Ohio State Jr. RHP Alex Wimmers becomes the first Big Ten pitcher ever to be name Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back seasons as the Cincinnati native received the 2010 honor announced today by the Big Ten.
Though the Moeller product missed three starts with a left hamstring injury, Wimmers still led the Big Ten with a 1.60 ERA and .218 opponents batting average against. Wimmers struck out 86 over 73 innings in going 9-0 in 10 starts.
Joining Wimmers in receiving 1st team All-Big Ten honors is Zach Hurley. Ryan Dew received 2nd team honors at DH, while Michael Stephens picked up a 3rd team selection.
More on the Big Ten honors and these four later.
Showing posts with label Ryan Dew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Dew. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Buckeyes' Season Over
Not much to say, well there is but you get the point.
While I'm feeling a lot better, I still have a lingering cough and wasn't able to take in any of the final three games this weekend.
I'll be back running tomorrow, knock on wood, and will go deeper into my thoughts on the season, and who knows what else.
But for now congrats to the eight student-athletes who ended their careers today with the 9-6 win over Minnesota.
While I'm feeling a lot better, I still have a lingering cough and wasn't able to take in any of the final three games this weekend.
I'll be back running tomorrow, knock on wood, and will go deeper into my thoughts on the season, and who knows what else.
But for now congrats to the eight student-athletes who ended their careers today with the 9-6 win over Minnesota.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Eye Gouging
It's hard to say who is having a rougher spring. the Buckeye Nine on the field, or the Buckeye Nine blog.
While the Buckeyes fell in another weekend series, this time to the Hawkeyes, I was dealing with my own eye issue. Contrary to what you might think, the product on the field isn't quite bad enough to pull your eyes out, but apparently to my body it is bad enough to go ahead and get infections in both eyes.
With that I'm unable to recap what occurred this weekend as I continue to recover.
On the good side Jared Strayer continued to do well while Michael Stephens, Zach Hurley, and Ryan Dew had great weekends from the plate.
On the bad side, the Buckeyes are now in a 4-way tie for 5th, meaning they're dangerously close to missing the six-team Big Ten Tournament.
The Buckeyes welcome Pittsburgh tomorrow before wrapping up the regular season with a Thursday-Saturday series against Big Ten leading Minnesota.
While it is nearly impossible to stay on a computer for a prolonged time, I am tweeting away from my BlackBerry if there are any thoughts or questions to speak of. Of course in 140 characters.
Hopefully I'm well by Thursday and can do something in previewing the Minnesota series.
While the Buckeyes fell in another weekend series, this time to the Hawkeyes, I was dealing with my own eye issue. Contrary to what you might think, the product on the field isn't quite bad enough to pull your eyes out, but apparently to my body it is bad enough to go ahead and get infections in both eyes.
With that I'm unable to recap what occurred this weekend as I continue to recover.
On the good side Jared Strayer continued to do well while Michael Stephens, Zach Hurley, and Ryan Dew had great weekends from the plate.
On the bad side, the Buckeyes are now in a 4-way tie for 5th, meaning they're dangerously close to missing the six-team Big Ten Tournament.
The Buckeyes welcome Pittsburgh tomorrow before wrapping up the regular season with a Thursday-Saturday series against Big Ten leading Minnesota.
While it is nearly impossible to stay on a computer for a prolonged time, I am tweeting away from my BlackBerry if there are any thoughts or questions to speak of. Of course in 140 characters.
Hopefully I'm well by Thursday and can do something in previewing the Minnesota series.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Buckeyes Salvage Series
The buck finally stopped. A six-game losing streak was snapped as the Buckeyes defeated Illinois on Sunday 8-4.
The much-maligned bats awoke after falling behind 4-1 staring an embarrassing home sweep in the mirror.
With the Big Ten being in complete chaos, a loss would have dropped the Bucks into the Big Ten cellar, although they would be alongside three other schools. But as it turns out the Buckeyes are in a tie for 5th place with Indiana, controlling their own destiny for a berth in the Big Ten Tournament.
The much-maligned bats awoke after falling behind 4-1 staring an embarrassing home sweep in the mirror.
With the Big Ten being in complete chaos, a loss would have dropped the Bucks into the Big Ten cellar, although they would be alongside three other schools. But as it turns out the Buckeyes are in a tie for 5th place with Indiana, controlling their own destiny for a berth in the Big Ten Tournament.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Bucks Take Two of Three from Wildcats
Really there isn't much to say about the weekend, it pretty much went as expected.
I think we should feel comfortable expecting to take every series, with an occasional sweep against Iowa or Purdue, ultimately ending with a Big Ten mark not too far from the 18-6 2009 campaign.
A solid pitching performance was followed by two games of serviceable pitching. For two games the offense was there. An error-free game was followed by a three-error game. Ho-hum.
I don't advocate being content, but given the horrible schedule the Buckeyes faced in Florida, there will be no at-large berth this season and no "need" to ring up x amount of wins. It's Big Ten Tournament or bust, which we luckily host at Bill Davis Stadium.
So for the next seven weekends, I'm fine taking two of three, with some improvement here or there, securing one of the top two spots come conference tournament play and letting the dominoes fall.
But back to the weekend.
I think we should feel comfortable expecting to take every series, with an occasional sweep against Iowa or Purdue, ultimately ending with a Big Ten mark not too far from the 18-6 2009 campaign.
A solid pitching performance was followed by two games of serviceable pitching. For two games the offense was there. An error-free game was followed by a three-error game. Ho-hum.
I don't advocate being content, but given the horrible schedule the Buckeyes faced in Florida, there will be no at-large berth this season and no "need" to ring up x amount of wins. It's Big Ten Tournament or bust, which we luckily host at Bill Davis Stadium.
So for the next seven weekends, I'm fine taking two of three, with some improvement here or there, securing one of the top two spots come conference tournament play and letting the dominoes fall.
But back to the weekend.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Lots of Buckeye baseball notes
The season is eight days away? You wouldn't know looking outside but it truly is.
Here is a rundown of this week's news. Come Monday I'll dig into providing my thoughts on the team. I know it has been a long time coming just bear with me one more weekend.
Wimmers & Burkhart continue to be noticed nationally
Here is the latest media to provide insight into Burkhart & Wimmers
College Baseball Insider caught up with the two to discuss the conjoined path to presentday.
Baseball America and Yahoo! Sports has features on the two upcoming here shortly. Buckeye State Baseball has the info on that.
CollegeBaseball360 announces Big East/Big Ten Challenge videocast schedule
CollegeBaseball360 is going above and beyond bringing exposure to northern baseball. CB360 has finalized their schedule in covering challenge between the weather-strickend conferences as they meet in the clash in Florida. You can check out when the Buckeyes will be on the stream by going here.
Big Ten Preview?
College Baseball Insider spoke to 8 of the 10 Big Ten coaches, though they did not state who, to gather their thoughts and answers on the season.
Collectively the coaches agreed Ohio State is the team to beat. Wimmers is the top Big Ten pitcher. Burkhart is the best defensive catcher while Michael Stephens is the best defensive outfielder. Stephens is one of the conference's best power hitters, while Ryan Dew and Burkhart are two of the purest hitters.
You can read all of the answers provided by the Big Ten coaches here.
Ohio State Athletics Communications continue their Ohio State preview
The talented Jerry Emig continued breaking down the Scarlet & Gray for 2010 in previewing the catching corp. Though Burkhart is the brightest star and biggest name, the group has depth. You can read the preview here.
That is the latest and greatest news about the Big Ten defending champions.
Here is a rundown of this week's news. Come Monday I'll dig into providing my thoughts on the team. I know it has been a long time coming just bear with me one more weekend.
Wimmers & Burkhart continue to be noticed nationally
Here is the latest media to provide insight into Burkhart & Wimmers
College Baseball Insider caught up with the two to discuss the conjoined path to presentday.
Baseball America and Yahoo! Sports has features on the two upcoming here shortly. Buckeye State Baseball has the info on that.
CollegeBaseball360 announces Big East/Big Ten Challenge videocast schedule
CollegeBaseball360 is going above and beyond bringing exposure to northern baseball. CB360 has finalized their schedule in covering challenge between the weather-strickend conferences as they meet in the clash in Florida. You can check out when the Buckeyes will be on the stream by going here.
Big Ten Preview?
College Baseball Insider spoke to 8 of the 10 Big Ten coaches, though they did not state who, to gather their thoughts and answers on the season.
Collectively the coaches agreed Ohio State is the team to beat. Wimmers is the top Big Ten pitcher. Burkhart is the best defensive catcher while Michael Stephens is the best defensive outfielder. Stephens is one of the conference's best power hitters, while Ryan Dew and Burkhart are two of the purest hitters.
You can read all of the answers provided by the Big Ten coaches here.
Ohio State Athletics Communications continue their Ohio State preview
The talented Jerry Emig continued breaking down the Scarlet & Gray for 2010 in previewing the catching corp. Though Burkhart is the brightest star and biggest name, the group has depth. You can read the preview here.
That is the latest and greatest news about the Big Ten defending champions.
Buckeye State Baseball DI Top 20 profile Ryan Dew
In case you haven't caught this hopefully it is a good read on Dew.
Buckeye State Baseball's DI Top 20: #11 Ryan Dew
Potential is defined by Webster as: existing in possibility : capable of development into actuality. In sports potential is the beauty of something to be, or the anguish of what could have been.
Ohio State senior Ryan Dew donned the Scarlet & Gray in 2007 as a true freshman with all of the potential in the world. For Dew and the Buckeyes 2009 would be a beautiful season as Dew’s potential turned into production, leaving one wondering what is in store for 2010.
From day one Ryan Dew has been a staple in Coach Bob Todd’s line-up. Filling out an outfield that would see center-fielder Matt Angle drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh-round at year’s end, and corner-outfield counterpart J.B. Shuck be sixth-round draft pick by the Astros in 2008, it’s needless to say Dew was in pretty talented company.
Hailing from nearby Worthington where he attended Kilbourne with Ohio State teammates Cory Kovanda and Jared Strayer, Dew was immediately expected to contribute to an Ohio State team with lofty aspirations. Being plugged into the bottom half of the batting order, Dew responded with a respectable rookie season.
Appearing in 51 total games making 37 starts, Dew collected 35 hits in 130 at-bats for a .269 average. With four doubles, a triple, and home run to his credit Dew drove in 18 runs, scored 20, while slugging .338.
One should know by now a barometer of future success that is held dearly here is plate discipline. How one strikes out versus drawing walks is an indication of a batter having a good eye, judgement, and when providing with an average can paint a more fuller picture. Though he batted under .270, Dew drew 17 walks, while being sent down just eight times via strike outs. In other words he was putting the ball in play, just right at people.
With the 17 walks as well as two hit by pitch, Dew posted an on-base percentage of .360. Not a base running threat, Dew attempted three steals, swiping two successfully, though more than likely the attempts were failed hit-and-runs, a staple of Coach Todd.
In the field Dew adjusted to DI ball with ease, committing just one error in 50 chances for a .980 fielding percentage with an outfield assist.
Peaking at the right time, hitting .333 in the Big Ten Tournament as Ohio State became the first 6-seed in conference history to capture the title and Regional auto-bid, expectations where high for Dew entering his sophomore season. At 6′1, 205 Dew possessed the frame of a power hitter and now with a year’s experience he was surely going to break out.
Unfortunately that would not be the case. In echoing how the 2008 season as a whole went for the Buckeyes who went 30-26 overall, 15-15 for a fifth place Big Ten finish and 0-2 in the Big Ten Tournament, Dew struggled. Ohio State struggled. Times were not pretty in Columbus.
With 34 starts in 46 games played, the average for Dew dipped down to .261, in picking up 35 hits in 134 at-bats. With eight doubles, a triple, and three home runs, Dew collected 54 bases to slug .403 while driving in 27 with 22 runs to his credit. His on-base percentage fell to .327, walking just 11 times against seven strikeouts.
With the season clearly not going the way Ohio State and Dew wanted to, with the season on the line one at-bat summed up the spring of 2008.
Having trailed Indiana 4-0 after the first and 5-0 going into the bottom of the second of the first elimination game of the 2008 Big Ten Tournament, Ohio State clawed back to tie the game at 8-all going into the bottom of the 9th inning. As Shuck and Justin Miller walk back-to-back, the bases were loaded with one down and Dew stepping to the plate.
On a 1-1 pitch the left-handed hitting Dew rolled into a tailor-made 6-4-3 twin killing, being called out by half a step to end the 9th inning and the Bucks biggest and last chance to pull out the victory. Indiana scored two runs in the top of the 10th to win 10-8 and end Ohio State’s season.
Now the blame does not and did not rest on Dew’s shoulders. Ohio State has numerous chances to win that game, as well as turn the season around far before that point. However that at-bat and final inning would linger over the summer and into the fall. With options like Brian DeLucia and Mike Arp on the bench, many wondered if Dew would live up to his potential or is it time for another bat to step in.
Then it happened.
No longer were there questions of merit or skill. No longer were words like favoritism being used. No longer was potential being tossed around. Production was at the forefront of Dew’s 2009 season and all he did was produce to remove all doubt.
Not fully recovered from an injury occurred over the summer, Dew settled into the Buckeyes DH role and responded with an All-Big Ten season.
Appearing in all but one game for the 42-19 Buckeyes, making 57 starts Dew led the Scarlet & Gray with a .388 batting average off of 85 hits in 219 at-bats, an average that would finish fourth in the Big Ten. The 85 hits included 15 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs as Dew displayed a powerful bat many had expected.
In touching 123 bases Dew crossed home 53 times, drove in 42, and slugged .562. With an even 12 walks against 12 strike outs Dew’s junior season ended with a .429 on-base percentage, trailing just Kovanda’s mark of .431.
The monkey was off Dew’s back, his junior season showed why Bob Todd stuck him in the fire from day one, and his efforts paced Ohio State first Big Ten title since 2001.
Dew’s first-team All-Big Ten honor was matched with an All-Tallahassee Regional Tournament team selection for his efforts in Ohio State’s four NCAA postseason games in Tallahassee. Dew would also be named to the All-Big East/Big Ten Challenge team going 6-for-10 in the season opening weekend to bookend a memorable 2009 season.
As the Buckeyes get set to defend their conference championship, Dew still faces questions of possibility. Just now it’s infinite possibilities of production from one of the Big Ten’s best. Not that pesky potential word.
Buckeye State Baseball's DI Top 20: #11 Ryan Dew
Potential is defined by Webster as: existing in possibility : capable of development into actuality. In sports potential is the beauty of something to be, or the anguish of what could have been.
Ohio State senior Ryan Dew donned the Scarlet & Gray in 2007 as a true freshman with all of the potential in the world. For Dew and the Buckeyes 2009 would be a beautiful season as Dew’s potential turned into production, leaving one wondering what is in store for 2010.
From day one Ryan Dew has been a staple in Coach Bob Todd’s line-up. Filling out an outfield that would see center-fielder Matt Angle drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the seventh-round at year’s end, and corner-outfield counterpart J.B. Shuck be sixth-round draft pick by the Astros in 2008, it’s needless to say Dew was in pretty talented company.
Hailing from nearby Worthington where he attended Kilbourne with Ohio State teammates Cory Kovanda and Jared Strayer, Dew was immediately expected to contribute to an Ohio State team with lofty aspirations. Being plugged into the bottom half of the batting order, Dew responded with a respectable rookie season.
Appearing in 51 total games making 37 starts, Dew collected 35 hits in 130 at-bats for a .269 average. With four doubles, a triple, and home run to his credit Dew drove in 18 runs, scored 20, while slugging .338.
One should know by now a barometer of future success that is held dearly here is plate discipline. How one strikes out versus drawing walks is an indication of a batter having a good eye, judgement, and when providing with an average can paint a more fuller picture. Though he batted under .270, Dew drew 17 walks, while being sent down just eight times via strike outs. In other words he was putting the ball in play, just right at people.
With the 17 walks as well as two hit by pitch, Dew posted an on-base percentage of .360. Not a base running threat, Dew attempted three steals, swiping two successfully, though more than likely the attempts were failed hit-and-runs, a staple of Coach Todd.
In the field Dew adjusted to DI ball with ease, committing just one error in 50 chances for a .980 fielding percentage with an outfield assist.
Peaking at the right time, hitting .333 in the Big Ten Tournament as Ohio State became the first 6-seed in conference history to capture the title and Regional auto-bid, expectations where high for Dew entering his sophomore season. At 6′1, 205 Dew possessed the frame of a power hitter and now with a year’s experience he was surely going to break out.
Unfortunately that would not be the case. In echoing how the 2008 season as a whole went for the Buckeyes who went 30-26 overall, 15-15 for a fifth place Big Ten finish and 0-2 in the Big Ten Tournament, Dew struggled. Ohio State struggled. Times were not pretty in Columbus.
With 34 starts in 46 games played, the average for Dew dipped down to .261, in picking up 35 hits in 134 at-bats. With eight doubles, a triple, and three home runs, Dew collected 54 bases to slug .403 while driving in 27 with 22 runs to his credit. His on-base percentage fell to .327, walking just 11 times against seven strikeouts.
With the season clearly not going the way Ohio State and Dew wanted to, with the season on the line one at-bat summed up the spring of 2008.
Having trailed Indiana 4-0 after the first and 5-0 going into the bottom of the second of the first elimination game of the 2008 Big Ten Tournament, Ohio State clawed back to tie the game at 8-all going into the bottom of the 9th inning. As Shuck and Justin Miller walk back-to-back, the bases were loaded with one down and Dew stepping to the plate.
On a 1-1 pitch the left-handed hitting Dew rolled into a tailor-made 6-4-3 twin killing, being called out by half a step to end the 9th inning and the Bucks biggest and last chance to pull out the victory. Indiana scored two runs in the top of the 10th to win 10-8 and end Ohio State’s season.
Now the blame does not and did not rest on Dew’s shoulders. Ohio State has numerous chances to win that game, as well as turn the season around far before that point. However that at-bat and final inning would linger over the summer and into the fall. With options like Brian DeLucia and Mike Arp on the bench, many wondered if Dew would live up to his potential or is it time for another bat to step in.
Then it happened.
No longer were there questions of merit or skill. No longer were words like favoritism being used. No longer was potential being tossed around. Production was at the forefront of Dew’s 2009 season and all he did was produce to remove all doubt.
Not fully recovered from an injury occurred over the summer, Dew settled into the Buckeyes DH role and responded with an All-Big Ten season.
Appearing in all but one game for the 42-19 Buckeyes, making 57 starts Dew led the Scarlet & Gray with a .388 batting average off of 85 hits in 219 at-bats, an average that would finish fourth in the Big Ten. The 85 hits included 15 doubles, a triple, and seven home runs as Dew displayed a powerful bat many had expected.
In touching 123 bases Dew crossed home 53 times, drove in 42, and slugged .562. With an even 12 walks against 12 strike outs Dew’s junior season ended with a .429 on-base percentage, trailing just Kovanda’s mark of .431.
The monkey was off Dew’s back, his junior season showed why Bob Todd stuck him in the fire from day one, and his efforts paced Ohio State first Big Ten title since 2001.
Dew’s first-team All-Big Ten honor was matched with an All-Tallahassee Regional Tournament team selection for his efforts in Ohio State’s four NCAA postseason games in Tallahassee. Dew would also be named to the All-Big East/Big Ten Challenge team going 6-for-10 in the season opening weekend to bookend a memorable 2009 season.
As the Buckeyes get set to defend their conference championship, Dew still faces questions of possibility. Just now it’s infinite possibilities of production from one of the Big Ten’s best. Not that pesky potential word.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Where we stand: First Base
Going to do it a bit different from here on out.
Monday- I'll give a brief summation on where we are depth-wise.
Tuesday- Spring roundup, what occurred in the spring at that position.
Wednesday- Summer recaps, who did what and where with the wooden bat.
Thursday- Fall ball happenings, who played where, who did what.
Friday- Where we stand, outlook for 2010.
This will allow me to get in-depth on that particular area of focus, without overwhelming you with one post that would take an hour to read. It also allows me more time to research, write, and put everything together without stressing out about a timeframe. Also the poll to the right will be up all work, in relation to that topic.
To resume the series...
Returning Players:
Sr. Ryan Dew (157 games, 128, starts)
R-Jr. Matt Streng (59, 50) 2009 starter
R-Fr. Zach Nowland (0, 0)
Incoming Players:
None
Depth Chart:
To understand what would unfold at first base in 2009, you have to understand what happened at third base. Junior Brian DeLucia started the season opening Big East/Big Ten Challenge at the hot corner with senior Justin Miller anchoring the first base bag that he had the previous three seasons for the Scarlet & Gray. DeLucia collected three hits, two home runs, six RBI in the opening weekend in what appeared to be a productive season from the Watterson product, in what was to be his first season receiving prominent playing time.
In the team’s second weekend preparing for a game against North Florida, fielding infield, a ball would take a wicked hop, come up on DeLucia breaking a finger that would require surgery and ultimately ending DeLucia’s season as he received a medical red-shirt.
Cory Rupert, who the previous season was the team’s regular third baseman ,would start the next two game for the Buckeyes at third before sliding over to his freshman season position of shortstop, as Tyler Engle was nursing an injury, thus Miller moved over the third base, and the hot hitting Matt Streng filled in at first. Got that?
Engle would replace Rupert in the everyday lineup, but there was not much outside of the occasional day off that saw Miller vacate third base or Streng at first.
Now with a healthy DeLucia returning as well as Streng still having eligibility, you would think the Bucks are set at third and first respectively with those two being inserted into the #3 and #5 lineup slots? Not so fast my friend. Coach Bob Todd this autumn has elected to give DeLucia time in the outfield, Streng at third, and Ryan Dew at first base. How’s that for shuffling the cards. We’ll get to the autumn events later, but for purposes that make it easier for I and perhaps you, Streng and Dew will be highlighted amongst the first basemen, DeLucia along with Rupert and third.
Zach Nowland red-shirted in 2009, but was among the rotation at first this autumn.
Monday- I'll give a brief summation on where we are depth-wise.
Tuesday- Spring roundup, what occurred in the spring at that position.
Wednesday- Summer recaps, who did what and where with the wooden bat.
Thursday- Fall ball happenings, who played where, who did what.
Friday- Where we stand, outlook for 2010.
This will allow me to get in-depth on that particular area of focus, without overwhelming you with one post that would take an hour to read. It also allows me more time to research, write, and put everything together without stressing out about a timeframe. Also the poll to the right will be up all work, in relation to that topic.
To resume the series...
Returning Players:
Sr. Ryan Dew (157 games, 128, starts)
R-Jr. Matt Streng (59, 50) 2009 starter
R-Fr. Zach Nowland (0, 0)
Incoming Players:
None
Depth Chart:
To understand what would unfold at first base in 2009, you have to understand what happened at third base. Junior Brian DeLucia started the season opening Big East/Big Ten Challenge at the hot corner with senior Justin Miller anchoring the first base bag that he had the previous three seasons for the Scarlet & Gray. DeLucia collected three hits, two home runs, six RBI in the opening weekend in what appeared to be a productive season from the Watterson product, in what was to be his first season receiving prominent playing time.
In the team’s second weekend preparing for a game against North Florida, fielding infield, a ball would take a wicked hop, come up on DeLucia breaking a finger that would require surgery and ultimately ending DeLucia’s season as he received a medical red-shirt.
Cory Rupert, who the previous season was the team’s regular third baseman ,would start the next two game for the Buckeyes at third before sliding over to his freshman season position of shortstop, as Tyler Engle was nursing an injury, thus Miller moved over the third base, and the hot hitting Matt Streng filled in at first. Got that?
Engle would replace Rupert in the everyday lineup, but there was not much outside of the occasional day off that saw Miller vacate third base or Streng at first.
Now with a healthy DeLucia returning as well as Streng still having eligibility, you would think the Bucks are set at third and first respectively with those two being inserted into the #3 and #5 lineup slots? Not so fast my friend. Coach Bob Todd this autumn has elected to give DeLucia time in the outfield, Streng at third, and Ryan Dew at first base. How’s that for shuffling the cards. We’ll get to the autumn events later, but for purposes that make it easier for I and perhaps you, Streng and Dew will be highlighted amongst the first basemen, DeLucia along with Rupert and third.
Zach Nowland red-shirted in 2009, but was among the rotation at first this autumn.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Buckeyes Knock Out Bulldogs... Revenge is a sweet thing.
Buckeyes win 13-6.
Rucinski picks up his 12th win.
Hale picks up his 18th save.
Stephens with 2 HR's, one inside the park, one a 3-run bomb.
Dew goes 4-for-5.
A beautiful day all around.
Buckeyes will turn around and play the host Seminoles at 4:00.
Rucinski picks up his 12th win.
Hale picks up his 18th save.
Stephens with 2 HR's, one inside the park, one a 3-run bomb.
Dew goes 4-for-5.
A beautiful day all around.
Buckeyes will turn around and play the host Seminoles at 4:00.
OSU Athletics: Buckeyes Defeat Marist, Meet Georgia Again
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Ohio State defeated Marist, 6-4, in an NCAA Tallahassee Regional elimination game behind key hits from Michael Arp and Ryan Dew and flawless work out of the bullpen. The Buckeyes, now 41-18 on the season, play at noon Sunday against Georgia, an 8-2 loser Saturday to Florida State.
“I think the key today was our playing good defense,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. “We didn’t give them any second opportunities with zero errors and three double plays. So we win and get to play another day.”
Senior closer Jake Hale extended his single season saves record by pitching 2.0 shutdown innings for his 17th save this season and he set a new Ohio State career mark with his 28th career save.
“Jake has been one of the best relief pitchers we have had at Ohio State and he is possibly the best in the nation this year,” Todd said.
“But the unsung hero has been the middle inning relief work of Drew Rucinski. He has done outstanding work for us all season, including today when he didn’t allow any hits or runs in 1.2 innings of work.”
Dew had a three-run triple in the second inning that erased a 2-0 Marist lead and Arp scored the winning run in the sixth inning after a leadoff double.
Ohio State starting pitcher Dean Wolosiansky was seeking to become only the third Buckeye to win 12 or more games in a season, and he kept the Buckeyes in the game by working 5.1 innings. He left with a man on in the sixth and the score tied 4-all, giving way to Rucinski.
Rucinski retired the first five batters he faced to get the Buckeyes into the eighth inning with the lead. As he has done all season, Rucinski did his job before giving way to Hale, and today he picked up his 11th win of the season – remarkably all in relief – to tie Wolosiansky and five other Buckeyes for fourth-place on Ohio State’s all-time single season wins list.
Hale threw two pitches in the eighth inning and got three outs...a double play on his first pitch and a flyout to right on his second. He then set the side down in order in the ninth to set the school career saves record with 28 for his career.
Marist scored first with two runs in the second inning. The inning could have been worse had third baseman Justin Miller not made a nice lunging stab at a low shot to his left to start a textbook 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
The team’s school record 26th triple of the season was the big blow in a four-run third inning that put Ohio State into the lead, 4-2. After Cory Kovanda singled – the 24th time in the last 26 game he has registered a hit – and Michael Stephens and Dan Burkhart drew walks, Dew ripped B.J. Martin’s (5-6) first pitch down the right field line for a bases-clearing triple. Miller then drove Dew home with a sacrifice fly.
Marist closed to within one at 4-3 by scratching a run out in the fourth on a single, balk, ground out and sacrifice fly. And then in the fifth the Red Foxes tied the score on a solo home run by George Agostini, his second of the year.
The Buckeyes came right back. Arp hustled for a double after hitting a ball over the third baseman’s head to lead off the sixth and was sacrificed to third by Tyler Engle. Matt Streng sent a deep ball to center that Jon Schwind made a terrific catch on, but Arp scored on the play to put the Buckeyes back on top, 5-4.
After Miller and Arp drew walks to lead off the eighth and moved up on Engle’s sac bunt, Ohio State added an insurance run when Streng singled to right, scoring Miller and making the score 6-4.
In the ninth, Hale got a called third strike to open the inning, a blooper to third was out No. 2 and a fly ball was out No. 3 that gave the Buckeyes another game and Hale sole ownership of both of Ohio State’s saves records
Recap & Game Notes
Box Score
“I think the key today was our playing good defense,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. “We didn’t give them any second opportunities with zero errors and three double plays. So we win and get to play another day.”
Senior closer Jake Hale extended his single season saves record by pitching 2.0 shutdown innings for his 17th save this season and he set a new Ohio State career mark with his 28th career save.
“Jake has been one of the best relief pitchers we have had at Ohio State and he is possibly the best in the nation this year,” Todd said.
“But the unsung hero has been the middle inning relief work of Drew Rucinski. He has done outstanding work for us all season, including today when he didn’t allow any hits or runs in 1.2 innings of work.”
Dew had a three-run triple in the second inning that erased a 2-0 Marist lead and Arp scored the winning run in the sixth inning after a leadoff double.
Ohio State starting pitcher Dean Wolosiansky was seeking to become only the third Buckeye to win 12 or more games in a season, and he kept the Buckeyes in the game by working 5.1 innings. He left with a man on in the sixth and the score tied 4-all, giving way to Rucinski.
Rucinski retired the first five batters he faced to get the Buckeyes into the eighth inning with the lead. As he has done all season, Rucinski did his job before giving way to Hale, and today he picked up his 11th win of the season – remarkably all in relief – to tie Wolosiansky and five other Buckeyes for fourth-place on Ohio State’s all-time single season wins list.
Hale threw two pitches in the eighth inning and got three outs...a double play on his first pitch and a flyout to right on his second. He then set the side down in order in the ninth to set the school career saves record with 28 for his career.
Marist scored first with two runs in the second inning. The inning could have been worse had third baseman Justin Miller not made a nice lunging stab at a low shot to his left to start a textbook 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
The team’s school record 26th triple of the season was the big blow in a four-run third inning that put Ohio State into the lead, 4-2. After Cory Kovanda singled – the 24th time in the last 26 game he has registered a hit – and Michael Stephens and Dan Burkhart drew walks, Dew ripped B.J. Martin’s (5-6) first pitch down the right field line for a bases-clearing triple. Miller then drove Dew home with a sacrifice fly.
Marist closed to within one at 4-3 by scratching a run out in the fourth on a single, balk, ground out and sacrifice fly. And then in the fifth the Red Foxes tied the score on a solo home run by George Agostini, his second of the year.
The Buckeyes came right back. Arp hustled for a double after hitting a ball over the third baseman’s head to lead off the sixth and was sacrificed to third by Tyler Engle. Matt Streng sent a deep ball to center that Jon Schwind made a terrific catch on, but Arp scored on the play to put the Buckeyes back on top, 5-4.
After Miller and Arp drew walks to lead off the eighth and moved up on Engle’s sac bunt, Ohio State added an insurance run when Streng singled to right, scoring Miller and making the score 6-4.
In the ninth, Hale got a called third strike to open the inning, a blooper to third was out No. 2 and a fly ball was out No. 3 that gave the Buckeyes another game and Hale sole ownership of both of Ohio State’s saves records
Recap & Game Notes
Box Score
Friday, May 22, 2009
OSU Defeats Illinois, 7-4, in Big Ten Tourney
Two weeks after Ohio State and Illinois played a thrilling game in front of more than 5,000 fans at Illinois Field, the two teams hooked up for another tense and terrific ball game at the Big Ten tournament at Huntington Park. This time, Ohio State pulled out the win, 7-4, to remain in the winner’s bracket of the tournament and face Indiana Friday night at 7:05 p.m.
Unlike two weeks ago, when Ohio State lost its only game of the season when leading after the seventh inning, the Buckeyes came from behind with two runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, respectively, to come back from a 4-1 Illinois lead and improve to 40-15 on the season.
“I thought our hitters did a good job battling back,” Ohio State head coach Bob Todd said. “This was a good team effort, though, with good pitches when we had to have them and a good job by our hitters.”
Three consecutive singles to open the Ohio State half of the sixth led to two Buckeye runs and a tightening of the score, to 4-3. Michael Stephens, Dan Burkhart and Ryan Dew singled to load the bases. Stephens scored on Justin Miller's sacrifice fly and Burkhart scored on Michael Arp’s fielder's choice.
An Ohio State error put the leadoff Illini on board in the seventh. After an infield pop-out, Brandon Wikoff doubled to right to put men on second and third. Ohio State starter Alex Wimmers was replaced at that point by Drew Rucincki, who perhaps saved the game by getting the final two outs of the inning on a fly to right - followed by a strong throw home by Arp to keep the runner from advancing - and a lineout to short.
Rucinski's effort in the seventh gave the Buckeyes and their partisan crowd a lift and the team capitalized on it. Matt Streng and Zach Hurley drew walks to open the inning and Cory Kovanda laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases. A couple RBI ground outs - by Stephens and Dew - would be the extent of the Buckeyes' scoring, but the two runs gave the Scarlet and Gray its first lead of the game at 5-4 and, more importantly, the lead after the seventh inning and in those situations, Ohio State is 33-1 this season. Make that 34-1.
After a perfect, 1-2-3 inning by Rucinski in the eighth inning, the Buckeyes added two insurance runs in the eighth. Matt Streng singled home Arp, who took a fast ball in the back and then stole second to get into scoring position. Zach Hurley tripled to deep center field to score Streng. Hurley attempted an inside the park home run as he was waved home by third base coach Pete Jenkins, but two perfect strikes from center to second and then home got Hurley, who admitted afterward that he “ran into some quicksand rounding third.”
Ruckinski’s performance, which earned him his 10th win of the season in relief against two defeats, and a 7-4 lead set the stage for the ninth inning and the introduction of the best closer in the nation, according to Ohio State coach Bob Todd: Jake Hale. The big man from Albany, Ohio, didn't disappoint. After giving up a leadoff single, he sent the next three batters down in order – strikeout, groundout and strikeout – to extend his school record saves total this season to 16.
“The bullpen rose to the occasion,” Todd said. “Illinois is an outstanding hitting ball club.”
Wimmers went 6.1 innings, scattered six hits, gave up three earned runs, walked four and struck out nine. Illinois starter Will Strack suffered his first loss of the season (6-1) with 6.0 innings of work. He allowed 10 hits and five earned runs.
Illinois jumped on top in the top of the second, Aaron Johnson hitting his 10th home run of the year with a man on for a 2-0 Illinois lead.
Figures that Miller, who hit .680 the last two weeks of the season, would be in the middle of an Ohio State run in the second to cut the lead to 2-1. He walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Arp's double to right center.
Ohio State had runners on in the next three innings, including two in the fourth, but could not tie the score. Illlinois right fielder Pete Cappetta threw out a Buckeye going to third with one out in that inning to help calm a minor uprising by Ohio State in the fourth.
Illinois added to its lead in the sixth. Brandon Wikoff walked to lead off the inning and scored on another Johnson hit, this one a double laced into left center field. Two batters later and with men on first and second, Cappetta singled to right center to drive in Johnson and give the Illini a 4-1 lead.
This Ohio State team has been through a ton the past two weeks –peaks and valleys and emotions and quiet contemplation and waiting and wins (four consecutive now and six in its last seven games) – that something like a 4-1 deficit wasn’t going to stop this team. And it didn’t.
Recap Courtesy OSU Athletics
Box score
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Burkhart Big Ten Player of the Year, Wimmers Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Todd Big Ten Coach of the Year
Longest title ever. I know, I apologize, but not really because its a sweet one.
Photo Courtesy The-Ozone.net
8 Buckeyes in total grab All-Conferens nods
Official Release Big Ten Release
INDIANA AND OHIO STATE EARN TOP BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL HONORS
FOR 2009 BASEBALL SEASONOSU’s Burkhart and Todd named Player, Coach of the Year; Buckeyes’ Wimmers shares pitching honor with Indiana’s Arnett; Hoosiers’ Dickerson is top freshman
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On the night before the start of the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, the Big Ten Conference announced the season’s All-Big Ten teams and individual honors, recognizing Ohio State catcher Dan Burkhart as the conference Player of the Year, Indiana’s Eric Arnett and OSU’s Alex Wimmers as Co-Pitchers of the Year, IU’s Alex Dickerson as Freshman of the Year and Buckeye mentor Bob Todd as Coach of the Year.
Burkhart becomes the fifth Buckeye to be named Big Ten Player of the Year and the first since Ronnie Bourquin in 2006. He is the second Ohio State catcher to earn the honor, joining Jonathan Sweet in 1994. The sophomore backstop led his team to its first conference championship since 2001 on the heels of an 18-6 Big Ten slate and a 39-15 mark headed into tournament play. The sophomore batted .362 on the season with a slugging percentage of .611, reaching base at a .435 clip. He also ranked in the conference’s top five with 57 RBI. Burkhart also handled a pitching staff that held opponents to a .282 batting average and struck out an average of 7.67 batters per game. Burkhart is a semifinalist for the Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate catcher.
A high school friend of Burkhart’s, Wimmers is the second Buckeye in the last three years to receive top conference pitching honors and is the fourth Ohio State player to earn the distinction. Wimmers finished the regular season on top of several Big Ten statistics, including ERA (2.58), opponents’ average (.197), innings pitched (94.1) and strikeouts (122). The sophomore was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times this year and threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in program history on May 2, recording 14 strikeouts in the process. Wimmers enters the tournament with a 9-1 record, including a 4-1 mark in Big Ten play. The righty is a semifinalist for the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year Award.
Co-Pitcher of the Year Arnett is the first Hoosier to earn the conference’s top pitching award. The junior enters the Big Ten Tournament among the conference’s elite in ERA (2.78), innings of work (94.0), strikeouts (93) and opponents’ batting average (.215), which drops to .203 in Big Ten play. The right-hander tied for the conference lead with 11 wins throughout the 2009 campaign and again tied for the Big Ten’s best with seven victories during the conference slate. Arnett is a semifinalist for the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year award.
Dickerson becomes the first Indiana player to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The designated hitter earns the laurel after finishing among the conference’s top 10 in average (.367), hits (80), RBI (52) and home runs (14). The newcomer helped Indiana reach its highest seed in the Big Ten Tournament since 1996 and is a unanimous selection to the inaugural Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Selected unanimously by his peers as Big Ten Coach of the Year, Todd led the Buckeyes to their first conference title since 2001 on the strength of an 18-6 Big Ten slate with a conference-leading 39 victories heading into the tournament. The accolade is the fifth of Todd’s career as he last took home the honor following his squad’s most recent championship season in 2001. Under Todd’s guidance, eight Buckeyes took home All-Big Ten honors, including four first-team members and the conference’s Player and Co-Pitcher of the Year.
The Big Ten also released the All-Big Ten teams and inaugural All-Freshman team. Ohio State led all teams with four first-team selections in Burkhart, Wimmers, designated hitter Ryan Dew and closer Jake Hale. Wimmers was a unanimous selection to the squad, as was Minnesota second baseman Derek McCallum, Purdue outfielder Brandon Haveman and Indiana’s Arnett. Rounding out the first team are Illinois third baseman Dominic Altobelli and shortstop Brandon Wikoff, Indiana outfielder Kipp Schutz and catcher Josh Phegley, Iowa outfielder Ryan Durant and Michigan first baseman Mike Dufek and starter Chris Fetter.
For the first time, the Big Ten coaches also selected an All-Freshman Team, which consisted of seven unanimous selections in Illinois’ Willie Argo, Indiana’s Dickerson and Blake Monar, Iowa’s Dallas Burke, Minnesota’s AJ Pettersen and Justin Gominsky and Penn State’s Jordan Steranka.
The conference office also announced honorees from each of the 10 baseball squads for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for baseball are Illinois’ Altobelli, Indiana’s Jerrud Sabourin, Iowa’s Justin Toole, Michigan’s Kenny Fellows, Michigan State’s Nolan Moody, Minnesota’s Matt Nohelty, Northwestern’s Jake Wilson, Ohio State’s Cory Kovanda, Penn State’s Ryan Boonie and Purdue’s John Cummins.
The complete All-Big Ten teams and award winners can be found below.
FIRST TEAM
1B – Mike Dufek, MICH
2B – Derek McCallum, MINN#
SS – Brandon Wikoff, ILL
3B – Dominic Altobelli, ILL
OF – Kipp Schutz, IND
OF – Ryan Durant, IOWA
OF – Brandon Haveman, PUR#
C – Josh Phegley, IND*
C – Dan Burkhart, OSU*
DH – Ryan Dew, OSU
SP – Eric Arnett, IND#
SP – Chris Fetter, MICH
SP – Alex Wimmers, OSU#
RP – Jake Hale, OSU
SECOND TEAM**
1B – Jerrud Sabourin, IND
2B – Cory Kovanda, OSU
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN
3B – Justin Miller, OSU
OF – Pete Cappetta, ILL
OF – Ryan LaMarre, MICH
OF – Michael Stephens, OSU
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND
SP – Matt Bashore, IND
SP – Seth Rosin, MINN
SP – Dean Wolosiansky, OSU
RP – Scott Matyas, MINN
THIRD TEAM
1B – John Cummins, PUR
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – Justin Toole, IOWA
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU
OF – Willie Argo, ILL
OF – Mike Kvasnicka, MINN
OF – Alex Jaffee, PUR
C – Aaron Johnson, ILL
DH – Matt Nohelty, MINN
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Tom Buske, MINN
SP – Matt Bischoff, PUR
RP – Chris Squires, IND*
RP – Ryan Ignas, PSU*
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
1B – Nick O’Shea, MINN
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN#
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU#
OF – Willie Argo, ILL#
OF – Justin Gominsky, MINN#
OF – Tyler Spillner, PUR
C – Dallas Burke, IOWA#
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND#
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Blake Monar, IND#
SP – Tony Bucciferro, MSU
RP – Austin Lubinsky, MINN
BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL HONORS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dan Burkhart, OSU
CO-PITCHERS OF THE YEAR
Eric Arnett, IND
Alex Wimmers, OSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YER
Alex Dickerson, IND
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bob Todd, OSU#
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Dominic Altobelli, ILL
Jerrud Sabourin, IND
Justin Toole, IOWA
Kenny Fellows, MICH
Nolan Moody, MSU
Matt Nohelty, MINN
Jake Wilson, NU
Cory Kovanda, OSU
Ryan Boonie, PSU
John Cummins, PUR
Photo Courtesy The-Ozone.net
8 Buckeyes in total grab All-Conferens nods
Official Release Big Ten Release
INDIANA AND OHIO STATE EARN TOP BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL HONORS
FOR 2009 BASEBALL SEASONOSU’s Burkhart and Todd named Player, Coach of the Year; Buckeyes’ Wimmers shares pitching honor with Indiana’s Arnett; Hoosiers’ Dickerson is top freshman
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On the night before the start of the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, the Big Ten Conference announced the season’s All-Big Ten teams and individual honors, recognizing Ohio State catcher Dan Burkhart as the conference Player of the Year, Indiana’s Eric Arnett and OSU’s Alex Wimmers as Co-Pitchers of the Year, IU’s Alex Dickerson as Freshman of the Year and Buckeye mentor Bob Todd as Coach of the Year.
Burkhart becomes the fifth Buckeye to be named Big Ten Player of the Year and the first since Ronnie Bourquin in 2006. He is the second Ohio State catcher to earn the honor, joining Jonathan Sweet in 1994. The sophomore backstop led his team to its first conference championship since 2001 on the heels of an 18-6 Big Ten slate and a 39-15 mark headed into tournament play. The sophomore batted .362 on the season with a slugging percentage of .611, reaching base at a .435 clip. He also ranked in the conference’s top five with 57 RBI. Burkhart also handled a pitching staff that held opponents to a .282 batting average and struck out an average of 7.67 batters per game. Burkhart is a semifinalist for the Coleman Company-Johnny Bench Award, which honors the nation’s top collegiate catcher.
A high school friend of Burkhart’s, Wimmers is the second Buckeye in the last three years to receive top conference pitching honors and is the fourth Ohio State player to earn the distinction. Wimmers finished the regular season on top of several Big Ten statistics, including ERA (2.58), opponents’ average (.197), innings pitched (94.1) and strikeouts (122). The sophomore was named Big Ten Player of the Week four times this year and threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in program history on May 2, recording 14 strikeouts in the process. Wimmers enters the tournament with a 9-1 record, including a 4-1 mark in Big Ten play. The righty is a semifinalist for the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year Award.
Co-Pitcher of the Year Arnett is the first Hoosier to earn the conference’s top pitching award. The junior enters the Big Ten Tournament among the conference’s elite in ERA (2.78), innings of work (94.0), strikeouts (93) and opponents’ batting average (.215), which drops to .203 in Big Ten play. The right-hander tied for the conference lead with 11 wins throughout the 2009 campaign and again tied for the Big Ten’s best with seven victories during the conference slate. Arnett is a semifinalist for the College Baseball Foundation’s Pitcher of the Year award.
Dickerson becomes the first Indiana player to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The designated hitter earns the laurel after finishing among the conference’s top 10 in average (.367), hits (80), RBI (52) and home runs (14). The newcomer helped Indiana reach its highest seed in the Big Ten Tournament since 1996 and is a unanimous selection to the inaugural Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Selected unanimously by his peers as Big Ten Coach of the Year, Todd led the Buckeyes to their first conference title since 2001 on the strength of an 18-6 Big Ten slate with a conference-leading 39 victories heading into the tournament. The accolade is the fifth of Todd’s career as he last took home the honor following his squad’s most recent championship season in 2001. Under Todd’s guidance, eight Buckeyes took home All-Big Ten honors, including four first-team members and the conference’s Player and Co-Pitcher of the Year.
The Big Ten also released the All-Big Ten teams and inaugural All-Freshman team. Ohio State led all teams with four first-team selections in Burkhart, Wimmers, designated hitter Ryan Dew and closer Jake Hale. Wimmers was a unanimous selection to the squad, as was Minnesota second baseman Derek McCallum, Purdue outfielder Brandon Haveman and Indiana’s Arnett. Rounding out the first team are Illinois third baseman Dominic Altobelli and shortstop Brandon Wikoff, Indiana outfielder Kipp Schutz and catcher Josh Phegley, Iowa outfielder Ryan Durant and Michigan first baseman Mike Dufek and starter Chris Fetter.
For the first time, the Big Ten coaches also selected an All-Freshman Team, which consisted of seven unanimous selections in Illinois’ Willie Argo, Indiana’s Dickerson and Blake Monar, Iowa’s Dallas Burke, Minnesota’s AJ Pettersen and Justin Gominsky and Penn State’s Jordan Steranka.
The conference office also announced honorees from each of the 10 baseball squads for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for baseball are Illinois’ Altobelli, Indiana’s Jerrud Sabourin, Iowa’s Justin Toole, Michigan’s Kenny Fellows, Michigan State’s Nolan Moody, Minnesota’s Matt Nohelty, Northwestern’s Jake Wilson, Ohio State’s Cory Kovanda, Penn State’s Ryan Boonie and Purdue’s John Cummins.
The complete All-Big Ten teams and award winners can be found below.
FIRST TEAM
1B – Mike Dufek, MICH
2B – Derek McCallum, MINN#
SS – Brandon Wikoff, ILL
3B – Dominic Altobelli, ILL
OF – Kipp Schutz, IND
OF – Ryan Durant, IOWA
OF – Brandon Haveman, PUR#
C – Josh Phegley, IND*
C – Dan Burkhart, OSU*
DH – Ryan Dew, OSU
SP – Eric Arnett, IND#
SP – Chris Fetter, MICH
SP – Alex Wimmers, OSU#
RP – Jake Hale, OSU
SECOND TEAM**
1B – Jerrud Sabourin, IND
2B – Cory Kovanda, OSU
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN
3B – Justin Miller, OSU
OF – Pete Cappetta, ILL
OF – Ryan LaMarre, MICH
OF – Michael Stephens, OSU
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND
SP – Matt Bashore, IND
SP – Seth Rosin, MINN
SP – Dean Wolosiansky, OSU
RP – Scott Matyas, MINN
THIRD TEAM
1B – John Cummins, PUR
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – Justin Toole, IOWA
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU
OF – Willie Argo, ILL
OF – Mike Kvasnicka, MINN
OF – Alex Jaffee, PUR
C – Aaron Johnson, ILL
DH – Matt Nohelty, MINN
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Tom Buske, MINN
SP – Matt Bischoff, PUR
RP – Chris Squires, IND*
RP – Ryan Ignas, PSU*
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
1B – Nick O’Shea, MINN
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN#
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU#
OF – Willie Argo, ILL#
OF – Justin Gominsky, MINN#
OF – Tyler Spillner, PUR
C – Dallas Burke, IOWA#
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND#
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Blake Monar, IND#
SP – Tony Bucciferro, MSU
RP – Austin Lubinsky, MINN
BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL HONORS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dan Burkhart, OSU
CO-PITCHERS OF THE YEAR
Eric Arnett, IND
Alex Wimmers, OSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YER
Alex Dickerson, IND
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bob Todd, OSU#
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Dominic Altobelli, ILL
Jerrud Sabourin, IND
Justin Toole, IOWA
Kenny Fellows, MICH
Nolan Moody, MSU
Matt Nohelty, MINN
Jake Wilson, NU
Cory Kovanda, OSU
Ryan Boonie, PSU
John Cummins, PUR
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Columbus Dispatch: OSU clinches first Big Ten title since '01
Sunday, May 17, 2009 3:19 AM
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
At approximately 3:30 p.m. yesterday, Ohio State baseball players headed to a picnic with parents and friends just beyond the right-field wall of Bill Davis Stadium.
The meal went down hard.
The Buckeyes had come from behind twice to defeat Iowa 8-6 and sweep a three-game series, but it looked as if their reward would be a second-place finish in the Big Ten and a first-round bye in the conference tournament, which starts Wednesday in Huntington Park.
What Ohio State needed to win the regular-season championship was a Minnesota loss to Penn State, and the Gophers were leading 8-5 in the fifth inning.
Shortly before sundown, however, Penn State pulled off a 10-8 upset and Ohio State (39-15, 18-6) was celebrating its first Big Ten title since 2001. Its first-round conference tournament game will start at 7:05 p.m. Thursday.
"We're going crazy -- absolutely crazy," designated hitter Ryan Dew said. "I can't explain how happy we are. We tried to focus on Iowa, and we took care of our business. But we were so depressed when our game was over and we saw that Penn State was down. I'm going to get on Facebook and message a lot of those Penn State guys for what they did for us."
Ohio State didn't back in. It won five of its last six Big Ten games and seven of its last nine.
The Hawkeyes led 4-0 and 6-5 yesterday, but the Buckeyes refused to fold. Third baseman Justin Miller capped a five-run sixth inning with a two-run homer to provide a 5-4 lead, and Tyler Engle drove in the deciding two runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth.
Jake Hale pitched a perfect ninth inning to record his 15th save, an Ohio State season record.
"I had to get the win for my team," he said. "When I hopped the fence (to come into the game), it was a total blackout. I was focused."
Ohio State's portfolio is so impressive that it might have sealed a bid into the NCAA Tournament and jumped to the forefront among those teams seeking to play host to a first-round regional.
The Buckeyes have an RPI of 30, have been ranked much of the season and have a signature victory over the University of Miami.
"Now we have to win the conference tournament to take doubt out of anyone's mind about Ohio State deserving to host a first-round regional," Miller said. "We set a goal early to get that ring, and we've got one. We've crossed off the first goal."
Coach Bob Todd reminds incoming freshmen that players from the Big Ten regular-season championship team, not the conference tournament champion, get rings.
"We're all speechless," second baseman Cory Kovanda said. "That ring is going to be special. It's something to cherish. It's a year's worth of memories on your hand. We've worked so hard to do this since coming to Ohio State."
By Mark Znidar
The Columbus Dispatch
At approximately 3:30 p.m. yesterday, Ohio State baseball players headed to a picnic with parents and friends just beyond the right-field wall of Bill Davis Stadium.
The meal went down hard.
The Buckeyes had come from behind twice to defeat Iowa 8-6 and sweep a three-game series, but it looked as if their reward would be a second-place finish in the Big Ten and a first-round bye in the conference tournament, which starts Wednesday in Huntington Park.
What Ohio State needed to win the regular-season championship was a Minnesota loss to Penn State, and the Gophers were leading 8-5 in the fifth inning.
Shortly before sundown, however, Penn State pulled off a 10-8 upset and Ohio State (39-15, 18-6) was celebrating its first Big Ten title since 2001. Its first-round conference tournament game will start at 7:05 p.m. Thursday.
"We're going crazy -- absolutely crazy," designated hitter Ryan Dew said. "I can't explain how happy we are. We tried to focus on Iowa, and we took care of our business. But we were so depressed when our game was over and we saw that Penn State was down. I'm going to get on Facebook and message a lot of those Penn State guys for what they did for us."
Ohio State didn't back in. It won five of its last six Big Ten games and seven of its last nine.
The Hawkeyes led 4-0 and 6-5 yesterday, but the Buckeyes refused to fold. Third baseman Justin Miller capped a five-run sixth inning with a two-run homer to provide a 5-4 lead, and Tyler Engle drove in the deciding two runs with a bases-loaded single in the eighth.
Jake Hale pitched a perfect ninth inning to record his 15th save, an Ohio State season record.
"I had to get the win for my team," he said. "When I hopped the fence (to come into the game), it was a total blackout. I was focused."
Ohio State's portfolio is so impressive that it might have sealed a bid into the NCAA Tournament and jumped to the forefront among those teams seeking to play host to a first-round regional.
The Buckeyes have an RPI of 30, have been ranked much of the season and have a signature victory over the University of Miami.
"Now we have to win the conference tournament to take doubt out of anyone's mind about Ohio State deserving to host a first-round regional," Miller said. "We set a goal early to get that ring, and we've got one. We've crossed off the first goal."
Coach Bob Todd reminds incoming freshmen that players from the Big Ten regular-season championship team, not the conference tournament champion, get rings.
"We're all speechless," second baseman Cory Kovanda said. "That ring is going to be special. It's something to cherish. It's a year's worth of memories on your hand. We've worked so hard to do this since coming to Ohio State."
Friday, May 15, 2009
Buckeyes win a nailbiter 5-4, Championship hopes still alive
Sitting here at Bill Davis Stadium, weather is incredible, fans have came out in droves.
Just Miller has continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4. Dew went 2-for-5, Burkhart also had 2 hits in his 4 AB's
Wolosiansky took the mound allowed 6 hits, 3 runs, in 7 IP, 5 Ks. Made his way out of a bases loaded jam in the first allowing just 1 run after 3 singles started the game.
Burkhart leads off the 7th with a double, advances to 3rd on a balk, Dew singles him in.
Iowa scored a run in the bottom of the 8th to pull within 1 5-4, in the 9th Iowa led off with a double, a bunt single to have runners on the corners no outs. Jake Hale proved he is the Big Ten's best closer, with help from catcher Burkhart who made a diving catch on a bunt attempt. Hale struck out the next batter, with Iowa down to their last out, Hale induced a groundout to Engle at shortstop. Hale's save was his Big Ten leading 14th, the 14th save also ties Ohio State's single single season record.
Tomorrows game is at 1:05, before the game the three seniors, Hale, Miller and Michael Arp will be honored.
Just Miller has continued his hot hitting going 2-for-4. Dew went 2-for-5, Burkhart also had 2 hits in his 4 AB's
Wolosiansky took the mound allowed 6 hits, 3 runs, in 7 IP, 5 Ks. Made his way out of a bases loaded jam in the first allowing just 1 run after 3 singles started the game.
Burkhart leads off the 7th with a double, advances to 3rd on a balk, Dew singles him in.
Iowa scored a run in the bottom of the 8th to pull within 1 5-4, in the 9th Iowa led off with a double, a bunt single to have runners on the corners no outs. Jake Hale proved he is the Big Ten's best closer, with help from catcher Burkhart who made a diving catch on a bunt attempt. Hale struck out the next batter, with Iowa down to their last out, Hale induced a groundout to Engle at shortstop. Hale's save was his Big Ten leading 14th, the 14th save also ties Ohio State's single single season record.
Tomorrows game is at 1:05, before the game the three seniors, Hale, Miller and Michael Arp will be honored.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Eagles Continue Buckeyes Midweek Slump
Eastern Michigan, coming off a series win over Mid American Conference-leading Toledo, continued its momentum toward the MAC tournament by knocking off Ohio State, 9-5, Tuesday afternoon at Bill Davis Stadium. Ohio State, ranked 29th, is now 36-15 overall. Eastern Michigan improved to 21-32.
MAC Player of the Week Jim Gulliver – three home runs, nine runs scored last week – put his bid in for a second consecutive honor with three hits, two home runs and six RBI to lead the Eagles.
Gulliver put EMU on the board with a first inning home run to right, his 11th of the year. In the second inning and after four two-out walks upped the Eagles’ lead to 2-0, Gulliver traveled around the bases again in his second at-bat, hitting a grand slam home run to right field to give his team a 6-0 lead. It was Gulliver’s fifth home run in the last four games.
After Ohio State scored in the second – Ryan Dew doubled and touched home on Justin Miller’s single – Eastern Michigan added solo runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings to build a 9-1 lead.
The Buckeyes tried to come back. In the seventh inning they loaded the bases with nobody out against EMU reliever Tim Combs. Matt Streng singled to right to score one run, then with one out, Cory Kovanda singled in a pair of runs to make the score 9-4 and end Combs’ day.
Pinch hitter Ben Toussant drew a walk to re-load the bases against the third Eagle pitcher of the day, Jordan Goldschmidt. Shawn Forsythe followed with a hard-hit ball, but right at the left fielder for a sacrifice fly and the Buckeyes’ fifth run of the game.
“I thought at the end of the ball game our hitters were still trying to get us into the game,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. “They did a good job of competing.”
Andrew Armstrong started, pitched 3.0 innings and saw his record fall to 2-3 with the loss. He allowed four hits and five walks. Jared Strayer followed with three innings of work before giving way to Theron Minium in the seventh. Minium pitched 2.0 innings and did not allow a run while scattering three hits and walking one. Drew Rucinski worked a scoreless ninth inning.
Kendall Lewis pitched 5.0 innings and allowed just one run on seven hits with one strikeout. He evened his record at 4-4.
Ohio State can now put all its focus on its series with Iowa, Thursday through Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. Ohio State enters the series in a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference with Illinois, but the Buckeyes hold the first tie-breaker over the Illini by winning the series in Champaign last weekend. Both teams are one-half game behind Minnesota. One Penn State win over Minnesota will potentially turn the Ohio State/Iowa series into one with Big Ten championship implications... provided Ohio
OSU Athletics Recap
Box Score
MAC Player of the Week Jim Gulliver – three home runs, nine runs scored last week – put his bid in for a second consecutive honor with three hits, two home runs and six RBI to lead the Eagles.
Gulliver put EMU on the board with a first inning home run to right, his 11th of the year. In the second inning and after four two-out walks upped the Eagles’ lead to 2-0, Gulliver traveled around the bases again in his second at-bat, hitting a grand slam home run to right field to give his team a 6-0 lead. It was Gulliver’s fifth home run in the last four games.
After Ohio State scored in the second – Ryan Dew doubled and touched home on Justin Miller’s single – Eastern Michigan added solo runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings to build a 9-1 lead.
The Buckeyes tried to come back. In the seventh inning they loaded the bases with nobody out against EMU reliever Tim Combs. Matt Streng singled to right to score one run, then with one out, Cory Kovanda singled in a pair of runs to make the score 9-4 and end Combs’ day.
Pinch hitter Ben Toussant drew a walk to re-load the bases against the third Eagle pitcher of the day, Jordan Goldschmidt. Shawn Forsythe followed with a hard-hit ball, but right at the left fielder for a sacrifice fly and the Buckeyes’ fifth run of the game.
“I thought at the end of the ball game our hitters were still trying to get us into the game,” Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. “They did a good job of competing.”
Andrew Armstrong started, pitched 3.0 innings and saw his record fall to 2-3 with the loss. He allowed four hits and five walks. Jared Strayer followed with three innings of work before giving way to Theron Minium in the seventh. Minium pitched 2.0 innings and did not allow a run while scattering three hits and walking one. Drew Rucinski worked a scoreless ninth inning.
Kendall Lewis pitched 5.0 innings and allowed just one run on seven hits with one strikeout. He evened his record at 4-4.
Ohio State can now put all its focus on its series with Iowa, Thursday through Saturday at Bill Davis Stadium. Ohio State enters the series in a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference with Illinois, but the Buckeyes hold the first tie-breaker over the Illini by winning the series in Champaign last weekend. Both teams are one-half game behind Minnesota. One Penn State win over Minnesota will potentially turn the Ohio State/Iowa series into one with Big Ten championship implications... provided Ohio
OSU Athletics Recap
Box Score
Ohio State Takes Series From Illini, Move Into 2nd
Have A LOT of catching up to do. Here goes...
Recaps courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Game 1
League-leading Illinois scored three unearned runs in the ninth inning to snatch the first game of this crucial series with Ohio State, 5-4, before more than 5,000 fans at Illinois Field.
Ohio State led, 4-2, after another fine outing from Alex Wimmers, who pitched 7.2 innings and appeared to have the win after closer Jake Hale got out of a runners-on-second-and-third jam in the eighth inning.
Ohio State had been unbeaten entering the ninth inning with the lead this season at 30-0. Hale got the first out of the ninth, but then walked Pete Cappetta to bring Willie Argo, the tying run, to the plate. Argo reached on an error. Then pinch hitter Mike Giller reached on another infield error to load the bases, bringing up Joe Bonadonna. Two-run single to left center to tie the game. The next batter, Casey McMurray, then laced a sharp single to right to win the game and send the record Illinois crowd into a joyous celebration, topped off by fireworks that the Buckeyes had to watch because the place was too crowded with people to make leaving an option.
The loss dropped Ohio State two games behind Illinois and one-and-one-half behind Minnesota, which was taking care of business at Michigan. Heading into Saturday play, Illinois is 15-4, Minnesota is 14-4 and Ohio State is 13-6 with just five Big Ten Conference games to play. Overall, Ohio State is 34-14 and has lost four consecutive games.
This was Ohio State’s game. Michael Stephens hit his third home run in two games – a two-run shot in the first inning – to give the Buckeyes a quick, 2-0 lead. Also scoring on the play was Cory Kovanda, who had singled.
Wimmers kept Illinois in control through the first four innings, not allowing a man to reach base while facing the minimum 12 batters. But Dominic Altobelli led off the fifth with a home run to right that cut the lead to 2-1. The home run ended two amazing streaks for the talented Wimmers: 15.1. hitless innings and 14.2 scoreless innings.
Illinois threatened with a man on second and two out in the sixth, but Matt Streng made a nice play to his left to stab a Brandon Wikoff liner and make the unassisted play at first for the final out of the inning.
The Illini came right back in the seventh, with back-to-back, two-out singles by Matt Dittman and Cappetta to put runners on first and third. But Wimmers reared back and struck out Argo, the .348-hitting freshman with 11 home runs, swinging on a 3-2 count. Whew!
Ohio State extended the lead in the eighth. Stephens reached after getting hit on his right shin. Dan Burkhart then went opposite field – to left center – for his ninth home run of the season and a 4-1 lead. The two RBI were Burkhart’s team-leading 52nd and 53rd of the year.
With the intensity of the game rising with every pitch, Illinois bunched three hits together in the eighth to score a run, making it 4-2, and prompting Ohio State coach Bob Todd to the mound to relieve Wimmers.
So in came Hale (0-1) with runners on second and third and two out. His first three pitches to Aaron Johnson were balls, but Johnson swung at the fourth and Tyler Engle hustled to make a play behind the mound and throw Johnson out to end the inning.
Winning pitcher John Anderson (1-2) worked a scoreless ninth, setting the Illini up for a ninth inning that will probably never be forgotten by their players or the huge crowd on hand. There’s a Big Ten championship at stake, after all, and the home team took a big step toward it tonight. There are two more games left to be played in this series, though.
Game 1 Recap & Notes
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2
Ohio State pounded out 16 hits, including four by team captain Justin Miller, and rebounded from its Friday loss to defeat league-leading Illinois, 10-7, in Game 2 of the series Saturday at Illinois Field. The win keeps Ohio State in third place in the Big Ten standings, 1.5 games behind the new leader, Minnesota. Illinois falls one-half game back of the Golden Gophers with the loss.
There were seven ties and lead changes in the contest, but this game changed within a 60-second span of the first inning. That’s how long it took for Ohio State to get out of a serious situation.
Illinois, sky high after its come-from-behind ninth-inning win Friday, loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, courtesy of a leadoff walk and a pair of singles. But Dominic Altobelli hit a hard bouncer right back to Ohio State starter Dean Wolosiansky, who snapped the ball out of the air and teamed with catcher Dan Burkhart and first baseman Matt Streng to complete a textbook, 1-2-3 double play. Wolosiansky then fielded Aaron Johnson’s grounder and threw to first to get out of the inning without allowing a run.
Wolosiansky, the sophomore who was seeking to become the first 11-win pitcher at Ohio State since Justin Fry in 1999, pitched well enough to get a win, but after giving up two walks in the fifth inning, he yielded the game to reliever Drew Rucinsky, who pitched 3.2 innings to get the win and improve to 8-2 on the season. Jake Hale pitched a perfect, seven-pitch ninth inning to record his 12th save of the season.
This game, unlike Friday night, was more about the hitting than pitching, though. A game-long breeze reaching speeds of 15-to-20 mph out of the west made for a precarious afternoon with every well-hit fly ball. Advantage Ohio State in that department. Miller hit a two-run home run and had a double as part of his four-hit day, which included three runs and three RBI. Tyler Engle had two doubles, three hits and three runs scored and Ryan Dew also had three hits and three runs to lead the Buckeyes offensively.
Two of the biggest hits of the game came from Cory Kovanda and Matt Streng. Kovanda had the big hit in a three-run fourth inning...a two-out, two-strike, two-out single to give the Buckeyes a 4-3 lead. Zach Hurley, who had two hits and two RBI, drew a two-out, bases loaded walk to bring home the first run of the inning...a play that won’t be in the headlines but one that was certainly crucial at a critical point of the game.
Streng’s big hit came in the ninth with the Buckeyes clinging to an 8-7 lead. He singled to right, driving home two insurance runs to increase the lead to three at 10-7.
“My first few at-bats I had some good swings but things didn’t work out,” Streng, a sophomore from Upper Arlington said. “I was looking for a good pitch to drive in my last at-bat. I fouled a few pitches off and then I worked into a deep count and was able to drive one up the middle. I saw it get past the second baseman and I had to clap and cheer a little because I was excited. We needed those two runs.”
The win not only improved Ohio State’s record to 35-14, but it also stopped the only losing streak the team has been on all season at four games.
Game 2 Recap
Game 2 Box Score
Game 3
Ohio State pounded 16 hits for the second consecutive game to win the series with Illinois on the strength of a 12-7 victory Sunday at Illinois Field. The Ohio State win, coupled with a Sunday win by Michigan over Minnesota, leaves the Buckeyes and the Illini just one-half game behind Minnesota heading into the final weekend of the Big Ten season. Ohio State is now 36-14 overall and 15-6 in the Big Ten. Illinois is 32-16 and also 15-6.
Just two days after losing a Friday night game that appeared in the bag, the Buckeyes were backed into a corner and one loss away from being eliminated from the Big Ten championship picture and a couple losses away from being a fourth or fifth seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament at Huntington Park.
But this team didn’t quit. It didn’t give in to the pressure and it quite simply didn’t care about its predicament. Instead, it came out of that corner swinging...in a big way.
This was a championship game from the start. Illinois had Best on the ropes early, scoring two runs off two hits in the first inning and then getting two men on in the second, but failing to score a run. The Illini also had men on in the third but could not add to their 2-0 lead.
The Buckeyes scored a run in the fourth. Burkhart doubled to center, moved to second on a ground out and with two out, Miller’s seventh hit of the series – a single to center – scored Burkhart, making the score 2-1.
Arp started the fifth off on a positive note for the Buckeyes, first-pitch swinging and collecting a single to left. Engle then crushed his first home run of the season out of left center field for a 3-2 Ohio State lead. Matt Streng walked and singles by Hurley and Kovanda increased the lead to 4-2 and closed the day on Illinois starter Bryan Johnson (5-3).
Stephens then greeted reliever Ben Reeser, in his first relief appearance of the year, with a sharp single to left that scored both Hurley and Kovanda for a 6-2 lead.
After Illinois’ Dominic Altobelli countered with his second home run of the series to cut the lead to 6-3, Ohio State retaliated with a single run in the sixth, a single by Kovanda that scored Engle.
Then leading 7-5 heading into the eighth inning, the Buckeyes delivered a series of knockout blows with two out that clinched the win. Burkhart doubled off the center field wall to drive in two. Dew followed with his seventh home run of the season to left center to drive in two more. The very next hitter, Miller, crushed his ninth home run to give the Buckeyes a 12-5 lead.
Hale gave up a home run in the eighth, but that was all and after a 3-up-3-down, ninth, the Buckeyes celebrated with their sixth series win of the season.
Game 3 Recap & Notes
Game 3 Box Score
Recaps courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Game 1
League-leading Illinois scored three unearned runs in the ninth inning to snatch the first game of this crucial series with Ohio State, 5-4, before more than 5,000 fans at Illinois Field.
Ohio State led, 4-2, after another fine outing from Alex Wimmers, who pitched 7.2 innings and appeared to have the win after closer Jake Hale got out of a runners-on-second-and-third jam in the eighth inning.
Ohio State had been unbeaten entering the ninth inning with the lead this season at 30-0. Hale got the first out of the ninth, but then walked Pete Cappetta to bring Willie Argo, the tying run, to the plate. Argo reached on an error. Then pinch hitter Mike Giller reached on another infield error to load the bases, bringing up Joe Bonadonna. Two-run single to left center to tie the game. The next batter, Casey McMurray, then laced a sharp single to right to win the game and send the record Illinois crowd into a joyous celebration, topped off by fireworks that the Buckeyes had to watch because the place was too crowded with people to make leaving an option.
The loss dropped Ohio State two games behind Illinois and one-and-one-half behind Minnesota, which was taking care of business at Michigan. Heading into Saturday play, Illinois is 15-4, Minnesota is 14-4 and Ohio State is 13-6 with just five Big Ten Conference games to play. Overall, Ohio State is 34-14 and has lost four consecutive games.
This was Ohio State’s game. Michael Stephens hit his third home run in two games – a two-run shot in the first inning – to give the Buckeyes a quick, 2-0 lead. Also scoring on the play was Cory Kovanda, who had singled.
Wimmers kept Illinois in control through the first four innings, not allowing a man to reach base while facing the minimum 12 batters. But Dominic Altobelli led off the fifth with a home run to right that cut the lead to 2-1. The home run ended two amazing streaks for the talented Wimmers: 15.1. hitless innings and 14.2 scoreless innings.
Illinois threatened with a man on second and two out in the sixth, but Matt Streng made a nice play to his left to stab a Brandon Wikoff liner and make the unassisted play at first for the final out of the inning.
The Illini came right back in the seventh, with back-to-back, two-out singles by Matt Dittman and Cappetta to put runners on first and third. But Wimmers reared back and struck out Argo, the .348-hitting freshman with 11 home runs, swinging on a 3-2 count. Whew!
Ohio State extended the lead in the eighth. Stephens reached after getting hit on his right shin. Dan Burkhart then went opposite field – to left center – for his ninth home run of the season and a 4-1 lead. The two RBI were Burkhart’s team-leading 52nd and 53rd of the year.
With the intensity of the game rising with every pitch, Illinois bunched three hits together in the eighth to score a run, making it 4-2, and prompting Ohio State coach Bob Todd to the mound to relieve Wimmers.
So in came Hale (0-1) with runners on second and third and two out. His first three pitches to Aaron Johnson were balls, but Johnson swung at the fourth and Tyler Engle hustled to make a play behind the mound and throw Johnson out to end the inning.
Winning pitcher John Anderson (1-2) worked a scoreless ninth, setting the Illini up for a ninth inning that will probably never be forgotten by their players or the huge crowd on hand. There’s a Big Ten championship at stake, after all, and the home team took a big step toward it tonight. There are two more games left to be played in this series, though.
Game 1 Recap & Notes
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2
Ohio State pounded out 16 hits, including four by team captain Justin Miller, and rebounded from its Friday loss to defeat league-leading Illinois, 10-7, in Game 2 of the series Saturday at Illinois Field. The win keeps Ohio State in third place in the Big Ten standings, 1.5 games behind the new leader, Minnesota. Illinois falls one-half game back of the Golden Gophers with the loss.
There were seven ties and lead changes in the contest, but this game changed within a 60-second span of the first inning. That’s how long it took for Ohio State to get out of a serious situation.
Illinois, sky high after its come-from-behind ninth-inning win Friday, loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, courtesy of a leadoff walk and a pair of singles. But Dominic Altobelli hit a hard bouncer right back to Ohio State starter Dean Wolosiansky, who snapped the ball out of the air and teamed with catcher Dan Burkhart and first baseman Matt Streng to complete a textbook, 1-2-3 double play. Wolosiansky then fielded Aaron Johnson’s grounder and threw to first to get out of the inning without allowing a run.
Wolosiansky, the sophomore who was seeking to become the first 11-win pitcher at Ohio State since Justin Fry in 1999, pitched well enough to get a win, but after giving up two walks in the fifth inning, he yielded the game to reliever Drew Rucinsky, who pitched 3.2 innings to get the win and improve to 8-2 on the season. Jake Hale pitched a perfect, seven-pitch ninth inning to record his 12th save of the season.
This game, unlike Friday night, was more about the hitting than pitching, though. A game-long breeze reaching speeds of 15-to-20 mph out of the west made for a precarious afternoon with every well-hit fly ball. Advantage Ohio State in that department. Miller hit a two-run home run and had a double as part of his four-hit day, which included three runs and three RBI. Tyler Engle had two doubles, three hits and three runs scored and Ryan Dew also had three hits and three runs to lead the Buckeyes offensively.
Two of the biggest hits of the game came from Cory Kovanda and Matt Streng. Kovanda had the big hit in a three-run fourth inning...a two-out, two-strike, two-out single to give the Buckeyes a 4-3 lead. Zach Hurley, who had two hits and two RBI, drew a two-out, bases loaded walk to bring home the first run of the inning...a play that won’t be in the headlines but one that was certainly crucial at a critical point of the game.
Streng’s big hit came in the ninth with the Buckeyes clinging to an 8-7 lead. He singled to right, driving home two insurance runs to increase the lead to three at 10-7.
“My first few at-bats I had some good swings but things didn’t work out,” Streng, a sophomore from Upper Arlington said. “I was looking for a good pitch to drive in my last at-bat. I fouled a few pitches off and then I worked into a deep count and was able to drive one up the middle. I saw it get past the second baseman and I had to clap and cheer a little because I was excited. We needed those two runs.”
The win not only improved Ohio State’s record to 35-14, but it also stopped the only losing streak the team has been on all season at four games.
Game 2 Recap
Game 2 Box Score
Game 3
Ohio State pounded 16 hits for the second consecutive game to win the series with Illinois on the strength of a 12-7 victory Sunday at Illinois Field. The Ohio State win, coupled with a Sunday win by Michigan over Minnesota, leaves the Buckeyes and the Illini just one-half game behind Minnesota heading into the final weekend of the Big Ten season. Ohio State is now 36-14 overall and 15-6 in the Big Ten. Illinois is 32-16 and also 15-6.
Just two days after losing a Friday night game that appeared in the bag, the Buckeyes were backed into a corner and one loss away from being eliminated from the Big Ten championship picture and a couple losses away from being a fourth or fifth seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament at Huntington Park.
But this team didn’t quit. It didn’t give in to the pressure and it quite simply didn’t care about its predicament. Instead, it came out of that corner swinging...in a big way.
This was a championship game from the start. Illinois had Best on the ropes early, scoring two runs off two hits in the first inning and then getting two men on in the second, but failing to score a run. The Illini also had men on in the third but could not add to their 2-0 lead.
The Buckeyes scored a run in the fourth. Burkhart doubled to center, moved to second on a ground out and with two out, Miller’s seventh hit of the series – a single to center – scored Burkhart, making the score 2-1.
Arp started the fifth off on a positive note for the Buckeyes, first-pitch swinging and collecting a single to left. Engle then crushed his first home run of the season out of left center field for a 3-2 Ohio State lead. Matt Streng walked and singles by Hurley and Kovanda increased the lead to 4-2 and closed the day on Illinois starter Bryan Johnson (5-3).
Stephens then greeted reliever Ben Reeser, in his first relief appearance of the year, with a sharp single to left that scored both Hurley and Kovanda for a 6-2 lead.
After Illinois’ Dominic Altobelli countered with his second home run of the series to cut the lead to 6-3, Ohio State retaliated with a single run in the sixth, a single by Kovanda that scored Engle.
Then leading 7-5 heading into the eighth inning, the Buckeyes delivered a series of knockout blows with two out that clinched the win. Burkhart doubled off the center field wall to drive in two. Dew followed with his seventh home run of the season to left center to drive in two more. The very next hitter, Miller, crushed his ninth home run to give the Buckeyes a 12-5 lead.
Hale gave up a home run in the eighth, but that was all and after a 3-up-3-down, ninth, the Buckeyes celebrated with their sixth series win of the season.
Game 3 Recap & Notes
Game 3 Box Score
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Numbers are Fun: Hitting
I should clarify, baseball numbers are fun. When you've failed two college calculus classes, numbers aren't exactly fun. But hey, being a 5th year senior has landed me this gig so I can't complain.
I've combed through all 29 pages of the bi-weekly Big Ten Release that Mrs. Valerie Todryk Krebs send out. Krebs is the Big Ten's baseball communications contact, and was actually in the Bill Davis pressbox for Game 2 Saturday. She earlier attended the Big Ten Rowing Championships at Briggs? (maybe Hoover) Reservoir. Anyhow I was able to briefly speak to her about the Big Ten Tournament and the decision to play it at a pre-determined site, and will have more on that talk later.
Anyhow back to the release, the release included pretty much every baseball statistical category created by man. I'll just throw out what Bucks made what top 10 lists, in Big Ten games only.
Batting Average
Ryan Dew 3rd at .439
Dan Burkhart 10th at .375
Slugging Percentage
Dew 8th at .606
On Base Percentage
Dew 3rd at .500
Burkhart 6th at .493
Tyler Engle 8th at .491
Runs Scored
Zach Hurley 5th at 19
Hits
Dew 3rd at 29
RBI
nobody
Doubles
Burkhart, Hurley, Justin Miller at tied for 6th with 6
Triples
Michael Stephens tied or 1st, 2
Home Runs
Matt Streng tied for 5th with 4
Total Bases
Dew t-8th, 40
Walks
Burkhart & Engle t-4th, 15
Cory Kovanda 6th, 14
Hit By Pitches
Stephens 1st, 7
Sac Bunts
Stephens 2nd, 4
Sac Flied & Stolen Bases
nobody
Total Plate Appearances
Hurley t-1st, 91
Miller t-7th, 85
At-bats
Hurley 1st, 80
Miller 3rd, 76
Arp, t-7th, 73
Steal attempts, Stikeouts, Caught stealing
nobody
GIDP
Stephens t-1st, 4
I'll do pitching here in a bit. Its a lot of Hale, Rucinski, Wolosiansky, and Wimmers. Just to touch on the hitting, its safe to say Dew, Burkhart, and Stephens will be All-Big Ten.
I've combed through all 29 pages of the bi-weekly Big Ten Release that Mrs. Valerie Todryk Krebs send out. Krebs is the Big Ten's baseball communications contact, and was actually in the Bill Davis pressbox for Game 2 Saturday. She earlier attended the Big Ten Rowing Championships at Briggs? (maybe Hoover) Reservoir. Anyhow I was able to briefly speak to her about the Big Ten Tournament and the decision to play it at a pre-determined site, and will have more on that talk later.
Anyhow back to the release, the release included pretty much every baseball statistical category created by man. I'll just throw out what Bucks made what top 10 lists, in Big Ten games only.
Batting Average
Ryan Dew 3rd at .439
Dan Burkhart 10th at .375
Slugging Percentage
Dew 8th at .606
On Base Percentage
Dew 3rd at .500
Burkhart 6th at .493
Tyler Engle 8th at .491
Runs Scored
Zach Hurley 5th at 19
Hits
Dew 3rd at 29
RBI
nobody
Doubles
Burkhart, Hurley, Justin Miller at tied for 6th with 6
Triples
Michael Stephens tied or 1st, 2
Home Runs
Matt Streng tied for 5th with 4
Total Bases
Dew t-8th, 40
Walks
Burkhart & Engle t-4th, 15
Cory Kovanda 6th, 14
Hit By Pitches
Stephens 1st, 7
Sac Bunts
Stephens 2nd, 4
Sac Flied & Stolen Bases
nobody
Total Plate Appearances
Hurley t-1st, 91
Miller t-7th, 85
At-bats
Hurley 1st, 80
Miller 3rd, 76
Arp, t-7th, 73
Steal attempts, Stikeouts, Caught stealing
nobody
GIDP
Stephens t-1st, 4
I'll do pitching here in a bit. Its a lot of Hale, Rucinski, Wolosiansky, and Wimmers. Just to touch on the hitting, its safe to say Dew, Burkhart, and Stephens will be All-Big Ten.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Oh What a Weekend
I have a lot to catch the world up on. Unless you're lviing under a rock, you know Alex Wimmers no-hit the Michigan Wolverines in Saturday's 6-0 Buckeye victory in game 1 of the doubleheader. It was the first nine inning no-no in Ohio State baseball history. More is promised to come from that.
In game two the Bucks trailed 0-2 before the bats came alive. DH Ryan Dew who collected two hits, a 2-run single, and solo home run in game 1, started game 2 off with a home run in route to a 5-for-5 day. Dew's bat help led the Bucks to a 9-6 win, sweeping the doubleheader. Dean Wolosiansky picked up his 10th win of the season. Jake Hale picks up his 11th save of the season. Both marks lead the Big Ten.
OSU Athletics Game Notes and Recaps of the DH
Wimmers no-hitter Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Big Ten Network Highlights
Unfortunately Sunday did see Michigan salvage the series with a 9-2 victory. Michael Stephens, 2-for-3, and Justin Miller 2-for-4 led the Buckeyes at the plate. Eric Best who was struggling to kick a small illness, wasn't at his finest on the mound, though the defense in behind him did not help as Eric allowed 3 runs in the first, all unearned, 5 runs, 2 earned and picked up the loss. The Buckeyes are just 1-4 in Sunday Big Ten games this year.
Game Notes and OSU Athletics Game 3 Recap
Game 3 Box Score
Big Ten Network Game 3 Highlights
In game two the Bucks trailed 0-2 before the bats came alive. DH Ryan Dew who collected two hits, a 2-run single, and solo home run in game 1, started game 2 off with a home run in route to a 5-for-5 day. Dew's bat help led the Bucks to a 9-6 win, sweeping the doubleheader. Dean Wolosiansky picked up his 10th win of the season. Jake Hale picks up his 11th save of the season. Both marks lead the Big Ten.
OSU Athletics Game Notes and Recaps of the DH
Wimmers no-hitter Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Big Ten Network Highlights
Unfortunately Sunday did see Michigan salvage the series with a 9-2 victory. Michael Stephens, 2-for-3, and Justin Miller 2-for-4 led the Buckeyes at the plate. Eric Best who was struggling to kick a small illness, wasn't at his finest on the mound, though the defense in behind him did not help as Eric allowed 3 runs in the first, all unearned, 5 runs, 2 earned and picked up the loss. The Buckeyes are just 1-4 in Sunday Big Ten games this year.
Game Notes and OSU Athletics Game 3 Recap
Game 3 Box Score
Big Ten Network Game 3 Highlights
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Columbus Dispatch: Home run all OSU need
Alex Wimmers and Jake Hale combined on a shutout, and Ryan Dew's eighth-inning home run was the game's only run in Ohio State's victory over host Purdue in a Big Ten game yesterday.
Wimmers allowed only three hits before departing after walking the leadoff batter in the eighth. Hale allowed a single before getting out of that jam.
In the ninth, Purdue got a two-out double, but Hale got a groundout.
Wimmers struck out seven, including back-to-back strikeouts of two of Purdue's top hitters in the sixth inning with a runner on second base.
Wimmers also was aided by catcher Dan Burkhart, who threw out two runners attempting to steal.
Ohio State had three hits off the Boilermakers' Matt Bischoff until Dew, the designated hitter, hit his third homer of the season.
Ohio State (27-8, 7-3) and Purdue (16-16, 5-4) will play a doubleheader today. They were scheduled to play single, nine-inning games today and Sunday, but the threat of bad weather Sunday led to the change.
Columbus Dispatc
Wimmers allowed only three hits before departing after walking the leadoff batter in the eighth. Hale allowed a single before getting out of that jam.
In the ninth, Purdue got a two-out double, but Hale got a groundout.
Wimmers struck out seven, including back-to-back strikeouts of two of Purdue's top hitters in the sixth inning with a runner on second base.
Wimmers also was aided by catcher Dan Burkhart, who threw out two runners attempting to steal.
Ohio State had three hits off the Boilermakers' Matt Bischoff until Dew, the designated hitter, hit his third homer of the season.
Ohio State (27-8, 7-3) and Purdue (16-16, 5-4) will play a doubleheader today. They were scheduled to play single, nine-inning games today and Sunday, but the threat of bad weather Sunday led to the change.
Columbus Dispatc
Wimmers & Hale Drown Out Boilermakers
In a good old fashioned pitchers’ duel, Ohio State’s two bested Purdue’s one and the Buckeyes’ won the first game of this three-game series, 1-0, Friday afternoon in front of 382 fans at Lambert Field.
The win for Ohio State, on the strength of a combined shutout from Alex Wimmers and Jake Hale and a leadoff, eighth-inning home run by Ryan Dew, improves Ohio State’s records to 27-8 overall and 7-3 in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue is 16-16 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten.
“Good pitching wins ball games,” coach Bob Todd said. “Now we have to be able to do this again tomorrow.”
The Buckeyes will try to win not once but twice Saturday. That’s because the teams will play two nine-inning games instead of one game Saturday and one game Sunday, as originally scheduled. The change to a Saturday DH was prompted by the threat of inclement weather hitting West Lafayette Sunday. The decision was made prior to the start of the game Friday.
“We’ll be prepared to play two games in one day,” Todd said. “That’s why we played two games on so many Saturdays when we were in Florida. This team knows what to do to get ready to play two.”
The game Friday, on a sun-splashed afternoon, was all about starting pitchers Wimmers for Ohio State and Matt Bischoff for Purdue through the first seven scoreless innings. During that time both pitchers had given up just three hits and both were helped by line-out double plays. Wimmers also benefitted from longtime friend and catcher Dan Burkhart throwing out two Purdue runners trying to steal, in the third inning and to end the seventh.
Wimmers had to work out of trouble in the fourth and fifth innings. He balked and wild pitched a runner to third, but got a strikeout to end the fourth. He faced runners on first and second with one out in the fifth, but got a line-out double play – right fielder Michael Arp to Matt Streng at first – with the Purdue runners aggressively running on the play.
Wimmers wasn’t necessarily in trouble in the sixth with a runner on second and one down, but it wasn’t the best of situations he was looking at as Purdue’s next two batters were the .425-hitting Eric Charles and the .355-hitting (and .748 slugging) Dan Black, who hit two home runs and drove in eight RBI last year against Ohio State. Wimmers struck them both out to end the inning.
Bischoff, meanwhile, had faced just two men over the minimum and had allowed just three harmless singles through seven innings. He retired the first 12 batters he faced and then after scattering the singles in three separate innings, he appeared to be getting stronger as the game wore on. His one-two-three seventh inning included striking out two Buckeyes looking.
The game changed in the eighth inning. Dew, who was do to hit a home run, having not hit one in 30 games, rudely greeted Bischoff to open the eighth inning by crushing his first pitch for a line drive home run over the right field wall for a 1-0 Ohio State lead. It was Dew’s third home run of the season but first since a game five win over George Mason.
“A lot of times a pitcher will lead off the inning with a first-pitch fastball,” Dew said, “and that’s what he threw. I was looking for it and it came middle in, just how I like it.”
A walk to open the eighth inning signaled the end of the day for Wimmers, who exited having allowed just three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Jake Hale entered the game and got two quick outs on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. Brandon Haveman reached on an infield single up the first base line, but Hale held the lead and got the Buckeyes out of the inning by getting Eric Charles to line out to Arp in right.
Things got interesting in the Purdue half of the ninth, but only for a moment. Tyler Spillner hit a two-out double to bring the winning run to the plate, but Hale got Nick Overmeyer to ground out to shortstop Tyler Engle and the Buckeyes had their 27th win of the season.
Wimmers is now 7-1 with the win. Hale added to his Big Ten leading totals with his eighth save, his 22nd relief appearance and his 21st consecutive game finished. Bischoff dropped to 3-3 with the loss.
Courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Box Score
The win for Ohio State, on the strength of a combined shutout from Alex Wimmers and Jake Hale and a leadoff, eighth-inning home run by Ryan Dew, improves Ohio State’s records to 27-8 overall and 7-3 in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue is 16-16 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten.
“Good pitching wins ball games,” coach Bob Todd said. “Now we have to be able to do this again tomorrow.”
The Buckeyes will try to win not once but twice Saturday. That’s because the teams will play two nine-inning games instead of one game Saturday and one game Sunday, as originally scheduled. The change to a Saturday DH was prompted by the threat of inclement weather hitting West Lafayette Sunday. The decision was made prior to the start of the game Friday.
“We’ll be prepared to play two games in one day,” Todd said. “That’s why we played two games on so many Saturdays when we were in Florida. This team knows what to do to get ready to play two.”
The game Friday, on a sun-splashed afternoon, was all about starting pitchers Wimmers for Ohio State and Matt Bischoff for Purdue through the first seven scoreless innings. During that time both pitchers had given up just three hits and both were helped by line-out double plays. Wimmers also benefitted from longtime friend and catcher Dan Burkhart throwing out two Purdue runners trying to steal, in the third inning and to end the seventh.
Wimmers had to work out of trouble in the fourth and fifth innings. He balked and wild pitched a runner to third, but got a strikeout to end the fourth. He faced runners on first and second with one out in the fifth, but got a line-out double play – right fielder Michael Arp to Matt Streng at first – with the Purdue runners aggressively running on the play.
Wimmers wasn’t necessarily in trouble in the sixth with a runner on second and one down, but it wasn’t the best of situations he was looking at as Purdue’s next two batters were the .425-hitting Eric Charles and the .355-hitting (and .748 slugging) Dan Black, who hit two home runs and drove in eight RBI last year against Ohio State. Wimmers struck them both out to end the inning.
Bischoff, meanwhile, had faced just two men over the minimum and had allowed just three harmless singles through seven innings. He retired the first 12 batters he faced and then after scattering the singles in three separate innings, he appeared to be getting stronger as the game wore on. His one-two-three seventh inning included striking out two Buckeyes looking.
The game changed in the eighth inning. Dew, who was do to hit a home run, having not hit one in 30 games, rudely greeted Bischoff to open the eighth inning by crushing his first pitch for a line drive home run over the right field wall for a 1-0 Ohio State lead. It was Dew’s third home run of the season but first since a game five win over George Mason.
“A lot of times a pitcher will lead off the inning with a first-pitch fastball,” Dew said, “and that’s what he threw. I was looking for it and it came middle in, just how I like it.”
A walk to open the eighth inning signaled the end of the day for Wimmers, who exited having allowed just three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Jake Hale entered the game and got two quick outs on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. Brandon Haveman reached on an infield single up the first base line, but Hale held the lead and got the Buckeyes out of the inning by getting Eric Charles to line out to Arp in right.
Things got interesting in the Purdue half of the ninth, but only for a moment. Tyler Spillner hit a two-out double to bring the winning run to the plate, but Hale got Nick Overmeyer to ground out to shortstop Tyler Engle and the Buckeyes had their 27th win of the season.
Wimmers is now 7-1 with the win. Hale added to his Big Ten leading totals with his eighth save, his 22nd relief appearance and his 21st consecutive game finished. Bischoff dropped to 3-3 with the loss.
Courtesy Ohio State Athletics
Box Score
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