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Friday, October 2, 2009

Rivals.com/Yahoo Sports: Big Ten Fall Preview

Big Ten teams ready to take next step

Kendall Rogers-

Ohio State and Minnesota seem to think so.

The Buckeyes made a statement last season by reaching the Tallahassee Regional title game against Florida State. They enter fall workouts with much confidence with the return of ace pitcher Alex Wimmers and a crop of leading hitters.

Minnesota also returns several key players and has Omaha aspirations entering the fall.

Michigan hopes to rebound this fall and Indiana would love to build off its surprising regional appearance last season. There’s also Michigan State, which made a bold statement in its first season with coach Jake Boss leading the way.

Ohio State

Biggest loss. P Jake Hale

What to watch. The Buckeyes headline the list of northern programs that have the best chance to reach the CWS. The Bucks reached the title game of the Tallahassee Regional last season and return almost every key player this fall. OSU hit .328 last season and welcomes back Ryan Dew, Dan Burkhart, Zach Hurley, Michael Stephens, Cory Kovanda and Matt Streng. On the mound, the Bucks welcome back ace pitcher Alex Wimmers in addition to Dean Wolosiansky, Eric Best and Drew Rucinski. Offense isn’t a question mark this fall, but the pitching staff must find a way to improve. The Bucks have a chance to get to Omaha if their pitching improves.


The rest of the Big Ten

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