2020 Campaign Opens at Carolina Classic
2/5/2020 1:27:01 PM | Softball
ADDITIONAL INFO
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team kicks off the 2020 season this weekend at the Carolina Classic in Columbia, S.C. The Buckeyes will face Southern Illinois, North Dakota State, No. 19/21 South Carolina and UNC Greensboro during the three-day tournament.
| Carolina Classic | Columbia, S.C. | Date | Time | Follow Along |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio State at No. 19/21 South Carolina | Friday, Feb. 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Stats | SECN+ |
| Ohio State vs. NDSU | Saturday, Feb. 8 | 12:30 p.m. | Stats |
| Ohio State vs. SIU | Saturday, Feb. 8 | 5:30 p.m. | Stats |
| Ohio State vs. UNCG | Sunday, Feb. 9 | 12:30 p.m. | Stats |
LEADING OFF
- The Buckeyes return 12 letterwinners this season, including a trio of players that have made three straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
- Ohio State will earn plenty of frequent flyer miles during the first six weeks of the 2020 campaign with 23 road games. The Buckeyes will make stops in South Carolina, North Carolina, California and Arizona.
- Four of the five teams participating in this weekend’s tournament made the NCAA Tournament a season ago – SIU, Ohio State, NDSU and South Carolina.
- OSU is one of five Big Ten teams ranked or receiving votes in both the NFCA and USA Softball Top 25 preseason polls.
- The Scarlet & Gray are 18-3 during opening weekend in the last five seasons. The Buckeyes went 3-1 at the Friends of Jaclyn Tournament to start the 2019 season.
- Ohio State has won its season opener in five consecutive years.
SCOUTING REPORT
SIU made the NCAA Tournament last season and participated in the Evanston Regional. The Salukis recorded a 2-1 win over Detroit Mercy but fell to Louisville and Northwestern. The Buckeyes are 2-1 all-time against SIU. The programs last met in 1996 when Ohio State took a 2-0 victory.
NDSU claimed its 10th Summit League Championship title to earn an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Bison took part in the Minneapolis Regional, where they dropped a pair of games to Minnesota and Drake. OSU secured a 6-5 win in its inaugural matchup with NDSU back in 2017.
After suffering a setback to USF, South Carolina fought its way into the winner’s bracket of the Tallahassee Regional with victories over the Bulls and Bethune-Cookman. The Gamecocks faced FSU in the final matchup but came up short. South Carolina leads the all-time series with Ohio State, 2-1. The Buckeyes earned their first win of the series, 3-0, when the teams last battled in 2005.
UNCG ended its 2019 season with a loss to Chattanooga in the SoCon Championship Game. The Buckeyes and Spartans have only played each other once back in 2000, which resulted in a 9-0 triumph for Ohio State.
WELCOME TO THE B1G LEAGUES
Ohio State has seven newcomers on the 2020 spring roster. The Buckeyes welcomed junior transfer Payton Buresch and six freshmen – Tegan Cortelletti, Taylor Pack, Mariah Rodriguez, Sam Hackenbracht, Avery Clark and Emily Tinkham.
LOOKING BACK
- Ohio State posted 35 wins in 2019, the eighth straight season with at least 30 victories and seventh under head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly.
- The Buckeyes tallied 17 victories in Big Ten play, the most wins in conference action under Schoenly and since the 1994 campaign (18).
- Ohio State extended its program record by making its fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Three of the trips have been to the Knoxville Regional.
- The Buckeyes had two All-Americans in Lilli Piper (second team) and Emily Clark (third team). The duo was selected by the Cleveland Comets in the 2019 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft.
- Ohio State had six All-Big Ten selections and five players received NFCA All-Region honors.
- Schoenly picked up her 200th win at the helm for Ohio State when the Buckeyes shut out George Mason to open the 2019 season. She hit another milestone when OSU swept its doubleheader at Portland State for win No. 400 of her 13-year career as a head coach.
- The Buckeyes threw a trio of no-hitters last year, the most in a season since 2007.
UP NEXT
Ohio State heads to Raleigh, N.C. to take part in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge Feb. 14-16. The Buckeyes will play N.C. State and Notre Dame twice.
