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LGHL Ohio law won’t let Diebler hire Diebler, OSU loses safety to transfer portal
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio law won’t let Diebler hire Diebler, OSU loses safety to transfer portal
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Buckeyes safety Cedrick Hawkins enters transfer portal
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Portal Tracker: Analyzing impact of Buckeyes leaving program after camp (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Four freshmen who flashed with impressive spring-game performance (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Will Howard Rewatch: What we saw from the Ohio State QB’s spring game (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
Ohio State still searching for best offensive line combination after spring season (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
NCAA sanctions Michigan with probation and recruiting penalties for football violations
Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press
Could Jim Harbaugh’s first Chargers draft pick be Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Jake Diebler Wanted To Hire Brother Jon, Ohio’s Nepotism Laws Said No
Tony Gerdeman, Buckeye Huddle
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
OSU guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor’s WNBA rookie salaries
Brianna Mac Kay, The Columbus Dispatch
What addition of Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Men’s Volleyball: MIVA Semifinals Set Between Buckeyes, Ramblers Thursday
Ohio State Athletics
No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis swept Michigan, took down MSU this past weekend
Megan Husslein, Land-Grant Holy Land
Neal Shipley reflects on Tiger Woods, experience at The Masters
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Softball: Walk-Off Win Highlights Doubleheader Sweep of Penn State
Ohio State Athletics
Baseball: Buckeyes Win Back-and-Forth Game Against Wright State
Ohio State Athletics
#DevelopedHere
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Buckeyes safety Cedrick Hawkins enters transfer portal
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Portal Tracker: Analyzing impact of Buckeyes leaving program after camp (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Four freshmen who flashed with impressive spring-game performance (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Will Howard Rewatch: What we saw from the Ohio State QB’s spring game (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
Ohio State still searching for best offensive line combination after spring season (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
NCAA sanctions Michigan with probation and recruiting penalties for football violations
Andrew Birkle, Detroit Free Press
Could Jim Harbaugh’s first Chargers draft pick be Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
On the Hardwood
Jake Diebler Wanted To Hire Brother Jon, Ohio’s Nepotism Laws Said No
Tony Gerdeman, Buckeye Huddle
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
OSU guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor’s WNBA rookie salaries
Brianna Mac Kay, The Columbus Dispatch
What addition of Kentucky transfer Aaron Bradshaw means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Men’s Volleyball: MIVA Semifinals Set Between Buckeyes, Ramblers Thursday
Ohio State Athletics
No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis swept Michigan, took down MSU this past weekend
Megan Husslein, Land-Grant Holy Land
Neal Shipley reflects on Tiger Woods, experience at The Masters
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Softball: Walk-Off Win Highlights Doubleheader Sweep of Penn State
Ohio State Athletics
Baseball: Buckeyes Win Back-and-Forth Game Against Wright State
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
#DevelopedHere
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State to get final visit for No. 2 overall player, but distance might be too much to overcome
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- 0 Replies
Ohio State to get final visit for No. 2 overall player, but distance might be too much to overcome
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
David Sanders Jr. | Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina, 247Sports
A fast-rising prospect will also visit Columbus in the coming weeks.
David Sanders is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class, the No. 2 overall player, and the top prospect from the state of North Carolina, all according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was also in Columbus for last month’s Student Appreciation scrimmage and will be back on campus at the end of June to wrap up his official visit schedule.
Getting the last visit can be either a blessing or a curse for college football programs. On the positive side, it means that you have the opportunity to make your case after all of your competition has done so; your pitch will be the most fresh when the player and his family finally make their decision.
However, on the flip side, there’s always the chance that the prospect doesn’t make it to your visit, and decides to commit before he exhausts all of his visits. in the case of Sanders, he will be at South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama before ultimately arriving at Ohio State on June 21.
According to 247Sports’ Anna Adams, Tennessee, Clemson, and UGA are considered the leaders to gain Sanders’ services in no small part because of their proximity to his home in Charlotte. Rocky Top is the furthest from home at roughly 3 hours and 45 minutes away; Columbus is pushing 7 hours. While the distance from his family, including three little sisters, is not impossible to overcome, it does put the Buckeyes at a disadvantage.
“If Columbus was closer to Charlotte, the Buckeyes would be viewed in a different light,” Adams said. “But it’s reasonable to think that’ll affect their standing in the end.”
Nonetheless, Justin Frye and Chip Kelly will presumably have the final opportunity to win over Sanders and convince him that while it is roughly a 6 hour and 51 minute from from Charlotte to Columbus, it is only an hour-and-a-half flight, which I’m sure OSU’s NIL collectives will be more than happy to help out with.
On the flip side of that equation, the Buckeyes will get the official visits rolling for four-star defensive lineman Javeon Campbell. The Frankfort, Kentucky native will be in Columbus on May 31 before heading to Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia over the following three weeks.
Campbell is the No. 257 player in the 2025 class and the No. 30 defensive lineman. An edge rusher, Campbell stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 265 pounds. Despite wrapping up his junior year of high school, the prospect has only played one season of football, so the fact that his 22 scholarship offers include some of the best programs in the country is a testament to his athleticism.
According to 247Sports’ Allen Trieu, there could still be other visits planned, but for now, the Buckeyes will kick things off next month. Campbell was on campus in early March as well when he picked up his official offer from the Buckeyes.
Despite being new to the sport, Campbell is certainly a player to keep an eye on. As he continues to attend camps and showcases this summer, and eventually play his senior season in the fall, he very well might end up jumping up the recruiting rankings, just as he has since making his high school football debut last fall.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
David Sanders Jr. | Jim Hawkins/Inside Carolina, 247Sports
A fast-rising prospect will also visit Columbus in the coming weeks.
David Sanders is the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class, the No. 2 overall player, and the top prospect from the state of North Carolina, all according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He was also in Columbus for last month’s Student Appreciation scrimmage and will be back on campus at the end of June to wrap up his official visit schedule.
Getting the last visit can be either a blessing or a curse for college football programs. On the positive side, it means that you have the opportunity to make your case after all of your competition has done so; your pitch will be the most fresh when the player and his family finally make their decision.
However, on the flip side, there’s always the chance that the prospect doesn’t make it to your visit, and decides to commit before he exhausts all of his visits. in the case of Sanders, he will be at South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama before ultimately arriving at Ohio State on June 21.
According to 247Sports’ Anna Adams, Tennessee, Clemson, and UGA are considered the leaders to gain Sanders’ services in no small part because of their proximity to his home in Charlotte. Rocky Top is the furthest from home at roughly 3 hours and 45 minutes away; Columbus is pushing 7 hours. While the distance from his family, including three little sisters, is not impossible to overcome, it does put the Buckeyes at a disadvantage.
“If Columbus was closer to Charlotte, the Buckeyes would be viewed in a different light,” Adams said. “But it’s reasonable to think that’ll affect their standing in the end.”
Nonetheless, Justin Frye and Chip Kelly will presumably have the final opportunity to win over Sanders and convince him that while it is roughly a 6 hour and 51 minute from from Charlotte to Columbus, it is only an hour-and-a-half flight, which I’m sure OSU’s NIL collectives will be more than happy to help out with.
TopOne step closer to home! pic.twitter.com/rrvex6zLiv
— David Sanders Jr. (@DavidLSandersJr) March 2, 2024
On the flip side of that equation, the Buckeyes will get the official visits rolling for four-star defensive lineman Javeon Campbell. The Frankfort, Kentucky native will be in Columbus on May 31 before heading to Kentucky, Auburn, Alabama, and Georgia over the following three weeks.
Campbell is the No. 257 player in the 2025 class and the No. 30 defensive lineman. An edge rusher, Campbell stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 265 pounds. Despite wrapping up his junior year of high school, the prospect has only played one season of football, so the fact that his 22 scholarship offers include some of the best programs in the country is a testament to his athleticism.
According to 247Sports’ Allen Trieu, there could still be other visits planned, but for now, the Buckeyes will kick things off next month. Campbell was on campus in early March as well when he picked up his official offer from the Buckeyes.
Despite being new to the sport, Campbell is certainly a player to keep an eye on. As he continues to attend camps and showcases this summer, and eventually play his senior season in the fall, he very well might end up jumping up the recruiting rankings, just as he has since making his high school football debut last fall.
Continue reading...
LGHL No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis swept Michigan, took down MSU this past weekend
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- 0 Replies
No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis swept Michigan, took down MSU this past weekend
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateMTEN Twitter
They’re literally the best.
Men’s tennis had a HUGE weekend at home! The Buckeyes squared off against the two other Big Ten unbeatens in Michigan State and TTUN. Ohio State entered these matches 5-0 against Big Ten opponents and 23-1 on the season, and finished it 7-0 versus conferences foes and 25-1 overall — so it was definitely a good weekend for them.
Starting on Saturday, the Bucks faced No. 18 Sparty. Unfortunately, the spring football game and the tennis match both started at noon. I’m assuming the vast majority of you chose to watch the football game, as did I, but do not fret. I got you with the highlights from tennis.
The Buckeyes started off strong by taking the doubles point to begin the match, thanks to Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy.
They proceeded to dominate and win the first four singles matches to take a 5-0 lead. However, Sparty played tough. Tracy took court one singles 6-3, 7-5, Jack Anthrop won 7-5, 6-4 on court three, Robert Cash won a three-setter on court five and Alex Bernard clinched the match with a three set victory on court six!
Justin Boulais lost in three sets on court one, but Kingsley came back in three to win his match on court two, and the Buckeyes won their 32nd consecutive match against Michigan State.
Entering Sunday, there were now just two unbeaten teams in Big Ten play, and who else would it be but the Buckeyes and the Wolverines?
Fighting for the doubles point to begin the match was just that— a battle. After being tied at three games a piece, Kingsley and Anthrop won the final three games to take the match on court three, 6-3. TTUN won 6-4 on court two, so it was up to Cash and Tracy to win their court to win the doubles point.
After these two matches ended, Cash/Tracy were tied with TTUN at 5-5. It then headed to a tiebreak, which the Bucks won 7-1 and earned the doubles point.
It was quite a windy Sunday, which definitely played a factor in the matches as they were outside, but it didn’t affect the Buckeyes. All of the singles matches won their first sets.
Tracy was the first to finish as he rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win. Jack Anthrop was next on the victory train with a 6-3, 6-4 victory to put the Buckeyes in front 3-0. The clinching point once again came from Bernard as he won 7-5, 6-4 on court five.
The Buckeyes are now just a win away from clinching a share of their 18th-consecutive Big Ten title. They will close the regular season on the road next weekend with matches at Nebraska on Friday and Wisconsin on Sunday.
Continue reading...
Megan.Husslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStateMTEN Twitter
They’re literally the best.
Men’s tennis had a HUGE weekend at home! The Buckeyes squared off against the two other Big Ten unbeatens in Michigan State and TTUN. Ohio State entered these matches 5-0 against Big Ten opponents and 23-1 on the season, and finished it 7-0 versus conferences foes and 25-1 overall — so it was definitely a good weekend for them.
Starting on Saturday, the Bucks faced No. 18 Sparty. Unfortunately, the spring football game and the tennis match both started at noon. I’m assuming the vast majority of you chose to watch the football game, as did I, but do not fret. I got you with the highlights from tennis.
The Buckeyes started off strong by taking the doubles point to begin the match, thanks to Cannon Kingsley and JJ Tracy.
They proceeded to dominate and win the first four singles matches to take a 5-0 lead. However, Sparty played tough. Tracy took court one singles 6-3, 7-5, Jack Anthrop won 7-5, 6-4 on court three, Robert Cash won a three-setter on court five and Alex Bernard clinched the match with a three set victory on court six!
Justin Boulais lost in three sets on court one, but Kingsley came back in three to win his match on court two, and the Buckeyes won their 32nd consecutive match against Michigan State.
Entering Sunday, there were now just two unbeaten teams in Big Ten play, and who else would it be but the Buckeyes and the Wolverines?
Fighting for the doubles point to begin the match was just that— a battle. After being tied at three games a piece, Kingsley and Anthrop won the final three games to take the match on court three, 6-3. TTUN won 6-4 on court two, so it was up to Cash and Tracy to win their court to win the doubles point.
After these two matches ended, Cash/Tracy were tied with TTUN at 5-5. It then headed to a tiebreak, which the Bucks won 7-1 and earned the doubles point.
It was quite a windy Sunday, which definitely played a factor in the matches as they were outside, but it didn’t affect the Buckeyes. All of the singles matches won their first sets.
Tracy was the first to finish as he rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win. Jack Anthrop was next on the victory train with a 6-3, 6-4 victory to put the Buckeyes in front 3-0. The clinching point once again came from Bernard as he won 7-5, 6-4 on court five.
The Buckeyes are now just a win away from clinching a share of their 18th-consecutive Big Ten title. They will close the regular season on the road next weekend with matches at Nebraska on Friday and Wisconsin on Sunday.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State offers 2025 Alabama RB commit, Buckeyes men’s and women’s hoops add transfers
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State offers 2025 Alabama RB commit, Buckeyes men’s and women’s hoops add transfers
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2025 four-star running back Anthony Rogers via Andrew Ivins, 247Sports
Multiple Ohio State sports were active on the recruiting trail on Monday.
Ohio State had its annual spring game on Saturday, and this years game ended in fireworks. All eyes were on Ohio State for this spring game, as it was the first nationally televised spring game on Fox. The Buckeyes also had plenty of eyes on them in Ohio Stadium with tens of thousands of fans in attendance. Somehow in addition to the above, the Buckeyes also had dozens of recruits on hand for the event.
The weekend event was a sweeping success for Ohio State, which saw the Buckeyes walk away with two verbal commitments. The additions from the weekend were enough to push Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class into first place in the 247Sports class rankings. The Buckeyes also lay claim to the highest average player rating at 94.69.
Ohio State also dished out multiple scholarship offers over the weekend, including one to 2025 four-star running back and current Alabama verbal commitment Anthony Rogers (Montgomery, AL / Carver).
New Ohio State running back coach Carlos Locklyn will lead the Buckeyes in their attempt in flipping Rogers from Alabama to Ohio State. Rogers committed to Alabama in June of last year, and has not hinted at decommitting from the program since former head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. However, he has seen an uptick in his recruitment since the turn of the year, and the Buckeyes are now joining his list of suitors.
Ohio State does not yet hold a commitment in the 2025 class at running back, but has extended a number of offers in hopes of adding two or three to the class. Coach Locklyn will also likely add more Ohio State offers at the position, especially to players he was recruiting at Oregon that may or may not be already familiar with the Buckeyes.
Rogers has not yet been to Ohio State’s campus and the Buckeyes will need to host him on a visit if they wish to flip him from Alabama. Additionally, with the college football recruiting contact period now opening back up, look for Locklyn and additional Ohio State coaches to make the trip to visit with him as well.
Rogers is the No. 6 RB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 79 overall prospect. He is also the No. 7 recruit out of Alabama.
Continue reading...
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2025 four-star running back Anthony Rogers via Andrew Ivins, 247Sports
Multiple Ohio State sports were active on the recruiting trail on Monday.
Ohio State had its annual spring game on Saturday, and this years game ended in fireworks. All eyes were on Ohio State for this spring game, as it was the first nationally televised spring game on Fox. The Buckeyes also had plenty of eyes on them in Ohio Stadium with tens of thousands of fans in attendance. Somehow in addition to the above, the Buckeyes also had dozens of recruits on hand for the event.
The weekend event was a sweeping success for Ohio State, which saw the Buckeyes walk away with two verbal commitments. The additions from the weekend were enough to push Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class into first place in the 247Sports class rankings. The Buckeyes also lay claim to the highest average player rating at 94.69.
Ohio State also dished out multiple scholarship offers over the weekend, including one to 2025 four-star running back and current Alabama verbal commitment Anthony Rogers (Montgomery, AL / Carver).
Blessed to receive an offer from Ohio State!!️ @OhioStateFB @Locklyn33 pic.twitter.com/dIjeTOtqey
— Anthony Rogers (@anthonykrogers) April 13, 2024
New Ohio State running back coach Carlos Locklyn will lead the Buckeyes in their attempt in flipping Rogers from Alabama to Ohio State. Rogers committed to Alabama in June of last year, and has not hinted at decommitting from the program since former head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement. However, he has seen an uptick in his recruitment since the turn of the year, and the Buckeyes are now joining his list of suitors.
Ohio State does not yet hold a commitment in the 2025 class at running back, but has extended a number of offers in hopes of adding two or three to the class. Coach Locklyn will also likely add more Ohio State offers at the position, especially to players he was recruiting at Oregon that may or may not be already familiar with the Buckeyes.
Rogers has not yet been to Ohio State’s campus and the Buckeyes will need to host him on a visit if they wish to flip him from Alabama. Additionally, with the college football recruiting contact period now opening back up, look for Locklyn and additional Ohio State coaches to make the trip to visit with him as well.
Rogers is the No. 6 RB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 79 overall prospect. He is also the No. 7 recruit out of Alabama.
Quick Hits
- The Ohio State football team is not the only ones making headlines on the recruiting trail. The Ohio State men’s basketball team, led by newly appointed head coach Jake Diebler, is quickly making work in both the transfer portal and standard recruiting methods in order to make up for the talent they lost after the season. Ohio State earned a commitment Monday from former Kentucky five-star center Aaron Bradshaw (Roselle, NJ / Camden).
- Ohio State’s women’s basketball team was not to be left out Monday, and the Buckeyes also earned a transfer commitment from Kentucky. This time it was former Kentucky forward Ajae Petty, who chose to transfer to the Buckeyes. This was the second transfer commitment in two days for the Ohio State women’s basketball team, as they also earned a commitment from Chance Gray out of Oregon.
Continue reading...
LGHL How Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor make WNBA team final rosters
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- 0 Replies
How Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor make WNBA team final rosters
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images
The odds aren’t normally in the favor of rookies making opening day rosters, but Taylor and Sheldon show they have a chance
Monday night, the dreams of 36 different NCAA and international prospects came to fruition in Brooklyn at the WNBA Draft. For Ohio State women’s basketball, two former scarlet and gray-clad stars heard their names called; guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor earned training camp spots with the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever.
Now comes the hard part of making the roster.
Last season, only 15 of the 36 players drafted made a final WNBA team. This means that over half of the field doesn’t get a chance to have a WNBA experience after the rigorous training camp practice and scoring some team gear, before getting a proverbial pink slip at the end of a few weeks.
The WNBA restricts teams to 12 contracted players for the regular season. So, in a 12-team league, that’s only 144 roster spots available each season, leaving many new players on the outside looking in.
Here’s how Sheldon and Taylor can be on the right side of 2024’s draft statistics.
With the No. 5 pick, the career Buckeye went to the Dallas Wings, a team that realistically has room for one signee. When training camp starts in the coming weeks, Sheldon will be competing in a group of a handful of guards, all looking to become a depth piece behind the Wings’ established core.
The starting point and shooting guard roles go to Crystal Dangerfield and the free-shooting Arike Ogunbowale. Behind Dangerfield is a former opponent of Sheldon’s in Northwestern Wildcat alum Veronica Burton.
Sheldon’s chance at making the team comes in sliding behind Ogunbowale as a backup shooting guard.
For the last two and a half seasons at Ohio State, Sheldon played the point guard role, but that was based more on necessity than proper fit. With consecutive season-ending injuries for Madison Greene, and the benching of Kateri Poole in the 2021-22 season, Sheldon became head coach Kevin McGuff’s starting point guard. However, Sheldon’s college career started with her at a shooting guard, and that is where she established herself as a dangerous scorer.
Focusing on that skill is a piece of advice from league veterans Sheldon can lean into.
“I’ve gotten to spend some time with some vets the past couple days and they’ve been really helpful,” said Sheldon. “When you’re good at something, you can excel in that area, and really keying in on that and taking that with you to the next level is definitely something I’ll take from them.”
Sheldon has the best chance of sticking with Dallas if the guard is able to show her impressive shooting abilities at the next level. Last season, the Wings were the worst team in the league in three-point shooting efficiency, hitting only 31.7% of their shots from deep. Also, Dallas was tied for the fourth-lowest three-point shot-hitting team.
The former Buckeye has the ability to increase that efficiency and scoring. This past season, Sheldon had her best three-point shooting season in her five NCAA years. The guard led the Buckeyes with 1.9 three-point shots made per game, at a career-best 37.3%.
Conditioning-wise, Sheldon won’t have any trouble transitioning to a WNBA-level practice intensity. Defensively, if Sheldon does what she has always done at OSU and pressures opposing guards, finds space, and picks up steals by the handful, Dallas head coach Latricia Trammell will have an easy decision.
While being picked No. 5 overall certainly indicates that Sheldon has an inside track to the regular season roster, she isn’t guaranteed a spot by any means. The guard will face stiff competition from both a veteran and a rookie who missed the entire 2024 season. WNBA journeywoman Odyssey Sims excelled for the Wings in the playoffs and late regular season last year, but financially a Sheldon signing makes more sense for the team’s salary cap.
The other potential guard for the team is Lou Lopez Sénéchal. Drafted out of UConn last season, Lopez Sénéchal missed the entire year due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery. Lopez Sénéchal returned to European play during the NCAA season and will now compete against Sheldon, just as the two did in the 2023 Sweet Sixteen.
With the No. 15 overall pick, the third of the second round, the Indiana Fever added its second Big Ten guard of the night. After selecting Iowa Hawkeyes’ guard Caitlin Clark, in the worst kept secret in women’s basketball, with the No. 1 pick, the Fever repeated what they did in 2023.
Last draft, the Fever selected Indiana Hoosier Grace Berger and Buckeye Taylor Mikesell. While Mikesell didn’t make the final roster, Berger did and she’s one of a few guards competing against Taylor.
Of that group, Clark is not in the conversation. The chances of Indiana not retaining the services of Clark in the regular season are less than zero, with Clark’s on-court ability alone, she is essentially guaranteed a spot, but when you factor in her star power, she becomes indispensable to a team that has struggled with attendance over the years.
Indiana has 15 players on its roster heading into training camp, meaning that Taylor has to outplay three people to make the team. In the group of competitors are likely training camp invitee Maya Caldwell and veteran Kristy Wallace. What will set Taylor apart is her well-known defensive prowess, a skill honed early in her amateur career.
“Once I got to high school, my coach told me if you can guard multiple positions, you know you’re going to play,” said Taylor. “So I think I carried that with me all the time. As I got into college, I started to watch film. I started to watch my opponents and learn different defensive schemes.”
Taylor’s defensive strengths carried her to consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards in two different Power Five conferences, with the Duke Blue Devils in 2022-23 and with the Buckeyes this past season.
The guard’s defense isn’t in question, but in training camp, she will need to display her offensive abilities to set herself apart from the competition.
Wallace and Taylor play in very similar ways, but in two seasons in the WNBA, the Australian Wallace has established herself as a strong player off the bench for Indiana. For Berger, the former Hoosier is a fan favorite and averaged 14.6 minutes as a rookie in Indiana.
Realistically, Taylor has to beat Caldwell in training camp and then hope for cuts in other positions, which the Fever will likely have to do.
Taylor’s offense grew last season with the Buckeyes; as the guard learned the system and gelled more with her teammates, she became more comfortable shooting from deep. In the final 20 games of the season — all in conference and postseason play — Taylor hit a career-best 1.6 threes per game, at a career-high 35.2% efficiency.
That increased confidence offensively needs to show in Fever training camp while the defense needs to continue to shine.
The regular season starts May 14 and 15, but the spots for Sheldon and Taylor will be known ahead of time.
On May 13, all WNBA teams need to make final cuts, with training camp starting April 28. It’ll be a nervy two weeks for fans, but even more so for the pair of Buckeyes hoping to cement the jump from the amateur to professional level.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images
The odds aren’t normally in the favor of rookies making opening day rosters, but Taylor and Sheldon show they have a chance
Monday night, the dreams of 36 different NCAA and international prospects came to fruition in Brooklyn at the WNBA Draft. For Ohio State women’s basketball, two former scarlet and gray-clad stars heard their names called; guards Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor earned training camp spots with the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever.
Now comes the hard part of making the roster.
Last season, only 15 of the 36 players drafted made a final WNBA team. This means that over half of the field doesn’t get a chance to have a WNBA experience after the rigorous training camp practice and scoring some team gear, before getting a proverbial pink slip at the end of a few weeks.
The WNBA restricts teams to 12 contracted players for the regular season. So, in a 12-team league, that’s only 144 roster spots available each season, leaving many new players on the outside looking in.
Here’s how Sheldon and Taylor can be on the right side of 2024’s draft statistics.
Jacy Sheldon
With the No. 5 pick, the career Buckeye went to the Dallas Wings, a team that realistically has room for one signee. When training camp starts in the coming weeks, Sheldon will be competing in a group of a handful of guards, all looking to become a depth piece behind the Wings’ established core.
The starting point and shooting guard roles go to Crystal Dangerfield and the free-shooting Arike Ogunbowale. Behind Dangerfield is a former opponent of Sheldon’s in Northwestern Wildcat alum Veronica Burton.
Sheldon’s chance at making the team comes in sliding behind Ogunbowale as a backup shooting guard.
For the last two and a half seasons at Ohio State, Sheldon played the point guard role, but that was based more on necessity than proper fit. With consecutive season-ending injuries for Madison Greene, and the benching of Kateri Poole in the 2021-22 season, Sheldon became head coach Kevin McGuff’s starting point guard. However, Sheldon’s college career started with her at a shooting guard, and that is where she established herself as a dangerous scorer.
Focusing on that skill is a piece of advice from league veterans Sheldon can lean into.
“I’ve gotten to spend some time with some vets the past couple days and they’ve been really helpful,” said Sheldon. “When you’re good at something, you can excel in that area, and really keying in on that and taking that with you to the next level is definitely something I’ll take from them.”
Sheldon has the best chance of sticking with Dallas if the guard is able to show her impressive shooting abilities at the next level. Last season, the Wings were the worst team in the league in three-point shooting efficiency, hitting only 31.7% of their shots from deep. Also, Dallas was tied for the fourth-lowest three-point shot-hitting team.
The former Buckeye has the ability to increase that efficiency and scoring. This past season, Sheldon had her best three-point shooting season in her five NCAA years. The guard led the Buckeyes with 1.9 three-point shots made per game, at a career-best 37.3%.
Conditioning-wise, Sheldon won’t have any trouble transitioning to a WNBA-level practice intensity. Defensively, if Sheldon does what she has always done at OSU and pressures opposing guards, finds space, and picks up steals by the handful, Dallas head coach Latricia Trammell will have an easy decision.
While being picked No. 5 overall certainly indicates that Sheldon has an inside track to the regular season roster, she isn’t guaranteed a spot by any means. The guard will face stiff competition from both a veteran and a rookie who missed the entire 2024 season. WNBA journeywoman Odyssey Sims excelled for the Wings in the playoffs and late regular season last year, but financially a Sheldon signing makes more sense for the team’s salary cap.
The other potential guard for the team is Lou Lopez Sénéchal. Drafted out of UConn last season, Lopez Sénéchal missed the entire year due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery. Lopez Sénéchal returned to European play during the NCAA season and will now compete against Sheldon, just as the two did in the 2023 Sweet Sixteen.
Celeste Taylor
With the No. 15 overall pick, the third of the second round, the Indiana Fever added its second Big Ten guard of the night. After selecting Iowa Hawkeyes’ guard Caitlin Clark, in the worst kept secret in women’s basketball, with the No. 1 pick, the Fever repeated what they did in 2023.
Last draft, the Fever selected Indiana Hoosier Grace Berger and Buckeye Taylor Mikesell. While Mikesell didn’t make the final roster, Berger did and she’s one of a few guards competing against Taylor.
Of that group, Clark is not in the conversation. The chances of Indiana not retaining the services of Clark in the regular season are less than zero, with Clark’s on-court ability alone, she is essentially guaranteed a spot, but when you factor in her star power, she becomes indispensable to a team that has struggled with attendance over the years.
Indiana has 15 players on its roster heading into training camp, meaning that Taylor has to outplay three people to make the team. In the group of competitors are likely training camp invitee Maya Caldwell and veteran Kristy Wallace. What will set Taylor apart is her well-known defensive prowess, a skill honed early in her amateur career.
“Once I got to high school, my coach told me if you can guard multiple positions, you know you’re going to play,” said Taylor. “So I think I carried that with me all the time. As I got into college, I started to watch film. I started to watch my opponents and learn different defensive schemes.”
Taylor’s defensive strengths carried her to consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards in two different Power Five conferences, with the Duke Blue Devils in 2022-23 and with the Buckeyes this past season.
The guard’s defense isn’t in question, but in training camp, she will need to display her offensive abilities to set herself apart from the competition.
Wallace and Taylor play in very similar ways, but in two seasons in the WNBA, the Australian Wallace has established herself as a strong player off the bench for Indiana. For Berger, the former Hoosier is a fan favorite and averaged 14.6 minutes as a rookie in Indiana.
Realistically, Taylor has to beat Caldwell in training camp and then hope for cuts in other positions, which the Fever will likely have to do.
Taylor’s offense grew last season with the Buckeyes; as the guard learned the system and gelled more with her teammates, she became more comfortable shooting from deep. In the final 20 games of the season — all in conference and postseason play — Taylor hit a career-best 1.6 threes per game, at a career-high 35.2% efficiency.
That increased confidence offensively needs to show in Fever training camp while the defense needs to continue to shine.
The regular season starts May 14 and 15, but the spots for Sheldon and Taylor will be known ahead of time.
On May 13, all WNBA teams need to make final cuts, with training camp starting April 28. It’ll be a nervy two weeks for fans, but even more so for the pair of Buckeyes hoping to cement the jump from the amateur to professional level.
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LGHL Big day for Buckeye basketball as two WBB alums get drafted, Diebler lands five-star transfer
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Big day for Buckeye basketball as two WBB alums get drafted, Diebler lands five-star transfer
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
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Three Key Takeaways as Buckeyes wrapped up spring camp (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Three positions Buckeyes could target in spring transfer portal window (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Buckeyes scholarship numbers, breakdown with spring practice wrapped up (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Spring Game Demonstrates Plan for Ohio State to Involve Quarterbacks in Running Game
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Jeremiah Smith’s father: ‘You’re going to see a whole lot of’ Ohio State’s 5-star freshman WR in 2024 (paywall)
Brandon Marcello, 247Sports
Why C.J. Stroud says NFL teams should ‘be smart,’ select Marvin Harrison Jr.
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Why Ryan Day banked on 2024 as Ohio State’s launching point
Brad Crawford, 247Sports
Jacy Sheldon drafted No. 5 to Dallas Wings in WNBA Draft
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Celeste Taylor selected by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
BOOM! Kentucky transfer, former five-star recruit Aaron Bradshaw will transfer to Ohio State
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Aaron Bradshaw Brings Elite Athleticism, Ferocious One-Two Punch at Center to Ohio State
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
How Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor make WNBA team final rosters
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Former Kentucky forward Ajae Petty transfers to Ohio State, will look to improve women’s rebounding
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns to open season in Las Vegas
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
General: Student-Athletes Recognized with Academic Awards
Ohio State Athletics
General: Meet the 2024 Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalists
Ohio State Athletics
After this, Rachel Zegler will play a star-crossed lover in the year 700.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Three Key Takeaways as Buckeyes wrapped up spring camp (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Three positions Buckeyes could target in spring transfer portal window (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Buckeyes scholarship numbers, breakdown with spring practice wrapped up (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Spring Game Demonstrates Plan for Ohio State to Involve Quarterbacks in Running Game
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Jeremiah Smith’s father: ‘You’re going to see a whole lot of’ Ohio State’s 5-star freshman WR in 2024 (paywall)
Brandon Marcello, 247Sports
Why C.J. Stroud says NFL teams should ‘be smart,’ select Marvin Harrison Jr.
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Why Ryan Day banked on 2024 as Ohio State’s launching point
Brad Crawford, 247Sports
On the Hardwood
Jacy Sheldon drafted No. 5 to Dallas Wings in WNBA Draft
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Celeste Taylor selected by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA Draft
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
BOOM! Kentucky transfer, former five-star recruit Aaron Bradshaw will transfer to Ohio State
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Aaron Bradshaw Brings Elite Athleticism, Ferocious One-Two Punch at Center to Ohio State
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
TWO Buckeyes are headed to the W for just the third time in program history
: https://t.co/yAgdgaERFb#GoBucks #DevelopedHere pic.twitter.com/ItOnooTLxX
— Ohio State Women’s Basketball (@OhioStateWBB) April 16, 2024
How Jacy Sheldon and Celeste Taylor make WNBA team final rosters
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Former Kentucky forward Ajae Petty transfers to Ohio State, will look to improve women’s rebounding
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State Buckeyes, Texas Longhorns to open season in Las Vegas
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Outside the Shoe and Schott
General: Student-Athletes Recognized with Academic Awards
Ohio State Athletics
General: Meet the 2024 Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalists
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
After this, Rachel Zegler will play a star-crossed lover in the year 700.
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LGHL Ohio State spring sport storylines other than football you should be following
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Ohio State spring sport storylines other than football you should be following
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStAthletics Twitter
The No. 1 men’s tennis team keeps dominating, and an OSU golfer surprises at the Masters, plus more Buckeye news.
Whether you’re looking to get on the tennis train, take a few laps around the track, or root, root, root for the Buckeyes’ baseball and softball teams, here at LGHL, we’re keeping you up-to-date on what’s happening with all your Buckeye sports teams.
The baseball team (17-15, 5-4) had a busy week, winning four of five games—all at home—in the last seven days.
The week started with a 6-4 win over Bowling Green last Tuesday, followed by a 13-7 win over Morehead State the next day, a game in which Mitchell Okuley hit two home runs.
Up next was a three-game series against preseason Big Ten favorite Iowa (18-17, 6-6), which the Buckeyes took, 2-1, dropping the game Saturday before finishing the series with a dominant win in only eight innings Sunday.
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The series opener on Friday marked the Buckeyes’ fourth consecutive victory, 8-5. The Buckeye bats were hot, with Joseph Mershon leading the Buckeyes with a season-high four hits, along with three stolen bases. Henry Kaczmar, Matthew Graveline, and Nick Giamarusti put up two hits apiece, and Landon Beidelschies recorded the win for OSU, striking out seven in 5.2 innings pitched.
Saturday was a more defensive battle, with the Hawkeyes evening the series to end OSU’s four-game win streak, 3-2. Tyler Pettorini led the Buckeyes with two hits, and Isaac Cadena scored the first home run of his career, a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh. Gavin Bruni recorded the loss for the Buckeyes, despite a strong performance. He struck out six, allowing two runs on three hits in five innings pitched.
It was Ohio State domination on Sunday, though, with the Buckeyes winning the game, 11-1, to clinch the series. The Hawkeyes got on the board quickly, posting their only run in the first inning. From there, it was all Buckeye bats. Jacob Morin earned the win in the team effort, with Trey Lipsey, Okuley, Mershon, and Ryan Miller leading OSU with two hits apiece. Lipsey drove in three runs, and Josh Stevenson had a team-high, season-high four RBIs.
Next up, the boys in Scarlet finish their six-game homestand on Tuesday against Wright State. They’ll hit the road to take on Kent State on Wednesday, finishing the weekend in Ann Arbor for a three-game series against Michigan, Friday-Sunday.
The Buckeye softball team (21-17) shut out Ohio (20-19), 8-0, at home on Wednesday, before dropping two of three at Wisconsin over the weekend.
Sophomore Hannah Church scored her first home run at Buckeye Field in the Ohio matchup—and it was not just any home run. The Buckeyes were up, 3-0, after the third, but Church’s home run—a grand slam—added the cherry on top in what would be a five-run fifth inning.
The Buckeyes finished the game with five hits from five different players in the victory.
They then headed to Madison, Wisconsin, for a three-game series against the Badgers over the weekend. The Badgers took the first two games of the series, 8-4, and 10-5, respectively.
In Friday’s game, the Buckeyes held a 3-2 lead in the third, but the Badgers managed to tie the game in the fourth and sealed their victory in the fifth. Kami Kortokrax led OSU in the game, with three hits and two RBIs. Allison Smith pitched for OSU, and her five strikeouts moved her into fifth place on the program’s all-time strikeouts list, with 496.
On Saturday, the Badgers never trailed, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the first. The Buckeyes pulled within one, down just 4-3 in the top of the fifth, but a six-run bottom half of the inning created a chasm too wide for OSU to clear. The Buckeyes had no trouble getting on base, but getting them home proved challenging, with 17 runners stranded in the first two games of the series.
One player who had no trouble getting home? Kirsten Eppele, who stole home in the fourth.
The Buckeyes rallied to victory on Sunday, however, in a 9-5 come-from-behind victory. After trailing, 4-3, for four innings, a six-run fifth for the Buckeyes sealed their victory. Smith won her 13th win of the season, recording her 500th career strikeout and becoming just the fifth player in OSU history to do so.
McKenzie Bump finished 3-for-3, with a home run and two RBIs. Jasmyn Burns also finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Bump and Burns hit back-to-back home runs.
Next up, the Buckeyes will begin a nine-game homestand, kicking off tonight with a doubleheader against Penn State. They play again Wednesday against Maryland before a three-game series against Maryland this weekend.
Off the field, Sam Hackenbrecht was named a Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalist for her excellence both on and off the field.
The women’s golf team ended their regular season on a high note in Columbus this weekend, where they won the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational at the OSU Scarlet Course after shooting back-to-back rounds of 283 (7-under, overall).
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They won by 20 strokes in a tournament comprised of 10 other Big Ten teams and Kent State. Senior Caley McGinty won the individual title—her seventh collegiate career title—with a score of 210 (-6). Faith Choi and Kary Hollenbaugh tied for second overall, each shooting 214.
Next up, the women head to Havre de Grace, Maryland, for the Big Ten Championships at Blue Rock Golf Course, this Friday to Sunday.
The men’s team had the week off from competition. Instead, they were busy preparing for their next outing, the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate tournament in Columbus, this Friday to Sunday.
One Buckeye had an extra-special weekend, though. Senior Neal Shipley went on to become the only amateur to make the cut at the Masters. He spent Sunday of the competition paired with Tiger Woods, and he earned the 2024 low amateur Silver Cup.
The women’s lacrosse team (7-7, 1-4) played the final two games of a three-game road stretch and fell both times, first to Louisville, followed by No. 1 Northwestern.
Their non-conference matchup against Louisville was a 22-10 decision, though it remained close in the first half. Louisville led, 4-2, at the end of the first quarter, before both teams scored four goals in the second. The Cardinals got going quickly in the second half though, putting up four of the first five goals in the third quarter, which ended 14-8, and then out-scoring the Buckeyes 8-2 in the fourth.
Still, freshman Kampbell Stone had her first career hat trick to lead the Buckeyes, and Jamie Lasda, who had a stellar week across both games, recorded a career-best 11 draw controls. This ties her for fifth-most in a single game in program history. Lasda leads the Buckeyes this season.
Kate Tyack also had two goals, her fifth career multiple-goal outing.
Saturday’s game against Northwestern (12-2, 4-1) brought a similar outcome, with the Buckeyes falling, 19-10. The Wildcats built an early lead to finish the first quarter up, 8-2. That woke the Buckeyes up.
The Buckeyes went on to outscore Northwestern, 7-5, in the second and third quarters, heading into the fourth down, 13-9. They couldn’t get the job done, scoring just one goal in the fourth, while the Wildcats put up six.
Emily Magalotti, Leah Sax, Zoe Coleman, and Lasda each scored twice. Lasda’s performance brought her season tally to a team-best and career-best 37 goals, the first of which was her 100th career goal. Tyack, for her part, has tallied more than three points in each of the last four games and is on a six-game goal streak.
Regan Alexander, the senior goalie, recorded 12 saves. Alexander was named a finalist for the 2024 Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete for excellence on and off the field, this past Monday.
Next up, the women will host Rutgers this coming Thursday. It will mark the regular-season home finale and OSU’s Senior Day.
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The men’s team (6-7, 1-3) lost a heartbreaker in overtime at home against No. 5 Johns Hopkins, 11-10. It was their fourth matchup in five weeks against a top-10 team.
It was a hard-fought game, with the Buckeyes leaving everything on the field in the matchup, after starting strong and jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game. It marked just the third time this season Johns Hopkins was held scoreless in the first quarter.
OSU led by as many as five goals throughout the game, and led 7-4 at half and 9-6 at the end of the third, but the Jayhawks found their stride at the end of the third, going on a five-goal run that went into the fourth to give them the lead for the first time in the game, 10-9.
The OSU defense wasn’t giving up that easily, forcing three turnovers, and Alex Marinier tied the game up for the Buckeyes to force overtime. It marked his third hat trick of the season.
Overtime was an even match, with the Jayhawks claiming victory with only 24 seconds remaining in extra time. It was the Buckeyes’ first overtime game this season.
Freshman goalie Caleb Fyock had 11 saves, his fifth-straight game with double-digit saves.
Next, the men will close the regular season at home when they host Michigan this Saturday, April 20.
The Ohio State Track & Field team split time this weekend at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational and Bryan Clay Invitational this past Friday and Saturday, posting some memorable performances throughout the weekend.
Most notably, Daniella Santos and Andrea Kuhn moved into the top five in program history in the 5000m on Friday, with times that place them third and fifth in OSU history, respectively. Santos finished with a time of 15:56.71, while Kuhn posted a time of 15:57.72.
Other Buckeyes to place at the Bryan Clay Invite included Columba Effiong, who finished third in the women’s 200m with a PR of 23.82, and DJ Fillmore, whose long jump of 7.47m / 24’6.25” made him the runner-up.
On Saturday, the Buckeyes swept the shot put competition at Tom Jones, with Lacey Stringer moving into third on OSU’s all-time leaders list with a mark of 17.21m / 56’5.75”. Adam Riedinger posted a season-best throw of 17.53m / 57’6.25” on his way to victory on the men’s side.
The Buckeyes also placed well in other events throughout the day. Faith Bender placed third in discus with a season-best 56.91m / 186’8”, while Tanner Watson was the men’s runner-up with a throw of 54.45m / 178’7”. Sophie Fong and Morgan Fijalkowski finished second and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault. Amaya Ugarte cleared 1.84m / 6’0.5” in the high jump to finish in third.
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Up next, the Buckeyes will host the Jesse Owens Classic this coming Friday and Saturday.
The No. 12 Ohio State women’s rowing team had the weekend off. They’re busy preparing for their trip to Sarasota, Florida, for the Big Ten Invite, this coming Friday, April 19.
The No. 3-seed Buckeyes’ men’s volleyball team (20-8) advanced in the MIVA Tournament after defeating No. 6-seed Lewis (15-15) last Saturday in Columbus in the tournament quarterfinals, 3-1.
Ohio State posted scores of 26-24, 25-27, 25-21, 25-20 over the Flyers, dropping only the second set in the match. Shane Wetzel and Jacob Pasteur combined for 33 kills, while Cole Young recorded his 100th career block in the matchup.
Now, the Buckeyes move on to face No. 2-seed Loyola Chicago in the tournament semifinal this Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. The match, along with the rest of the tournament matches from here on out, will take place at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana. The Buckeyes lost both their previous matchups with the Ramblers, 2-3, this season.
The No. 16 Ohio State women’s tennis team (15-6, 8-1) defeated Iowa, 4-1, in Iowa City Friday night, followed by a 4-1 victory on the road at Nebraska on Sunday to close out its regular season road schedule.
Friday’s win came with four straight-set singles wins from Luciana Perry, Sydni Ratliff, Shelly Bereznyak, and Audrey Spencer, with Iowa claiming only the doubles point (though the duo of Ratliff and Spencer did win their doubles match).
In Lincoln, the Buckeyes extended their win streak to eight matches, taking the doubles point on victories from the duos of Irina Cantos Siemers and Akanksha Bhan, along with that of Alessia Cau and Madeline Atway. Siemers, Ratliff, and Spencer also posted singles victories.
Up next, the women return home to end the regular season with matches Friday against Northwestern and Sunday against Illinois (the Buckeyes’ Senior Day).
The No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis team keeps on rolling, after defeating both Big Ten schools from that state up north this weekend. They remain atop the Big Ten standings as the lone undefeated team in the conference, improving to 25-1 on the season.
The weekend began with a 6-1 home victory over No. 18 Michigan State, who entered the match also undefeated in conference play. Robert Cash, Cannon Kingsley, and JJ Tracy all won in both singles and doubles.
The Buckeyes first clinched the doubles’ point, thanks to victories from Cash and Bryce Nakashima, along with Kingsley and Tracy. OSU then won the first four singles matches, with singles wins coming from the aforementioned players, as well as Jack Anthrop and Alexander Bernard.
On Sunday, OSU took down rival Michigan, sweeping them, 4-0. While the doubles point was a rollercoaster requiring the tiebreaker, victories from the duos of Kingsley/Anthrop and Cash/Tracy clinched the point for the Buckeyes.
In singles play, Anthrop, Tracy, and Bernard all posted victories to seal the results.
The Buckeyes hit the road this weekend to take on Nebraska Friday and Wisconsin Sunday. They need just one win to clinch a share of the Big Ten title—it would be their 18th consecutive conference title if they’re able to stay on track.
Siemers and Cash, it is worth noting, are both also Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalists.
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Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
@OhioStAthletics Twitter
The No. 1 men’s tennis team keeps dominating, and an OSU golfer surprises at the Masters, plus more Buckeye news.
Whether you’re looking to get on the tennis train, take a few laps around the track, or root, root, root for the Buckeyes’ baseball and softball teams, here at LGHL, we’re keeping you up-to-date on what’s happening with all your Buckeye sports teams.
Baseball
The baseball team (17-15, 5-4) had a busy week, winning four of five games—all at home—in the last seven days.
The week started with a 6-4 win over Bowling Green last Tuesday, followed by a 13-7 win over Morehead State the next day, a game in which Mitchell Okuley hit two home runs.
Up next was a three-game series against preseason Big Ten favorite Iowa (18-17, 6-6), which the Buckeyes took, 2-1, dropping the game Saturday before finishing the series with a dominant win in only eight innings Sunday.
The series opener on Friday marked the Buckeyes’ fourth consecutive victory, 8-5. The Buckeye bats were hot, with Joseph Mershon leading the Buckeyes with a season-high four hits, along with three stolen bases. Henry Kaczmar, Matthew Graveline, and Nick Giamarusti put up two hits apiece, and Landon Beidelschies recorded the win for OSU, striking out seven in 5.2 innings pitched.
Saturday was a more defensive battle, with the Hawkeyes evening the series to end OSU’s four-game win streak, 3-2. Tyler Pettorini led the Buckeyes with two hits, and Isaac Cadena scored the first home run of his career, a solo homer in the bottom of the seventh. Gavin Bruni recorded the loss for the Buckeyes, despite a strong performance. He struck out six, allowing two runs on three hits in five innings pitched.
It was Ohio State domination on Sunday, though, with the Buckeyes winning the game, 11-1, to clinch the series. The Hawkeyes got on the board quickly, posting their only run in the first inning. From there, it was all Buckeye bats. Jacob Morin earned the win in the team effort, with Trey Lipsey, Okuley, Mershon, and Ryan Miller leading OSU with two hits apiece. Lipsey drove in three runs, and Josh Stevenson had a team-high, season-high four RBIs.
Next up, the boys in Scarlet finish their six-game homestand on Tuesday against Wright State. They’ll hit the road to take on Kent State on Wednesday, finishing the weekend in Ann Arbor for a three-game series against Michigan, Friday-Sunday.
Softball
The Buckeye softball team (21-17) shut out Ohio (20-19), 8-0, at home on Wednesday, before dropping two of three at Wisconsin over the weekend.
Sophomore Hannah Church scored her first home run at Buckeye Field in the Ohio matchup—and it was not just any home run. The Buckeyes were up, 3-0, after the third, but Church’s home run—a grand slam—added the cherry on top in what would be a five-run fifth inning.
The Buckeyes finished the game with five hits from five different players in the victory.
They then headed to Madison, Wisconsin, for a three-game series against the Badgers over the weekend. The Badgers took the first two games of the series, 8-4, and 10-5, respectively.
In Friday’s game, the Buckeyes held a 3-2 lead in the third, but the Badgers managed to tie the game in the fourth and sealed their victory in the fifth. Kami Kortokrax led OSU in the game, with three hits and two RBIs. Allison Smith pitched for OSU, and her five strikeouts moved her into fifth place on the program’s all-time strikeouts list, with 496.
On Saturday, the Badgers never trailed, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead in the first. The Buckeyes pulled within one, down just 4-3 in the top of the fifth, but a six-run bottom half of the inning created a chasm too wide for OSU to clear. The Buckeyes had no trouble getting on base, but getting them home proved challenging, with 17 runners stranded in the first two games of the series.
One player who had no trouble getting home? Kirsten Eppele, who stole home in the fourth.
The Buckeyes rallied to victory on Sunday, however, in a 9-5 come-from-behind victory. After trailing, 4-3, for four innings, a six-run fifth for the Buckeyes sealed their victory. Smith won her 13th win of the season, recording her 500th career strikeout and becoming just the fifth player in OSU history to do so.
#Buckeyes drop a six-spot in the fifth and take a 9-4 lead over Wisconsin.
A recap of some of the big moments#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/2tJv4CfixY
— Ohio State Softball (@OhioStateSB) April 14, 2024
McKenzie Bump finished 3-for-3, with a home run and two RBIs. Jasmyn Burns also finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Bump and Burns hit back-to-back home runs.
Next up, the Buckeyes will begin a nine-game homestand, kicking off tonight with a doubleheader against Penn State. They play again Wednesday against Maryland before a three-game series against Maryland this weekend.
Off the field, Sam Hackenbrecht was named a Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalist for her excellence both on and off the field.
Golf
The women’s golf team ended their regular season on a high note in Columbus this weekend, where they won the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational at the OSU Scarlet Course after shooting back-to-back rounds of 283 (7-under, overall).
They won by 20 strokes in a tournament comprised of 10 other Big Ten teams and Kent State. Senior Caley McGinty won the individual title—her seventh collegiate career title—with a score of 210 (-6). Faith Choi and Kary Hollenbaugh tied for second overall, each shooting 214.
Next up, the women head to Havre de Grace, Maryland, for the Big Ten Championships at Blue Rock Golf Course, this Friday to Sunday.
The men’s team had the week off from competition. Instead, they were busy preparing for their next outing, the Robert Kepler Intercollegiate tournament in Columbus, this Friday to Sunday.
One Buckeye had an extra-special weekend, though. Senior Neal Shipley went on to become the only amateur to make the cut at the Masters. He spent Sunday of the competition paired with Tiger Woods, and he earned the 2024 low amateur Silver Cup.
Lacrosse
The women’s lacrosse team (7-7, 1-4) played the final two games of a three-game road stretch and fell both times, first to Louisville, followed by No. 1 Northwestern.
Their non-conference matchup against Louisville was a 22-10 decision, though it remained close in the first half. Louisville led, 4-2, at the end of the first quarter, before both teams scored four goals in the second. The Cardinals got going quickly in the second half though, putting up four of the first five goals in the third quarter, which ended 14-8, and then out-scoring the Buckeyes 8-2 in the fourth.
Still, freshman Kampbell Stone had her first career hat trick to lead the Buckeyes, and Jamie Lasda, who had a stellar week across both games, recorded a career-best 11 draw controls. This ties her for fifth-most in a single game in program history. Lasda leads the Buckeyes this season.
Kate Tyack also had two goals, her fifth career multiple-goal outing.
Saturday’s game against Northwestern (12-2, 4-1) brought a similar outcome, with the Buckeyes falling, 19-10. The Wildcats built an early lead to finish the first quarter up, 8-2. That woke the Buckeyes up.
The Buckeyes went on to outscore Northwestern, 7-5, in the second and third quarters, heading into the fourth down, 13-9. They couldn’t get the job done, scoring just one goal in the fourth, while the Wildcats put up six.
Emily Magalotti, Leah Sax, Zoe Coleman, and Lasda each scored twice. Lasda’s performance brought her season tally to a team-best and career-best 37 goals, the first of which was her 100th career goal. Tyack, for her part, has tallied more than three points in each of the last four games and is on a six-game goal streak.
Regan Alexander, the senior goalie, recorded 12 saves. Alexander was named a finalist for the 2024 Big Ten Medal of Honor, which is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete for excellence on and off the field, this past Monday.
Next up, the women will host Rutgers this coming Thursday. It will mark the regular-season home finale and OSU’s Senior Day.
The men’s team (6-7, 1-3) lost a heartbreaker in overtime at home against No. 5 Johns Hopkins, 11-10. It was their fourth matchup in five weeks against a top-10 team.
It was a hard-fought game, with the Buckeyes leaving everything on the field in the matchup, after starting strong and jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game. It marked just the third time this season Johns Hopkins was held scoreless in the first quarter.
OSU led by as many as five goals throughout the game, and led 7-4 at half and 9-6 at the end of the third, but the Jayhawks found their stride at the end of the third, going on a five-goal run that went into the fourth to give them the lead for the first time in the game, 10-9.
The OSU defense wasn’t giving up that easily, forcing three turnovers, and Alex Marinier tied the game up for the Buckeyes to force overtime. It marked his third hat trick of the season.
Overtime was an even match, with the Jayhawks claiming victory with only 24 seconds remaining in extra time. It was the Buckeyes’ first overtime game this season.
Freshman goalie Caleb Fyock had 11 saves, his fifth-straight game with double-digit saves.
Next, the men will close the regular season at home when they host Michigan this Saturday, April 20.
Track & Field
The Ohio State Track & Field team split time this weekend at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational and Bryan Clay Invitational this past Friday and Saturday, posting some memorable performances throughout the weekend.
Most notably, Daniella Santos and Andrea Kuhn moved into the top five in program history in the 5000m on Friday, with times that place them third and fifth in OSU history, respectively. Santos finished with a time of 15:56.71, while Kuhn posted a time of 15:57.72.
Other Buckeyes to place at the Bryan Clay Invite included Columba Effiong, who finished third in the women’s 200m with a PR of 23.82, and DJ Fillmore, whose long jump of 7.47m / 24’6.25” made him the runner-up.
On Saturday, the Buckeyes swept the shot put competition at Tom Jones, with Lacey Stringer moving into third on OSU’s all-time leaders list with a mark of 17.21m / 56’5.75”. Adam Riedinger posted a season-best throw of 17.53m / 57’6.25” on his way to victory on the men’s side.
The Buckeyes also placed well in other events throughout the day. Faith Bender placed third in discus with a season-best 56.91m / 186’8”, while Tanner Watson was the men’s runner-up with a throw of 54.45m / 178’7”. Sophie Fong and Morgan Fijalkowski finished second and fourth, respectively, in the pole vault. Amaya Ugarte cleared 1.84m / 6’0.5” in the high jump to finish in third.
Up next, the Buckeyes will host the Jesse Owens Classic this coming Friday and Saturday.
Rowing
The No. 12 Ohio State women’s rowing team had the weekend off. They’re busy preparing for their trip to Sarasota, Florida, for the Big Ten Invite, this coming Friday, April 19.
Men’s Volleyball
The No. 3-seed Buckeyes’ men’s volleyball team (20-8) advanced in the MIVA Tournament after defeating No. 6-seed Lewis (15-15) last Saturday in Columbus in the tournament quarterfinals, 3-1.
Ohio State posted scores of 26-24, 25-27, 25-21, 25-20 over the Flyers, dropping only the second set in the match. Shane Wetzel and Jacob Pasteur combined for 33 kills, while Cole Young recorded his 100th career block in the matchup.
Now, the Buckeyes move on to face No. 2-seed Loyola Chicago in the tournament semifinal this Thursday at 4 p.m. ET. The match, along with the rest of the tournament matches from here on out, will take place at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana. The Buckeyes lost both their previous matchups with the Ramblers, 2-3, this season.
Tennis
The No. 16 Ohio State women’s tennis team (15-6, 8-1) defeated Iowa, 4-1, in Iowa City Friday night, followed by a 4-1 victory on the road at Nebraska on Sunday to close out its regular season road schedule.
Friday’s win came with four straight-set singles wins from Luciana Perry, Sydni Ratliff, Shelly Bereznyak, and Audrey Spencer, with Iowa claiming only the doubles point (though the duo of Ratliff and Spencer did win their doubles match).
In Lincoln, the Buckeyes extended their win streak to eight matches, taking the doubles point on victories from the duos of Irina Cantos Siemers and Akanksha Bhan, along with that of Alessia Cau and Madeline Atway. Siemers, Ratliff, and Spencer also posted singles victories.
Up next, the women return home to end the regular season with matches Friday against Northwestern and Sunday against Illinois (the Buckeyes’ Senior Day).
The No. 1 Ohio State men’s tennis team keeps on rolling, after defeating both Big Ten schools from that state up north this weekend. They remain atop the Big Ten standings as the lone undefeated team in the conference, improving to 25-1 on the season.
The weekend began with a 6-1 home victory over No. 18 Michigan State, who entered the match also undefeated in conference play. Robert Cash, Cannon Kingsley, and JJ Tracy all won in both singles and doubles.
The Buckeyes first clinched the doubles’ point, thanks to victories from Cash and Bryce Nakashima, along with Kingsley and Tracy. OSU then won the first four singles matches, with singles wins coming from the aforementioned players, as well as Jack Anthrop and Alexander Bernard.
On Sunday, OSU took down rival Michigan, sweeping them, 4-0. While the doubles point was a rollercoaster requiring the tiebreaker, victories from the duos of Kingsley/Anthrop and Cash/Tracy clinched the point for the Buckeyes.
In singles play, Anthrop, Tracy, and Bernard all posted victories to seal the results.
The Buckeyes hit the road this weekend to take on Nebraska Friday and Wisconsin Sunday. They need just one win to clinch a share of the Big Ten title—it would be their 18th consecutive conference title if they’re able to stay on track.
Siemers and Cash, it is worth noting, are both also Big Ten Medal of Honor Finalists.
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LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State picks up commitment from former McDonalds All-American
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Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State picks up commitment from former McDonalds All-American
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Former Kentucky center and No. 4 overall recruit Aaron Bradshaw is heading to Columbus, while Zed is heading to Dayton. And Marcus Johnson commits to Ohio State
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. In every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in college hoops.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On episode 117 of Bucketheads, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is so back.
The Buckeyes and head coach Jake Diebler have secured a commitment from Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw, a former McDonald’s All-American and the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2023 class. We talk about Bradshaw's fit on this team, and how he works next to Felix Okpara.
Also, the Buckeyes secured a commitment from Northeast Ohio five-star 2025 guard Marcus Johnson, the cousin of Meechie Johnson. Johnson is a huge pickup and the first five-star to come to Columbus since D’Angelo Russell.
To close, we discuss Zed Key committing to Dayton and his fit there, as well as more transfer portal updates
Make sure to like, subscribe, comment, and leave a review on the show!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Former Kentucky center and No. 4 overall recruit Aaron Bradshaw is heading to Columbus, while Zed is heading to Dayton. And Marcus Johnson commits to Ohio State
“Bucketheads” is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. In every episode, they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in college hoops.
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On episode 117 of Bucketheads, the Ohio State men’s basketball team is so back.
The Buckeyes and head coach Jake Diebler have secured a commitment from Kentucky center Aaron Bradshaw, a former McDonald’s All-American and the No. 4 overall recruit in the 2023 class. We talk about Bradshaw's fit on this team, and how he works next to Felix Okpara.
Also, the Buckeyes secured a commitment from Northeast Ohio five-star 2025 guard Marcus Johnson, the cousin of Meechie Johnson. Johnson is a huge pickup and the first five-star to come to Columbus since D’Angelo Russell.
To close, we discuss Zed Key committing to Dayton and his fit there, as well as more transfer portal updates
Make sure to like, subscribe, comment, and leave a review on the show!
Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGPN
Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor
Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba
Continue reading...
