-10, in game one Saturday. Ohio State dropped the final two games of the weekend, losing 7-3 against Pitt in the nightcap Saturday and was edged, 3-2, by the Wildcats on getaway day Sunday.
Zach Ratcliff, Jalen Washington and Adam Niemeyer were each named to the All-Tournament Team. Ratcliff made a statement in his return to the lineup, batting .438 (7-for-16) with five runs scored, one double, two home runs and six RBI. Washington, a two-time captain, registered a .385 average (.5-for-13) with three runs scored, two doubles and was also hit four times. Niemeyer, a 2017 captain, improved to 1-0 after limiting Kansas State to one unearned run with a strikeout and no walks in six innings of work.
GRAND SLAMS FOR THE BOYS
For the first time in 23 years, a Buckeye duo each blasted a grand slam in the same game. Noah McGowan hit his first home run as a Buckeye in the seventh inning, while Brady Cherry rocketed his second career grand slam in the eighth inning during the Buckeyes’ 15-10 comeback win over Delaware Feb. 17. The OSU infielders became the first duo to each hit a grand slam in the same game since former Buckeyes Brian Mannino and Mike Repasky each hit grand slams in an 18-5 win over Dayton April 27, 1994, in Columbus.
KINKER NAMED TO PRESEASON STOPPER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
After a breakout sophomore campaign, junior pitcher Seth Kinker has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List, announced Feb 14. The Huntington, W. Va., native is one of 55 student-athletes on the list. Last season, the native of Huntington, W. Va., went 6-1 out of the bullpen with a 1.65 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched. He led the Big Ten with 38 appearances at the plate, which ranked second in OSU single-season history in 2016. Kinker also earned two saves for the Scarlet and Gray. A mid-season watch list will be released on April 28 followed by the award announcement on June 18.
TRIO OF BUCKEYES NAMED TO B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Senior Jalen Washington, redshirt junior Yianni Pavlopoulos and junior Seth Kinker have been named to the B1G Players to Watch list, announced by the conference office Feb. 15. Washington, a 2016 Big Ten All-Tournament selection and fall MVP, returns to shortstop this season after starting in 59 games from behind the dish during his junior campaign. Pavlopoulos, a right-hander from Homer Glen, Ill., led the Big Ten in saves with 14 last season, including five saves in conference play. Kinker, a junior pitcher, also added to his preseason honors list.
WASHINGTON & NEIMEYER NAMED 2017 CAPTAINS
Senior infielder Jalen Washington and redshirt junior pitcher Adam Niemeyer were named captains of the 2017 squad, head coach Greg Beals announced last month. Washington, a two-time Ohio State captain, led the team to 44 overall wins last spring, including a Big Ten Tournament title and NCAA Regional appearance. Niemeyer, a native of Minster, Ohio, helped to guide the OSU pitching staff last season to a Big Ten-best 2.63 ERA and 3.07 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which ranked sixth in the country.
THE NEWCOMERS
Ohio State welcomed 15 newcomers to the 35-man roster, including seven junior college transfers: Junior Noah McGowan (McLenann; Houston, Texas), Nate Romans (Meridian College; Canton, Ohio), Tyler Cowles (Sinclair; Grove City, Ohio), Thomas Waning (Lincoln Trail, Maple City, Mich.), Reece Calvert (McLennan; Plano, Texas), Dustin Jourdan (McLennan; Austin Texas) and Bo Coolen (Cypress College, Honolulu Hawaii). The Buckeyes welcomed seven freshmen with five of them pitchers: Noah West (Westerville, Ohio), Michael McDonough (Columbiana, Ohio), Collin Lollar (Columbus, Ind.), Gavin Lyon (Westerville, Ohio), Dominic Canzone (Sagamore Hills, Ohio), Andrew Magno (Dublin, Ohio), Jake Vance (Canton, Ohio) and Conner Pohl (Arcanum, Ohio).
UNDER BEALS
Seventh-year head coach Greg Beals is the 11th head coach in Ohio State history and the fourth in the last 60 years. In his 15th year as a collegiate head coach, he is 454-355-1 and 211-153-1 at the helm of the Buckeyes.
Greg Beals COACHES SHOW
Fans can tune in to AM 1460 ESPN each Monday evening for the Greg Beals Coaches Show. Fans can also log on to 971thefan.com to stream online. The show will air weekly at 7-7:30 p.m. ET each Monday unless noted on 1460 ESPN.
BTN PLUS HOME GAMES
Ohio State will have 17 home games on BTN Plus this spring, beginning vs. Youngstown State March 21. Game one and two of the Minnesota series, the team’s conference opener, will also be featured on BTN Plus. Fans can purchase a subscription by visiting www.btn2go.com.
Home Games on BTN Plus: Youngstown State (3/21), Minnesota (3/24), Minnesota (3/25), Ohio (3/28), Kent State (4/5), Cincinnati (4/11), Eastern Michigan (4/12), Northern Kentucky (4/19), UNC-Greensboro (4/21-23), Bowling Green (5/9), Ball State (5/10), Toledo (5/16), Indiana (5/18-20).
NINE GAMES ON BUCKEYE VISION
Starting with its home opener vs. Xavier March 17, the Buckeyes will have nine home games streamed live on Buckeye Vision. Fans can purchase either monthly or yearly subscriptions by visiting this page.
Home games on Buckeye Vision: Xavier (3/17-18), Purdue (3/31), Purdue (4/2), Nebraska (4/28-30) and Texas Tech (5/2-3).
OHIO STATE BASEBALL TICKETS ON SALE NOW ÂÂ
Ohio State single game and season tickets are now on sale. Season tickets are the best value with a 38% savings off of the single game ticket price for all 28 home games. Single-game tickets are available for $8 for general admission and $11 for reserved seats for adults, $8 (Reserved) and $5 (GA) for seniors (62+) and $8 (6 & under) and free (GA) for children 6 and under. Students can get in free with Buck ID. Family packs are also available for purchase for every Saturday and Sunday regular season home game. Other promotions throughout the season include, Triple Play Package, Buy One, Get One & Dollar Dog Night. Click here for more info.
UP NEXT
Ohio State welcomes Youngstown State at 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 21 at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The game will be streamed on BTN Plus ($).
