Regular Season Concludes This Weekend at Nebraska
5/4/2023 3:46:00 PM | Softball
2023 Roster // 2023 Schedule // Follow on Twitter // Follow on Facebook // Season Stats
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The final weekend of the 2023 regular season is upon Ohio State and it includes a trip west to Lincoln, Neb. for three games against the Cornhuskers. The series gets underway on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET) and continues on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT (noon ET). The finale is set for Sunday at noon CT (11 a.m. ET).
All three games this weekend will be streamed live on BTN+. Live stats will also be available on the schedule page of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
The Basics
Ohio State at Nebraska // Friday, May 5 // 5:30 p.m. CT // Bowlin Stadium; Lincoln, Neb.
Watch Live: BTN+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Ohio State at Nebraska // Saturday, May 6 // 1 p.m. CT // Bowlin Stadium; Lincoln, Neb.
Watch Live: BTN+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Ohio State at Nebraska // Sunday, May 7 // Noon CT // Bowlin Stadium; Lincoln, Neb.
Watch Live: BTN+ // Live Stats // Twitter Updates
Briefly on the Buckeyes
- Ohio State enters the weekend with a 30-18 overall record and 10-10 mark in Big Ten play.
- Despite dropping three games last weekend to Minnesota, Ohio State has won five of its last 10 games.
- The Buckeyes have also reached the 30-win mark for the 10th consecutive "full" season (2020 excluded due to COVID and 2021 due to Big Ten-only schedule).
- Ohio State is powered offensively by a group of six players who are batting over .300. As a team, the Buckeyes' .310 average is second only to Indiana (.321) and Nebraska (.311) in the conference.
- Melina Wilkison continues to be one of the Big Ten's best all-around players. She ranks in the top 10 in the conference in batting average (.394), runs scored (49), RBI (44), home runs (11) and slugging percentage (.769).
- Senior Sam Hackenbracht has also rounded into form and is now hitting .354 with 31 RBI, a .577 slugging percentage, six home runs and nine doubles.
- Other .300+ hitters are Mariah Rodriguez (.336), Jaycee Ruberti (.333), Kami Kortokrax (.321) and Kaitlyn Farley (.303).
- Fifth-year senior Meggie Otte is enjoying the best season of her career with a .290 batting average, 31 RBI, 17 extra base hits and a .490 slugging percentage.
- The pitching staff is led by 16-game winner Allison Smith, who has 194 strikeouts this season (third-most in the Big Ten) and a 3.08 ERA.
History Against the Cornhuskers
- Ohio State and Nebraska played four times last season: three times during the regular season and against in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament.
- The Buckeyes won two of three games against Nebraska in a regular season series at Buckeye Field, including a walk-off victory in the second game.
- Nebraska edged Ohio State 2-1 in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals – also on a walk-off – and went on to the win the championship the next day against Michigan.
- The two teams have met 23 times previously with Nebraska having won 15 of those games.
- The trip this weekend to Lincoln, Neb. will be Ohio State's first since 2014. The Buckeyes played at Bowlin Stadium for the 2013 Big Ten Tournament and for a three-game series during the 2014 season.
Scouting Nebraska
- The Cornhuskers stand in fourth place in the Big Ten standings with a 12-8 record and 32-17 mark overall.
- Like Ohio State, Nebraska's strength is its offense. The Cornhuskers are batting .311 as a team with five starters at .300 or better.
- Billie Andrews is the team's best power hitter, checking in with a .689 slugging percentage, 14 home runs and 26 RBI.
- In the circle, Courtney Wallace is 21-11 on the season with a 3.47 ERA in 183.1 innings with 119 strikeouts.
Numbers To Know
- 39: Melina Wilkison had a 39-game reached base streak snapped last Sunday. It was the second-longest streak in the last 11 seasons. In 2015, Caitlin Conrad reached base in 41 consecutive games.
- 397: Junior pitcher Allison Smith is just three strikeouts away from 400 in her career. When she hits that milestone, she'll be the seventh pitcher in school history to do so.
- 194: Additionally, Smith is on pace to become just the sixth pitcher in school history to reach 200 strikeouts in a season. She enters this weekend with 194 in 168.1 innings.
- 38: Sophomore middle infielder Kami Kortokrax (shortstop) and Kaitlyn Farley (second base), who started a combined 92 games during the rookie seasons last year, have both increased their respective batting averages by 38 points so far this season. Kortokrax is hitting .321 while Farley is at .303.
- .438: In 20 Big Ten games, Sam Hackenbracht has a .438 average with 22 RBI, 13 extra base hits and a 1.306 OPS.
- .400: Jaycee Ruberti hit .400 last weekend vs. Minnesota with a 3-for-4 showing on Saturday that included an RBI triple. The fifth-year senior is batting .333 on the season, the highest mark of her career.
What's Next
- The 2023 Big Ten Tournament takes place May 10-13 at Eichelberger Field on the campus of the University of Illinois.
- Seeds one through four receive a first-round bye, while five through 12 play in the opening round on Wednesday, May 10.
- The quarterfinals will be played on May 11, the semifinals on May 12 and the championship game is slated for Saturday, May 13.
- All 11 games of the tournament will air live on BTN.
