Buckeye Nine: Big Ten Tournament, the exclamation point on a great season

As rock band Carolina Liar in their top 100 hit Show Me What I'm Looking For in the chorus belts "Oh lord I’ve been waiting for you.... show me what I'm looking for," no truer words can reflect the 2009 Big Ten baseball season.


Hardball fans around the Midwest have waited far too long for a spring such as one the one this Big Ten baseball season provided. The last four days at Huntington Park was the crowning event, a summation if you will, of two months in which the Big Ten saw the red-headed step child of the "big three" sports finally find a home at the family dinner table with welcomed arms. Even if baseball is still a foot shorter and 40 pounds lighter than its big brother's basketball and football, baseball hit a growth spurt and hopefully that gap narrows and narrows in the upcoming years.

The season started with Michigan and Indiana receiving the accolades, praise, and attention, with expectations of the Big Ten to produce another ho-hum season, one which would not receive any national merit. I mean we're talking Big Ten, northern baseball, a joke compared to the south and west and the power conferences of the ACC, PAC-10, SEC right? Oh boy where those expectations wrong.

It was not Indiana, nor Michigan who week after week could be found in the baseball polls and various rankings. After the first weekend Ohio State went the entire year being ranked by at least one publication. The Buckeyes were not alone either. Illinois and Minnesota spent considerable teams in the top 30s of numerous publications. In fact the preseason favorite Wolverines would wind up being overwhelmed, limping to a 9-15 conference record, finishing 7th after back-to-back-to-back Big Ten conference championships.

Indiana after a slow start in non-conference play went through the Big Ten at a blistering pace. The Hoosiers finished Big Ten play with an 16-7 record, that's winning 70% of your games folks. The mindblower, that winning percentage only allowed the Hoosiers to finish THIRD in the conference as Minnesota went 17-6, and conference champion Ohio State 18-6. Oh and for good measure, Illinois made it four teams that finished within 2 games of first with a 16-8 record. The Illini won 2 of every 3 games and finished fourth. Remarkable.

Not only did the conference see its championship come down to the last day of the regular season, it had individual performances that rival and its probable top any performances the Big Ten has seen in decades. The run of brilliance started Michigan State's Nolan Moody as he would no-hit Northwestern on April 2nd. Moody's no-hitter was the first Big Ten game played in McLane stadium in East Lansing. What's better than a no-hitter? Two no hitters. The second conference no-hitter came courtesy Alex Wimmer's as the Buckeye would no-hit Michigan on May 4th in a 6-0 victory over the arch-rival Wolverines.

Not to take anything away from Moody as his performance, no not at all that is an incredible feat and needs not undermined. However the Wimmer's no-hitter had a special meaning to it.

-Unlike the Moody no-no, the Wimmer's performance was captured live on the Big Ten Network. And replayed again, and again, and again over the next few days. This was HUGE. Obviously Ohio State-Michigan regardless of sport has a certain ring no other rivalries have sorry IU-Purdue, Northwestern-Illinois, etc. People around the nation caught a glimpse at the talent the Big Ten has.

-The attention Wimmers received from national media members like Aaron Fitt, Kendal Rogers, and Eric Sorenson further put Ohio State and the Big Ten into the limelight and brought attention to the conference.

-It solidified Ohio State as a team that can truly beat any in the nation. The Bucks had a high ranking but not many had seen them or really paid attention to them.

-Lastly it would kickstart a heated competition and race for the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year with Indiana's Eric Arnett who at the time had a sub-2.00 ERA and seemingly was throwing complete games in every start making opposing schools look like high school JV teams. The two shared Big Ten pitcher of the week honors for the weekend of April 9th as they before threw complete games, striking out 11 in the process. This wouldn't be the only award they would share.

Also in the string of incredible individual performances Minnesota's Derek McCallum belt 6 home runs and 20 RBI in a single week. That is some players entire year. Over the last two weekends Ohio State's Justin Miller carried the Buckeyes to the conference championship hitting .576 going 15-for-26 being the only conference player to receive back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week honors. Amazing performance were seemingly produced weekly by Illinois' Brandon Wikoff and Willie Argo, or Indiana's Alex Dickerson, Josh Phegley, Michigan's Chris Fetter or Ryan LaMarre, Purdue with Brandon Haveman and Dan Black. Week after week a different star in the Big Ten would step up and put on a show.

The Big Ten will litter All American lists over the next few weeks. With co-Big Ten Pitchers of the Year Arnett and Wimmers leading the way, Phegley, Burkhart, McCallum, Fetter, Wikoff, Dickerson, and Ohio State's Jake Hale surely to be included. Not even mentioned have been the amazing season's by Michigan State's Eric Roof, Ohio State's Ryan Dew, Illinois' Dominic Altobelli, Indiana's Kipp Schultz and Matt Bashore.

I haven't witnessed a Big Ten season with as many stars and gaudy performances on a consistent basis. The talent in the Big Ten is starting to build and people are starting to recognize that. Though stars like Arnett, Bashore, Phegley, Hale, and McCallum are expected to be drafted and move on, Dickerson, Burkhart, and Wimmers are underclassmen just scratching the surface and will return.

Amazing performances, great teams, and a heated battle for the conference crown would be more than enough to make the season special. Not so fast my friends. For the first time since 1994 the Big Ten went to a pre-determined site for the conference tournament, and it'll probably be another 15 seasons before they make a change to that format.

Taking place at brand new Huntington Park in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The Big Ten hosted a conference tournament that surpasses anything the conference has seen to date. To be quite honest, the actual games let a lot to be desired, only one game, Ohio State-Illinois had any sense of drama and that ended with a Ohio State 3-run victory. Indiana scorched the field tallying 47 runs in 4 games, allowed just 10.

The Hoosiers secured a berth in the NCAA tournament, a field that will see three Big Ten schools competing. That ties the most teams the Big Ten will see in a NCAA Regional, the last time occurring in 2007, that courtesy 6th seed Ohio State winning the Big Ten Tournament and gaining the auto-bid otherwise it would not have occurred.

The 2009 NCAA tournament will see three 3 Big Ten schools with better than solid chances of making noise and further putting the Big Ten on the college baseball map. By all means a 4th Big Ten team, Illinois should be in the field, but the numbers will unfortunately leave the Illini out of the mix. That is a team that did travel down to top-5 LSU and take 2/3 against the Tigers in the Bayou and deserves a bid, but that's an argument for a different day. Ohio State's Bob Todd echoed my thoughts saying “I really believe that, as you take a look at the Big Ten Conference, that we have four teams that are very deserving (of an NCAA Tournament berth), and Illinois is one of those teams.”

After a 2008 season with 1 regional team, 3 is more than a step in the right direction.

Back to the tournament.

The 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament drew a total of 12,219 fans over a four-day period, marking the conference’s highest overall attendance number in at least the past decade. The previous high in that span was 6,728, set in 1999 when Ohio State hosted the tournament at Bill Davis Stadium. The single-day high for the 2009 event was 4,575, set on Thursday, marking the largest total in at least the past decade. The single-day mark exceeds the previous high of 3,012, also set in 1999. To better look into the record books will probably show very few tournaments put more butts in seats than this one.

Outside of just the attendance, the operation was ran at a first class rate. Big Ten official, Huntington Park, and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission official did not miss one aspect in putting on the event. Media was treat exceptionally. Fans witnessed baseball in a beautiful, amazing ball park. In large part due to the hometown Buckeyes, the atmosphere and excitement in the air was alive and well during the primetime Thursday and Friday games. The collective joy and anticipation from Hoosier nation made Saturday's lack of attendance fairly moot.

Day after day coaches and players would rave about their experience and what the tournament felt like.

In a brief statement after being eliminated in a tough loss, Purdue's Brandon Haveman would say about the tournament “The facilities are really nice. The playing field was really nice. I had a great time." His sentiments were not alone.

Ohio State's Cory Kovanda also after elimination would say “It was exciting. It was a new atmosphere for us, a different atmosphere than Bill Davis. Of course it was great to see all the Ohio State fans out there, but that was real fun.”

Indiana's Kipp Schultz would say the following at the conclusion of the tournament “From the facilities and everything else to how we were treated by staff, I certainly can’t imagine a conference tournament that was run better than this one.”

Each head coach after their last game made it an issue to thank the Big Ten, Huntington Park, and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission for the show they put on. Be it Purdue's Doug Schreiber, Indiana's Tracy Smith, Minnesota's John Anderson, Michigan State's Jake Boss Jr., Illinois Dan Hartleb, and Ohio State's Bob Todd, there was a genuine and honest appreciation and wow effect of the tournament.

Every game was played lived on the Big Ten Network and replayed throughout the day. Though the shining moments from an audience perspective would have been the two evening games with Ohio State playing drawing 4,000+, each game showed the Big Ten's step in the right direction. The Big Ten will probably not see 3 of it's schools in the Omaha field of 8 at the College World Series, but its not ridiculous for a team to dream of such a trip and to achieve it. A spectacular season, a spectacular tournament and spectacular goals are alive and well in the Big Ten. That folks is what I've been looking for, and oh lord I've been waiting for it.



The Buckeye Nine would like to thank everyone for their support of Ohio State an Big Ten Baseball and hopes the Big Ten can truly grow from this season.

Big Ten Network Illinois-Michigan State video

Illinois-Michigan State highlights





Michigan State's Head Coach Jake Boss and Captain Eric Roof reflect on the loss vs. Illinois




Illinois head coach Dan Bartleb and players Willie Argo and Pete Cappetta post game interview

Big Ten Tournament Game 1 Recap Illini 16, MSU 5

This probably won't be my finest work, I apologize in advance. I'm fighting a slight headache, combined with arms that are sunburnt, knowing I have to wake up at 6am for work, and have put off 2 papers that are due. Needless to say I'm all over the place mentally but I'll do my best.


First off the weather in Columbus was spectacular. Maybe two clouds all day, temperature was in the low 80s. Looking back it was probably too perfect as my arms are nearly as red as my scarlett Ohio State gymshorts.

Second, Huntington Park pound for pound is as nice of a baseball stadium there is. Outside of Yankee Stadium, which speaks for itself, Huntington Park is the nicest stadium I've ever been in. They did not miss anything in building it and should be commended. For those who are able to, but did not travel down, hopefully you with sometime this weekend to check out the gem. Perfect location as well.

The picture above honestly does no justice.

Now to the games.

Game 1 Illinois 16 Michigan State 5

This game started out with all of the makings of a pitcher's duel. Phil Haig for Illinois was cruising through the first two innings. The same for State's Nolan Moody.

When God, or the Illini bats, decided a pitchers duel wasn't in the cards for today and decided to put some runs on the board... they didn't stop coming.

Ironically in the one-sided Illinois victory, it was not the guys in the white, orange, and blue that delivered the first blow.

In the third Michigan State's Bo Felt and Brandon Ecklere lead off the inning with singles. Ecklere's was a hard luck as it was a sac bunt attempt that Haig stumbled off of the mound to get after and couldn't get the out at first in time. After a sac bunt successfully by Eli Boike, Haig hit AJ Shindler with a pitch. Facing a bases loaded no out jam, Haig induced an infield fly off of the bat of Chris Roberts to get the second out. Needing just one more out to get out of the inning with no harm, on a 1-0 pitch MSU captain Eric Roof promptly sent the ball over the 365 sign in right-center for a Grand Slam, dashing Haig's hopes of escaping unharmed.

As Illinois looked to be in a big hole, and Sparty on its way to victory. The tides changed. In a big way.

Illinois rightfielder Pete Cappetta was quoted as saying

“We are pretty comfortable playing from behind. We know we have the bats to get back
in it. Plus, it was pretty early, only the third inning. So it definitely wasn’t time to panic.”

Yeah Illinois can play from behind alright.

Though he was impressive through 3 innings with 5 strikouts, State pitcher Nolan Moody couldnt keep the Illini bats down, and unfortunately the defense behind him made it easy for Illinois to mount a comeback.

In the bottom of the 4th, facing the 0-4 hole, Illinois would score 5 runs to take the lead and not look back. The inning started off with catch Aaron Johnson reaching on an infield single to third. DH Willie Argo followed with a double, placing runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. 1B Matt Dittman flew out to leftfield, not able to advance the runners. Up next was Cappetta who doubled down the right field line and plated two. 2B Josh Parr singled to continue the rally for Illinois.

As the line-up turned over and the top of the order was coming to the plate, Illinois leadoff CF Joe Bonadonna sent a ball to 3B AJ Shindley for what appeared to be a routine 5-4-3 GIDP in the making. After receiving the relay at 2nd for 1 out, 2B Chris Roberts throw to first was high pulling Jeff Holm off the bag, unable to turn two. Though it was not an error, just a fielder's choice, the inning by all means should have been over.

With the extra out Illinois followed with 3 singles in a row off the bats of leftfielder Casey McMurray, SS Brandon Wikoff, and 3B Dominic Altobelli, before Moody was able to get Johnson, who leadoff the inning to ground out.

The damage was done though, 5 runs on 7 hits, sealed Michigan State's fate.

We'll get to the official errors later, especially the ones that lead to 7 unearned Illini runs, but here is what Michigan State coach Jake Boss Jr. had to say about his team's defensive performance...

"“I know we had three errors in the score book, but I feel like at least three, maybe four more plays that we could have made that would have really helped us in this ball game. We're disappointed, but the good thing is it's over with and we have a chance to play tomorrow."

Ya think the failed 5-4-3 DP is one of those plays Boss is referring to? I think so.

Unfortunately Michigan State could not respond to the Illinois offensive outburst and they would not score again until a run crossed the plate in the 8th.

Illinois on the otherhand did not stop. 2 runs in the 5th were plated, RBI's by Parr and Bonadonna off of doubles and sac flies respectively, then in the 6th the floodgates opened.

In the 5th A.J. Dunn replaced the hard-luck Moody and came back out for the 6th. The first at-bat was a sign for things to come. Wikoff reached 1st courtesy an error by SS Jonathan Roof who's throw was high and wide. Altobelli popped out. So there should be two outs. Then Johnson stepped to the plate and reached on a fielding error by Roberts. That should have been 3 outs. Key word being should, instead Illini had runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.

In order to save time and writing just know Illinois would score 7 runs. All unearned. Argo single, RBI. Dittman double, 2-RBI. Parr single, RBI. Cappetta double, RBI. McMurray single, RBI. Wikoff single, RBI. A pitching change was in there, Kurtis Frymier replaced Dunn but it did not matter.

Illinois would finish the scoring with 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th a Parr 2-RBI single would mercifully close the book on scoring.

Boss would say about Moody...

“I thought he probably deserved better to be honest with you. When we started to kick it around a little bit, we obviously didn't help him out a lot. But at that point his pitch count got pretty high and he started to get a little tired and to Illinois’ credit, they took advantage of every opportunity to put a big number up on the board.”

On the counter Illini coach Dan Hartleb had this to say about his teams performance in game 1.

“That’s a good way to start off a tournament. Obviously we’re in the winner’s bracket. We got a very well-pitched game by Phil (Haig). We started off a little rougher and had some missed opportunities, but if you look at our box scores, we’ve come from behind several times this season, so our guys are used to coming from behind."


The closing line for the starting pitchers

Moody 4.1 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Haig 7.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K


Hartleb also had this to say about Haig..

“We wanted to put Phil in a position to not allow his pitch count to get too high. That would allow us to bring him back on Sunday. Not that you want to look that far ahead, but we had a lead and we could afford to take him out at that point in the game.”


Pulling pitchers and saving them for later in the weekend is a theme that continued in game 2.

All in all, game 1 showed that there is a big gap in the top 4 teams, and the bottom 6. Pitching, hitting, and most especially defense and fielding is what propelled Illinois to victory.

Michigan State will face Purdue tomorrow at 12:05 in game 3, loser's season ends as they are eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament.

Illinois will face #1 seed Ohio State in game 5 at 7:05.

Box Score Courtesy Fighting Illini.com

Illinois Athletics Recap

Michigan State Athletics Recap

Illinois topples Michigan State 16-5

Sitting here at beautiful Huntington Park in downtown Columbus.

Game is just getting under way. Phil Haig is on the mound for the Illini. Nolan Moody is throwing for Michigan State.

Not a cloud in sight, sunny and 75.

Game as all are on the Big Ten Network.

Top 1, Haig has an easy inning. E3 results in MSUs only baserunner, but the threat ends with Haig forcing Roof to send a weak grounder to first.

Bottom 1, Moody makes quick work of the Illini. 3 pitch strike out, fly out to left, grounder to third.

Top 2, Haig continues to roll, fly out to center, two grounders.

Moody K's the side in the Illini half of the 2nd.

Moody is really pitching well, fastball is hitting 91, offspeed drops to 78. Hitting his spots. Has 4 strikeouts through 2.

Michigan State jumps on the board in a huge way. Two singles to start the inning, a sac bunt, HBP, and infild fly loads the bases with 2 outs. Spartain captain Eric Roof comes to the plate and rudely sends a Phil Haig pitch above the 365 sign in right center field to make the score 4-0 MSU.

Moody again has no trouble with the Illini batter, with help courtesy rightfielder Eli Boike on a diving catch, Moody surrenders just a BB in the 3rd. Picking up his 5th strikeout.

Haig comes back and makes easy work of the Spartan, 2 weak grounders to the left side of the infield. Then strikes out Bo Felt looking.

Bottom of the 4th Illini get their 1st two runners aboard. F7 gets one out, but Moody couldn't avoid trouble. Cappetta with a 2-run double in the right field alley. A FC follows but McMurray gets a rbi-single to make it 4-3. With runners on the corners 1st team All-Big Ten SS Brandon Wikoff gets a seeing-eye single to knot it at 4. Another 1st teamer Dom Altobelli follows with a single as well through the right side. 5-4 Illini.

Haig has a 1-2-3 top of 5.

Moody walks the first batter in the bottom of the 5th. A scary collision in right field between Boike and Roberts but both are fine. Moody appears to be fighting himself. Falling behind the hitters now and his offspeed doesn't have the same bite.

Just looking around the beautiful stadium 12 or so scouts are to my left, with the Minnesota staff a few rows behind them. To my right were the 3 Ohio State seniors, Hale, Arp, Miller before leaving for practice. A decent crowd is on hand. The unusual sight of the day is the 3 mount Columbus Policemen and their horses outside of the stadium looking through the fense on Nationwide Blvd above the rightfield power ally.

Moody is replaced after an RBI-double makes it 6-4. 1 out, runners on 2nd and 3rd, AJ Dunn in for MSU.

Spartans get runners on in the top of the 6th but can't make anything happen.

MSU commits 2 errors in the bottom of the 6th, the extra outs allow Illinois to score 4 runs, highlighted by a Matt Dittman 2-run double. Cappetta picks up an RBI again with a double to deep center. All 4 runs are unearn

Illinois strike for a total of 7 runs. All unearned. Ouch.

Illinois has now jumped out to a 16-4 lead. Peppering balls all around Huntington Park.

The Columbus Fire Deparment has replaced the mounted policemen standing on Nationwide Blvd waatching the game through the fense, joining them are a dozen passerbys.

Michigan State does get a run in the 8th. A fine double play made by SS Wikoff scouping the ball out of the dirty to start the 6-4-3 with his glove and flipping it to 2B Parr all in one motion.

Final Box
MSU 5-7-3
Illini 16-18-1

Recap to come.

Out of Leftfield....Pt I

Out of Leftfield will be a daily post on random non-sense, weird occurrences, or humorous happenings relating to the Big Ten Tournament. Hope you enjoy.

If the Big Ten Tournament was an 80s soundtrack...


Purdue Boilermakers... Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer"



The Boilermakers enter this year's tournament with a sub-.500 conference record. Only one 6th-seed in tournament history has gone on to win the tourament. Awaiting Purdue in game one is Indiana's Eric Arnett, if not the top pitcher in the conference one of the top two. Awaiting Purdue if they get by the Hoosiers? Ohio State's Alex Wimmers, the second of two elite Big Ten pitchers. Purdue's chances to win the trophy is slim at best. But hey you're in our prayers. Good luck.

Michigan State Spartans: Journey "Don't Stop Believing"



Kudos to Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. and his Spartans for advancing to their first Big Ten Tournament since 2004. Michigan State overcame improbably odds, having to nearly replace an entire line-up and rotation of departed seniors. Michigan State started the season 2-14, but kept believing in themselves, and kept their goals in focus. Sparty has an uphill battle to win the Big Ten Tournament, but as Kevin Garnett made famous "Anything's possible". Don't Stop Believing State, hold on to that feeling

Illinois Illini: David Bowie & Queen "Under Pressure"



The Illini find themselves in a predicament that they were in 4 seasons ago. After winning the 2005 Big Ten regular season championship, and winning 40 games in the process, the Illini were unable to capture the Big Ten's automatic bid, and fell short in their goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament due to an unimpressive resume. Fast forward to May 8th, 2009, the Illini fresh off of a win over nationally ranked Ohio State, by all accounts are on their way to Regionals, auto-bid or not. The Illini would go on to lose 4 of the next 5 Big Ten games and are squarely on the proverbial bubble. A solid run in the tournament and the Illini are NCAA bound, an exit before the championship game, it's dicey. The Illini are under pressure.

Part II coming later... when I'm out of class.

Scouting the Field: Michigan State

Photo Courtesy the-ozone.net

In his first season as Head Coach at Michigan State, Lansing native Jake Boss Jr. returned home in a big way. With a program that saw the last two seasons end with chances to reach the Big Ten tournament in the final weekend fall short, in 2009 Boss and his Spartans didn't let another chance slip away. On the strength of a 13-11 conference mark, Michigan State has qualified for their eighth Big Ten Tournament and first since 2004.

In Big Ten Tournament play Michigan State is 7-14 overall with a high finish of runners-up twice, first in 1988 and again in 1992. If Michigan State is going to capture their first Big Ten Tournament, it would come with the odds against them. Michigan State went just 2-10 this season against the other five qualifying teams. The Spartans did not play Minnesota, but were swept by Illinois and Ohio State, and lost series to Indiana and Purdue in the final two weeks of the season. But give Sparty its due. A quality of good teams is beating the teams you're supposed to, in going 11-1 against the bottom 4 Big Ten teams, Michigan State did what was needed to reach Huntington Park.

Lets go inside the numbers to see how Michigan State fought their way to Columbus.

Hitting:

This certainly isn't the driving force behind MSU's success. The Spartans enter the Big Ten Tournament, hitting a collective .284, only Northwestern's clip of .264 was worse in the Big Ten. To say the Spartans are not an explosive bunch is a bit of an understatement. Michigan State finished in the bottom two in nearly every offensively category. They finished last in the conference in doubles with 75, home runs with 26, and slugging percentage at .360. Sparty finished next to last in hits (494), RBI (267), runs (303), triples, (7), and total bases at 661.

Even with the collective struggles, Michigan State does have a few potent bats that can cause opposing pitchers fits. Leading the way is one of three captains Eric Roof. Roof started all 52 games for Michigan State, some in the infield, some at catcher some at DH, showing how important his bat is. In 192 at-bats, Roof lead Michigan State with a .339 batting average. His 65 hits, 13 doubles, 2 triples, and 37 RBI, .505 slugging percentage, and .435 on-base percentage were all team highs.

The only other Michigan State regular that hit over .300 was outfielder Eli Boike. Batting .309, Boike's 7 home runs paced the Spartans as did his 36 base on balls. Boike's .423 on-base percentage bolds well for Michigan State as Boike can be a force when he gets on base, stealing 12 bases in 16 attempts. Jeff Holm, (.298) Johnny Lee, (.294) and Chris Roberts (.293) round out Michigan State's top 5 hiters.

Pitching:

With the Spartans bat's not being as prominent as the other Big Ten Tournament teams, Michigan State will have to get it done from the pitching mound. Which suits them well as they finished third in team pitching to close out the regular season with a 4.97 team ERA. Only Minnesota's 4.50 tops the Spartans in the tournament field. Spartan pitches limited opposing hitters to a .289 batting average against, second-best. Spartan pitchers are not overpowing the 289 strikeouts ranked only 8th as did the 227 free passes they issued. The Green and White saw 84 doubles hit against them, 9 triples and 41 home runs.

The Spartan pitching staff is lead by Senior righty Nolan Moody, the teams Friday night starter who acheive one remarkable feat, tossing a no-hitter against Northwestern earlier in the year in a 2-0 victory. Moody on the season compiled a 6-4 record along with a 4.04 and 52 strikeouts in 89 innings. Moody's pitching set the tone for one of the Big Ten's best weekend rotations.

Following Moody in the rotation is the last of the three captains A.J. Achter. Achter went 3-5 on the year with an impressive 3.48, stirking out 53 batters in his 77 innings pitched. Though he did issue a team high 53 walks, opponents hit just .241 off Achter limiting damage done.

As the weekend goes on, the Spartan's ERA continues to drop. Rounding out the rotation is Sunday starter Freshman Tony Bucciferro. Bucciferro went 5-2 during the regular season, boasted a more than solid 3.15 ERA struck out 59 batters in 68.1 innings, walking just 10 all season. Bucciferro should be in the running for Big Ten freshman of the year.

A trio of Spartans have collected saves this season, but Peter Wolff leads the way with 4. Wolff has a 6.87 ERA in 17 appearances.

Outlook:

In a year that surprised many of the experts, myself included, Michigan State found a way to qualify for the Big Ten tournament, riding their solid starting pitching and quality coaching of Boss. For Michigan State to make a run, their pitching staff needs to continue to perform at the level they have all season, and they need to execute small ball to perfection with some of the offenses they will face. Michigan States 70 successful stolen bases finished just behind Big Ten leaders Illinois' 78 and the team will need to be aggressive on the bases maximizing each and every scoring chance.

Michigan State will kick off the 2009 Big Ten Tournament, facing Illinois is game one. First pitch is at 12:05 at Huntington Park. Expected to take the mound for Michigan State is Nolan Moody, Illinois is schedule to counter with Phil Haig.

9-Innings Double Play

Photo Courtesy Michigan State Athletics

For those familiar with the Buckeye Nine, when I get the chance I ask 9 questions to a player, writer, contributor, that they answer in a series called 9-Innings. With Michigan State reaching their first Big Ten Tournament since 2004, and just the 8th appearance in school history, The Buckeye Nine sought to give just a bit more and give some much deserved credit to the Michigan State program.

The Buckeye Nine was able to catch up with two of the Spartans tri-captains, senior pitcher Nolan Moody, and Senior catcher/DH Eric Roof. Moody a senior RHP from East Lansing, is the teams Friday night starter and made national headlines with the no-hitter he through April 4th against Northwestern. Moody received National Player of the Week honors form Louisville Sluggerfor the performance and the solid pitching didn't stop there. With a 6-4 record and 4.04 ERA, while recoring 52 strikeouts, Moody anchors a Spartan pitching staff that ranks third in the Big Ten in team pitching.

Just as Moody leads the Spartan pitchers, Roof is the driving force behind the Spartans at the plate, both offensively and defensively as the teams primary catcher. On the season Roof is leading Michigan State batters with a .339 batting average, the mark jumps to .349 in Big Ten play. Roof has 5 home runs, 2 triples, 13 doubles, and a team high 37 RBI.

Thanks to the two for taking the time to supplement the Buckeye Nine's coverage of the Big Ten Tournament.


1st Innings

B9: First, you're from East Lansing can you tell us what it means to be able to play for Michigan State and be a part of the hometown team?

Moody: Playing for Michigan State is an unbelievable opportunity that I feel very lucky to have gotten to do. I grew up rooting for MSU and its not very often people get to play for the school they cheered for their whole life so its really special to me that I am able to do it.

B9: First, you're playing on a team with your brother, sophomore Jonathan, was it something you grew up dreaming out, what has the last 2 years been like?

Roof: Actually I've played with my brother all my life. I'm from a small town and small high school so we played together for three or four years then. But it has been a sweet experience and has been cool to watch him grow in two years.


Second Inning

B9: Were you expecting to enter the season as the teams ace?

Moody: Yes. Coach Boss asked me in the fall if I would start, I of course really wanted to (as all pitchers do) and he told me he wanted and expected me to be the ace from then on.

B9: You were drafted last year in the 46th round by the Detroit Tigers, what were the reasons you turned down a chance to go pro and return for Michigan State?

Roof: Well I came back to finish off my degree and to use another year to get better all around.


Third Inning

B9: As two of three tri-captains what goals did you have set for yourselves going into the 2009 season?

Moody: Personally I did not set a specific goal other than to pitch as well as I could. As a team we had 4 goals. Win at home, win against in state teams, make the conference tournament and get a ring. (regular season or tourney) So far we are 3 for 3 and hoping to make a run at it this weekend.

Roof: Obviously our main goal was to get to the Big Ten Tourney, win the Big Ten, win all the home games, and win all the in-state series.

9 up 9 down

B9: The new McLane stadium was finished this season. What is it like moving in and playing in the new stadium? Has the atmosphere changed?

Moody: Playing at McLane Stadium was something me and all the seniors felt really fortunate to have been around just long enough to get to do. The atmosphere is very different with a brand new stadium. More people came out to watch, we won there on a consistent basis and more fans got in to following our season and coming to our games. I think it made a big difference and is part of the reason why we played so well at home this year (15-4 at home) and certainly that contributes to our success in making the tournament

Roof: It has been awesome. It's also cool to play in a stadium with a lot of people and finally all those people are rooting for us. I think with the stadium sitting on top of the field really creates a home field advantage for us and it's unlike any other stadium. They are still fixing the outfield fence this summer so it will look even cooler this time next year.

Through 4

B9: Did the previous two seasons where Michigan State had a chance to qualify for the Big Ten Tournament in the final weekend before falling short, provide any offseason motivation?

Moody: It definitely is motivating when you get disappointed like that on the last weekend of the year two times in a row. You have a bad taste in your mouth and want to get rid of it. I think it made us want to get there even more each year.

Roof: I think it definitely did. When you work so hard to accomplish your goals and then fall short it makes you want to work twice as hard. So that the next time you have that opportunity you can capture them.

6th Inning

B9: The season got off to a rough start going 2-14 out of the gates. You guys have responded by finishing 21-15 since, what sparked the change? Is anything different now than at the start?

Moody: I think our season turned around on the Friday game at our place vs. U of M. We erased two 2-run deficits in the 9th and 10th innings to win. I think we realized we were a pretty good team and started gaining confidence in ourselves which really got the bats going and we rounded in to a very good overall team from the pitching hitting and defensive aspects.

Roof: I think everything is clicking for every guy. The more and more at-bats you get or more and more innings you pitch you start getting comfortable and also more confident. One person who has helped me out tremendously in the last month and a half has been Steve Shindler, third basemen AJ Shindler's dad. He has made some adjustments with my swing in the cages and told me some tips that I had never really noticed. He moved my hands back slightly and I think that has helped out my power lately.

7th Inning Stretch

B9: How is the team feeling and preparing for the Big Ten Tournament? Is there any pressure to win and advance to the NCAA's or are you guys relaxed and just having fun?

Moody: Our team is very excited for the Big Ten Tourney. I think everyone will go in loose and ready to play. We aren't supposed to win but I think our team believes we can so the only pressure we have will be the pressure we put on ourselves.

Roof: I think we have practiced extremely hard since the end of the season. Everyone has got the same goal in mind and are making sure we do everything we can to make that possible.

Last At-bat for the home team

B9: What has Head Coach Jake Boss Jr. in his first year as the Michigan State coach meant and brought to the team?

Moody: I can't say enough about how important coach Boss has been in the success of our team. He is a great coach and an even better man. He came in and gave guys confidence and the chance to play when they do the right thing and play hard. As a player its all you can ask for and we have responded really well to his coaching.

Roof: Coach Boss and the rest of the coaching staff has brought a great positive atmosphere to the program and I think you're starting to see it take off. They do a great job of coaching, get on you when they need to, and they are the first ones to tell you what a great job you did when you do something right. So it's nice to have coaches that are there for you and truly care about you and the rest of the team.

Closing it out

B9: In 5 words describe the no-hitter you threw against Northwestern.

Moody: Incredible day I'll never forget.

B9: In 5 words that describe the life of a catcher.

Roof: Extremely tough but (the) best position {sorry had to use 6}


Again thanks to Nolan and Eric for taking the time to sit down and answer the questions. Good Luck to them and the Spartans as they try to capture the first Big Ten Tournament in program history.

Big Ten Tournament Info & Bracket

On Dec. 18, 2008, the Big Ten Conference and Greater Columbus Sports Commission announced that Huntington Park, the home of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, would serve as the host site for the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament.

The 2009 event marks the first neutral-site Big Ten baseball tournament since 1994 and just the third in history not held at the site of the regular-season champion or the champion from a pre-selected division.

The tournament bracket will be announced on the evening of the final day of regular-season competition. The Big Ten Baseball Tournament is a double-elimination event that awards byes to the top two teams. The Big Ten Champion is the winner of the regular season, while the Big Ten Tournament Champion receives the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship.

Five different teams have been named Big Ten Tournament Champion in the event's 28-year history, with Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State owning the most titles with eight each. Illinois has won the tournament three times, and Indiana has taken home that crown once. Having won the last three regular-season championships, Michigan has hosted the last three tournaments, while the event was last held in Columbus in 2001. The 2009 tournament will be the sixth overall played in the city of Columbus.

The Big Ten release the tournament bracket

The Big Ten Conference announced on Saturday the bracket for the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament, held May 20-23 at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. The Big Ten title was decided during the final game of the last day of the season when an Ohio State win, combined with a Minnesota loss, gave the Buckeyes their first conference championship since 2001.

Ohio State earns its first No. 1 seed since that 2001 championship season and is a top-two seed for the first time since 2004. The Buckeyes finished the conference slate 18-6 and are making their 13th consecutive appearance in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament. Ohio State will receive a bye in the first round and will start tournament competition on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. ET, facing the lowest seeds of the winners of Games 1 and 2.

Minnesota takes the No. 2 seed in this year’s tournament, finishing the conference season with a 17-6 mark. The Golden Gophers are making their Big Ten-leading 25th appearance in the tournament, having advanced to 11 of the last 12 events. Receiving a first-round bye, Minnesota will begin Tournament play on Thursday at 3:35 p.m. ET and will take on the highest seeds of the winners from Wednesday’s games.

In the No. 3 seed, Indiana (16-7) is making its second consecutive tournament appearance and the team’s seventh overall. This year marks the Hoosiers’ highest seed since the tournament expanded to six teams in 2000 and the squad’s best placement since 1996 when it was the No. 2 seed. The Hoosiers will play in-state rival No. 6 Purdue in Game 2 of the tournament at 3:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The Boilermakers (11-12) earned the final spot in the tournament on the last day of the season with a win over Illinois. Purdue is making its second straight trip to the tournament and its fifth in the last six years.

The No. 4 seed, Illinois (16-8) earned its fifth straight invitation to the Big Ten Baseball Tournament and the program’s 17th overall. The Fighting Illini are the tournament’s No. 4 seed for the second consecutive year, tying the team’s highest placement since 2005 when the they were the tournament’s top seed. Illinois will open the 2009 tournament at Noon ET on Wednesday, going against No. 5 seed Michigan State. The Spartans (13-11) are making their first tournament appearance since 2004 and the program’s eighth overall showing.

The 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament is the conference’s first neutral-site baseball tournament since 1994. Every game of the event will reach a live, national television audience with complete coverage provided by the Big Ten Network.


Printable Bracket