A look at what those around the college baseball world had to say about Wimmer's no-no.... also, though Alex was on the mound and most of the attention and deservingly so will go to him, his defense in the field helped him and he could not have done it, as he alludes to. Shortstop Tyler Engle made an incredible stop on a sharply hit ball up the middle to record a fielders choice. Second baseman Cory Kovanda made a diving catch to end the 7th or a screaming liner. Wimmers' battery mate, Bukrhart threw out 3 Wolverines on the bases negating 4 of Wimmers walks.
Yahoo Sports/Rivals College Baseball:
Kendall Rogers
Ohio State is in the hunt for a regional in Columbus, and that makes every series ahead important. But it goes without saying that the Michigan series this weekend holds a little more weight for the Buckeyes. It was a great day for Ohio State sophomore right-handed pitcher Alex Wimmers, who tossed the program’s ninth no-hitter in a 6-0 win over the Wolverines in Game 1. Wimmers struck out 14 and walked four on the way to his eighth victory. For the season, Wimmers is 8-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 80 2/3 innings. He also has struck out 103 and walked 40, while teams are hitting him at a .193 clip. The Bucks capped off the day with a 9-6 triumph over the Wolverines in the nightcap.
Baseball America
Aaron Fitt
Strike Three: Golden Spikes Spotlight on Alex Wimmers
Ohio State pitching coach Eric Parker said last week that Buckeyes sophomore righthander Alex Wimmers can be dominant when he commands all three of his pitches.
Wimmers made Parker look like a wise man Friday. Effectively mixing his 88-91 mph fastball, quality curveball and changeup, Wimmers fired the first nine-inning no-hitter in Ohio State history in a 6-0 win against rival Michigan.
“Wimmers had command of all three of his pitches,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said afterward. “He did not give in to their hitters. There’s a method to his madness and he simply was not going to give in to the hitters.”
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Wimmers ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Valley League last summer, when his fastball velocity often sat in the 91-93 range. He worked exclusively in relief as a freshman last spring, but Parker said the key to his emergence as OSU’s ace has been the development of his changeup as a viable third pitch. He also has learned how to win even when he does not have all three pitches going, thanks to his aggressiveness and savvy.
“I go out with an attitude of how I want to pitch and then I’ll throw any pitch in any count,” Wimmers said after the game. “Emotions took over right after the game. It still hasn’t hit me yet, but some day it will.”
Shortstop Tyler Engle preserved the no-hitter with a brilliant defensive play in the eighth inning. Engle ranged deep to his left to make a diving stop on Kenny Fellows’ grounder up the middle. Engle then shoveled the ball to a waiting second baseman Cory Kovanda to get the force out.
“I knew the no-hitter was at stake,” Engle said. “I gave the play all I had. All I was thinking about was to get one out to avoid the play going for a hit. I was hoping Kovanda would be in the area and he was standing on the bag when I looked up.”
The win against Wolverines ace righty Chris Fetter propelled the Buckeyes to a doubleheader sweep against their rivals Friday. They won two of three in the series and are now trail first-place Illinois by a game in the Big Ten heading into next weekend’s showdown between the two teams.
Wimmers, who also has recorded dominating wins this season against Miami, Notre Dame and Indiana, finished with 14 strikeouts and four walks in his 133-pitch outing. It was his sixth double-digit strikeout game this season, giving him a conference-leading 103 whiffs on the season. He also struck out 14 in a complete-game shutout against Indiana on March 20. Wimmers improved to 8-1, 2.79 with 40 walks and 55 hits allowed in 81 innings. He now has four complete games—none more memorable than his masterpiece in Friday’s marquee mound matchup.
College Baseball Today
Eric Sorenson
Three Up
1- Alex Wimmers and Ohio State
Not only did the Buckeyes get the zero-hitter by Wimmers today, they also took game two of the rain-forced double-header with a 9-6 win over Michigan in game two. In that game Dean Wolosiansky picked up win No. 10 on the season (yes, Wimmers isn’t even the winningest pitcher on the team) and Jake Hale picked up his 11th save of the season.
Awards
Big Ten Pitcher of the Week
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Alex Wimmers, Ohio State
So., RHP, Cincinnati, Ohio/Archbishop Moeller
Wimmers recorded the Big Ten’s second no-hitter of the season and the first nine-inning no-no in Ohio State school history by blanking Michigan in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Saturday. The sophomore registered 14 strikeouts in the outing, marking his sixth performance with double-digit Ks this season. The right-hander walked four batters in the game, but faced just one over the minimum as catcher Dan Burkhart, Wimmers’ grade-school and high-school teammate and friend, gunned down three would-be base-stealers. The performance gives Wimmers a Big Ten-leading 103 strikeouts on the season, making him just the ninth Buckeye in program history to top 100 Ks in a year. In addition to leading the conference in strikeouts, Wimmers also paces the Big Ten in opponents’ batting average (.193) and ranks among the conference’s best in ERA (2.71) innings pitched (80.2) and wins (8). Wimmers earns his fourth Pitcher of the Week accolade this season, while the honor is the sixth this year for the Ohio State pitching staff.
Wimmers was also named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week for the second time this season.
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