Shuck Gives Father Quite a Ride; Headed to AFL

Courtesy the Caller.com

The 2008 sixth-round pick out of Ohio State is proud to carry the "gritty baseball player" label

By Ryan Metz of MiLB.com

Jack Shuck estimates he has logged over 200,000 miles on the two cars he's driven to watch his son play baseball. First there was the Pontiac Sunfire he totaled on a trip to Tennessee to see a game, and now he has a Pontiac G6 that has seen the odometer tack some miles.

Shuck hustling through the Minor Leagues

Gritty outfielder climbing up the Astros' farm system


By Steve Gartner/MLB.com
08/05/10

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Hooks left fielder J.B. Shuck wasn't feeling well before a Double-A game in May against Arkansas.

"He was sick as a dog," hitting coach Mark Bailey said.

Buckeye Baseball News and Notes 8/2

Very light update. A few alumni quick hits. More news on the Buckeyes 2011 schedule, prepare for an extended stay in California. Lastly, a look at the life of being a summer league Buckeye.

Buckeye Baseball Alumni Update 7/31

It's the last day of July and while the MLB trade deadline highlights most baseball circles, there is a lot going on related to Buckeye baseball.

In our latest alumni news we have yet another Buckeye minor league promotion, a return from the DL, an unfortunate return to the DL, and a continuation of a very impressive season for one pitcher.

Buckeyes in the Pros

This has been well past-due.

In turning our attention from the current Buckeyes to those who help make the program the Big Ten's best, we take a look at those who donned the scarlet and gray and are currently in the professional ranks.

With Buckeyes on nearly every step of the farm system ladder, the group is highlighted by a pair of former teammates who received All-Star recognition this week in Nick Swisher and Doug Deeds, a pair of another teammates who have received promotions to AAA, as well as one last pair of former teammates from the 2009 Big Ten Champion team currently in the Northwest League.

Buckeyes in the Minors: DeLucia & Shuck

A day late, but as promised we catch up with two former Buckeyes who are enjoying success in Advance A ball. Be it overpowering hitters enjoying baseball from the mound sandwiched between the Atlantic and Gulf Coast as is Dan DeLucia or abusing opposing pitchers sending balls into the warm breeze off the Pacific as is J.B. Shuck, the two 2008 draft picks are causing quit the stirs in their respective Florida Coast and California Leagues.

It was the Houston Astros who selected the two-way standout from Ohio State in the 6th round, selecting the Galion, Ohio native J.B. Shuck as an outfielder with the 182nd pick overall. Shuck was a New York-Penn League All Star is first professional season, finishing 2008 batting .300 for the Tri-City of the NYPL. After enjoying a very strong debut season, Shuck continued to turn heads in the 'Stros minor league camp. J.B. forced his way into having the organization bump him all the way up to A+ ball, skipping the Low A level.

The jump from A- to A+ has been said to be the toughest for a hitter. What would it be like for Shuck going from short season A to High A? Shuck and the Astros could not anticipate the 2009 summer J.B. is enjoying. Through 108 games the sweet-swinging lefty is hitting .329 which places him sixth in the California League, as does his .404 on-base percentage. Though leading off for the Lancaster JetHawks, Shuck is slugging .437 off 26 doubles, 10 triples and a home run. Shuck has successfully stolen 18 bases in 25 attempts.

Expect to see Shuck in AA at Corpus Christi in 2010 as mentioned today by the Houston Chronicle
. "(Jon) Gaston, J.B. Shuck and T.J. Steele, who has missed much of the season to injury, are hovering in the high .300s or low .400s in on-base percentage and form a trio that could be in for a real test next year at Class AA.

They also cover a lot of ground in that spacious outfield.

“We're a very good offensive lineup throughout,” Gaston said. “And we're porbably the fastest in the league. It's a good outfield. We can play all three positions.”

As we focus in on how the other lefty of the 2008 draft class is doing, DeLucia continue to shine as he finds second life with the Dunedin Blue Jays. As previously mentioned here DeLucia started 2009 in the Northern League playing in front of Canadians before seeing the Toronto Blue Jays offered him a minor league contract in hopes of one day returning to Canada in their uniform. If DeLucia continues he progress that might not be out of the question.

Former three-time captain for the Scarlet & Gray has a 1-1 record with a .87 ERA. DeLucia has allowed just 2 runs in 20.2 innings pitched. DeLucia has 16 strikeouts to match the 16 hits allowed, the 8 walks combined with the hits add up for a WHIP of 1.18. Equally as impressive is DeLucia is limiting opponents to a .216 batting average against. That number gets even stingier as righties are hitting just .184 off Danny.

So far so good in 2009 for a pair of former All-Big Ten Buckeyes. As the minor seasons come to a conclusion here over the next month, both Shuck and DeLucia hope to finish strong in High A leaving the door to AA in 2010 wide open.

Buckeyes in the Minors: Courtesy BuckeyeSports.com

The longer I'm in this "blogging business" a few things I have learned. First, if you have an idea, do it. Because second, if you don't someone else will.

Well I've been wanting to update the world on the former Buckeyes in the minor leagues and how they're doing. Unfortunately I've been struggling to find the time to sit down and do it, my apologies, with work, interning, and starting this new Ohio baseball site.

Fortunately, BuckeyeSports.com did took the time to look up and see how former players were doing. Kudos to the Buckeye Sports Bulletin for taking time and effort to follow some of our former Buckeyes, when up to this point, the Department of Athletics has embarrassingly put out little regarding even our current Buckeyes and their summer situations. They even plug the Buckeye Nine.


Talkin' Baseball and the Buckeyes
By Marcus Hartman
BuckeyeSports.com
Posted Jul 1, 2009

First, on Eric Fryer: the Yanks traded the outfielder who can also catch as part of a deal to acquire veteran third baseman Eric Hinske on Tuesday, a move MLB.com seems to think could have been in the works for a while:

The Pirates have had their eye on Fryer for over a year now, with Huntington noting that the Pirates tried to acquire him last year while Fryer was in the Brewers' system. Fryer, 23, has been playing with the Yankees' high Class A Tampa affiliate, where he made 55 appearances in left, five behind the plate and one in right this season. In 59 games, he's hit .250 with 11 doubles, two home runs, 24 RBIs and 34 runs scored. Fryer, a 10th-round Draft selection in 2007, has been assigned to high Class A Lynchburg, and the Pirates plan to develop him as a catcher.

New York originally acquired Fryer this past offseason after he had a huge season in Single-A for the Milwaukee Brewers organization...


Other MiLB performers of note this year (this is not a comprehensive list but rather some highlights):

Outfielder Matt Angle is hitting .282 with 24 stolen bases in 30 tries in 66 games for the Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles) in advanced Single-A in the Carolina League.

First baseman Ronnie Bourquin was recently called up to Double-A Erie in the Eastern League after a torrid 62 games with West Michigan in low Single-A. For the Whitecaps, he hit .304 with 21 doubles and 47 RBI. He is off to a slow start with the SeaWolves, however, with seven hits in his first 23 at-bats (.174 average). He did hit a homer and a triple while driving in five runs in his first seven games in Erie.

Also sent to Double-A recently but having a much better go of it (and in the Southern League) is outfielder Doug Deeds, who is hitting .352 with an 1.011 OPS in 16 games with the Tennessee Smokies. The downside for Deeds? His move this season was down rather than up. He began the year with Iowa in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, where he batted .264 with 15 extra-base hits in 47 games after being a non-roster invitee to spring training. He drove in 18 and struck out 37 times with 10 walks in Iowa.

A bit further down the line, Jack "J.B." Shuck entered July hitting .314 with 15 stolen bases and a .393 OBP through 70 games for the Lancaster JetHawks in the advanced Single-A California League. Among his 91 hits were 13 doubles and six triples in his first full year as a pro.

Turning to pitchers, we have two notable Buckeyes.

June 29, lefty Cory Luebke made his first appearance of the season in Double-A, and it was winning debut for the Maria Stein Marion Local product. Pitching for San Antonio in the Padres organization, he struck out four while walking one and allowing four hits and one run (earned) in 5.0 innings. That was after going 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA in 14 starts in the California League.

Meanwhile, second-year pro Dan DeLucia made his first appearance of the year with one inning for the Gulf Coach League Blue Jays in rookie ball June 23. He struck out one and walked another while not allowing a hit. (DeLucia, by the way, is a writer for the website ColumbusSports.com, and he chronicles some of his travels there, as you'll see if you follow this link).

As blog The Buckeye Nine pointed out last week, Luebke and Bourquin both took part in midseason all-star games in June.

With all that said, we have to leave you with some bad news: Former Ohio State LHP and the Cleveland Indians' starter in the home opener this season Scott Lewis will see Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion about his ailing pitching arm, says The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer.

Buckeyes in the Minors, Part 2

I must apologize for the extreme delay in getting this up. Did not anticipate a day would take a month, but life tends to throw curveballs, it is on us to be patient enough to drive it the other way. As we continue...

The minor league baseball regular seasons across America are now wrapping, if not already over. Though there is postseason action to be played throughout the 20 minor leagues, we can look back on this past season and see how a few more former Buckeyes played.

I left off with the 2007 draft class trio of Angle, Fryer, Luebke. Going back a year to 2006 we have two Buckeye infielders that were drafted. 3B Ronnie Bourquin in the round 2 by the Detroit Tigers, and SS Jedidiah Stephen, drafted in the 8th round by the Balitmore Orioles.

3B Ron Bourquin- The former hot corner All American spent the 2008 campaign with just one team in one league, this after playing in SS-A and Advanced A in 2007. Splitting the difference of last year, playing as a West Michigan Whitecaps in A ball action, Bourquin joined Luebke as the second former Buck in the Midwest League.

Though he posted a .235 BA, he did have a .339 on-base percentage with 25 extra base hits, that helped keep him in the lineup for 118 games. Bourquin played well in the second half of the season, in which he hit .269, and had a OBP/SLG/OPS line of .361/.358/.720, compared to .315/.269/.584.


SS Jedidiah Stephen-As did Ron, Jed spent the 2007 season in SS-A and Advanced A. This season however took a different path for Stephen, culminating being teammates again with another Buckeye alum. The Orioles as an organization felt it was in the best interest of both the team and player to keep Stephen in extended spring training to start the season. Though he wasn't required to learn a new position during his stay as Fryer was, Stephen worked on refining he swing and becoming a complete player.

Starting the 2008 season as an Aberdeen IronBird of the New York-Penn League, Jed provided a bit of power. In his 46 games in the NYPL, Stephen hit 8 Home Runs, and 9 Doubles to post a .445 Slugging Percentage. Though his strikeouts were a bit high, 55 in 173 AB's, the O's felt Stephen could handle a promotion for the last end of the season, and moved him up to the South Atlantic League, joining Matt Angle in the Delmarva Shorebirds' lineup. In his 7 games as a Shorebird, Stephen went 1-for-25, with 13 strikeouts to 1 walk.



Coming off of a 2005 Big Ten Tournament championship, and a trip to the Corvallis Regional, Mike Madsen was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 21st round. Former pitcher Trent Luyster was also drafted in 2005, by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 30th round, but Trent did not pitch this year in the minors.

P Mike Madsen-After pitching during MLB's All Star Weekend in 2007, as a player in the Futures Game, Madsen and the A's had high expectations for the 2008 season. Starting the season with the Midland RockHounds as a Texas Leaguer, Madsen was showing he had no trouble with AA hitters. In 2 starts spanning 12 innings, Madsen allowed just 3 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 BB's, posting a 2.25 ERA.

Unfortunately those 2 starts would be the only starts Madsen had this year with the RockHounds. An arm injury sidelined him for 2 months, before returning in rookie ball with the Athletics Arizona League in July. Playing with the AZL A's was step 1 in rehab process in returning to the mound, tough luck would have that the start would also be the end. Only able to throw just 1 inning before having the discomfort return, the A's decided to shut Madsen down for the year.



With 8 former players down and just 5 more professional ex-Bucks to go, tomorrow I'll recap the seasons of the 2002-2004 draft classes which saw the following Ohio State products drafted:

2004 Scott Lewis Cleveland Indians (3rd)
2004 Drew Anderson Cincinnati Reds (13th)
2004 Josh Newman Colorado Rockies (19th)
2003 Matt Davis Cleveland Indians (7th)
2002 Doug Deeds Minnesota Twins (9th)
2002 Nick Swisher Oakland Athletics (1st)


Updating the last post, Eric Fryer was name a South Atlantic League post-season All Star. Fryer finished the season winning the batting title, hitting a robust .335 in Sally League play. Also making an All Star team was JB Shuck, playing in the NYPL All Star game. Congrats to Eric and JB.


Hopefully by the end of the week we'll have a bit of information regarding the current Buckeyes as they start to return to campus and enter fall ball.

Buckeyes in the Minors, Part 1

With Senior LHP Dan DeLucia, and Junior OF/P J.B. Shuck drafted this past June, the total of former Buckeyes in the minors continue to grow each year, as the baseball program continue to produce elite baseball player.

With Buckeyes scattered across the ranks from Short Season A all the way up to AAA, playing across America in places from Salisbury, Maryland to Omaha, Nebraska, and in leagues such as the New York-Penn League, or the Pacific Coast League, there are former Bucks making an impact in Minor League Baseball.

Today I'll provide the Buckeye Nine with a brief rundown of former Buckeyes that were drafted in the last 2 seasons, and how they are currently doing in their respective farm systems.


Jack "JB" Shuck- JB has been showing why the Astros made him a 6th round pick this past June. JB who is currently playing with the Tri-City ValleyCats, the 'Stros SS-A ball team, is currently in the top 15 in multiple New York-Penn League categories.

As a lead off hitter, be it by hit, or other means it is undeniable how important it is to get on base. JB shows he can handle batting at the top of the order, hitting at a .304 clip, good enough for 13th best in the league and by drawing 23 walks, good enough for 7th. His superb batting, combined with his strike zone discipline has his on-base percentage at a robust .392, which 9th in the league.

Getting on base isn't only where JB is getting it done, wth help from his ValleyCats line-up, JB has cross home more than any other player in the New York-Penn League, with his 35 runs. JB has collected 4 triples the 3rd most in NYPL, and has only committed 1 error in patrolling center field.


Dan DeLucia- It was a pleasant surprise when in the 35th round, the Detroit Tigers selected the only 3-time captain in Ohio State baseball history. Rebounding from an injury shortened 2007 season, DeLucia put together a solid final campaign that made scouts aware that the Lefty still has it in him. Like JB, Dan is playing in the New York-Penn League, with the Oneonta Tigers.

Working mostly out of the bullpen, with 8 appearances and 1 start, DeLucia has been lights out in posting a record of 2-1. Compiling 17 innings in those 8 games, Dan has allowed only 2 earned runs to cross the plate. That equates to a minuscule 1.06 ERA.

NYPL batters have managed only 1 hit an inning off Dan, for total of 17, are are only hitting .258 off him. He has shown good solid command in striking out 11 times, while drawing only 8 walks.


Matt Angle- The Buckeyes have produced two very good lead off hitting center fielders in the past two drafts. As many know, before JB, it was Matt Angle who roamed center field in Bill Davis Stadium. Angle was drafted in June of 2007 by the Baltimore Orioles in the 7th round after his Junior season.

After a slow start in which he hit .244 in the first 63 games, Angle, who plays for the Delmarva Shorebirds, has been on fire batting .339 in his last 43, to where he is currently hitting .284 on the season. Angle like JB, has outstanding strike zone discipline, and has drawn a South Atlantic League, or "Sally League" best 55 walks.

With the ability to obtain base on balls, he posts a .374 on-base percentage which is 14th best. Angle doesn't just stop with getting on best, the swift left-handed hitter has 30 stolen bases, 10th best, and 65 runs, which is 15th. His speed has enabled him to hit 4 triples at the plate, while in the field has led him to cover ground better than any Sally Leaguer, with just 1 error on the season.


Eric Fryer-The former Buckeye catcher, also selected in the 2007 draft, joins Angle as the 2nd player Ohio State has in the Sally League. Playing for the Brewers Class A affiliate, the West Virginia Power, Fryer has emerged as one of the top hitters in the league, even though he had a delay in starting his season.

Spending the start of the season in extended spring training, the Brewers organization wanted to see if Fryer could handle a position change. After his extended stay, and move from catcher to left fielder, Eric hit the Sally League with a force, and a sign he could more than handle the change. Fryer has spent time this season as both an outfielder and catcher, doing both well, but it is his bat that has opposing managers talking.

Fryer is hitting .337 for the second best batting average, has a on-base percentage of .401 3rd best, a slugging percentage of .512 6th best, and checks in at 6th as well in OPS, combined on-base plus slugging. He has put up gaudy power numbers with 18 Doubles, 4 Triples, and 8 Home Runs, in just 80 games, yet pitchers must pay attention to him on the bases, as he has stolen a surprising 13 bases in 15 attempts.

Cory Luebke- The third Buckeye drafted in the 2007 draft, was actually the first to come off the board. Coming off of an amazing season, in which he was name Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Big Ten Tournament Outstanding Player, and popping up on All American lists across the county, Luebke was selected with the 63rd pick overall by the San Diego Padres.

An impressive 2007 minor league season saw Luebke play in 3 different levels. Rising from SS-A to A+ in finishing with the Lake Elsinore Storm of the California League for their playoff run. Lake Elsinore is where Cory started the 2008 season.

Though he at times showed the stuff that made him an incredible pitcher in 2007, 2008 started a bit rough as in 72.1 innings Luebke allowed 97 hits, and 55 earned runs, he did have an impressive 60 K's in those 72.1 IP. After a few tweaks in his mechanics, and a change of scenery, Luebke emerged as a Fort Wayne Wizard of the Midwest League in late July.

Be it pitching closer to home, or the changes his pitching coaches has helped him made, Luebke is pitching like the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year he was, and as he did a year before is getting it done in Class A. In 23.1 innings with Ft. Wayne, Cory has a 2-2 record, with a 3.47 ERA. In his 5 starts he has allowed 24 hits, 9 earned runs, 8 walks, while striking out 14.

As you can see, each athlete is playing great baseball and succeeding at their level of play. As they continue to climb the ranks of professional baseball, they are showing just how great of baseball players come from The Ohio State University, while representing the program with class. Good luck to all, and I'm sure the readers of the Buckeye Nine wish them the best, and a strong finish as minor league seasons across America wind down.

Tomorrow I will give an update on how the older former Buckeyes are doing for their respective teams and how their seasons are going.

Shuck Off to a Good Start in his Professional Baseball Career

From the Galion Inquirer (June 28, 2008)

J.B. Shuck has made a smooth transition from playing baseball in college to that as a professional player.

The 2005 Galion High School graduate was drafted by the Houston Astros three weeks ago. After signing a contract with the organization, he was assigned to the Tri-City Valley Cats of the Class A New York-Penn League.

Shuck is the starting centerfielder and leadoff hitter for the Cats and is the only player on the team to have played all 10 games.

The southpaw is batting .262 with 11 hits in a team-high 42 official at bats. He is second on the Cats in runs scored (8) and third in runs batted in (7). He has belted two doubles and a triple, walked three times and stolen a base.

Apparently the former All-Ohio player at Galion and 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year at Ohio State University prefers to bat with runners on base. He is 7-for-18 (.389 average) with runners on and 4-for-24 (.167) with the bases empty. In addition, he is 5-for-13 (.385) with six RBIs with runners in scoring position.

In a 9-7 Tri-City victory over Oneonta on Thursday, Shuck was 2-for-6 including a pair of runs batted in with two outs.

His most productive game was on June 21 against Oneonta. That day he was 2-for-5 with a triple, a double, three ribbies and a pair of runs scored.

Tri-City is 5-5 on the season and plays out of the Stedler Division of the league. The NYPL consists of 16 teams in three divisions and squads are limited to having just four players who are 23 years of age or older on their roster. Shuck turned 21 last week.

Teams are scheduled to play 75 regular season games and the season ends in early September.

Tri-City plays its home games at Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy, New York. The stadium seats 4,500. So far, the Cats have played eight of their 10 contests on the road.

One of Shuck's teammate is firstbaseman Phil Disher out of South Carolina. Disher has been red-hot at the plate going 16-for-36 (.444) with six doubles, a triple and three home runs for a slugging percentage of .917. He has driven in 14 runs and scored 10 in nine games.

No link was available for this story.

Buckeyes Make Pro Debuts

Dan DeLucia came out of the bullpen Saturday night to make his debut with Oneonta. Dan pitched two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks. One of his outs was getting J.B. Shuck to ground into a fielder's choice. Shuck's Tri-City Vally Cats won 10-0 while recording the first no-hitter in franchise history.

Thanks to RockyBuckeye for the update, who added... "Ha, teammates two weeks ago, facing off in their first weeks playing pro ball."

J.B. ended the game 2-for-5 with a double and a triple. Shuck was 0-for-4 in a 4-2 loss to Lowell in his debut Tuesday night.

Follow the two former Buckeyes in their first pro seasons:
Tri-City Vally Cats
Oneonta Tigers

Surprise Draft for Buckeyes

The Major League Baseball first-year player draft was held Thursday and Friday and it was full of surprises for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Two of the surprises were good. Another was not.

J.B. Shuck was the only Buckeye to go on day one. I'm not sure anyone expected the Buckeyes' most versatile athlete to go in the sixth round, but the Houston Astros picked him up with their final pick of day one.

Dan DeLucia, came back from Tommy John surgery in 10 months to make an opening day start. His work ethic received notice by the Detroit Tigers who picked DeLucia up in the 35th round.

One Buckeye who wasn't taken in any of the Draft's 50 rounds was Jake Hale. Previously drafted twice, the OSU junior was overlooked this year and now must take a serious look at his baseball future.

Also overlooked was first baseman Justin Miller, though the fact he wasn't drafted was not as big of a surprise as Hale.

I would like to thank everyone for following the draft here. The comments reflect most of the Big Ten picks. Special thanks to RockyBuckeye and BaseballBucks33.

Shuck to Astros in Sixth

Jack "J.B." Shuck was selected in the sixth round by the Houston Astros. He was the 182nd overall pick.

"It was a thrill to see my name pop up on the computer," Shuck said in an interview with The Buckeye Nine. "I have worked so hard to get to this point and now it has finally happened. I really can't explain how exciting it is to get an opportunity to go play at the next level. Thanks to
everyone for all of their support over the years."

As a senior, Shuck batted .356 (62-for-174) in 48 games/starts. He had five doubles, three triples and stole 22 bases. He made 11 starts on the mound and was 5-2 with a 4.29 ERA. Opponents batted .216 against him, the lowest against a Buckeye pitcher in 2008. He led the team with 76 strikeouts.

I am ecstatic about this pick as a huge fan of the Astros. Congrats J.B.!

Let fellow readers of The Buckeye Nine know what you think of this selection and feel free to leave J.B. a note here.

Here is the Ohio State news release that was posted on its Web site Friday afternoon.

I wanted to share a note about Shuck from the Astros' MLB.com site: "Shuck has the chance to be an above-average defender, and overachiever who the club thinks could have a long career in the big leagues."

Screwed

The All-Big Ten teams have been announced and well, the Buckeyes didn't fare too well. We have to remember we were fifth in the final standings, yet somehow I feel slighted.

Jake Hale and Dean Wolosiansky earned second team honors while J.B. Shuck was named to the third team as both a pitcher and an outfielder. Dan DeLucia was annual Sportsmanship Award winner from Ohio State. Congrats are in order for these guys, but...

Justin Miller got screwed... nothing. I just don't understand it! Let The Buckeye Nine know what you think. Here is the Ohio State release that was a lot more diplomatic than this post.

Click here for the official Big Ten release. These awards are voted on by Big Ten coaches.

Our Honor Defend

We can say that now that Ohio State finished the season with a 9-7 victory at Iowa Saturday that clinched a spot in the Big Ten tournament, where it will try to defend last year's championship run (Box Score). It is a conference-record 12th consecutive appearance in the tourney for Ohio State which is in for the 20th time in 21 years under head coach Bob Todd.

Big Ten Network Video

The win gave the Buckeyes a 15-15 league record. All 21 of coach Todd's team's have .500 or better records in the Big Ten. It also was the 30th win of the season for the Buckeyes. Todd's teams have won at least 30 games in 23 consecutive seasons.

Jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, the Ohio State offense was aggressive. Iowa got on the board with one in the fourth but the Buckeyes added four more in the fifth for an 8-1 lead. Ohio State managed one more run the rest of the way and had to withstand a furious comeback by Iowa, which score four runs in the final two innings to make it close.

OSU starter J.B. Shuck was as aggressive, scattering five hits and finishing with nine strikeouts in his 7.0 innings. Iowa scored three against Shuck, who won for the 17th time as a Buckeye Saturday. Alex Wimmers and Drew Rucinski struggled in relief until handing the reins over to Eric Best, who picked up his eighth save of the season.

Offensively, Justin Miller led all Buckeyes with three hits, while Cory Rupert (two doubles), Michael Arp and Tyler Engle had two hits each. Rupert and Arp had a pair of RBI apiece.

A Pathetic Win

But a win nonetheless. It should have been a walk in the park, a mindless game for an effortless win against a horrid Buffalo team that has just 13 wins. I stand by that pre-game assessment of what this game should have been.

Instead, the Buckeyes had to fight and claw their way to a 14-13 victory in the 2008 home finale (Box Score), the last game at Bill Davis Stadium for four seniors. They deserved better.

J.B. Shuck got the short start since his weekend start was rained out Sunday vs. Illinois. He pitched 3.0 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts before handing the ball over to the bullpen so he could rest up for his start against Iowa this coming Sunday in Iowa City.

Rory Meister reminded why he has been in the dog house. I think he's a good kid and at one time showed great promise as a pitcher but he appeared to mail it in long before the start of his senior season. Today, he allowed nine runs on nine hits, including four doubles.

Through 3 ½ innings, the Buckeyes found themselves down 11-0, but got on the board with a pair in the bottom of the fourth. Andrew Armstrong gave up two runs in the fifth. He pitched 2.0 innings. Drew Rucinski, Alex Wimmers and Eric Best kept the Bulls off the board the rest of the way and gave their team a chance.

Like it did Saturday in the second game of the doubleheader vs. Illinois, Ohio State mounted a comeback, scoring three in the bottom of the fifth and two in the seventh before Justin Miller's three-run bomb pulled the Buckeyes within a 13-10 score.

And yet, as bad as it was, this team had a chance. In the ninth it loaded the bases with none out. Shuck walked for the first run and Miller tied the game with a two-run single. An error on Buffalo centerfielder Adam Skoniezski on a Zach Hurley fly ball won the game for the Buckeyes.

There will be some loyal fans who will try to make excuses for the effort in this game or perhaps brag about the improbable comeback, but it is a game Ohio State shouldn't nearly lose no matter how poor a season it is having. This game didn't matter, right? It's not like they were trying to get to 40 wins, like most Bob Todd-coached teams. This team is trying to win 30 games, which means nothing other than continuing a 22-season streak of winning at least that many. All that matters this year is that the team qualifies for the Big Ten tournament, where it can make a valiant effort at saving the season. As much as I would like to see another tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth locked up, I'm not sure this team is capable of that kind of magic, or maybe it is.

They have to get to Ann Arbor first. Good luck in Iowa City. Go Bucks!

Think I'm off base in my assessment? Let The Buckeye Nine know what you think.

Buckeyes Bombed in Ann Arbor

The way the Buckeyes had played the first three games of the series and with J.B. Shuck on the mound, I don't think anyone could have possibly predicted the shellacking Mighigan put on Ohio State Sunday. The Wolverines flexed their muscles for a 15-1 victory (Box Score) to clinch a 3-1 series victory.

Michigan scored seven in the second inning and sent Shuck to the showers in the fifth, touching him for 11 runs, all earned, on eight hits. The junior from Galion, struck out 11 but walked five in 4.2 innings. Drew Rucinski allowed a run in 1.1 innings. Josh Edgin allowed three runs in 1.0 inning while Jared Strayer was the only Buckeye to escape without a run against in his 1.0 inning.

The Buckeyes didn't score until the top of the ninth on an RBI single by Brian DeLucia that scored Ryan Meade. Michael Arp had two of the Buckeyes' five, yes five, hits. Conversely, Michigan had 14 hits and were unphased by four errors.

I think we're all getting tired of losing to the team up north. With eight Big Ten games remaining the team will be feeling the pressure. The goal at this point is to make the tournament (as one of the top six teams in the league) and defend last year's tournament championship. Michigan seems like a team of destiny this year.

The-Ozone.net Weekend Recap.

Bad Guys Win 4-1

Michigan rode the arm of Zach Putnam, who went the distance, in a 4-1 win over Ohio State Friday in the series opener and the dedication game of a renovated Ray Fisher Stadium (Box Score).

Big Ten Network Highlights

The Buckeyes scored their only run in the first inning on a bases-loaded ground out by Zach Hurley. That would be it for Ohio State.

Michigan got on the board in the bottom of the second and took the lead in the fourth before added two insurance runs in the seventh. The Buckeyes got a runner to third in the top of the seventh, but with two out, a ground out ended any threat.

J.B. Shuck had four the Buckeyes' seven hits, all singles. Michigan, too, had seven hits, all singles by seven different players. OSU starter Jake Hale went 6.1 innings and allowed all four runs (three earned) and all seven hits in getting his second loss of the season against five wins. Alex Wimmers pitched 0.2 hitless/scoreless innings and Eric Best pitched did the same over an innings.

Ohio State slipped to 23-19 overall and is now an even 10-10 in Big Ten play. Putnam improved to 6-0 with the win as Michigan improved to 32-10 and 18-3. With rain in the Ann Arbor forecast tomorrow night, the doubleheader has been moved up to a 1:05 p.m. first pitch.

I'm curious to hear what you think of the new place Michigan baseball calls home. I've already heard from a couple of people who made the trip. The entrance is nice. The press box is nice. The grandstand is "okay." But one person made it clear, "this is not Bill Davis Stadium." If you made the trip this weekend, first, behave yourself, and second, please send me photos.

Northwestern Wins Finale for Series Split

Wow! Ohio State was never in this game as Northwestern built an 8-0 lead in the first two innings and cruised to a 14-8 victory to clinch a series split with the Bucks, which fell to 22-18 overall and 10-9 in the Big Ten (Box Score).

The Wildcats scored their first eight runs off Andrew Armstrong who was making an emergency start today in place of the injured J.B. Shuck. The OSU news release on Saturday said Shuck came out of the third game of the series to rest his leg. Today's release said the coaching staff rested him because of a sore hamstring. Armstrong lasted 1.2 innings and allowed the eight runs (just four earned) on four hits. He walked three and struck out one in falling to 3-3. Once he left the game, the Buckeyes went with Alex Wimmers, Josh Edgin, Eric Best and Jared Strayer.

Ohio State finally got on board in the fourth and scored in four of the final five innings, getting three in the fifth and two in the seventh. Northwestern answered with its ninth run in the bottom of the fourth and scored five over the seventh and eighth innings.

It was an ugly game defensively. Ohio State committed six errors while the 'Cats committed three. Buckeye pitchers walked eight and Northwestern pitches issued 11 free passes, including seven by its third pitcher of the game. The Bucks did manage nine hits to 11 by Northwestern.

Tony Kennedy was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored while Ryan Meade was 3-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored. Cory Kovanda drove in two. Three different Wildcats had two hits. What a week by Kennedy. In the four games in Evanston, he was 11-for-17, good enough for a .647 batting average. He drove in three and scored eight. Throw in the two games against Akron and he batted 15-for-25 (.600) with five RBI and 11 runs scored. Not too shabby.

The Buckeyes remain in fourth place in the league standings behind Michigan, Purdue and Illinois. Overall, was it crucial to win the series? No, probably not, but it certainly would have been nice. Considering next week's series in Ann Arbor, wins will be hard to come by. The next week Ohio State hosts Illinois, another team it trails in the standings. Then it is off to Iowa to close out the season.

The Buckeye Nine threw in the towel for a regular season championship after last weekend's dismal effort vs. Purdue. Now, second place is more than likely out of reach. The goal now is to play well enough to be one of the top six seeds that will play in the league tournament. This team is much different without Shuck on the hill. Let's just get healthy.

Bucks Split Doubleheader, but Boilers Win Series

Ohio State clearly had to be feeling good. After losing the first two games of the series to Purdue, the Buckeyes took the opening game of a Sunday twinbill by an 8-4 count. In game two, they had led 5-1 through seven and appeared to be cruising to a series split, but then the bottom fell out and they ended up losing 7-5.

Ohio State recap
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score

The Buckeyes led 5-1 late in the first game and allowed three runs in the sixth before coming back with three of their own for a four-run victory. In the second game, they led by the same margin heading to the eighth, but Purdue scored three runs to make it a one-run game. Ohio State got nothing in the bottom of the eighth.

In the top of the ninth Buckeye killer Ryne White hit a three-run bomb to right. White hit two home runs Friday nearly single-handedly win the opener. Sunday he won the finale. There were two on and one out when he came to the plate so there was clearly a spot open for him on base. I’m fairly certain I would have taken my chances on Jordan Comadena and Dan Black who followed White’s heroics. Comadena ended up grounding out and Black struck out, though clearly they were up in non-pressure situations and a two-run lead rather than trying to make something happen.

Shuck, the starting pitcher in game two, went 7.0 innings and allowed just one run on four hits. He struck out seven and walked two. Alex Wimmers gave up the homer to White. Those were the only runs he allowed on two hits in 2.0 innings. The loss was his first collegiate decision.

After three RBI in the first game, Miller went a perfect 4-for-4 and drove in another run in game two. The Cories each added two hits. Cory Kovanda was 2-for-3 with two RBI and Cory Rupert was 2-for-4. Purdue scored its seven runs on eight hits and committed an error while Ohio State scored five runs on 11 hits and committed two errors.

In game one, he Buckeyes built a 5-1 lead through the first three innings of game one and survived a three-run sixth by the Boilermakers that pulled them within a 5-4 score. The Buckeye Nine scored three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to reclaim a four-run lead. Tyler Engle and Shuck delivered singles with one out. Then after another out the runners both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Engle scored on a single by pinch hitter Michael Arp and Miller plated two more with a single to left.

Shuck was 2-for-3 and Kovanda was 2-for-4 though it was Miller’s three RBI that propelled Ohio State, which finished the game with 12 hits and two errors. Every Buckeye with a plate appearance had a hit. Purdue collected nine hits, including eight off OSU starter Dean Wolosiansky, who pitched 5.2 innings to get the win. He is now 5-2. Eric Best pitched the final 1.1 innings.

The-Ozone.net recap The-Ozone.net Photo Galleries: Game 3 and Game 4

Ohio State is now 19-15 on the season and 8-7 in conference play while Purdue, by virtue of taking three of four games in Columbus, is now 20-17 and 12-4 in the Big Ten. This was the first series win by Purdue against a Bob Todd-led Ohio State team. The Buckeyes welcome Akron Wednesday for a double dip beginning at 4:05 p.m.