Baseball Heads to Phoenix to Take On GCU, Gonzaga
2/22/2023 3:11:46 PM | Baseball
Game 1 | Ohio State at GCU
Date: Feb. 23 | Time: 8:00 PM ET
Probable Starters:
Ohio State: LHP Isaiah Coupet
GCU: LHP Zach Thornton
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Game 2 | Ohio State vs. Gonzaga
Date: Feb. 24 | Time: 4:00 PM ET
Probable Starters:
Ohio State: RHP Justin Eckhardt
Gonzaga: RHP Payton Graham
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Game 3 | Ohio State at GCU
Date: Feb. 25 | Time: 9:00 PM ET
Probable Starters:
Ohio State: RHP Josh Timmerman
GCU: LHP Connor Markl
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Game 4 | Ohio State vs. Gonzaga
Date: Feb. 26 | Time: 2:00 PM ET
Probable Starters:
Ohio State: LHP Gavin Bruni
Gonzaga: TBD
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Buckeyes (2-2) head to Phoenix, Ariz. for four games; they will play against Grand Canyon (2-2) on Feb. 23 and 25 and against Gonzaga (0-4) on Feb. 24 and 26. All four games will be played at Brazell Field and GCU Ballpark and both games against Grand Canyon can be streamed on ESPN+.
Last Time Out
- The Buckeyes split a four-game series with Big East favorite UCONN last weekend.
- OSU took game one, 3-0, for head coach Bill Mosiello’s first victory as a collegiate head coach.
- Isaiah Coupet (1-0) tossed a phenomenal game, throwing 6.0 scoreless innings and carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He fanned nine and gave up just one hit and one walk.
- The Huskies took game two, 9-6, and game three, 8-6, but Ohio State bounced back with a hot-hitting performance to win the series finale, 10-5.
- The Buckeyes totaled 13 hits in game four, their most of the season so far. Starter Gavin Bruni struck out six in a 3.1-inning no-decision. Jonah Jenkins (1-0) earned the win in his Ohio State debut; he fanned four and gave up just one hit and one walk in 4.2 scoreless innings.
- Nick Erwin had a phenomenal return to the diamond, batting a team-best .538. He led the Buckeyes in hits with seven and in RBIs with six. He hit two doubles and one solo homer and had an on-base percentage of .556 over the series.
Ohio State Quick Hitters
- The Buckeyes return 20 players from last season’s squad and have welcomed 18 new players.
- Junior southpaw Isaiah Coupet is expected to return to the Buckeyes’ starting rotation in 2023. In 2022, Coupet fanned 98 batters in 64.2 innings pitched, finishing the season with a 5-5 record and a 5.71 ERA. Coupet earned 2023 Perfect Game Preseason All-Big Ten Team honors and was also named to D1Baseball’s list of Top 200 Starting Pitchers and was also named the No. 12 2023 Prospect in the Big Ten by D1Baseball.
- New on the mound for the Bucks will be junior righty Justin Eckhardt. Eckhardt, a transfer from the University of Texas, made 11 appearances and five starts for the Longhorns in 2022. He struck out 23 in 25.1 innings pitched. Eckhardt is projected as the Big Ten’s No. 30 2023 prospect by D1Baseball.
- Left-hander Gavin Bruni enters his sophomore season after a solid rookie campaign in 2022; he appeared in eight games and started three. Bruni fanned 13 in 9.2 innings pitched. He is projected by D1Baseball to be the Big Ten’s No. 8 2024 prospect.
- Freshman southpaw Landon Beidelschies, who was named as one of the Big Ten’s impact freshmen by D1Baseball, is anticipated to be one of the Buckeyes’ top relief pitchers. Beidelschies, who attended Canfield High School, tossed three no-hitters and one perfect game in 2022. He finished 2022 with 87 strikeouts, a 1.47 ERA and held opponents to a .107 batting average.
- Four new catchers have joined the Buckeyes’ roster for 2023; Cole Andrews, Matthew Graveline, Mason Sawyer and Alonzo Paul Jr.
- Andrews is a graduate transfer from Miami (OH). Last season with the Redhawks, he hit .291 with 19 doubles, two triples, nine homeruns and 53 RBIs. He recorded multiple hits in 19 games.
- Freshman Graveline from Centerville, Ohio batted .421 in his senior season of high school and had a .488 on-base percentage. He had 32 hits, including nine doubles, three triples and one homerun, and swiped 12 bags.
- 2022’s lead-off hitter Marcus Ernst has returned for a fifth season. Last season, Ernst led the Buckeyes at the plate with a .337 average, 67 hits and a .441 on-base percentage. Ernst also led the team in multi-hit games with 22. He started in all 51 games as the team’s primary third baseman, but also made starts at first base, shortstop and left field. He was a Third Team All-Big Ten selection at the conclusion of the season.
- Freshman Henry Kaczmar is expected to get the nod at shortstop. In his senior season at Walsh Jesuit, Kaczmar batted .357 with 35 hits, including five homeruns, 29 RBIs, 29 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. He was one of the MVPs of his team which went 25-6 overall and advanced to the Division I Regional Finals. Kaczmar was selected as one of D1Baseball’s Big Ten Impact Freshmen.
- Kade Kern, a Third Team All-Big Ten honoree following the 2022 season, started 46 of his 49 games played in 2022 in center field. He was one of the Big Ten’s top hitters, batting .298 with 57 hits, including 15 doubles, one triple and nine homeruns, 29 runs scored, 49 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He was named to the 2023 Perfect Game Preseason All-Big Ten Team, was named to D1Baseball’s Top 150 Outfielders list and is the projected No. 10 2023 Big Ten prospect by D1Baseball.
- Trey Lipsey, a Preseason Perfect Game All-Big Ten honoree, played and started in 50 games in left field during the 2022 season. He batted .293 with seven homeruns, 26 RBIs, 37 runs and a team-high 14 stolen bases. He also played errorless defense. Lipsey was named to D1Baseball’s Top 150 Outfielders list and is projected by D1Baseball as the Big Ten’s No. 5 2024 prospect.
- Senior Mitchell Okuley played and started in 49 games in right field in 2022. Okuley batted .287 on the season with five doubles and eight homeruns and added 30 RBIs and 37 runs scored. Okuley had a hot streak to close out the season; he hit in 20 of the final 28 games of the season and had eight multi-hit games in that span.
The Opponents
- Grand Canyon is 2-2 to open the 2023 season, earning a 12-4 victory over UC San Diego and a 4-3 upset win over No. 2 Tennessee. GCU fell to Michigan, 6-4, and Michigan State, 7-1.
- Grand Canyon head coach Gregg Wallis was briefly an assistant at Ohio State before heading back to Phoenix to take the GCU job. Wallis and Ohio State head coach Bill Mosiello are close friends.
- Grand Canyon went 41-21 in 2022 and advanced to the NCAA Regionals, where the Lopes fell to No. 23 Arkansas and Missouri State.
- Gonzaga is 0-4 to start off the 2023 season, dropping all four games in a series with No. 24 Texas Tech.
- The Zags went 37-19 in 2022 and advanced to the NCAA Blacksburg Regional. They fell to Columbia, before defeating Wright State, and were defeated by Columbia a second time to be eliminated from the tournament.
Up Next
- Ohio State will face Mississippi State, Cal and Oklahoma as part of the Frisco Classic in Texas March 3-5.
#GoBucks
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