Buckeyes open play in Florida tournament against Wake Forest
Friday, February 24, 2006
Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
With March Madness and the playoff races in the NBA and NHL at full bore, the first two months of the college baseball season get about as much attention as curling in a non-Olympic year.
But members of the NCAA tournament committee are watching, and what happens in February and March receives as much weight as games in April and May, when the brackets are put together.
Ohio State realizes it will be on stage during the Pepsi Baseball Classic this weekend in Gainesville, Fla. The Buckeyes open the season against Wake Forest at 2 p.m. today. Then come games against No. 1-ranked Florida on Saturday and 12 th-ranked Missouri on Sunday.
"You look at the competition and it’s a great chance for a great start," Buckeyes shortstop Jedidiah Stephen said. "We’re ready for this. Last year, we beat North Carolina when they were ranked fourth in the nation and we battled against Georgia and they were ranked sixth."
With six appearances in the NCAA tournament in the past nine years, Ohio State’s reputation as a top-25 baseball team is secure.
The Buckeyes want to do more than that, though. A good record in nonconference games and a Big Ten regular-season championship would go a long way in helping them play host to a regional and/or super regional.
Last season, Ohio State lost four of its first six nonconference games and its first five Big Ten games and had to win the conference tournament to make the NCAAs. The committee shipped them to Corvallis, Ore.
The same thing played out in 2002 and 2003, when they won the Big Ten tournament and were sent to South Bend, Ind., and Auburn, Ala.
"It’s always a goal to host an NCAA tournament," left fielder Jacob Howell said. "The NCAA tournament is what you live for. If you want to do that, you have to win games at the beginning of the season. These games matter, too."
Ohio State should have a potent lineup with the likes of Stephen, Howell, center fielder Matt Angle of Whitehall and catcher Eric Fryer of Reynoldsburg.
Who winds up where on the pitching staff remains hazy after starters Dan DeLucia of Watterson and Cory Luebke and reliever Rory Meister.
"We have some question marks and we need answers," coach Bob Todd said. "There are some interesting challenges. We’re looking for No. 3 and No. 4 starters. Middle relief is a question. First base is a huge question mark. There are talented people fighting for playing time at a lot of positions.
"The good thing is the majority of this team understands what it takes to win tournament championships. What you want to do is win enough games so your fate isn’t in the hands of the tournament committee."
The intangible, Todd said, is this team appears to have leadership.
"We all get along," DeLucia said. "There’s a lot of camaraderie on this team. We’ve also prepared hard. Now, a fast start will help. It’s tough when you have to battle from a bad start. This tournament is really difficult. But we’re used to this. You just have to compete. You need the wins because the committee looks at your record."
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