Ohio State to Play Four Games at Kennel Club Classic
Buckeye tour of Florida continues with games against UNC-Greensboro, Jacksonville, Western Michigan, plus exhibtion game vs. Aoyama Gakuin, a Japanese University
Junior third baseman
Ronnie Bourquin leads
the Buckeyes early in
the season with .545
batting average.
March 1, 2006
OHIO STATE (1-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
at
KENNEL CLUB CLASSIC
March 3-5, 2006
Jacksonville, Fla.
Fri., Mar. 3 vs. Aoyama Gakuin* (exh.) @ Noon
Fri., Mar. 3 vs. UNC Greensboro* @ 3:30 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 4 at Jacksonville @ 1 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 5 vs. Western Michigan* @ 11 a.m.
* at University of North Florida, Harmon Stadium
SERIES MEETINGS
Aoyama Gakuin Univ. (Japan): First Meeting
UNCG (2-6, 0-0 Southern): First Meeting
Jacksonville (9-3, 0-0 A-Sun): OSU leads 5-2
last game: Ohio State 10-9, March 2, 2001
Western Michigan (2-1, 0-0 MAC): UWM leads 55-36-1
last game: UWM 4-3, March 7, 2004
TELEVISION/RADIO
None
GAMETRACKER
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State returns to Florida again this weekend for four games at the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville. The Buckeyes open with an exhibition contest vs. Aoyama Gakuin, a Japanese University, Friday at noon at the University of North Florida's Harmon Stadium. Immediately following that game at approximately 3:30 p.m., Ohio State will take on UNC Greensboro. The Buckeyes travel across town Saturday to meet Jacksonville at Alexander Breast Field at 1 p.m. before returning to UNF on Sunday for a morning matchup with Western Michigan at 11 a.m.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State is 1-2 on the year after opening its season last week at the Pepsi Baseball Classic at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The Buckeyes suffered setbacks to Wake Forest, losing 6-2 on Friday, and to No. 1 Florida, 10-3 on Saturday. The Buckeyes took their first win of the season, getting by No. 12 Missouri on the arm of rookie pitcher J.B. Shuck, who struck out six Tigers and allowed one run on three hits in seven innings.
Junior third baseman Ronnie Bourquin led Ohio State in the three games in Gainesville, batting .545 (6-for-11). Bourquin was 4-for-5 against top-ranked Florida and was 2-for-3 in the season opener against Wake Forest, which went on to win the tournament after getting by the Gators 4-0 on Sunday. Junior outfielder Jacob Howell and Jedidiah Stephen each added five hits in the three games. Howell batted .417 with a pair of RBI and one runs scored, while Stephen batted .385 with three doubles and one RBI. As a team Ohio State batted .260.
The lone pitching victory came off Shuck, a lefty, who was making his first start on the mound. Shuck, who pinch hit against Wake Forest and started at first base against Florida, took to the hill and lasted seven innings, recording six strikeouts and allowing one run on three hits. Ohio State pitching struggled in the first two games, walking 11 batters, including eight against Florida. Cory Luebke, who started against the Gators, walked five batters, but allowed only two runs on three hits. Luebke walked on 17 batters all of last year, a season in which he earned Freshman All-American honors. Dan DeLucia got the loss against Wake Forest after allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out four batters, but walked three.
Fielding was an issue for Ohio State in the opening weekend of the season. The Buckeyes committed eight errors in their first three games of the season, including four against Florida and three against Wake Forest. The Buckeyes have a fielding percentage of .925.
TWO BUCKEYES TABBED TO TEAM
Junior third baseman Ronnie Bourquin and junior outfielder Jacob Howell were named to the all-tournament team of the Pepsi Baseball Classic following Wake Forest's win over Florida in the final game Sunday. Bourquin batted .545 in the three games, leading Ohio State with six hits. He was 4-for-5 in the loss at Florida. Howell had five hits and knocked in two runs. Ohio State was 1-2 at the event, upsetting No. 12 Missouri after losses to Wake Forest and Florida.
COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION HONORS SHUCK
Ohio State freshman left-handed pitcher J.B. Shuck was named to the College Baseball Foundation Honor Roll this week after leading the Buckeyes to a 4-2 upset victory over No. 12 Missouri. Making his first career start, Shuck, who is from Galion, Ohio (Galion), allowed only one run on three hits with seven strikeouts, as the Buckeyes pounded out 11 hits to win their first win of the season last Sunday at the Pepsi Baseball Classic at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Shuck, a freshman from Galion, Ohio, made his Buckeye debut Friday against Wake Forest with a pinch hit in the eighth inning and then made his first start as a Buckeye Saturday vs. Florida as the starting first baseman. In his seven-inning outing against Missouri, he allowed one run on three hits, struck out six batters, and allowed one walk in his first pitching start as a Buckeye. The honor marks the first time an Ohio State player has appeared on the second-year list.
ABOUT UNC GREENSBORO
The Spartans are 2-6 on the year after going 1-3 at the Aggie Baseball Classic in College Station, Texas last weekend. UNC Greensboro beat Utah, but sustained a pair of losses to Texas A&M and Missouri State, formerly Southwest Missouri State. After a three-game sweep at Georgia, the Spartans earned their first victory of the season, an 8-7 victory over High Point before heading to Texas. Five of the team's eight games have been decided by one run, though the Spartans have been outscored 53-42.
UNCG is hitting .265 paced by Guy Welsh who has a .471 batting average (16-for-34). He is the team leader in hits, RBI (eight), runs (10), slugging percentage (.588) and on-base percentage (.571) thanks to eight walks. Greg Feltes is batting .379 with 11 hits, while Greg Matson is batting .333 with three of his six hits allowing him to reach second base. He has knocked in seven runs. On the mound, Patrick Currin (1-1) and Greg Matson (1-0) have the two wins. Currin is the team leader with eight strikeouts in 10.1 innings to go with a 5.23 ERA, while Greg Martin leads the everyday pitchers with a 4.22 ERA in 10.2 innings. The staff ERA is 5.21.
Mike Gaski (Detroit, 1973) is 471-347-1 in his 16th season at UNCG and as a college coach. His son plays second base at the University of Florida, where the team will travel to next week for a two-game series. Gaski, the Gator, was 3-for-5 in the 10-3 victory over Ohio State last Saturday.
AGAINST THE SPARTANS
This will be the first meeting between Ohio State and UNC Greensboro.
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE
The Dolphins are 9-3 on the year entering a Thursday game with Western Michigan as part of the Kennel Club Classic. Jacksonville lost two of three games last weekend to Maryland. The Dolphins swept a three-game series vs. South Florida and took 2-of-3 games from Bethune Cookman to go with wins over Florida A&M and two vs. Georgia Southern.
Before facing the Broncos, the Dolphins were batting .302 as a team led by Mike McCallister, who was batting .359 (14-for-39). He also led the team with four home runs, 15 RBI and a slugging percentage of .744. Gordi Gronkowski was batting .354, while Daniel Murphy and Pete Clifford were batting .349 and .347, respectively. Two other players were batting better than .300. Gronkowski and Clifford paced the team with 17 hits, while Clifford is the team leader with six doubles. Five players have knocked in 10 or more runs on a team that has outscored the opposition 89-40.
On the mound, the Dolphins own a 2.37 ERA. Leading the staff is Matt Dobbins, who is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA in four starts (five appearances). He has 23 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. D.J. Ackley and Kyle DeVries each have two wins. Ackley is 2-1 with a 1.75 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 25.2 innings, while DeVries is 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA. Jacksonville has four saves on the year, each from a different pitcher.
Terry Alexander (Florida State, 1977) is 490-401-2 in his 16th season at Jacksonville and as a college coach.
AGAINST THE DOLPHINS
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Jacksonville 5-2 after claiming the last game between the schools, 10-9, on March 2, 2001. The Buckeyes won the first three games of the series, which began with two games in 1958. The teams split two meetings in 1962. The next meeting was a 6-5 victory by Jacksonville in the 1994 NCAA Atlantic I Regional in Tallahassee, Fla. The Buckeyes also won 13-4 in the 1996 season.
Ohio State vs. Jacksonville Series Date W/L Score Site 3/22/1958 W 8-1 A 3/23/1958 W 10-0 A 3/17/1962 W 1-0 A 3/18/1962 L 4-1 A 5/28/1994 L 6-5 1N 3/19/1996 W 13-4 A 3/2/2001 W 10-9 A1-NCAA Atlantic I Regional, Tallahassee, Fla.
ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN
The Broncos took 2-of-3 games at North Florida last weekend to open its season. Western Michigan, which is on its spring break, won 3-2 and 1-0 before losing 3-0 Monday night. The team began a two-game series with Kennesaw State Tuesday and will play Jacksonville twice, Bethune Cookman and UNCG before playing Ohio State Sunday morning.
Randy Ford (Western Michigan, 1979) was 26-24 last year at his alma mater, his first as a college head coach. Ford had spent 16 years as an assistant at Penn State before moving to the Kalamazoo school.
AGAINST THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan leads the all-time series 55-36-1 and won the last time the teams met, winning 4-3 in the 2004 Kennel Club Classic. Some of the biggest games in Ohio State's history have been played against the Broncos. The Buckeyes qualified for their first ever trip to the College World Series by taking two of three games from Western Michigan in 1951. WMU returned the favor in 1955 and then in 1966, the year Ohio State won the national championship, it beat Western Michigan twice in the District 4 Playoffs. The Buckeyes again advanced to Omaha in 1967 by beating the Broncos.
Ohio State vs. Western Michigan Series
Last 10 Meetings
Date W/L Score Site 5/3/1985 L 2-0 H 5/3/1985 L 6-1 H 5/4/1985 L 4-1 H 5/4/1985 W 1-0 H 4/4/1986 L 11-6 H 4/4/1986 L 7-1 H 4/5/1986 W 12-5 H 4/5/1986 L 10-8 H 3/4/2000 W 8-6 1N 3/7/2004 L 4-3 1N1-Kennel Club Classic, Jacksonville, Fla.
IN SEASON OPENERS
With the loss to Wake Forest in the season opener, Bob Todd's Buckeyes are 10-9 in season openers. Now in the 123rd year of Ohio State baseball, the Buckeyes are 75-46-2 (.618) in season openers.
IN THE BIG TEN
Only two Big Ten teams - Northwestern and Penn State - had played prior to last weekend, but all 10 conference teams have thrown out the first pitch. Iowa is 3-0 after beating Austin Peay, Illinois State and Dayton last weekend. Purdue is 1-1, while Northwestern is 3-5. Both Ohio State and Michigan are 1-2, while Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State and Minnesota all started 0-3. Penn State is winless in six games.
Iowa (.330), Purdue (.324) and Illinois (.307) all are hitting better than .300 to sit atop the league in batting. Ohio State, a .260, is fifth. The Buckeyes own the conference's best ERA in the early going at 3.24. Iowa has an ERA of 3.33, while Northwestern (3.93) rounds out the pitching staffs who are under 4.00. Michigan and Michigan State each boast a fielding percentage of .982, while the Buckeyes are last at .925 after committing eight errors in the first three games of the season.
BUCKEYE FIRSTS
Several Buckeyes played in their first game this past weekend at the Pepsi Baseball Classic in Gainesville. J.B. Shuck delivered a pinch-hit single in his only at bat against Wake Forest, his first career game. He made his first start the next day against Florida, appearing at first base. Josh Hula was the starting catcher and Justin Miller was the starting first baseman in Sunday's win over No. 12 Missouri. Hula got his first hit as a Buckeye with a single through the right side as part of a two-run sixth inning against the Tigers. Miller is still looking for his first hit. Shuck was the starting pitcher against Missouri on Sunday and went seven innings, striking out six batters and allowing one run on just three hits in getting his first win as a Buckeye.
STILL LOOKING FOR FIRST BASEMAN
The Buckeyes entered the year looking for someone to play first base after three-year starter Paul Farinacci completed his eligibility last season. In the three games in Gainesville, Ohio State went with a different starter in each game. Junior Kris Moorman started against Wake Forest before freshman J.B. Shuck started against Florida. Freshman Justin Miller got the nod against Missouri.
LOOKING FOR THIRD, FOURTH STARTERS
With the losses of Mike Madsen and Trent Luyster, who combined to win 38 career games, the Buckeyes are looking for someone to become the team's third and fourth starters. The Buckeyes return two players, who were in the starting rotation last season. Both Dan DeLucia and Cory Luebke are back. DeLucia, a third-team All-Big Ten pick as a sophomore, was 6-5 with a team-best 2.92 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 95.2 innings while Luebke, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, was 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 71.0 innings. DeLucia pitched three complete games and was the Friday night starter in the final six conference series. Luebke also pitched three complete games with the team's only shutout.
While those two pack a formidable 1-2 punch, Ohio State needs to find a third and fourth starter before Big Ten play gets underway at the end of the month. Last weekend in Gainesville, freshman J.B. Shuck got the call in the third game mainly because skipper Bob Todd felt he matchup up well against Missouri and he did, guiding Ohio State to a 4-2 upset victory over the 12th-ranked Tigers. Whether he will get the ball in Jacksonville remains to be seen. Junior Trey Fausnaugh could make the switch to starter after making 56 relief appearances his first two years with the Buckeyes. Dan Barker and Matthew Selhorst could contend for the fourth starting slot, but both should be pushed by freshmen Tyler Barnes, Josh Barrera, Eric Best, Jake Hale, Brad Hays and Jake Weber. Barker started three of his 11 appearances and was 1-0 last year with a 1.76 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. Three of the freshmen - Barnes, Best and Hale - earned all-state honors and Hale was a 24th-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians.
MILESTONES
The game against Florida marked the 1,300th game of Bob Todd's career, which is in its 23rd season in 2006. He will coach his 1,100th game at Ohio State, where he has coached since 1988, in the Buckeyes' eighth game of the year, which is the second game of a doubleheader against Lehigh on March 10 in Clearwater, Fla. Todd owns a career record of 851-448-2 and is 727-366-2 at Ohio State.
Ohio State has played 3,576 games since it began playing baseball in 1881. The 3,600th game in school history will be played against Central Michigan April 12th at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes are 2,154-1,384-38 all time.
MEISTER GETS SAVE VS. MISSOURI
It might not have been the prettiest of saves, but Rory Meister pitched the ninth inning in the 4-2 victory over Missouri to pick up his first save of the season. He struck out the first two Tigers he faced before pinch hitter Bryson LeBlanc reached on a fielding error. He scored on a base hit by Ryan Lollis before he got Derek Chambers to ground out to second base. It was his fifth save of his career.
LUEBKE NAMED TO 2006 WALLACE WATCH
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Cory Luebke has been named to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, which is one of several national college baseball player of the year awards. The award is presented by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, Texas. Last year's winner was Alex Gordon of Nebraska.
Luebke, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2005, made 12 starts in 16 appearances as a true freshman. He finished 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA and tossed three complete games and one shutout. Luebke, who is from Maria Stein, Ohio (Marion Local), struck out 54 batters with 17 walks and gave up 40 runs, though only 28 were earned, on 73 hits. He was 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA in seven Big Ten starts.
BUCKEYES ELECT THREE CAPTAINS
Junior left-handed pitcher Dan DeLucia, junior outfielder Jacob Howell and senior short stop Jedidiah Stephen will serve as tri-captains for the 2006 baseball team. The trio was selected by a team vote prior to the start of spring practice on Jan. 30.
DeLucia, a third-team All-Big Ten pick last season, led the Buckeyes with a 2.92 ERA, 95.2 innings pitched and 55 strikeouts to go with a 6-5 record in 15 starts. Howell was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2004 and made 31 starts in 39 games last season after missing 12 games because of a shoulder injury. Howell ended up batting .270 with 31 hits and 16 RBI in 2005 after batting .336 in 58 starts as a freshman. Stephen is one of three seniors on the squad and is one of three returning infielders. Stephen batted .305 last season with 52 hits, including 13 doubles, two triples and five home runs to go along with 46 RBI, the second best on the team.
In addition to their on-field exploits, all three captains have excelled in the classroom as well. DeLucia is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2005, while Howell is a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Stephen has been named an Academic All-Big Ten selection and an OSU Scholar-Athlete each of the last two years.
OSU AMONG BEST ALL-TIME CWS TEAMS
Ohio State has been named one of the top College World Series teams of all-time in a story that appeared in the Omaha World-Herald last summer. Ohio State was listed No. 22 in the Top 25 rankings. The Buckeyes have made four appearances in the College World Series, winning the national championship in 1966 after a runner-up finish in 1965. Southern California was ranked as the top CWS team of all time.
As for Ohio State, the World-Herald said, "(Steve) Arlin was selected as one of the two pitchers on the CWS' 50-year anniversary team for his work in the 1965 and 1966 tournaments. Arlin still holds the CWS career record for ERA (0.96), and his four victories and 47 innings pitched are tied for the all-time lead. In leading the Buckeyes to the 1966 title, Arlin finished all five of their wins - two on complete games. His most memorable performance might have come the year before, when he pitched a 15-inning, 1-0 victory over Washington State after lasting just one-third of an inning in his first CWS start against Arizona State."
The 1966 national championship is the last won by a team in the Big Ten.
BUCKEYES HAVE 15 TRUE FRESHMEN
Ohio State welcomed 15 true freshmen to the roster this season. Six players are pitchers: Taylor Barnes, Josh Barrera, Eric Best, Jake Hale, Brad Hays and Jake Weber; three are catchers: Shawn Forsythe, Justin Miller and Nick Steponovich; four are infielders: Matt Curran, Seth Sanders, J.B. Shuck (also a pitcher) and Ben Toussant; and two are outfielders: Chris Griffin and Zach Hurley.
Add to that a group of three red-shirt freshmen - pitcher Matthew Selhorst, catcher Josh Hula and infielder Michael Arp - and the Buckeyes have 18 players who have not played college baseball before this season. Ohio State is believed to be among the national leaders in number of freshmen on 2006 rosters. Arkansas also has 15 true freshmen on its roster.
But as many new faces on the Ohio State roster, the total is not as high as it was in 1993 when Todd welcomed 19 true freshmen and another four redshirt freshmen for a total of 23 freshmen. The Buckeyes went 44-19 overall and 19-9 to finish atop the Big Ten regular season standings.
TODD WINNINGEST COACH IN BIG TEN
Now in his 19th season at Ohio State, Bob Todd is entering his 23rd season as a college head coach, including four years at Kent State. Entering the year, he owned a career record of 850-446-2. His win percentage of .656 is the top winning percentage by a current Big Ten coach and ranks 20th nationally among active coaches. In all-time victories, Todd trails Minnesota coach John Anderson by 21 wins. Anderson is 871-547-3 in 24 seasons.
Todd is the winningest coach in Ohio State history and has never had a losing season. His 40 wins in 2005 marked the 10th time he has won at least 40 games. He has won 50 games twice including in 1991 when the Buckeyes won a school record 52 games. Todd coached his first game at Ohio State in 1988, a 16-2 win over Louisville on Feb. 27. Every recruit who has played at least four years at Ohio State has been a part of a championship team, either as part of six regular-season championships or as part of seven Big Ten tournament championships.
Bob Todd RADIO SHOW
Tune in to WBNS-AM 1460 The Fan this spring for coach Bob Todd's weekly radio show, hosted by Skip Mosic. The show will run for 10 weeks beginning Monday, March 20 with the final program broadcast on Monday, May 22. The nights of the show will vary this year because of station conflicts with either Columbus Blue Jackets or Cleveland Indians broadcasts. Six shows will be broadcast on Monday with two shows each on Tuesday and Thursday. The 30-minute show will begin at either 7 or 8 p.m. the first two weeks of the show and then at 7 p.m. the final eight weeks. To participate, dial (614) 821-1460.
Bob Todd Radio Show Schedule
Monday, March 20 - 7 or 8 p.m.
Monday, March 27 - 7 or 8 p.m.
Tuesday, April 4 - 7 p.m.
Monday, April 10 - 7 p.m.
Monday, April 17 - 7 p.m.
Monday, April 24 - 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 2 - 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 11 - 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 18 - 7 p.m.
Monday, May 22 - 7 p.m.
Schedule Subject to change. Please visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com for complete show schedule.
UP NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State heads back to Columbus Sunday following the Western Michigan game, but returns to the Sunshine State for four more games in Clearwater March 10-12. The Buckeyes will play Lehigh in a doubleheader March 10 at 1 p.m. Ohio State and Northern Iowa face off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. before closing the trip against Bethune Cookman Sunday at 1 p.m. All four games will be played at Jack Russell Stadium, the former spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Buckeye tour of Florida continues with games against UNC-Greensboro, Jacksonville, Western Michigan, plus exhibtion game vs. Aoyama Gakuin, a Japanese University
Junior third baseman
Ronnie Bourquin leads
the Buckeyes early in
the season with .545
batting average.
March 1, 2006
OHIO STATE (1-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
at
KENNEL CLUB CLASSIC
March 3-5, 2006
Jacksonville, Fla.
Fri., Mar. 3 vs. Aoyama Gakuin* (exh.) @ Noon
Fri., Mar. 3 vs. UNC Greensboro* @ 3:30 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 4 at Jacksonville @ 1 p.m.
Sun., Mar. 5 vs. Western Michigan* @ 11 a.m.
* at University of North Florida, Harmon Stadium
SERIES MEETINGS
Aoyama Gakuin Univ. (Japan): First Meeting
UNCG (2-6, 0-0 Southern): First Meeting
Jacksonville (9-3, 0-0 A-Sun): OSU leads 5-2
last game: Ohio State 10-9, March 2, 2001
Western Michigan (2-1, 0-0 MAC): UWM leads 55-36-1
last game: UWM 4-3, March 7, 2004
TELEVISION/RADIO
None
GAMETRACKER
ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Ohio State returns to Florida again this weekend for four games at the Kennel Club Classic in Jacksonville. The Buckeyes open with an exhibition contest vs. Aoyama Gakuin, a Japanese University, Friday at noon at the University of North Florida's Harmon Stadium. Immediately following that game at approximately 3:30 p.m., Ohio State will take on UNC Greensboro. The Buckeyes travel across town Saturday to meet Jacksonville at Alexander Breast Field at 1 p.m. before returning to UNF on Sunday for a morning matchup with Western Michigan at 11 a.m.
ABOUT OHIO STATE
Ohio State is 1-2 on the year after opening its season last week at the Pepsi Baseball Classic at the University of Florida in Gainesville. The Buckeyes suffered setbacks to Wake Forest, losing 6-2 on Friday, and to No. 1 Florida, 10-3 on Saturday. The Buckeyes took their first win of the season, getting by No. 12 Missouri on the arm of rookie pitcher J.B. Shuck, who struck out six Tigers and allowed one run on three hits in seven innings.
Junior third baseman Ronnie Bourquin led Ohio State in the three games in Gainesville, batting .545 (6-for-11). Bourquin was 4-for-5 against top-ranked Florida and was 2-for-3 in the season opener against Wake Forest, which went on to win the tournament after getting by the Gators 4-0 on Sunday. Junior outfielder Jacob Howell and Jedidiah Stephen each added five hits in the three games. Howell batted .417 with a pair of RBI and one runs scored, while Stephen batted .385 with three doubles and one RBI. As a team Ohio State batted .260.
The lone pitching victory came off Shuck, a lefty, who was making his first start on the mound. Shuck, who pinch hit against Wake Forest and started at first base against Florida, took to the hill and lasted seven innings, recording six strikeouts and allowing one run on three hits. Ohio State pitching struggled in the first two games, walking 11 batters, including eight against Florida. Cory Luebke, who started against the Gators, walked five batters, but allowed only two runs on three hits. Luebke walked on 17 batters all of last year, a season in which he earned Freshman All-American honors. Dan DeLucia got the loss against Wake Forest after allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out four batters, but walked three.
Fielding was an issue for Ohio State in the opening weekend of the season. The Buckeyes committed eight errors in their first three games of the season, including four against Florida and three against Wake Forest. The Buckeyes have a fielding percentage of .925.
TWO BUCKEYES TABBED TO TEAM
Junior third baseman Ronnie Bourquin and junior outfielder Jacob Howell were named to the all-tournament team of the Pepsi Baseball Classic following Wake Forest's win over Florida in the final game Sunday. Bourquin batted .545 in the three games, leading Ohio State with six hits. He was 4-for-5 in the loss at Florida. Howell had five hits and knocked in two runs. Ohio State was 1-2 at the event, upsetting No. 12 Missouri after losses to Wake Forest and Florida.
COLLEGE BASEBALL FOUNDATION HONORS SHUCK
Ohio State freshman left-handed pitcher J.B. Shuck was named to the College Baseball Foundation Honor Roll this week after leading the Buckeyes to a 4-2 upset victory over No. 12 Missouri. Making his first career start, Shuck, who is from Galion, Ohio (Galion), allowed only one run on three hits with seven strikeouts, as the Buckeyes pounded out 11 hits to win their first win of the season last Sunday at the Pepsi Baseball Classic at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. Shuck, a freshman from Galion, Ohio, made his Buckeye debut Friday against Wake Forest with a pinch hit in the eighth inning and then made his first start as a Buckeye Saturday vs. Florida as the starting first baseman. In his seven-inning outing against Missouri, he allowed one run on three hits, struck out six batters, and allowed one walk in his first pitching start as a Buckeye. The honor marks the first time an Ohio State player has appeared on the second-year list.
ABOUT UNC GREENSBORO
The Spartans are 2-6 on the year after going 1-3 at the Aggie Baseball Classic in College Station, Texas last weekend. UNC Greensboro beat Utah, but sustained a pair of losses to Texas A&M and Missouri State, formerly Southwest Missouri State. After a three-game sweep at Georgia, the Spartans earned their first victory of the season, an 8-7 victory over High Point before heading to Texas. Five of the team's eight games have been decided by one run, though the Spartans have been outscored 53-42.
UNCG is hitting .265 paced by Guy Welsh who has a .471 batting average (16-for-34). He is the team leader in hits, RBI (eight), runs (10), slugging percentage (.588) and on-base percentage (.571) thanks to eight walks. Greg Feltes is batting .379 with 11 hits, while Greg Matson is batting .333 with three of his six hits allowing him to reach second base. He has knocked in seven runs. On the mound, Patrick Currin (1-1) and Greg Matson (1-0) have the two wins. Currin is the team leader with eight strikeouts in 10.1 innings to go with a 5.23 ERA, while Greg Martin leads the everyday pitchers with a 4.22 ERA in 10.2 innings. The staff ERA is 5.21.
Mike Gaski (Detroit, 1973) is 471-347-1 in his 16th season at UNCG and as a college coach. His son plays second base at the University of Florida, where the team will travel to next week for a two-game series. Gaski, the Gator, was 3-for-5 in the 10-3 victory over Ohio State last Saturday.
AGAINST THE SPARTANS
This will be the first meeting between Ohio State and UNC Greensboro.
ABOUT JACKSONVILLE
The Dolphins are 9-3 on the year entering a Thursday game with Western Michigan as part of the Kennel Club Classic. Jacksonville lost two of three games last weekend to Maryland. The Dolphins swept a three-game series vs. South Florida and took 2-of-3 games from Bethune Cookman to go with wins over Florida A&M and two vs. Georgia Southern.
Before facing the Broncos, the Dolphins were batting .302 as a team led by Mike McCallister, who was batting .359 (14-for-39). He also led the team with four home runs, 15 RBI and a slugging percentage of .744. Gordi Gronkowski was batting .354, while Daniel Murphy and Pete Clifford were batting .349 and .347, respectively. Two other players were batting better than .300. Gronkowski and Clifford paced the team with 17 hits, while Clifford is the team leader with six doubles. Five players have knocked in 10 or more runs on a team that has outscored the opposition 89-40.
On the mound, the Dolphins own a 2.37 ERA. Leading the staff is Matt Dobbins, who is 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA in four starts (five appearances). He has 23 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. D.J. Ackley and Kyle DeVries each have two wins. Ackley is 2-1 with a 1.75 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 25.2 innings, while DeVries is 2-0 with a 2.93 ERA. Jacksonville has four saves on the year, each from a different pitcher.
Terry Alexander (Florida State, 1977) is 490-401-2 in his 16th season at Jacksonville and as a college coach.
AGAINST THE DOLPHINS
Ohio State leads the all-time series vs. Jacksonville 5-2 after claiming the last game between the schools, 10-9, on March 2, 2001. The Buckeyes won the first three games of the series, which began with two games in 1958. The teams split two meetings in 1962. The next meeting was a 6-5 victory by Jacksonville in the 1994 NCAA Atlantic I Regional in Tallahassee, Fla. The Buckeyes also won 13-4 in the 1996 season.
Ohio State vs. Jacksonville Series Date W/L Score Site 3/22/1958 W 8-1 A 3/23/1958 W 10-0 A 3/17/1962 W 1-0 A 3/18/1962 L 4-1 A 5/28/1994 L 6-5 1N 3/19/1996 W 13-4 A 3/2/2001 W 10-9 A1-NCAA Atlantic I Regional, Tallahassee, Fla.
ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN
The Broncos took 2-of-3 games at North Florida last weekend to open its season. Western Michigan, which is on its spring break, won 3-2 and 1-0 before losing 3-0 Monday night. The team began a two-game series with Kennesaw State Tuesday and will play Jacksonville twice, Bethune Cookman and UNCG before playing Ohio State Sunday morning.
Randy Ford (Western Michigan, 1979) was 26-24 last year at his alma mater, his first as a college head coach. Ford had spent 16 years as an assistant at Penn State before moving to the Kalamazoo school.
AGAINST THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan leads the all-time series 55-36-1 and won the last time the teams met, winning 4-3 in the 2004 Kennel Club Classic. Some of the biggest games in Ohio State's history have been played against the Broncos. The Buckeyes qualified for their first ever trip to the College World Series by taking two of three games from Western Michigan in 1951. WMU returned the favor in 1955 and then in 1966, the year Ohio State won the national championship, it beat Western Michigan twice in the District 4 Playoffs. The Buckeyes again advanced to Omaha in 1967 by beating the Broncos.
Ohio State vs. Western Michigan Series
Last 10 Meetings
Date W/L Score Site 5/3/1985 L 2-0 H 5/3/1985 L 6-1 H 5/4/1985 L 4-1 H 5/4/1985 W 1-0 H 4/4/1986 L 11-6 H 4/4/1986 L 7-1 H 4/5/1986 W 12-5 H 4/5/1986 L 10-8 H 3/4/2000 W 8-6 1N 3/7/2004 L 4-3 1N1-Kennel Club Classic, Jacksonville, Fla.
IN SEASON OPENERS
With the loss to Wake Forest in the season opener, Bob Todd's Buckeyes are 10-9 in season openers. Now in the 123rd year of Ohio State baseball, the Buckeyes are 75-46-2 (.618) in season openers.
IN THE BIG TEN
Only two Big Ten teams - Northwestern and Penn State - had played prior to last weekend, but all 10 conference teams have thrown out the first pitch. Iowa is 3-0 after beating Austin Peay, Illinois State and Dayton last weekend. Purdue is 1-1, while Northwestern is 3-5. Both Ohio State and Michigan are 1-2, while Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State and Minnesota all started 0-3. Penn State is winless in six games.
Iowa (.330), Purdue (.324) and Illinois (.307) all are hitting better than .300 to sit atop the league in batting. Ohio State, a .260, is fifth. The Buckeyes own the conference's best ERA in the early going at 3.24. Iowa has an ERA of 3.33, while Northwestern (3.93) rounds out the pitching staffs who are under 4.00. Michigan and Michigan State each boast a fielding percentage of .982, while the Buckeyes are last at .925 after committing eight errors in the first three games of the season.
BUCKEYE FIRSTS
Several Buckeyes played in their first game this past weekend at the Pepsi Baseball Classic in Gainesville. J.B. Shuck delivered a pinch-hit single in his only at bat against Wake Forest, his first career game. He made his first start the next day against Florida, appearing at first base. Josh Hula was the starting catcher and Justin Miller was the starting first baseman in Sunday's win over No. 12 Missouri. Hula got his first hit as a Buckeye with a single through the right side as part of a two-run sixth inning against the Tigers. Miller is still looking for his first hit. Shuck was the starting pitcher against Missouri on Sunday and went seven innings, striking out six batters and allowing one run on just three hits in getting his first win as a Buckeye.
STILL LOOKING FOR FIRST BASEMAN
The Buckeyes entered the year looking for someone to play first base after three-year starter Paul Farinacci completed his eligibility last season. In the three games in Gainesville, Ohio State went with a different starter in each game. Junior Kris Moorman started against Wake Forest before freshman J.B. Shuck started against Florida. Freshman Justin Miller got the nod against Missouri.
LOOKING FOR THIRD, FOURTH STARTERS
With the losses of Mike Madsen and Trent Luyster, who combined to win 38 career games, the Buckeyes are looking for someone to become the team's third and fourth starters. The Buckeyes return two players, who were in the starting rotation last season. Both Dan DeLucia and Cory Luebke are back. DeLucia, a third-team All-Big Ten pick as a sophomore, was 6-5 with a team-best 2.92 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 95.2 innings while Luebke, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, was 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 71.0 innings. DeLucia pitched three complete games and was the Friday night starter in the final six conference series. Luebke also pitched three complete games with the team's only shutout.
While those two pack a formidable 1-2 punch, Ohio State needs to find a third and fourth starter before Big Ten play gets underway at the end of the month. Last weekend in Gainesville, freshman J.B. Shuck got the call in the third game mainly because skipper Bob Todd felt he matchup up well against Missouri and he did, guiding Ohio State to a 4-2 upset victory over the 12th-ranked Tigers. Whether he will get the ball in Jacksonville remains to be seen. Junior Trey Fausnaugh could make the switch to starter after making 56 relief appearances his first two years with the Buckeyes. Dan Barker and Matthew Selhorst could contend for the fourth starting slot, but both should be pushed by freshmen Tyler Barnes, Josh Barrera, Eric Best, Jake Hale, Brad Hays and Jake Weber. Barker started three of his 11 appearances and was 1-0 last year with a 1.76 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. Three of the freshmen - Barnes, Best and Hale - earned all-state honors and Hale was a 24th-round draft pick of the Cleveland Indians.
MILESTONES
The game against Florida marked the 1,300th game of Bob Todd's career, which is in its 23rd season in 2006. He will coach his 1,100th game at Ohio State, where he has coached since 1988, in the Buckeyes' eighth game of the year, which is the second game of a doubleheader against Lehigh on March 10 in Clearwater, Fla. Todd owns a career record of 851-448-2 and is 727-366-2 at Ohio State.
Ohio State has played 3,576 games since it began playing baseball in 1881. The 3,600th game in school history will be played against Central Michigan April 12th at Bill Davis Stadium. The Buckeyes are 2,154-1,384-38 all time.
MEISTER GETS SAVE VS. MISSOURI
It might not have been the prettiest of saves, but Rory Meister pitched the ninth inning in the 4-2 victory over Missouri to pick up his first save of the season. He struck out the first two Tigers he faced before pinch hitter Bryson LeBlanc reached on a fielding error. He scored on a base hit by Ryan Lollis before he got Derek Chambers to ground out to second base. It was his fifth save of his career.
LUEBKE NAMED TO 2006 WALLACE WATCH
Sophomore left-handed pitcher Cory Luebke has been named to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, which is one of several national college baseball player of the year awards. The award is presented by the College Baseball Foundation in Lubbock, Texas. Last year's winner was Alex Gordon of Nebraska.
Luebke, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2005, made 12 starts in 16 appearances as a true freshman. He finished 4-2 with a 3.55 ERA and tossed three complete games and one shutout. Luebke, who is from Maria Stein, Ohio (Marion Local), struck out 54 batters with 17 walks and gave up 40 runs, though only 28 were earned, on 73 hits. He was 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA in seven Big Ten starts.
BUCKEYES ELECT THREE CAPTAINS
Junior left-handed pitcher Dan DeLucia, junior outfielder Jacob Howell and senior short stop Jedidiah Stephen will serve as tri-captains for the 2006 baseball team. The trio was selected by a team vote prior to the start of spring practice on Jan. 30.
DeLucia, a third-team All-Big Ten pick last season, led the Buckeyes with a 2.92 ERA, 95.2 innings pitched and 55 strikeouts to go with a 6-5 record in 15 starts. Howell was a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in 2004 and made 31 starts in 39 games last season after missing 12 games because of a shoulder injury. Howell ended up batting .270 with 31 hits and 16 RBI in 2005 after batting .336 in 58 starts as a freshman. Stephen is one of three seniors on the squad and is one of three returning infielders. Stephen batted .305 last season with 52 hits, including 13 doubles, two triples and five home runs to go along with 46 RBI, the second best on the team.
In addition to their on-field exploits, all three captains have excelled in the classroom as well. DeLucia is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree in 2005, while Howell is a three-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. Stephen has been named an Academic All-Big Ten selection and an OSU Scholar-Athlete each of the last two years.
OSU AMONG BEST ALL-TIME CWS TEAMS
Ohio State has been named one of the top College World Series teams of all-time in a story that appeared in the Omaha World-Herald last summer. Ohio State was listed No. 22 in the Top 25 rankings. The Buckeyes have made four appearances in the College World Series, winning the national championship in 1966 after a runner-up finish in 1965. Southern California was ranked as the top CWS team of all time.
As for Ohio State, the World-Herald said, "(Steve) Arlin was selected as one of the two pitchers on the CWS' 50-year anniversary team for his work in the 1965 and 1966 tournaments. Arlin still holds the CWS career record for ERA (0.96), and his four victories and 47 innings pitched are tied for the all-time lead. In leading the Buckeyes to the 1966 title, Arlin finished all five of their wins - two on complete games. His most memorable performance might have come the year before, when he pitched a 15-inning, 1-0 victory over Washington State after lasting just one-third of an inning in his first CWS start against Arizona State."
The 1966 national championship is the last won by a team in the Big Ten.
BUCKEYES HAVE 15 TRUE FRESHMEN
Ohio State welcomed 15 true freshmen to the roster this season. Six players are pitchers: Taylor Barnes, Josh Barrera, Eric Best, Jake Hale, Brad Hays and Jake Weber; three are catchers: Shawn Forsythe, Justin Miller and Nick Steponovich; four are infielders: Matt Curran, Seth Sanders, J.B. Shuck (also a pitcher) and Ben Toussant; and two are outfielders: Chris Griffin and Zach Hurley.
Add to that a group of three red-shirt freshmen - pitcher Matthew Selhorst, catcher Josh Hula and infielder Michael Arp - and the Buckeyes have 18 players who have not played college baseball before this season. Ohio State is believed to be among the national leaders in number of freshmen on 2006 rosters. Arkansas also has 15 true freshmen on its roster.
But as many new faces on the Ohio State roster, the total is not as high as it was in 1993 when Todd welcomed 19 true freshmen and another four redshirt freshmen for a total of 23 freshmen. The Buckeyes went 44-19 overall and 19-9 to finish atop the Big Ten regular season standings.
TODD WINNINGEST COACH IN BIG TEN
Now in his 19th season at Ohio State, Bob Todd is entering his 23rd season as a college head coach, including four years at Kent State. Entering the year, he owned a career record of 850-446-2. His win percentage of .656 is the top winning percentage by a current Big Ten coach and ranks 20th nationally among active coaches. In all-time victories, Todd trails Minnesota coach John Anderson by 21 wins. Anderson is 871-547-3 in 24 seasons.
Todd is the winningest coach in Ohio State history and has never had a losing season. His 40 wins in 2005 marked the 10th time he has won at least 40 games. He has won 50 games twice including in 1991 when the Buckeyes won a school record 52 games. Todd coached his first game at Ohio State in 1988, a 16-2 win over Louisville on Feb. 27. Every recruit who has played at least four years at Ohio State has been a part of a championship team, either as part of six regular-season championships or as part of seven Big Ten tournament championships.
Bob Todd RADIO SHOW
Tune in to WBNS-AM 1460 The Fan this spring for coach Bob Todd's weekly radio show, hosted by Skip Mosic. The show will run for 10 weeks beginning Monday, March 20 with the final program broadcast on Monday, May 22. The nights of the show will vary this year because of station conflicts with either Columbus Blue Jackets or Cleveland Indians broadcasts. Six shows will be broadcast on Monday with two shows each on Tuesday and Thursday. The 30-minute show will begin at either 7 or 8 p.m. the first two weeks of the show and then at 7 p.m. the final eight weeks. To participate, dial (614) 821-1460.
Bob Todd Radio Show Schedule
Monday, March 20 - 7 or 8 p.m.
Monday, March 27 - 7 or 8 p.m.
Tuesday, April 4 - 7 p.m.
Monday, April 10 - 7 p.m.
Monday, April 17 - 7 p.m.
Monday, April 24 - 7 p.m.
Tuesday, May 2 - 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 11 - 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 18 - 7 p.m.
Monday, May 22 - 7 p.m.
Schedule Subject to change. Please visit ohiostatebuckeyes.com for complete show schedule.
UP NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State heads back to Columbus Sunday following the Western Michigan game, but returns to the Sunshine State for four more games in Clearwater March 10-12. The Buckeyes will play Lehigh in a doubleheader March 10 at 1 p.m. Ohio State and Northern Iowa face off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. before closing the trip against Bethune Cookman Sunday at 1 p.m. All four games will be played at Jack Russell Stadium, the former spring training home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last edited:
