In the four-game series this weekend vs. Illinois, Ohio State is celebrating 125 years of Ohio State baseball that will feature two legendary coaches being honored for their accomplishments.
Marty Karow, Ohio State skipper from 1951 until 1976, led the Buckeyes to four College World Series, winning the national title in 1966. He will have his jersey – No. 13 – officially retired by the athletics department in a ceremony between doubleheader games Saturday.
Bob Todd, the winningest coach in Ohio State history with more than 800 wins in his 21 seasons as Ohio State coach, will be honored before the Friday game on his induction into the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame (which will officially take place in January at the ABCA Convention).
Karow, who won a then-record 479 Ohio State games, will be only the third individual to have his jersey retired. Fred Taylor, Ohio State’s first baseball All-American, had his No. 27 retired in 2003. Steve Arlin, the great Ohio State pitcher who led the Buckeyes to back-to-back College World Series and to the 1966 CWS championship, had his jersey No. 22 retired in 2005. Karow’s jersey will be retired 33 years to the date of his last home game as coach: a 1-0 win over Michigan May 10, 1975. He passed away in 1986, three months shy of his 82nd birthday.
Todd, who has 947 career victories in this, his 25th season as a collegiate head coach, has guided Ohio State to six of its 14 Big Ten Conference championships and he has also led the team to a Big Ten record eight Big Ten tournament titles. In addition, he has led the team into 12 NCAA tournaments. Todd has done more than win championships at Ohio State , though. He was the driving force behind the fund raising efforts and the building of the majestic Bill Davis Stadium.
“The Ohio State Department of Athletics is thrilled to honor the legacy of Marty Karow by retiring his jersey,” Gene Smith, Director of Athletics, said, “and we are most proud of the lasting achievements of coach Bob Todd that have enabled him to attain the highest coaching honor possible: being enshrined into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.”
The Illinois weekend will also be an opportunity to celebrate the current student-athletes as well as the past accomplishments of those before them. Among the efforts planned for the weekend:
Ohio State ’s baseball captains – 151 different individuals have served as captain over the years including this year’s captains, Dan DeLucia and Justin Miller – will have their annual captain’s breakfast Sunday morning.
This year’s four seniors – Dan DeLucia, Tony Kennedy, Chris Macke and Rory Meister – will be honored on the field prior to the 1:05 p.m. Sunday game.
In conjunction with the Diamond Club, the baseball program’s booster organization, a BBQ picnic will take place on Saturday and will be open to the public for a minimal charge with all proceeds benefiting the baseball program. For more information about joining the Buckeye Diamond Club, email BuckeyeDiamondClub@hotmail.com.
A display of past Ohio State baseball trophies, including Big Ten Conference championship trophies and the 1966 College World Series trophy, will be assembled at Bill Davis Stadium throughout the weekend.
From OhioStateBuckeyes.com
2 comments:
In case this response to Rocky's May 4th post isn't viewed with the original I'll post it here and there. My response to his comments are in CAPS (not intending to break etiquette ... just want them to be easy to pick up)
05
Michigan and OSU tied for 4th. OSU won the auto-bid.
AUTO BID ... HMMM ... I BELIEVE THAT ACTUALLY THAT'S WHAT'S KNOWN AS A TOURNAMAENT CHAMPIONSHIP. THATS ALL THAT MATTERS. 'WINNING' THE REGULAR SEASON GETS YOU NOTHING MORE THAN A SELF INDULGENT 'CHAMPIONSHIP' IN YOUR PRESS GUIDE. JUST ASK THE ILLINI. THEY WON THE 'CHAMPIONSHIP' THAT YEAR AND DIDN'T GO TO THE NCAA'S. AS YOU WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE PROGRAM I PRESUME YOU WANT IT TO GO AS FAR AS IT CAN EACH YEAR ... THAT MEANS WINNING THE TOURNEY.. SO THAT YOUR SEASON CONTINUES ON THE NATIONAL STAGE (BTW I ENJOYED SEEING THE BUCKS HOST THE REGIONAL IN 'O3 EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T WIN THE CONFERENCE 'CHAMPIONSHIP' ... I LOOKED AND LOOKED BUT DIDN'T SEE MICHIGAN ANYWHERE ON THE FIELD)
Since then...
06
Michigan 1st
OSU 3rd
07
Michigan 1st
OSU 6th
OSU TOURNEY CHAMPS
08
Michigan 1st
OSU 6th WOW. CAN'T CALL THAT HINDSIGHT. YOU ALREADY GOT THEM SIXTH AND THE SEASON IS NOT EVEN OVER!!!
This also coincides with going a good 1-12 against them in the regular season,REGULAR SEASON. DID THE BUCKS HAVE ANY SUCCESS (i.e. TOURNAMENT) VS. THEM IN '02 / '03 ' 04 '05 ' 07?? I'M GUESSING THEY DID IN MOST OF THOSE YEARS. with a 15-0 spanking, that is in progress I SEEM TO RECALL YOUR RESPONDING TO MY "MICHIGAN IS SIMPLY BETTER" POST THAT DAY WITH A SCENARIO THAT THE BUCKS COULD WIN SUNDAY AND GET A SPLIT?!.
The Men's programs of Golf, Gymnastics, Tennis, Basketball, and Football have all won league championships since Baseball has. While Volleyball, Wrestling, Soccer, and Fencing are putting trophys in the case,(CHECK THE CASE AT ST. JOHN'S. I SAW HARDWARE FROM 'O2 /'03 / '05 / '07)coming off respective National Semifinal, Runner-up, Runner-up, and Championship finishes.
There is no reason to not expect the same level of excellence from the baseball program. WITH THAT LOGIC WHY STOP THERE? EVEN THOUGH MICHIGAN AND MICHIGAN STATE HAVE 2 OF THE BEST HOCKEY PROGRAMS IN THE COUNTRY OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS... BECAUSE WE HAVE A GREAT FENCING TEAM OUR HOCKEY TEAM SHOULD BEAT MICHIGAN AND MICHIGAN STATE EVERY YEAR ... TO DO LESS WOULD BE UNACCEPTABLE !!!!
Who said I was stopping at baseball? I'm very distraught and have been highly disappointed with the Men's Hockey team. Moreso them than baseball as I actually see the Hockey team on a daily basis, watch them practice, talk to Markell, and Casey quite a bit, and it is more than frustrating. If you think they're getting a free pass here, hardly. Hockey, Baseball, and T&F right now are clearly a notch below the other Men's programs. Now in the department they do not really have that high of a priority, so there isn't much pressue, and I solely focus on baseball since this is a baseball page.
You're misinturpeting the if they could split thought process. If they could have mustered a split against Michigan who you said was a much better team, why could they not perform better against lower caliber teams? It was a what if. You said Michigan was a much better team, after playing 3 pretty close games with a chance to split. My point was if they could play that way, there was no reason to struggle against some of the team we did earlier this season.
You point out how OSU does not win the championship in the regular season, but makes the NCAA on an auto-bid. That is great. However, you are not taking notice or realizing how a team can have a superb season, not win the tourney and receive and auto bid. For every time you mention OSU wins the auto bid, you could go back and look at how many seasons where there was another Big Ten team, with a much more impressive RPI, a better season, receives an at large bid, and guess what they're playing in the NCAA tourney was well.
"JUST ASK THE ILLINI. THEY WON THE 'CHAMPIONSHIP' THAT YEAR AND DIDN'T GO TO THE NCAA'S."
Illinois did not have a good season as a whole. This is only the second time in the past 9 seasons, where the champion had a "bad" year. 02 with Minnesota was the other, in both cases the champion had an RPI in the mid-80s, they just didn't deserve to make it. I previously forgot to mention when Michigan and OSU tied for 4th in 05, Michigan still made the NCAA tourney... more on that later.
OSU won the auto in 07, Michigan, and Minnesota receives at large. Minn, and OSU went 1-2 in the first round. Michigan went to SRs. You state "AS YOU WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE PROGRAM I PRESUME YOU WANT IT TO GO AS FAR AS IT CAN EACH YEAR ..."
So who had the better season? Michigan with no auto bid, recieved an at large based off of a dominant season, or OSU who went .500 in league play, struggled against weaker teams, did not have many impressive wins, but did win the auto?
"(BTW I ENJOYED SEEING THE BUCKS HOST THE REGIONAL IN 'O3 EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T WIN THE CONFERENCE 'CHAMPIONSHIP' ... I LOOKED AND LOOKED BUT DIDN'T SEE MICHIGAN ANYWHERE ON THE FIELD)
Since then..." The conference Champions that year was Minnesota not Michigan, and they received a #2 seed in their Regional, it would have been impossible to watch OSU host, as they did not.. they traveled to Aurburn.
The huge problem is in the time that Mahoney has been hired, his program keeps getting better, and for us, we're stuck in neutral.
The rest of the results in the past 9 seasons...
06
Nothing. Michigan won both.
05
OSU wins auto bid. Michigan goes 42-19, RPI 48, both finish 4th in league but Michigan receives an at-large on its impressive season as previously mentioned.
04 Nothing. Minnesota won both.
03 OSU receives auto-bid. Minnesota who wins the regular season championship, RPI of 34, gets an at-large off of an impressive season.
02 OSU recieves the auto, RPI of 85. Minnesota was best at 83. 1 bid year.
01 OSU won auto bid and regular season. Minnesota receives at-large
00 OSU won auto bid, Penn State, Illinois and Minnesota, champion, receive at-large bids. PSU RPI 34, Illinois RPI 48, Minnesota RPI 45.
99 OSU wins championship. Michigan recieves the auto bid. Minnesota and OSU receive at large bids, OSU RPI 16, Minnesota RPI 31. (OSU hosts a SR)
7 of the 9 seasons, save 02, 05, the regular season champions made the NCAA tourney, regardless of Big Ten tourney results. Every season, but 02, the Big Ten team that had the best season as a whole, made the NCAA. Knowing this I cannot see why it is wrong to not be content with 4/6 auto bids. This is why you should want OSU to do the best they can, have a dominant regular season, and not hope for an auto bid. Leave no doubt, beat quality teams, have a sub 50-RPI, and get in regardless. 4/6 is impressive, but as shown in 04, 06, you can't rely on it. However, in all but 1 season, it has been shown if you put together a impressive you will get in, and more times than not, the team with the greater season will win the Big Ten regular season championship.
I walk pass the case in St. John everyday (except the 07 is not in there). I see the hardware, but in this case I was referring to a national scale... kinda why I mentioned "coming off respective National Semifinal, Runner-up, Runner-up, and Championship finishes." Sorry you didn't comprehend that. And as you previously mentioned.."AS YOU WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR THE PROGRAM I PRESUME YOU WANT IT TO GO AS FAR AS IT CAN EACH YEAR" those NCAA hardware are just a tad more meaningful than a Big Ten Tourney trophey right?
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