Ohio State Travels to Nashville for Three at Lipscomb
2/27/2020 1:07:59 PM | Baseball
ADDITIONAL INFO
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team travels to Nashville for a three-game series at Lipscomb starting Friday at Dugan Field. The Buckeyes and Bisons are set to square off at 3:05 p.m. ET Friday and Saturday before a 2:05 p.m. first pitch Sunday.
All three games will be streamed on YouTube with live stats available on the schedule page at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
LEADING OFF
- Big Ten Tournament champions and NCAA Nashville Regional participants a season ago, the Buckeyes return 20 letterwinners, including six starting position players and all three weekend starters, to go along with 15 newcomers.
- Ohio State is led by 10th-year head coach Greg Beals. He is 299-234-1 overall at Ohio State and holds a 542-436-1 career coaching record. Beals has guided the team to NCAA Regional appearances in three of the last four years.
- The Scarlet and Gray will open the 2020 season with 14-straight road games. The Buckeyes will play in the state of Florida twice and will also visit Georgia and Tennessee.
- Ohio State returns all three weekend starters from last season in Garrett Burhenn, Seth Lonsway and Griffan Smith. The trio combined for 280 innings pitched in 2019.
WEEKEND STARTERS
Fri. – OSU RHP Garrett Burhenn (0-2, 15.75 ERA) vs. Lipscomb RHP Scott Elgin (0-0, 11.37 ERA)
Sat. – OSU LHP Seth Lonsway (1-1, 1.64) vs. Lipscomb LHP Max Habegger (1-0, 1.00)
Sun. – OSU LHP Griffan Smith (0-1, 7.75) vs. Lipscomb RHP Dylan Bierman (1-0, 4.00)
LONSWAY SOLID THROUGH TWO STARTS
Through two starts, Buckeye redshirt sophomore Seth Lonsway has struck out 24 batters, a figure that leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally. His 19.64 strikeouts per nine innings also rank third in the country. The left-hander has allowed just two earned runs on four hits with six walks through 11.0 innings for a 1.64 earned-run average. Opposing hitters are batting just .111 off the Celina, Ohio, native.
BUCKEYE STAFF TOPS NATIONALLY IN STRIKEOUTS PER NINE
As a staff, the Buckeye arms have been best nationally in striking out opposing batters to the tune of 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings. The Ohio State staff has struck out 78 batters in 52.0 innings pitched.
BULLPEN ARMS SHINE
Three arms out of the bullpen have combined to toss 9.1 scoreless frames over five appearances. Sophomore right-hander TJ Brock has struck out six while allowing one unearned run on two hits with no walks over 3.2 innings. Sophomore left-hander Mitch Milheim has struck fanned five, while allowing two walks and a hit in 3.1 scoreless frames. Senior right-hander Joe Gahm has struck out five while allowing two unearned runs on two hits and a walk in 2.1 innings over a team-high four appearances.
SCOUTING THE BISONS
Lipscomb is 6-1 on the year, suffering a 7-3 setback to Samford last Sunday for its first loss of the season after rattling off six-consecutive wins. Senior infielder Haddon Adams leads the Bisons with a .360 average with two doubles, a home run, 11 runs scored and four runs scored. Junior left-hander Max Habegger leads the Lipscomb weekend arms, going 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 9.0 innings pitched over two starts.
The Buckeyes took two of three games in a series in Columbus a year ago, the first contests between the two schools.
CARPENTER, DINGLER NAMED CAPTAINS
Infielder Matt Carpenter and catcher Dillon Dingler were named captains of the 2020 Ohio State baseball team, head coach Greg Beals announced Jan. 9. The captains, as selected by their teammates, have combined to appear in 169 career games.
TRIO OF BUCKEYES NAMED TO B1G PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
Juniors Dillon Dingler and sophomores Garrett Burhenn and Seth Lonsway were named to the Big Ten Preseason to Watch List, the conference office announced Feb. 12. The Buckeyes were picked to finish second in the Big Ten. Michigan was the league’s preseason favorite followed by the Buckeyes, Minnesota, Nebraska and Illinois.
UNDER BEALS
10th-year head coach Greg Beals is the 11th head coach in Ohio State history and the fourth in the last 60 years. In his 18th year as a collegiate head coach, he is 542-436-1 all-time and 299-234-1 at the helm of the Buckeyes.
THE COACHING AND SUPPORT STAFF
Greg Beals is assisted by assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Matt Angle, pitching coach Dan DeLucia, volunteer assistant coach Kirby Pellant and director of pitching development Brad Goldberg. Angle is in his second season as assistant coach and sixth overall on the Buckeye staff while DeLucia is in his first season as pitching coach after six as volunteer assistant coach. Pellant is in his first season as volunteer assistant but has been with the program as a staff member since 2015 and Goldberg is in his first season as director of pitching development. Supporting the coaching staff is director of operations Blair Everhart, strength and conditioning coach Dean Hansen and athletic trainer Paul Dawson.
UP NEXT
Ohio State hits the road for five games in the Sunshine State next week. The Buckeyes take on Stetson, Harvard and Fairfield in DeLand, Fla., over the weekend before traveling to North Florida for games Tuesday and Wednesday in Jacksonville, Fla.
