Ohio State Opens Season With Win

The Buckeyes downed Arkansas State 7-3 (box score) Friday in the season opener for both teams. Ohio State also opened with an 8-6 victory over James Madison to start the 2007 season. The Buckeye Nine has won three of the last four season openers going back to 2005 when the team beat Middle Tennessee. The lone blemish was a 6-2 setback against Wake Forest in 2006.

Friday saw the return of senior Dan DeLucia, who came back from Tommy John surgery in just 10 months. It typically takes a year to come back from the surgery but anyone who knows Dan knows about his intense work ethic. Friday's game marked the third opening-day start for DeLucia, the Buckeyes' only three-time captain. He faced 17 batters in 4.0 innings and finsihed with just two strikeouts, but did not walk a batter while allowing one run on five hits (only one for extra bases).

Dan's brother Brian had a perfect day at the plate in going 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. The third baseman doubled in the second inning and got singles in the forth and seventh innings before homering in his final at bat in the eighth inning. Centerfielder J.B. Shuck finished 3-for-5 and scored twice while freshman DH Ryan Meade added two hits.

In early season fashion, Ohio State had to overcome three errors, but out hit Arkansas State 13-10 in the nine-inning affair. Hopefully the weather will hold the rest of the week. The high Saturday should be 47 and climb to 52 for Sunday under partly cloudy skies.

Coach Bob Todd, who is in his 21st season at the helm of the Buckeyes, watched from the dugout recovering from double knee replacement surgery in late fall. I am sure Bill Wells and Pete Houck were joking about six more weeks of winter if assistant coach Greg Cypret saw his shadow when he stepped out of the dugout and into the third-base coaches box.

Ohio State will play Memphis Saturday and Seton Hall on Sunday.