Reigning B1G Champs Square off in Columbus This Weekend – Ohio State Buckeyes

March 23, 2017

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team is set to open its conference schedule this weekend against Minnesota at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes (9-11, 0-0 B1G), the defending Big Ten tournament champions, host the Golden Gophers (11-8, 0-0 B1G), the reigning conference regular season champions, for the first time in five years in Columbus. The series opens at 5:05 p.m. ET Friday. Game two begins at 3:05 p.m. ET Saturday. The finale stats at Noon ET Sunday live on BTN.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
BTN Plus ($) will stream game one and game two vs. the Golden Gophers. Game three will be broadcasted live on BTN with Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Scott Pose on the call. Fans can also listen to each of the three games vs. the Golden Gophers on AM 1460 ESPN with Paul Keels (play-by-play) and Bob Spears calling the game. With NCAA women’s basketball and NCAA men’s hockey also in action this weekend, all three games can be heard online at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. 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.

ZACH FARMER MEMORIAL GAME
The Zach Farmer Memorial Game will be on Saturday in game two vs. the Golden Gophers. In the summer of 2015, the Buckeyes lost their teammate and friend Zach Farmer after his battle with leukemia. During his fight, Zach helped raise awareness for the bone marrow registry through Be The Match, starting a campus drive with help from his Buckeye teammates. The organization provides marrow transplants in the United States from volunteer unrelated donors to leukemia patients. Last May, Minnesota’s pitching coach Todd Oakes passed away after a courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Oakes spent 18 years with the Maroon and Gold. On Saturday, the two teams will honor both Farmer and Oakes.

PARKING INFO
It’s a busy weekend on the campus of The Ohio State University. With the OHSAA Boys Basketball Championships and numerous home Buckeye events taking place during the weekend, please take note of the following parking guidelines. Click here for details.

ON THE HILL
Fri: RHP Jake Post (1-1, 3.96 ERA) vs. LHP Lucas Gilbreath (1-0, 3.13 ERA)
Sat: LHP Connor Curlis (2-0, 2.70 ERA) vs. RHP Brett Schulze (2-2, 3.20 ERA)
Sun: RHP Ryan Feltner (0-3, 6.43 ERA) vs. RHP Toby Anderson (2-2, 8.62 ERA)

NOTES ON THE BUCKEYES

The 2017 campaign marks the 134th season of Ohio State baseball and 21st at Bill Davis Stadium.
The team is led by seventh-year head coach Greg Beals, who led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten tournament championship and NCAA Regional in 2016.
The Buckeyes are in the midst of a nine-game homestand after going 8-8 overall following the first four weeks on the road to start the year.
The team is led by a five-member senior class that includes four fifth-year seniors: Jake Post, Shea Murray, Joe Stoll and Zach Ratcliff.
Senior infielder Jalen Washington and redshirt junior pitcher Adam Niemeyer were both named captains for the Scarlet and Gray.
Seth Kinker was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List.
Yianni Pavlopoulos joined Washington and Kinker on the B1G Players to Watch List.
Ohio State welcomed 15 newcomers to the 35-man roster, including seven junior college transfers.
The Buckeyes went 3-3 in road games and 5-5 in neutral site contests to begin the season. Highlighting the early part of the schedule were ranked wins over then-No. 5 and No. 1 Oregon State (6-1; Feb. 24) and No. 24 FGCU (5-4, March 12).
Last time out, Ohio State defeated Youngstown State, 12-8, on Tuesday for its first home win of the season.
Tre’ Gantt leads the team with a .365 batting average, collecting six doubles, two triples and two home runs. He has reached base safely in 19 of 20 games this season.
The OSU pitching staff has seen 15 different arms on the mound so far this year. Kinker is 1-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched in nine relief appearances.
Ohio State is tied for the Big Ten lead in home runs (19) and third in doubles (35) and triples (6).
Gantt is third in the league in on-base percentage (.467), fourth in hits (27) and fifth in slugging percentage (.581).
Noah McGowan is tied for the conference lead in home runs (5), while Ratcliff has homered four times.
Ohio State is 1-1 at home this year. Last season, the Buckeyes went 23-4 at Bill Davis Stadium.

21st SEASON AT BILL DAVIS STADIUM
Ohio State is 338-166 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.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers head into the weekend with an 11-8 overall record after going 2-2 during their California road trip, playing California, Berkeley and Sacramento State. Minnesota is hitting .275 as a team and hold a .983 fielding percentage. Luke Pettersen is batting .379 (25-for-66) with 10 runs scored and nine RBI, while Micah Coffey is hitting .303 with four doubles, one triple and three home runs. The Gophers as a staff have collected a 4.40 ERA in 172.0 innings pitched. Left-hander Lucas Gilbreath is 1-0 with a 3.13 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 23.0 innings pitched.

LAST TIME VS. THE GOPHERS
Ohio State concluded the 2016 regular season winning two of three games in Minneapolis, Minn., May 19-21. The Buckeyes won game one, 3-2, scoring a run in the top of the ninth by Troy Kuhn. Tanner Tully tossed six scoreless innings in the opener. The Gophers claimed the outright Big Ten regular season championship in game one winning, 4-3. Ohio State answered with a 6-5 win in 10 innings in game three highlighted by two late-inning home runs by Ronnie Dawson.

OTHER NOTES

Ohio State is 9-3 when scoring first and 9-1 when leading after eight innings.
The Buckeyes are 5-2 when outhitting their opponents.
Tre’ Gantt leads the team with eight multi-hit games.
Jalen Washington has the team lead in multi-RBI performances with five this year.
Noah West is on a four-game hit streak. West, Shea Murray and Tyler Cowles has each reached base in four straight games.
Seth Kinker has made 64 career appearances, which is tied for 20th in the OSU career appearances list.
Jacob Barnwell is hitting .371 (13-for-35) in his last 10 games.

FIRST HOME WIN
Ohio State picked up its first home win of the season last time out in a 12-8 victory over Youngstown State. Freshman Noah West had a big night, going 2-for-4 with four runs scored, a double, triple, RBI and walk. Sophomore Jacob Barnwell was 3-for-4 with a run scored, double, three RBI and two walks. Jalen Washington drove in three runs and Noah McGowan also had two hits, including a double on the evening. On the mound, sophomore left-handed pitcher Connor Curlis got the win in a controlled start, tossing three scoreless innings on one hit and one walk and striking out four batters.

MCGOWAN TIES HOME RUN RECORD
Junior Noah McGowan had a memorable day at the plate against Xavier in game two of the doubleheader last Sunday. The native of Houston, Texas, launched three home runs to tie the OSU single-game record last accomplished by Josh Dezse in 2012. McGowan homered in the third inning for the Buckeyes’ first run before driving in three runs on a three-run shot in the seventh for a 4-1 lead. He put the Buckeyes on top, 5-4, in the top of the ninth with his third long ball of the game.

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.

DUNK CITY REWIND
Ohio State went 1-2 in a three-game series at No. 24 FGCU March 10-11 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.

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.

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 455-358-1 and 212-156-1 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 97.1thefan.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 
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.

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