Ohio State Travels to Campbell for Three-Game Series – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 2, 2017
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team travels to Buies Creek, N.C., for the first time this weekend for a three-game series at Big South opponent Campbell. Located in the Sandhills of southeastern North Carolina, the Buckeyes (3-5) open play vs. the Fighting Camels (4-3) at 6 p.m. ET Friday. Game two starts at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, while the series finale is slated for 1 p.m. ET Sunday at Jim Perry Stadium.
THE BASICS
Game 1 | Friday, March 3 | 6 p.m. ET
Live Stats | Twitter Updates | Live Video (Free)
Game 2 | Saturday, March 4 | 3 p.m. ET
Live Stats | Twitter Updates | Live Video (Free)
Game 3 | Sunday, March 5 | 1 p.m. ET
Live Stats | Twitter Updates | Live Video (Free)
ON THE BUMP
FRIDAY: RHP Adam Niemeyer (1-1, 3.60 ERA) vs. RHP Allan Winans (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
SATURDAY: RHP Jake Post (0-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. LHP Andrew Witczak (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
SUNDAY: RHP Ryan Feltner vs. (0-2, 5.23 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Kirk (1-0, 7.71 ERA)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live video will be available for each game on Big South Network. A link to video streams and live stats links can be found by going to the schedule page of Ohio State Baseball on OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter via @OhioState_BASE.
LEADING OFF
- Ohio State is 3-5 overall after going 1-3 last weekend at the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge in Surprise, Ariz. Ohio State fell in game one to Utah, 12-0, before upsetting fifth-ranked Oregon State, 6-1, in game two. The Buckeyes were edged by the Utes, 6-4, in game three and dropped the finale, 5-1 to the Beavers.
- Redshirt junior right-hander Yianni Pavlopoulos was named Big Ten Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday.
- 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.
- Twenty-five of the team’s 36 hits this season have gone for extra-bases. Ohio State is second in the Big Ten in doubles (17) and tied for third in home runs (6).
- Fifth-year senior Zach Ratcliff leads the team with a .367 average (11-for-30) and is slugging .633 with two doubles and two home runs.
- 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 team also notched the most home runs in the past seven years (57) and earned 133 doubles, tied for third most in program history. 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 will play its first 16 games away from the friendly confines of Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The Scarlet and Gray will visit the state of Florida three times. The Buckeyes travel to Florida Gulf Coast March 10-12 for a three-game series with the Eagles before traveling for two contests at the Snowbird Classic against Bucknell and Lehigh March 14-15 in Port Charlotte, Fla.
- Senior infielder Jalen Washington and redshirt junior pitcher Adam Niemeyer were each named captains.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
CAMPBELL CAMELS
2017 Record: 4-3
2016 Record: 26-27
Postseason: N/A
Top Hitter: Drew Butler: batting .435 (10-for-23) with 12 runs scored, two doubles, seven walks and 9-for-9 in stolen bases
Top Pitcher: Tyson Messer: 2-0 with a 0.93 ERA with 10 strikeouts to three walks in 9.2 innings of work
All-Time Series Record: OSU leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: March 16, 1996 – 9-5 win in Jacksonville, Fla.
CLOSE TO HOME
Ohio State has one student-athlete on the roster from the state of North Carolina. Sophomore catcher Andrew Fishel is from Charlotte, N.C., and went to Providence High School. Fishel has played in seven career games with one career start behind the dish.
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 Monday. Pavlopoulos, from Homer Glen, Ill., led the Buckeyes to a Top 10 win in a 6-1 win over 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.
DESERT RECAP
Ohio State had a challenging set of games out west in the desert last weekend. The Buckeyes fell in two games against the defending Pac-12 Champions Utah, and split two games against nationally-ranked 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.
OTHER NOTES
- Right-handed reliever Kyle Michalik heads into the weekend at Campbell with a scoreless streak of 18.2 innings (dating back to 2016).
- Brady Cherry and Tre’ Gantt are both on eight-game reached base streaks, while Gantt has a team-best six-game hit streak.
- Zach Ratcliff leads the team with four multi-hit games. Cherry has posted two multi-RBI contests.
A LOOK BACK AT OPENING WEEKEND
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 spring, including five saves in conference play. Kinker, a junior pitcher, was also named to the Big Ten Preseason to Watch 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 449-352-1 and 206-150-1 at the helm of the Buckeyes.
