Buckeyes Host B1G Series This Weekend vs. Rutgers
4/6/2023 12:35:43 PM | Softball
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – It’s back to Big Ten play this weekend for the Ohio State softball team, as the Buckeyes host Rutgers for a three-game series beginning on Friday evening at 6 p.m. The two teams get together again on Saturday at 2 p.m. and then conclude the series with a noon game on Sunday.
All three games this weekend will be carried live on BTN+ (subscription required). A link to live stats will also be available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com and Twitter updates can be found at @OhioStateSB.
The Basics
Rutgers at Ohio State // Friday, April 7 // 6 p.m. // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live (BTN+) // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Rutgers at Ohio State // Saturday, April 8 // 2 p.m. // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live (BTN+) // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Rutgers at Ohio State // Sunday, April 9 // Noon // Buckeye Field; Columbus, Ohio
Watch Live (BTN+) // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Weekend Promotions
- Friday is Ohio State’s annual Military Appreciation game.
- Saturday, fans sixth grade and under can run the bases postgame.
- For Easter on Sunday, a postgame Easter egg hunt is planned.
- CLICK HERE for a full schedule of promotions this season at Buckeye Field.
Briefly on the Buckeyes
- Ohio State enters the weekend with a 21-12 overall record and 2-4 mark in Big Ten play.
- The Buckeyes opened conference play with a series win over Michigan, taking two of three games against the Wolverines in Columbus.
- Last weekend, Ohio State suffered three setbacks at Indiana and then dropped a 1-0 nine-inning game against Ohio on Tuesday.
- Seven of Ohio State’s nine everyday starters are batting .300 or better this season.
- As a team, the Buckeyes’ .314 overall average is third-best in the Big Ten.
- With a .423 average, sophomore Melina Wilkison ranks third in the league in hitting, fourth in OPS (1.236), 11th in RBI (30) and sixth in runs scored (30).
- Sophomore Kami Kortokrax (.343), sophomore Kaitlyn Farley (.342), senior Sam Hackenbracht (.333), senior Mariah Rodriguez (.330), senior Jaycee Ruberti (.313) and junior Destinee Noury (.303) are the other Buckeyes north of .300.
- In the circle, Allison Smith’s 140 strikeouts ranks second in the Big Ten and is 20 behind Autumn Pease of Minnesota.
- Smith is 11-7 with a 2.78 ERA and nine complete games.
- Classmate Emily Ruck has pitched 61.1 innings this season with six complete games, two shutouts and a perfect game to her credit.
Scouting Rutgers
- Rutgers is 29-12 coming into the weekend with a 6-2 record in Big Ten play following a doubleheader sweep of Maryland on Wednesday.
- The Scarlet Knights started conference play with a three-game sweep at Illinois and then dropped two of three games at home versus Purdue last weekend before getting back on track Wednesday vs. Maryland.
- At the plate, Katie Winget leads the Big Ten with 14 doubles and has also driven in 35 runs. She’s batting .324.
- Raimy Gamsby leads the pitching staff in innings (88.1), wins (eight), strikeouts (66) and complete games (four).
- Head coach Kristen Butler is in her fifth season at Rutgers after spending four years at Toledo. She collected her 100th win at Rutgers on Wednesday.
History vs. Rutgers
- Since Ohio State and Rutgers started playing regularly in 2015, the Buckeyes own a 17-3 record against the Scarlet Knights.
- The two teams last played in 2021, when the Buckeyes won three of four games in Columbus vs. Rutgers as part of a Big Ten-only schedule.
- They had previously 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).
- Last season was the first time since 2015 that the two teams did not meet each other.
Buckeye That and That
- Melina Wilkson has reached base in a team-high 25 consecutive games and is also on a six-game hitting streak.
- She’s been the Buckeyes’ best hitter with runners in scoring position this year, posting a .417 average with 15 hits in 36 at-bats.
- Her 13 two-out RBI is also tops of the team.
- The Buckeyes are averaging 7.2 runs per game over their last 10 games and are batting .337 as a team with 39 extra base hits.
- The hottest bat in that stretch has come from Sam Hackenbracht, who is hitting .486 with three home runs and 15 RBI.
- Her 33 home runs are the seventh most in program history. She also collected her 100th career RBI last weekend at Indiana.
- In six Big Ten games, Hackenbracht also leads the team with a .524 average. Wilkson has Ohio State’s best slugging percentage at 1.167 and has scored a team-high 11 runs.
For More Info
- For the latest news and schedule updates, fans should follow Ohio State softball on Twitter at @OhioStateSB and on Facebook at facebook.com/OhioStateSoftball
- The Buckeyes are also on Instagram at @OhioStateSB
