Finally, the Home Opener

No doubt, Wednesday, March 26, has been on your calendar since the Buckeyes released their baseball schedule in November. That is the date of Ohio State's home opener. This year, they take on Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. to usher in the 12th season of Bill Davis Stadium. After 15 road or neutral-site games, the Bucks are finally back at "the Bill."

This is the last game the Buckeyes play without radio, but in addition to live stats via Gamewatcher, Buckeye Vision will have the game (subscription also includes Internet audio broadcasts at ohiostatebuckeyes.com).

Against Pitt: Ohio State State leads the all-time series with Pitt by a 15-1 count. The Buckeyes won the first 15 games in the series. Pitt stopped the streak in 2006 with a 7-3 win at Bill Davis Stadium. The two teams first played in 1942 and had a total of 12 meetings between then and 1968. There was a 30-year pause in the series until the teams met in 1998 (a 5-3 Ohio State win).

Scouting the Panthers: Pittsburgh exceeded everyone’s expectations, according to the school's web site, in 2007 by placing fourth in the Big East during the regular season. The team was 27-27 overall and 15-12 in the Big East.

Noting the Panthers...
• Sean Conley has been the team’s offensive leader early on, with .364 average, six home runs and 26 RBI through the team’s first 17 games.
• Jordan Herr and Danny Lopez also sport nice averages at .380 and .301, respectively.
• Herr, Joe Leonard and Lopez are double-digit RBI men with 14, 14 and 13, respectively.
• The pitching staff has a 5.85 team ERA.
• Brian Chrisman leads the starters with a 3-2 mark and a 3.58 ERA.
• Rob Brant has a 5.53 ERA. He and Nate Reed join Chrisman as inning eaters: they’ve pitched 27.2 and 18.1 innings through the team’s first 17 games, respectively.

Pitt notes from ohiostatebuckeyes.com.