Ohio State, Penn State Meet For Tuesday Doubleheader
4/18/2022 12:26:09 PM | Softball
Game Notes // Season Stats // 2022 Schedule and Results // 2022 Roster
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A five-game week for the Ohio State softball team commences on Tuesday afternoon with a Big Ten doubleheader vs. Penn State. The first game will start at 3 p.m. with the second to follow 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.
Both games of the doubleheader will be streamed live on B1G+. Live stats will be available from the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The Basics
Penn State at Ohio State (Gm. 1) // Tuesday, April 19 // 3 p.m. // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live (B1G+) // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Penn State at Ohio State (Gm. 2) // Tuesday, April 19 // Approx. 5:30 p.m. // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live (B1G+) // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Briefly on the Buckeyes
- After sweeping Iowa last weekend, Ohio State improved to 27-10 overall on the season and 7-5 in Big Ten play.
- The Buckeyes have the Big Ten’s third-best overall winning percentage (.730).
- In the latest RPI rankings, Ohio State checks in at No. 22, which is the second-highest on any Big Ten team.
- The Buckeyes’ .292 team batting average is sixth-best in the conference as keyed by six everyday starters who are batting .300 or better.
- Sam Hackenbracht’s .380 average includes 20 extra base hits. She homered twice last week, bringing her season total to 12.
- McKenzie Bump (.364), Niki Carver (.322), Melina Wilkison (.337), Jaycee Ruberti (.311) and Kami Kortokrax (.309) are the other starters who are currently hitting above .300.
- The pitching staff is a three-person rotation that includes Lexie Handley (15-6, 2.53 ERA), Emily Ruck (5-2, 2.73 ERA) and Allison Smith (7-2, 3.86 ERA).
- Each of the three pitchers are averaging at least one strikeout per inning. As a staff, the Buckeyes have 289 Ks in 246.1 total innings.
- Last weekend, Allison Smith picked up a win while Emily Ruck registered her first career save. Smith also pitched 1.1 innings on relief on Sunday and didn’t allow a base runner.
- In her 10th season leading the Buckeyes, head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly has a 294-181-1 record (.619). Her teams have won at least 30 games in seven of her eight full seasons at the helm.
Diversity and Inclusion Game
- The Ohio State softball program will host its first-ever Diversity and Inclusion game during the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader.
- The event is a collaboration with Buckeye Inclusion and Buckeye Spectrum, two student-athlete drive on-campus organizations aimed at promoting and celebrating diversity.
Scouting Penn State
- The Nittany Lions took two of three games from Indiana this past weekend, winning on Friday evening, 6-0, and Sunday afternoon, 8-6.
- Penn State is 25-16 overall and 7-5 in the Big Ten. It has series wins over Indiana and Purdue and lost two of three to Maryland and Michigan.
- The power hitter in PSU’s lineup in Ally Kurtland, who has 16 home runs and 38 RBI on the season, placing her among the top five players in the league in both categories.
- Bailey Parshall is Penn State’s top pitcher. She’s gone 150.2 innings with a 1.67 ERA.
History vs. Penn State
- The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions played three times last spring in State College. Ohio State won all three, sweeping a doubleheader on April 3 and then winning a single game on April 4. The final game of the series was canceled.
- In 2019, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions split a doubleheader in State College. Penn State took the first game, 6-4, before Ohio State rebounded for a 12-1 five-inning win in game two.
- Over the last seven seasons (2013-21), Ohio State holds a 14-4 lead in the head-to-head series. Beginning in 2014, the teams annually played a mid-week doubleheader instead of the traditional three-game weekend series.
Ohio State/Miami Connections
- Both Ohio State head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly and Penn State’s Clarisa Crowell have connections to Miami University.
- Kovach Schoenly coached the Redhawks from 2007-2012 and when she left to become the head coach at Ohio State, she was replaced by Crowell, who spent eight years at Miami.
And Even More Connections…
- Kelly Kovach Schoenly spent eight years as an assistant coach at Penn State from 1999-2006.
- Ohio State associated head coach Jen McIntyre was a four-year starting third baseman at Penn State from 1995-98 and later an assistant coach for 12 years (2002-13).
Home Sweet Home
- Including Tuesday’s doubleheader, Ohio State has five remaining home games during the 2022 regular season.
- The Buckeyes will welcome Nebraska for a three-game series Friday-Sunday, April 29-May 1.
- Ohio State has an 89-39 record at Buckeye Field since 2013, the second-best home winning percentage of any Big Ten school. The Buckeyes have won 10 or more games at home every season since 2013 (2020 excluded).
- Admission to all games at Buckeye Field is free. Parking is available in the lots surrounding Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Bill Davis Stadium and the Schumaker Complex.
The Last 10 Games
- Ohio State has won six of its last 10 games, including three of four last week.
- In that span, Sam Hackenbracht and Niki Carver have combined to drive in 21 runs and hit seven homers.
- Hackenbracht has a .387 batting average, .677 slugging percentage and .441 on-base percentage in that span.
- Carver, meanwhile, leads the team with a .833 slugging percentage and has reached base in 16 of her 32 plate appearances.
- Lexie Handley has made six starts in the last 10 games and three of them have been complete games.
- Emily Ruck, meanwhile, leads the team in ERA at 3.00 and opponent batting average (.244).
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