Hurley Suspended 50 Games, Reacts to Ban

Hurley as a Buckeye in 2010 courtesy the o-zone.net


Former Ohio State outfielder (2006-10) Zach Hurley has been suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for violating the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension which is effective immediately, ends the professional debut season of the former Buckeye captain, a 29th round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics who was playing for the Vancouver Canadians.

Hurley gave myself, Chris Webb, a call this evening to respond to the suspension and to present the facts of what caused the failed drug test.

There will be more on this in the coming days, including the full audio with Hurley but here is the the MLB press release, and listen here as Hurley in his own words provides his first public response of the situation.

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.

Buckeye Baseball News & Notes 7/20

Courtesy the Montreal Gazette


Very light day, which can't be too surprising given it is July 20th.

Nonetheless there is are a few Buckeye baseball-related newsworthy topics out there. One of a former great inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame, the other comes from Canada where All-Big Ten OF Zach Hurley is adjusting to life as a professional with the Vancouver Canadians.

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.

Hiatus Over, What's Next for Buckeye Baseball

I'm back.

Basically had to fight off a viral infection for the last three weeks that wanted me dead. Throw in the end of the quarter, finals, work, etc, it's been a rough month.

A lot has happened over the last three weeks. Alex Wimmers has twice been named 1st team All-America. He, Dan Burkhart, and Zach Hurley were selected last week in the MLB First-Year Player Draft. There is also this thing with the head coaching vacancy, that is in it's final days.

I've learned not to set deadlines, it causes stress and leaves everyone disappointed when I can't meet them, but here is what I would like to do this week.

Recap the season
Touch on Coach Todd's tenure
Discuss the draft
Give you guys the insight into Ohio State's next baseball coach
Start to look ahead to summer leagues

It'll be a fun and hopefully informative week.

Sorry for the hiatus, but we're back.

Wimmers Named Big Ten Pitcher of Year, Makes History

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.

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.

Weekend Wrap: Buckeyes Take Two from Hoosiers

I'll take back what I said last weekend. While winning two of three isn't bad, and I'm not entirely upset, this was a weekend where a sweep was there for the taking.

In what is a bit unsettling for the veteran team the Bucks field, play behind the pitchers is still a problem, and Saturday it gave the Hoosiers a few extra outs, at-bats, and runs preventing the three game sweep.

Still with the first Big Ten series at Bill Davis in the books, the Buckeyes are tied atop the Big Ten heading into next weekend's showdown with Michigan State, and there is a lot to feel good and look forward to as the season progresses.

In the wrap you'll find out which players had a great weekend, which ones not so much, how the games where won, how Saturday was lost, and other random tidbits thrown together in a buffet of Buckeye Baseball. Ohio State is now 19-9 overall, 4-2 in Big Ten play.

Changes coming to NCAA schedule?

NCAA to vote to override schedule changes


Held this past weekend was the national America Baseball Coaches Association convention. The most concerning issue was what to do with the NCAA Division I college baseball schedule.

Last week the NCAA announced they were set to vote on an override requested to amend the current scheduling process.

As many of you know the NCAA received complaints left and right regarding the universal start date. Among the complaints were how it effect student-athlete travel and classtime spent on the road opposed to travel. That was the politically correct complaint presented by the southern programs.

The honest reason was it exposed their lack of pitching depth, as well as ours here in Columbus, with having to have multiple midweek games, playing five games a week. Something we all know is custom here, pre-Big Ten weekend switch from four to three games.

Anyhow the official NCAA release can be found here While a the article plus a few thoughts from Bowling Green's Danny Schmitz provided courtesy Buckeye State Baseball can be found here (Slight self-promotion)

As you can see all 11 Big Ten institutes were part of the opposition.



Misc.

Other than that news has been quite. We expect Alex Wimmers to be named amongst the Top 100 College Baseball Players in 2010 by the College Baseball Blog, as they enter the final 10 of their countdown. When that happens we will link it.

Also working on a question and answer with the Buckeyes 2010 captains Zach Hurley and Cory Kovanda here in the upcoming days.

Hurley & Kovanda named 2010 Captains

Courtesy OhioStateBuckeyes.com

COLUMBUS, OH- Coming off a 42-win season that included a Big Ten championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament, the Ohio State baseball team announced its 2010 captains at its Scarlet and Gray World Series victory dinner Tuesday evening. Seniors Cory Kovanda and Zach Hurley were each voted captains by their peers.

"Two quality young men dominated in the captains voting," coach Bob Todd said. "There really was no question who the team wanted to be captains this year."
Kovanda, a second baseman from Columbus, has started at second base each of his first three years at Ohio State and hit .341 with 11 doubles and 38 RBI in 2009.

"I'm honored," Kovanda said. "This team and its chemistry...you cannot ask for more of an honor than to be representing this team. I'm ready to contribute what I can and to lead."

Hurley, an outfielder from Springboro, Ohio, batted .346 with 12 doubles and led the team with 14 stolen bases his junior season. He was drafted in the 45th round of the Major League Baseball amateur draft in June but opted to return to Columbus for his senior year.

"This is such a privilege to be chosen captain," Hurley said. "This has been a goal of mine since I came here and I am really at a loss for words right now. It is really awesome that your teammates think that much of you. It's the highest honor you can get."

In addition, freshman right-handed pitcher Brett McKinney was named rookie captain of the 2009 squad.

Full team practices for the Buckeyes will begin Feb. 1 with the first game slated for Feb. 19 at North Florida.

Buckeye 9 Interview with OF Zach Hurley

Photo courtesy Jim Davidson the-ozone.net

Imagine waking up one day and realizing you have the ability to play baseball for a living and have been offered thousands of dollars to do so. Pretty sweet dream huh?

The dream became a reality for Zach Hurley this past June as the Florida Marlins selected the Springboro, Ohio native in the 45th round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft.

After a 2008 summer which saw the five-tool athlete be selected as the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League's top prospect, as well as compiling a summer that saw him land PGCrosschecker's top 20 performances of the summer, Hurley had a tidal wave of momentum going into the fall.

Unfortunately an injury to his throwing shoulder limited Hurley's ability to fine tune his game in the Autumn, and kept him from being 100% this past spring further rockerting up draft boards.

You probably had a hard time telling Hurley was 100%. In 60 games, only taking a day off once, Hurley hit .346 his 89 hits lead the team as did his six triples. The 12 doubles and six home runs powered Hurley to 53 RBI and a .510 slugging percentage. The .421 on-base percentage Hurley posted worked quite well for the leadoff hitter, allowing him to steal 14 bases being an all around force for Bob Todd and the Buckeyes. Oh and he only committed one error in the field.

After doing his part to lead Ohio State to their first Big Ten Championship since 2001, Hurley woke up on June 12th the day after the Marlins obtained his rights with a decision to make.

Return to school or go pro? As the deadline approaches unsigned draft selections have until Monday the 17th at 11:59 PM to sign their professional contract. The Buckeye Nine catches up with Hurley to get his decision.

B9: First off initial thoughts on being drafted?

ZH: Highest honor you could get as a baseball player...I've been asked this question quite a few times this summer and my response is always the same.

Having an organization pick you as one of their draft picks out of the thousands of college baseball players across the country is just a true honor. It is a goal every college baseball player has including myself and to think that a team considers you good enough to play professionally is awesome. I don't think there is a better compliment a player could receive.

B9: What has went into your decision of whether to leave or return? Is it an individual decision or did you look to your family for advice? What impact did discussing all options with the Marlins and OSU coaches have? And ultimately what is your decision?

ZH: Well first of all my family is always and will always take priority in my life. They were a huge impact on my decision and there were many long talks over the course of the couple weeks that went into the decision following the draft.

We listed out all the positives and negatives to leaving or staying and at the end of the day I had to put a dollar figure on what I felt my remaining time at OSU was worth. What I was willing to leave for and what the Marlins were willing to offer just didn't match up, which at the end of the day doesn't disappoint me at all.

I'm a true believer in everything happens for a reason and that God has a plan for me. I've always wanted to play professionally and I still do however there's not a doubt in my mind that coming back to OSU was the right decision for me to make and I couldn't be happier.

I've talked to a lot of people including the coaches and we all agreed that coming back for my senior year was the right thing to do. The thought of being able to play for The Ohio State University for my senior year and all the memories and good times I'm going to share and have with the guys on the team is absolutely priceless to me.

I can't wait to join up with my teammates here soon for fall ball and set out on an unbelievable 2010 season.

B9: Quite a few publications thought very highly of you and your abilities going into 2009 coming off of a summer that saw you selected as the top prospect in the GLSCL in 2008. Though you were drafted and you've said it is an honor to be selected, were you surprised at all you did not get selected until the 45th round? Did you hear any reasons on why it ended the way it did?

ZH: You know to be honest I was a little surprised. I've put in tons of hard work into my career and I felt that I had the ability to play with the best. That's just the way I've always been.

I'm never going to be the fastest guy or throw the hardest or hit the furthest homeruns but that is ok with me. I feel like I have the ability to play with the best and that is the way my mindset has always been.

With that in mind, obviously I was hoping to be taken a lot earlier than the 45th round. I was hoping to get an opportunity a lot earlier than that. I'm not sure why I didn't get drafted before the 45th round and to be honest I'm not sure I'll ever know why but I didn't ponder on those thoughts for too long. I just put all that in the back of my mind and have just used it and will continue to use it as motivation.

B9: In using that as motivation in going forward, what have you been doing this summer? Any baseball related activities?

ZH: This summer I've taken a step away from the playing field by deciding to not partake in summer ball. I've been able to work and pour all of my focus into my body and driving it into the ground daily.

I've been able to hit the weights hard along with doing yoga and lots of conditioning... things I haven't been able to focus on since my time last year was spent rehabbing my shoulder for the start of the season. I've also been able to break down my game and focus on some key elements were I need improvement.

B9: Where are the areas and elements of your game you were not pleased with and have worked at and focused on this summer?

ZH: I definitely needed to get my arm back. I was 100% during the season health wise as far as my shoulder was concerned but as far as arm strength from the outfield it wasn't up to my standards that was a biggie for me this summer.

The other was more power at the plate. I'm a pretty big kid and really used the summer to break down parts of my swing so I can get the full benefit of my size and strength to drive the ball further. Arm strength and power were definitely the two big areas of focus for me this summer.

B9: There isn’t a lot to nitpick with your abilities to find flaws, especially coming off of a 2009 season that was a career year for you, anchoring the Bucks lineup as the leadoff hitter. Did you have the season you felt you were capable of?

ZH: At the end of the day I was happy with the season that I had in 2009 .Sure there were definitely some goals of mine I didn't reach, I would of liked to have hit for a better average but there were also things I did well so I was pleased with how the year went.

You know, I always think there is room for improvement and I always set the bar extremely high, I'm always going to think I'm capable of more so with that said I am happy with the 2009 season that I had but I'm going to be looking for bigger and better things in 2010 especially since it is my last year at OSU.

B9: Gearing towards 2010 you as stated took a step away from baseball this summer. After turning down the professional contract and rumored to be in the Cape this summer, what went into the decision to stay away from playing summer ball focusing on working out was it the arm?

ZH: Well I definitely wanted to play professionally and if it didn't work out I wanted to play in the Cape, that's where the best in the country played so I wanted an opportunity to go up against the best.

However, none of those situations worked themselves out so I elected to drop baseball for the summer and solely focus like I said before on my strength, flexibility, and conditioning as well as work on all the things in my game that need improvement. That way it would give me the best shot at being the most complete baseball player I can possibly be with no flaws.

I felt like improving on these areas as well as my body would benefit me much more than continuing play for another couple months. Also, since my shoulder surgery last September I never really had the time to get myself where I like to be physically and mentally before the start of the season. It was rehab every single day, I missed out on a lot of things especially fall ball and working out with the guys. My last day of rehab was the day before the first game of the year down in Florida against Notre Dame.

B9: As you mention you missed fall ball last year, as fall ball is now is about a month away. Did it set you back any not being able to participate in last Autumn's practices?

ZH: You know I don't think it set me back on a playing level as much as it did a personal level.

What I mean by that is considering my age and the amount of time and AB's that I've had, missing fall ball wasn't going to affect me as much as it would of I was only a freshman or sophomore because I have seen the college pitching and I've been in those clutch situations you encounter and experience during the fall.

The set back in my opinion that I faced was with the guys especially the new guys. I didn't get the opportunity to step up and establish myself with them as far as a leadership role and as a guy they could rely on to get the job done.

B9: After a healthy fall is under your belt, do you have any personal goals for 2010?

ZH: From a personal standpoint my main goal for the 2010 season is to have fun. I'm not going to try and hit .400, blast 20 home runs, etc. I'm just going to have fun. This is my senior year, the last time I will be around all the guys on the team so I'm going to enjoy it and have fun with it... Everything else will take care of itself.

B9: What do you expect the teams attitude and focus to be on in 2010 coming off of a Big Ten Championship and NCAA Regional?

ZH: I think the confidence among the team will definitely be there. We are the champs of the Big Ten, regional contenders, however that was the past and this is the now.

What happened last year was great but it wasn't good enough. With the talent this team has coming back and coming in our eyes need to be set further than winning a Big Ten Championship. We worked harder than ever last year and where did that get us? A thirty-plus deficit to a Florida State team and an embarrassing chunk of time on SportsCenter.

On the other hand that was a great season when you look back at it. The champs of our conference, a 40+ win season. But to make up for the way it ended we are going to need to work 3x harder as a team than we did last year. And we will.

B9: 2010 will be a success in your eyes if...

ZH: 2010 will be a success...If as a team we put in the total dedication from top to bottom...every guy on our roster needs to put every ounce of what they have to the limit every single day, day in and day out, no exceptions. We are only as good as our weakest link and if we work harder than ever at this time next year we will have no regrets.


The Buckeye 9 thanks Hurley for taking the time to sit down and fill us in on his decision as we look forward to seeing Zach back in the Scarlet & Gray.

Hurley and Hale 2009 Draft Update

Another draft, another year of Buckeyes being selected. Two Buckeyes were selected in the 2009 MLB Amateur draft making it the 8th consecutive season at least two Buckeyes were selected by MLB teams. Senior All-American closer Jake Hale was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 27th round, and Junior outfielder Zach Hurley was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 45th round.

Hale having exhausted his eligibility signed quickly and is in the Diamondbacks system.

Hale was sent to Arizona's short-season A league team, the Yakima Bears in the Northwest League. Willie or Jake whichever you choose, has appeared in six games, all in relief, throwing 7.2 innings and posting a 10.57 ERA off of nine earned runs in that time.

Opponents are batting .414 off the tall righty collecting 12 hits, two home runs, have drawn five walks, while striking out seven times. Not all of the numbers suggest Hale is struggling, after six games Hale's ground-out to air-out ratio is 2.75 which is very encouraging, especially for a reliever.


More than likely to not follow suit and join Hale in the professional ranks is Hurley. Hurley remains unsigned and all signs appear that Zach will be returning in 2010 for his senior season as the Buckeyes defend their Big Ten Championship. The Buckeye Nine wll be catching up with Hurley in the next few weeks to discuss the chance to be drafed, what goes into making a decision, and ultimately his final decision and his future.

Marlins Reel in Hurley in MLB Draft

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State junior left fielder Zach Hurley, from Springboro, Ohio, was drafted in the 45th round of Major League Baseball’s amateur draft today (Thursday) by the Florida Marlins.

“I was sitting at home working on my computer and all of a sudden my phone started blowing up with all kinds of text messages and calls,” Hurley said by phone. “Then my Mom and Dad started yelling from upstairs that I had just been drafted.”

Hurley is coming off a fine junior season, one in which he set records and came close to breaking others. Hitting leadoff for the Big Ten champion Buckeyes all season, Hurley hit .346 with a team-high 89 hits – second among Big Ten Conference players this season and fourth all-time for a single season at Ohio State – along with 58 runs scored (T4th in the Big Ten) and 53 RBI (T10th in the Big Ten). He also led the team with 14 stolen bases, and along the way he broke the school record for single season at-bats with 257 and he tied for second in triples with a Big Ten-leading six.

Hurley is a senior academically and is three quarters shy of graduating with his degree in family resource management/consumer science. He was named this season to the Academic All-Big Ten Conference team for the second time and he was an OSU Scholar-Athlete for the third time.

Now he gets to add “MLB Draft Pick” to his resume of accomplishments.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Hurley explained. “I haven’t spoken to anyone with the Marlins yet but right now all I know is it is a tremendous honor to be drafted. Not a lot of people get to say that they were drafted in their lifetime. It’s exciting.”

Hurley is the second Buckeye taken in the MLB Draft this year. Wednesday the Arizona Diamondbacks selected senior closer Jake Hale in the 27th round.

The two draft picks represent the eighth consecutive year that Ohio State has had at least two of its players selected in the MLB Draft.

OSU Athletics Release

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

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.

The Lanter: Hurley takes the lead

Alex Kopilow
Issue date: 4/15/09

Junior leftfielder Zach Hurley has been the leadoff hitter for the Ohio State baseball team since the beginning of the year, but he's taken the word "lead" to a whole new level.

Hurley needed surgery on a torn left labrum (shoulder) late last summer, which kept him out of fall practices. Since the season started in late February he has shown no signs that the surgery has hurt his performance.

Hurley is the team leader in runs, hits and stolen bases, which are all typical statistics of a great leadoff hitter. Hurley also leads in categories typical of a cleanup hitter. He leads the team with a .590 slugging percentage, a .436 on-base percentage, and he even leads the team in runs batted in with 39. Hurley also has 15 extra base hits (5 doubles, 5 triples, 5 home runs), which is tied for second on team with outfielder Michael Stephens.

"I think it's more of a tribute to the entire team an how well we're playing," Hurley said. "It really says a lot about our lineup and how loaded we are throughout the entire lineup.

"You can put anyone in the order anywhere you want and they'll come through."

Hurley became an everyday player in 2008, playing in 49 games and making 35 starts in the outfield. He hit over .302, with five stolen bases and had a .410 slugging percentage.

Hurley has spent the last three summers as an outfielder for the Cincinnati Steam in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.

Last summer, Hurley led the GLSCL in batting with a .433 average and was named the league's Player of the Year and its No. 1 pro prospect.

"I thought him playing last summer was a big help for him," coach Bob Todd said. "He slowly keeps working hard and slowly keeps getting better."

Hurley was 5-for-10 with four runs, four runs batted in, four walks and a home run against Michigan State last weekend.

Zach Hurley and the No. 26 Buckeyes finish their five-game home stand today against No. 24 Kent State Golden Flashes at 6:35 p.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.

The Buckeyes are 4-1 at home this season and lead the all-time series against Kent State 34-13. In their last meeting, the Buckeyes defeated the Golden Flashes with a 5-3 win in 2004 at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Dean Wolosiansky will get the start for OSU. Wolosiansky (7-1, 5.59 ERA) earned the win in his last start against Michigan State on Saturday. He pitched six and one-thirds innings and allowed nine hits, three earned runs, no walks and had one strikeout.

From OSU Athletics: Bob Todd, Zach Hurley Audio

Ohio State junior outfielder Zach Hurley and head coach Bob Todd talked about the upcoming week and more in the audio double play this week.

Todd is in his 22nd year with Ohio State and his 26th year overall as a head coach. In his time with the Buckeyes, Todd has won 14 Big Ten titles and has an up-to-date record of 857-442-2 for his Ohio State career. Todd won his 850th game in the 8-3 victory over Penn State March 27th.

Hurley, from Springboro, Ohio, is having an excellent season for the Buckeyes. He has started all 33 games this season and leads the team with 39 RBI. The leftfielder is second on the squad in batting, averaging .382 and has a team-high nine stolen bases

Zach Hurley speaks bout this week's games

Coach Bob Todd on his teams play, Kent State, and Purdue

Wimmers Two-Hit Gem Stiffles Spartans

Those who braved the windy crisp conditions that struck the Midwest last night, and attended Ohio State's Big Ten home opener did not leave disappointed. Sophomore ace Alex Wimmers did his best to provide a show and his hot arm on the cool night almost went into the record books as Ohio State (24-7, 4-3) won 6-1 last night over the Michigan State Spartans (11-19, 3-4).

Wimmers had a no-hitter through 7 innings, until Michigan State catcher Eric Roof broke up the no-no with leadoff double to start the 8th, a bunt sacrifice, an infield hit, and balk brought Roof around, preventing Wimmers from throwing his second complete game shut out of the season. After returning to the dugout after the 8th inning Wimmers told coaches he wanted to finish the game, and complete the game he did.

Though the shutout was lost, the Spartans were unable to keep Wimmers from firing his third complete game of the season. In the previous two Wimmers struck out 15 and 14 batters against Pittsburgh, and Indiana, Michigan State performed slightly better, only being sat down 11 times via strikeout but the end result was the same. The defense behind Wimmers was spectacular, both middle infielders second baseman Cory Kovanda and shortstop Tyler Engle made amazing plays up the middle, helping to limit Michigan State to four base runners all game courtesy two hits, two walked.

Wimmers improved to 6-1 on the season, earning his first Big Ten victory. Wimmers now leads the Big Ten with 72 strikeouts.


The spotlight wasn't solely on Wimmers on this night. The Buckeye bats caught fire in spurts and saw the longball light up the scoreboard.

It didn't take long for the Bucks to get on the board. On just the second pitch from Michigan State starter Nolan Moody, leadoff hitter Zach Hurley sent the 1-0 pitch deep and over the right field fence to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead. The home run for Hurley, his 5th was the team's first leadoff home run of the season. The four-bagger bumped Hurley's team leading RBI total to 36, it also increased his hit total to 51 which leas the Big Ten.

The score stayed 1-0 until the bottom of the 6th in the pitcher's duel. Ryan Dew lead off the bottom half of the 6th drawing a walk, his second of the game. Michael Arp stepped to the plate looking to move Dew into scoring position. Arp sent Moody's pitch right back up the middle to him that looked to be a 1-4-3, double-play in progress until a hard slide from Dew forced Spartan second baseman Chris Roberts' throw wide of first base, allowing Arp to reach second with one out.

Tyler Engle stepped to the plate with a runner in scoring position, but all night the Bucks struggled to capitalize with RISP, leaving sevens on base until this point. Engle was unable to advance Arp with a ground out to MSU third baseman AJ Shindler.

With two outs Matt Streng stepped into the batters boxed and showed that in this line-up, the #9 hitter is just as dangerous as any. Streng used a level swing to send a looping liner into center field, scoring the speedy Arp from second. Streng was thrown out sliding into second as Moody made a great play picking off the throw home and nailing Streng, but the damage was done, and the Bucks picked up another run to support Wimmers.

It didn't wasn't long until the Buckeyes added more runs on the scoreboard. After Wimmers sat Sparty down in order in the top of the 7th. The hot bats for Coach Todd's team picked up where they left off in the 6th. Back-to-back walks by Hurley and Kovanda put two runners on base with no outs. Junior centerfielder Michael Stephens dropped down a great sacrifice bunt to give his team two runners in scoring position with just one out.

Following Stephens at the plate was hot-hitting catcher Dan Burkhart who came in the game just behind Hurley with 31 RBI, second on the team, and was looking to add to the total. A high school teammate of Wimmers and Cincinnati Moeller, Burkhart made sure his battery mate won on this night. Where a simple sac fly would have brought in a run, and a base hit two, Burkhart put the game out of reach for Michigan State sending Moody's high inside fastball into the night and over the right field fence of Bill Davis stadium for his 5th home run of the year. The Bucks now led 5-0.

Ohio State scored for the third inning in a row in the 8th to close out the scoring. Engle led off the inning with a triple down the right field line, and scored on a sac fly by Streng. The Engle run closed the books on the scoring for the night in the Buckeyes 6-1 victory.

Leading the way offensively were Burkhart, Engle, and Streng, who all had two-hits. Hurley and Dew went 1-for-3 and 1-for-2 respectively but reache base on walks two times apiece. Burkhart's 3 RBI from his home run led the Bucks in run producing on the night. Streng collected two RBI, and Hurley's solo home run gave him 1. Kovanda, Burkhart, Arp, and Engle all crossed the plate once, while Hurley did so twice.

Recap and Game Notes Courtesy Ohio State Athletics

Box Score

Gophers Defeat Buckeyes 7-5 in Series Opener

In the first of three battles between ranked teams that are tops in the Big Ten in hitting and pitching, respectively, Minnesota defeated Ohio State, 7-5, Friday at the Humbert H. Humphrey Metrodome before 821 fans.

The Golden Gophers, leading the Big Ten in ERA (4.06), opponents’ batting average (.257) and fewest walks (62), got a terrific performance from starter Chauncey Handran, who limited Ohio State to two runs on seven hits through seven innings, to improve to 15-8 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. Handran improves to 5-1 with the win.

The Buckeyes, first in the conference in slugging (.529), hits (331), runs (242) and second in average (.340), had a season-low one extra base hit and dropped their second consecutive game to fall to 21-6 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. It was the first time all season the team had lost consecutive games.

Alex Wimmers went 6.2 innings for the Buckeyes before he left the game during a three-run Minnesota seventh that extended the Gophers’ lead to 7-2. Wimmers gave up 10 hits while walking three and striking out 10. His record drops to 5-1 on the season.

Zach Hurley, one of three offensive leaders for the Buckeyes with thee hits and two RBI, hit his Big Ten-leading 34th RBI of the season in the third inning to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. Scoring from third was Ryan Dew, who led off the inning with a single. For the game, Dew had two hits, two RBI and three runs scored. Michael Arp also had a pair of hits and an RBI for the Buckeyes.

Minnesota charged back with three runs in its half of the third. Singles by Justin Gominsky and Matt Nohelty preceded a triple to right center by A.J. Pettersen. A Wimmers wild pitch during the next at-bat allowed Pettersen to score from third for a 3-1 Minnesota lead.

The Buckeyes came back and put two on via walks in the fourth with one down, but Handran got a strikeout and then a ridiculous play by shortstop A.J. Pettersen to save a run and end the inning. Dew, Ohio State’s hottest hitter with 15 hits in his last 28-at bats (.538), smacked a ball up the middle that Pettersen dove for behind second base. He made a backhanded stab to grab the ball, and still completely laid out on the turf, somehow backhand-flipped the ball to second baseman Derek McCallum for the force play at second.

The Gophers manufactured a run in the sixth on a single, a sacrifice bunt, another single and a fielder’s choice to increase the lead to 4-1.

Ohio State loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on a hit batsman – Dew – and consecutive singles by Arp and Matt Streng. Hurley’s second single of the game, a blooper to right, scored Dew from third, but that would be the only run of the inning as Handran got an inning-ending double play to end the threat with Minnesota still leading, 4-2.

Ohio State finally pieced together a big inning after Minnesota’s three-run seventh. Dew banged another single up the middle with two down in the eighth inning to drive in Michael Stephens and Dan Burkhart and bring the Buckeyes to within 7-4. When sure-fielding Eric Decker couldn’t grab a line drive that turned into a double by Arp, Dew scored from first to make the score 7-5 and Arp had the first extra-base hit of the game for the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes loaded the bases with one out in the ninth, but reliever Stott Maytas got a strikeout and a flyout to end the game and earn his third save of the year.

Both teams totaled 10 hits and there were no errors.

Ohio State Release & Game Notes

Box Score