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LGHL Baseball: Ohio State earns midweek split ahead of Big Ten play

Baseball: Ohio State earns midweek split ahead of Big Ten play
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

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Ohio State 1B/OF Caden Kaiser | via @OhioStateBASE on Twitter

The Buckeyes won one of two against Wright State and Toledo.

Tuesday, March 21: 3-0 Wright State​


Ohio State entered Tuesday’s in-state matchup riding high off of seven-straight victories, including a 2-0 start at home as they welcomed Wright State to Columbus. Unfortunately, the offense would not be up to the task to push the streak to eight games.

The Buckeyes were locked in a pitchers duel for much of the game, with OSU starter Gavin Bruni tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and four strikeouts before being replaced by Jonah Jenkins. Jenkins himself was strong as well, pitching 3.1 innings while striking out three, but a home run in the 5th by the Raiders gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Wright State added an unearned run in the 8th and one last run in the 9th as Ohio State failed to score in the 3-0 loss.

Ohio State managed just three hits in the game and four walks as the bats went totally silent. The Buckeyes got a runner to second base on three separate occasions, but failed to drive him in each time.

Wednesday, March 22: 6-4 Ohio State​


With the way the offense performed on Tuesday, it would be hard not to play any better the following afternoon when Toledo came to town.

It was dicey early on for Ohio State, as the Rockets opened up the scoring in the 1st inning with a bases loaded walk and made it 2-0 in the 2nd with a sac fly. The Buckeyes responded in a big way, however, as a pair of solo home runs by Hank Thomas and Josh McAlister evened things back up. The game remained knotted up at 2-2 until the 6th inning, when Toledo once again took a two-run lead, this time with a two-run homer.

Ohio State managed to get a run back in the bottom of the 6th when Matthew Graveline scored on an error, and then it was back to the long-ball for the Buckeyes with another pair of solo home runs in the 7th inning — this time by Kade Kern and Tyler Pettorini — to take their first lead of the game, 5-4. The scarlet and gray added an insurance run in the 8th on an RBI single by Caden Kaiser as they held on to earn a 6-4 bounce back win.

Bill Mosiello used six different pitchers in this one, with Blayne Robinson ultimately earning the win with his one scoreless inning in relief. Landon Beidelschies earned his third save of the year after getting the final four outs of the game, but it wasn’t easy. Beidelschies entered with two outs on two on in the 8th, but walked a batter to load the bases before getting out of the jam with a groundout. He remained on in the 9th, getting all three of his outs via the strikeout to secure the Ohio State victory.


The Buckeyes (12-7) will now start Big Ten play on the road, heading to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the Hoosiers (14-7) this weekend in a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Jeff Mercer’s group is currently riding a four-game winning streak, with their most recent outing a 15-5 win over Indiana State on Tuesday.

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LGHL Should Ohio State fans be concerned that Michigan is landing in-state prospects?

Should Ohio State fans be concerned that Michigan is landing in-state prospects?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ryan Day’s track record with top in-state talent is actually better than I thought it was.

On Tuesday, four-star running back Jordan Marshall from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati committed to play football at the University of Michigan. On Wednesday, three-star offensive lineman Ben Roebuck from St. Edward’s in Lakewood, Ohio pledged to play his college football for the Wolverines. Back-to-back days with a native Ohioan choosing to leave the state to continue his football career and back-to-back days of a player breaking through the proverbial fence that Ohio State prides itself on putting up around the state borders.

Marshall is the No. 91 player in the country and was high up on the Buckeyes’ wish list for the 2024 class, though Roebuck had garnered interest from OSU, he had yet to receive an offer from his home state’s flagship institution. Nonetheless, this burgeoning trend of players picking the Buckeyes’ rivals has been concerning for some who fear that Ohio State coach Ryan Day and his staff still don’t fully appreciate the importance of keeping homegrown talent in state.

Joining Marshall and Roebuck in Jim Harbaugh’s (also an Ohio native) 2024 class is the No. 338 player in the country Luke Hamilton from Avon, Ohio, and Ted Hammond, the No. 390 player in the country from Cincinnati’s St. Xavier. Now, of course, other than Marshall, the players that have thus far defected from Ohio to that state up north during this cycle have not been the highest-profile recruits from the state (neither Hamilton nor Hammond held offers from the Buckeyes). Despite that, the trend is concerning to some, not just that these players picked Michigan, but the belief that the state’s best players are increasingly not the focus of OSU’s recruiting efforts; something that would have been sacrilegious in the Jim Tressel, Earl Bruce, and (obviously) Woody Hayes eras of program history.

The idea of putting a fence around the state was been integral to Ohio State’s recruiting and on-field success for generations. Of course, times have changed since the days of Hayes, Bruce, and Tressel; heck, times have changed since Urban Meyer’s tenure.

For reasons far outside the control of the Buckeyes’ football program, the amount of top-tier talent in the state of Ohio — and all northern states — has been on a steady decline for a few decades. As the United States population has migrated south, as proof of the theory of large numbers, so has the high school football talent. Coupled with the fact that the Ohio High School Athletic Association has still not authorized spring football or 7-on-7 leagues, you can see that there is a bubbling issue in focusing too heavily on in-state talent.

But, thanks to Meyer’s success and reputation, the Buckeye football team has gone from being nationally known to being a national brand, allowing its coaches to have a legitimate shot to land any prospect from any state in the country. In recent years, OSU has had success nabbing top talent from Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, Washington, and more. So, with that ability to land prospects from across the country, a somewhat declining in-state talent base can be supplemented.

Given the general narrative around the program, I just kind of assumed that there has been a demonstrable move away from Ohio high school players by the Buckeyes in recent years, especially under Day’s leadership. That would explain why a top player in the state like Marshall chose to go elsewhere.

So, I decided to dive into the numbers from 247Sports’ Composite Rankings to see what Ohio recruiting has been like during the Ryan Day Era in Columbus. Currently, 247 does not have a comprehensive list of the top players from Ohio in 2019, but Day only took over as head coach after the early signing period, so I’m not sure that including that data would really be fair.

Therefore, in looking at Day’s four completed recruiting classes gives us a decent idea as to his philosophy in terms of recruiting Ohio’s top talent, and, I have to be honest, he's done better with top in-state talent than I thought he had. Of course, everything in recruiting is cyclical and there won’t be the same amount of OSU-ready talent in Ohio in every year, but four years feels like a decent enough sample size to draw some conclusions from.

I looked specifically at the top-10 players in the state for each of Day’s four recruiting cycles. Of those 40 prospects, 20 have signed with the Buckeyes (for a very obvious 50% average). However, not all of those top-10 players received OSU offers. Thirty-one of the 40 players highlighted did earn offers — whether they were committable ones or not — meaning that those 20 that signed represent a 64.5% success rate for the Buckeyes.

Day’s stats get even better when you focus just on the Ohio players ranked in the top 200 of 247Sports national composite rankings. Of those four and five-star prospects, 15 of 22 (68%) have signed with the Buckeyes since 2019; however, if you throw in 2019’s No. 12 national player Zach Harrison — who committed two weeks after Urban Meyer announced his retirement — that brings the total up to a very nice 69.56% (technically that would round up to 70%, but that would ruin the bit).

Of the top-200 players that Ohio State missed out on are guys that honestly seem like the team didn’t really have a spot for. Quarterbacks Drew Allar and Evan Prater went to Penn State and Cincinnati respectively because the Buckeyes landed higher-priority prospects in their cycles (it’s complicated with Allar because of Quinn Ewers’ reclassification, but the point remains).

Similar situation with wide receivers Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Notre Dame) and Kaden Saunders (PSU) and running back Corey Kiner (LSU). They were good in-state players, but the Buckeyes landed the No. 1 WR and No. 1 RB in 2021 (Styles and Kiner’s class) and still had a glut of receiving talent in Saunder’s cycle.

The only top-200 Ohio prospects that you could argue OSU really missed out on during the Day era were 2022 offensive tackle Aamil Wagner (No. 112) and 2023 defensive lineman Brenan Vernon (No. 200), both of whom signed with the Fighting Irish. So, all-in-all, that’s a pretty good track record, and honestly, much better than I had given the head coach credit for.

Does that erase the disappointment of losing a guy like Marshall to your rival? Of course not. That one stings. But, it could be for not if the No. 69 player in the country, San Antonio, Texas running back James Peoples ends up committing to the Buckeyes instead. He is slated to be on campus this weekend and the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Buckeyes a 94.1% chance to land him. I like those odds.

Now, none of this is to say that the job Day and his staff has done has been close to perfect, far from it. But, I do think that it is good perspective to have when folks assume the sky is falling because two Ohio players (only one of whom had an OSU offer) decide to play for Michigan. If more and more in-state talent that the Buckeyes legitimately want ends up opting to play for the Wolverines, Fighting Irish, or anyone else, then I am all for hitting the panic button, but for now, it seems like this is a bit of a tempest in a pot of tea.

Take a look at the top-10 Ohio prospects in each of Ryan Day’s four full recruiting cycles: ​


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LGHL Column: All eyes on C.J. Stroud and how other Buckeyes performed at Ohio State’s Pro Day

Column: All eyes on C.J. Stroud and how other Buckeyes performed at Ohio State’s Pro Day
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Football: Ohio State Pro Day

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State’s Pro Day was once again a circus of NFL personnel members looking to see what Buckeyes they will take at the next level.

Ohio State hosted their annual Pro Day for Buckeyes who declared for the NFL Draft, and the NFL was in town to witness. 30 teams, 10 general managers, and seven coaches were there among an even larger group of NFL personnel to see what the Buckeyes can provide their team in the future.

The headliner of the day was obviously quarterback C.J. Stroud. The projected first round pick was chopping it up with Panthers head coach Frank Reich, quarterback coach Josh McCown, and general manager Scott Fitterer after his throwing session, even sharing a dap up with McCown who seemed sold. Seeing the amount of eyes watching Stroud really set the stage for the magnitude of having a No. 1 pick level quarterback, and this elevates the spotlight on every other player there.

This was not the only reason teams were there. Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a lot to show scouts since he did not run the 40-yard dash at the combine. In addition, seeing the groups of NFL personnel members taking in the defensive linemen and offensive linemen showed that there is value beyond the skill positions.

Overall, this felt like a fantastic day of marketing for an Ohio State team that needs little help garnering the spotlight, but the takeaways are clear. The Buckeyes are still a draft factory for NFL teams, and the stories are all positive coming out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

All eyes on C.J. Stroud

Ohio State is in the midst of their best run of quarterback play in terms of developing quarterbacks into first round picks. Each progressive QB has been regarded in higher esteem by the NFL, starting with Dwayne Haskins who ended up in the middle of the first round, Justin Fields who’s draft stock took a hit during the process sliding down a few picks, and now Stroud who has laid claim to being the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Going to @OhioStateFB Pro Day from the @Panthers.

• Owners David & Nicole Tepper
• GM Scott Fitterer
• HC Frank Reich
• AGM Dan Morgan
• VP Samir Suleiman
• OC Thomas Brown
• QBs coach Josh McCown
• Sr ass't Jim Caldwell
• Scouting dir. Cole Spencer
• Scout Joel Patten

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 21, 2023
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Seeing the amount of personnel members from the Carolina Panthers — who hold the first overall pick — shows they were there for a reason. When the owner of the team takes the quarterback out to dinner and comes the next day to watch him throw, there is intent behind it. The rest of the organizations there were there to take a look at everyone else. The Panthers were there for Stroud.

In his workout, Stroud’s quarterback coach John Beck wanted to highlight Stroud’s mobility and ability to reset his feet in the pocket to deliver strikes down field. Stroud had a few misses, but the overall performance only had five incompletions with two drops. One of the misses was a throw rolling to his left, but Stroud bounced back immediately.

Watching the NFL Network broadcast, hearing Daniel Jeremiah, Steve Smith, Bucky Brooks, and David Carr talk, the major takeaway they all had was his consistency, which was highlighted in this throw at the end of the day.

CJ Stroud saved his best throw of the day for last as he ended his Pro Day workout with this beauty! pic.twitter.com/EqULvRZ8Ft

— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) March 22, 2023
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“It’s as good of a workout as I’ve seen, whether I was coaching in the NFL or now in last couple years here at Ohio State,” Ryan Day said after the workout.

The comments from the head ball coach himself and former NFL quarterback coach should say it all. But the real quote of the day – and I’m paraphrasing – was Josh McCown telling Stroud that they’d find a court to shoot around at when Stroud finds a place to live in Charlotte.

The last point was something I saw on ESPN after the Pro Day, Louis Riddick mentioned that Stroud orchestrated his pro day. Yes, his quarterback coach was there, but when it came to organizing the receivers, that was all Stroud. The value of showing his commitment to his craft and his ability to lead players in an unfamiliar situation showed a level of maturity that warrants being the No. 1 overall pick.

Stroud has it all, but yesterday he locked up his place in the top-2 picks of the NFL Draft. At this point, he has virtually locked himself into Ohio State history as the Buckeyes’ only No. 1 overall pick at quarterback and first since Orlando Pace.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba solidifies first round grade

For Smith-Njigba, the goal was to show off his speed and to legitimize his combine performance from an agility stand point. Ohio State fans know what he brings to the table, but the NFL sent a lot of scouts this week, and a huge point of emphasis of that group was to see what Smith-Njigba can do.

He was the main pass catcher for Stroud in Stroud’s first year as a starter, and he was the main pass catcher today. The former leading receiver showed his natural hands and ball tracking ability that made him the Rose Bowl record holder for receiving yards. The real test for him today was showing that he had the top end speed to fully define himself as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL and not just a slot receiver.

The official time on the 40 for Smith-Njigba was a 4.48. That wasn’t the same blazing speed Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson showed last year, but Smith-Njigba’s short area quickness combined with that forty time make him the best testing receiver of the group. The 3.9 short shuttler and 6.1 three cone drills were the fastest at the NFL combine, and him just not being slow on Wednesday was enough to raise his draft stock to surefire first round pick.

With Jordan Addison unable to workout due to the first rain in Los Angeles in 60 years, and some of the other top receivers having some disappointing combines, there is a real shot Smith-Njigba rises up to WR1 in the draft.

Young receivers have a chance to sign

With Smith-Njigba being the only draft eligible receiver at the Pro Day, the Buckeyes had to use their crop of pass catchers who are still in school for Ohio State. Similarly to when Justin Fields threw to Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, Stroud threw to Marvin Harrison Jr., Cade Stover, Xavier Johnson, and Jayden Ballard.

The player that was the most sought after from a viewing stand point was Marvin Harrison Jr., who is already projected by many NFL experts as the first receiver off the board in 2024. That is lofty, but hearing how NFL Scouts adored the stories about his constant work on the JUGs machine in addition to his play on the field, there is probably a serious possibility he is the highest receiver taken since Amari Cooper was taken at No. 4.

For an Ohio State storyline in 2023, Jayden Ballard looked incredibly comfortable. With Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming both sidelined, he got the call to step up when it came to catching passes. His speed was obvious and he looked natural tracking the ball down field. If you’re looking for a spring storyline and a potential fall breakout candidate, look no further than Ballard.

This time next year we’ll be seeing a different list of names showing out for NFL teams, and we’ll see another young group looking to make a first impression.

Tanner McAlister showed NFL teams he’s a viable option

To me the surprise of the day was McAlister running the fastest forty time with an official 4.44. Not to say that McAlister was going to run slow, but for all the Buckeyes not projected in the first round, he might have had the biggest performance of the day.

McAlister had an up-and-down time at Ohio State, but after the day was over said he will be having a private meeting with the Dallas Cowboys. Other teams of note that could be interested are the Steelers, Patriots, Dolphins, and Ravens looking at scheme fit. He can play in the nickel role at the next level, which has become a vital part of every NFL defense.

Add to that his 22 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds with the fastest 3-cone drill of the day, and you have an NFL defensive back. If he can show that he is able to play as a free safety in interviews and workouts, his draft value can climb ending up as a surprise day two pick.

Other notable performances

  • Cam Brown did not run a 4.2 forty yard dash like he alluded to a few years ago, but posted a respectable 4.5 time. Where the day was really important for Brown was showing his mobility and hip flexibility in position drills. This will be an interesting name to follow due to his spotty production at Ohio State and his solid athletic profile for the position.
  • Zach Harrison, Taron Vincent, and Jerron Cage ran through combine drills and position drills. Outside of the athletic testing, the goal in these drills is the ability to show fluid movement in a variety of change of direction drills. None of them bombed, but the overall performance did not do anything to raise draft statuses.
  • Palaiae Gateote was one of the players who did the most work on the day. He did the full combine at the pro day, and then participated in both defensive back drills and defensive line drills. Due to the limited film, this was an incredibly important day for Gateote and hopefully he did enough to get a camp invite.
  • Mitch Rossi did not run a 4.3 forty, but he looked smooth catching passes out of the backfield. With the modern H-Back role being valued by almost three quarters of the NFL, there is an outside chance he finds work in the league. Today showed he has the athleticism to play at the next level.

After the Pro Day was over, David Carr talked to C.J. Stroud and said the hard part was over. The next step for these players is getting a more intimate look at the teams potentially drafting them. Seeing the final juncture of time between Ohio State players last moment with the program and their next steps is always interesting.

All eyes on the program and the Buckeyes performing did not disappoint the NFL personnel in attendance. For Ohio State, whenever the momentum seems to subside there is always another event that elevates the program back into the spotlight. The pro day did just that and also elevated the players involved.

The final step in this cycle is the NFL Draft, and the Buckeyes will once again extend their lead of first round picks and potentially have their first No. 1 overall pick since 1997. There is a lot of fun in this process, and now that the work is over hopefully the players can enjoy the final steps of their journey.

For the Buckeyes and the players in the draft, April is about to be another significant advertisement for the program. Then it’s on to the next set of players ready to make their own legacy at Ohio State.

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LGHL Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State men will have some players leave... eventually; women prepare for Uconn in Sweet Sixteen

Bucketheads Podcast: Ohio State men will have some players leave... eventually; women prepare for Uconn in Sweet Sixteen
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The guys also discuss the men’s team’s impending roster turnover, and which types of players they should target via transfer.

‘Bucketheads’ is LGHL’s men’s basketball podcast, hosted by Connor Lemons and Justin Golba. Every episode they give you the latest scoop on the Ohio State Buckeyes and everything else happening in the college hoops world.​

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio​


During Episode 71 of Bucketheads, Connor and Justin lead it off by discussing all the chaos currently happening with college basketball — the transfer portal is booming, coaches are jumping ship, NBA decisions loom — and that doesn’t even include the Sweet Sixteen that’s going on right now!

Players are still making decisions about their future, but there are already several hundred in the transfer portal seeking new basketball homes. What type of transfers should Ohio State look at this season? And how does Brice Sensabaugh’s knee injury change the outlook of his impending draft decision?

Thomas Costello closes the show by jumping on for the second week in a row to preview the Ohio State women’s Sweet Sixteen showdown against the UConn Huskies. This is not a game the Buckeyes are supposed to win, but has that stopped them before?


Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @BucketheadsLGHL

Connect with Connor:
Twitter: @lemons_connor

Connect with Justin:
Twitter: @justin_golba

Connect with Thomas
Twitter: @1ThomasCostello

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Google C.J. Stroud sharp during Ohio State pro day: Which other Buckeye prospects impressed? - The Athletic

C.J. Stroud sharp during Ohio State pro day: Which other Buckeye prospects impressed? - The Athletic
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

  1. C.J. Stroud sharp during Ohio State pro day: Which other Buckeye prospects impressed? The Athletic
  2. Watch: Ohio State's C.J. Stroud puts on a throwing clinic at Buckeyes' pro day 247Sports
  3. Buckeyes Need to 'Get A Feel' for Brian Hartline's Offense Sports Illustrated

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Google Sights and Sounds: Buckeyes make strong impression at 2023 Pro Day - 247Sports

Sights and Sounds: Buckeyes make strong impression at 2023 Pro Day - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

  1. Sights and Sounds: Buckeyes make strong impression at 2023 Pro Day 247Sports
  2. Carolina Panthers Send Small Army To See C.J. Stroud At Ohio State Buckeyes Pro Day Sports Illustrated
  3. Buckeyes C.J. Stroud Leaves Little Doubt As QB1 Following Pro Day Sports Illustrated

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