Buckeyes Back at Home for Four Games vs. Rutgers
4/22/2021 1:15:33 PM | Softball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State softball team returns home to Buckeye Field this weekend for a four-game series against Rutgers. The Buckeyes and Scarlet Knights meet for a doubleheader on Friday with single games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
The Weekend Ahead
Friday: Rutgers at Ohio State (Gm. 1) // 3:30 p.m. // Buckeye Field // Columbus, Ohio
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Friday: Rutgers at Ohio State (Gm. 2) // 6 p.m. // Buckeye Field // Columbus, Ohio
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Saturday: Rutgers at Ohio State // Noon // Buckeye Field // Columbus, Ohio
Live Stats // Live Video (BTN Plus) // Twitter Updates
Sunday: Rutgers at Ohio State // Noon // Buckeye Field // Columbus, Ohio
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Briefly on the Buckeyes
- Ohio State is 14-13 on the season following four games last weekend at Indiana.
- This will be the third of four home weekend series for the Scarlet and Gray. Their final one is scheduled for May 14-16 vs. Michigan State.
- Sophomores Mariah Rodriguez and Tegan Cortelletti are the two regular starters batting over .300 thus far. Rodriguez’s .351 average ranks 12th best in the Big Ten.
- Cortelletti checks in with a .337 average, good for No. 17 in the Big Ten. Her 31 hits are seventh-most in the league.
- Pitchers Payton Buresch and Allison Smith both have seven wins on the season.
- Buresch’s 2.09 earned-run average ranks No. 11 in the conference.
- Smith’s seven wins are the most of any freshman pitcher in the league.
History vs. Rutgers
- Since Ohio State and Rutgers started playing annually in 2015, the Buckeyes own a 14-2 record against the Scarlet Knights.
- The two teams have played three times every year (minus the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign) with the exception of 2016, when they met four times (three regular season games, once in the Big Ten Tournament).
The Last 10 Games
- Over the last 10 games – which includes two contests vs. Penn State and four each vs. Michigan and Indiana – Mariah Rodriguez is batting .414 with 12 hits in 29 at-bats. She’s added three doubles.
- Six of Sam Hackenbracht’s team-leading seven home runs have come during the current stretch. She’s also driven in 12 runners.
- Buckeyes batters have collected 19 extra base hits in the last 10 games: 10 home runs, two triples and seven doubles.
This and That
- Thirteen of Ohio State’s 27 games have been decided by one or two runs. The Buckeyes are 9-4 in those contests.
- The Buckeyes have held their opponents to two or fewer runs 11 times so far this season.
- Sam Hackenbracht has a team-best 1.032 OPS on the season (on-base + slugging percentage). Over the last 10 games, she’s checked in with a 1.371 OPS.
- Mariah Rodriguez has at least one hit in seven of the last 10 games with four multi-hit games.
- Payton Buresch has given up two or less earned runs in 11 of her 14 starts.
- Ohio State leads the Big Ten in double plays turned with 14.
Attendance Update
- Ohio State softball games won’t see a significant increase in attendance and most won’t have opportunities for general fan attendance under the attendance policies athletics has developed and formalized with Columbus Public Health.
- There will not be any general public ticket availability as there are too few tickets available after tickets are allocated to family members of the student-athletes and coaching staffs of the competing teams.
- Any remaining tickets will be offered to groups such as students, donors and/or season ticket holders.
- Capacities were determined by seating pods distanced six-feet apart and with thresholds of 30 pct. capacity for outdoor venues and 25 pct. for indoor venues.
