Bracket
Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State selected to 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
PARK RIDGE, Ill. – Indiana, Minnesota and Ohio State all received invitations to the 2009 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, the NCAA announced on Monday. This year’s field marks the second time in the last three years the Big Ten has placed three teams in the bracket.
Indiana earned the conference’s automatic bid after capturing the 2009 Big Ten Baseball Tournament title on Saturday. The Hoosiers are making their second NCAA appearance overall and the program’s first since 1996. Indiana is the No. 4 seed in the Louisville Regional and will open competition with the host Cardinals (44-15) on Friday. Indiana enters NCAA action with a 32-25 overall record and finished third in the Big Ten standings with a 16-7 mark during conference play.
The No. 2 seed in the Baton Rouge Regional, Minnesota is making its Big Ten-leading 29th NCAA appearance and earns the program’s sixth bid over the last 10 years. The Golden Gophers finished second in the Big Ten standings with a 17-6 record and enter regional competition with a 38-17 overall mark after advancing to the championship contest of the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota faces No. 3 Baylor on Friday in the first round of regional play.
Ohio State earns its 19th trip to the NCAA Championship and its sixth in the last nine years. The Big Ten Champion Buckeyes posted an 18-6 mark during conference action and enter regional play with a 40-17 overall mark. Ohio State is the No. 3 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, and will open NCAA action on Friday against second-seeded Georgia (37-22).
The opening weekend of the NCAA Championship features 16 four-team regionals playing double-elimination format. Regional play runs from May 29-June1, with the 16 winners advancing to super regionals. The eight two-team super regional sites will be determined on Monday, June 1, with play scheduled for June 5-7 or June 6-8 in a best-of-three series. The Men’s College World Series will take place June 13-23, at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
The complete NCAA Championship bracket can be found by clicking the link at the top of the story.
Louisville Regional
#1 Louisville (44-15) vs. No. 4 INDIANA (32-25)
#2 Middle Tennessee (43-16) vs. #3 Vanderbilt (34-25)
Tallahassee Regional
#1 Florida State (42-16) vs. #4 Marist (31-26)
#2 Georgia (37-22) vs. #3 OHIO STATE (40-17)
Baton Rouge Regional
#1 LSU (46-16) vs. #4 Southern (30-15)
#2 MINNESOTA (38-17) vs. #3 Baylor (29-24)
Showing posts with label Ohio State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohio State. Show all posts
Monday, May 25, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Buckeyes Eliminated by Gophers 9-6
Photo courtesy the-ozone.net
-Matt Brown
COLUMBUS- With their Big Ten Tournament hopes on the line, the Ohio State Buckeyes came up just short.
Eric Decker went 4-4 with 4 RBI and a home run, Derek McCallum continued his strong tourney performance with 2 RBI, and Scott Fern got stops when he needed them as the Minnesota Golden Gophers outlasted Ohio State 9-6.
The Gophers didn’t waste any time getting to Ohio State’s Eric Best, tagging him for 4 runs on 6 hits in the first inning. Nohelty lead off the game with a single, then advanced to second off an error from an aborted pickoff attempt from Eric Best.
McCallum doubled him home, and later scored from a 2 run double from Nick O’Shea.
Ohio State started the 1st inning with 5 consecutive singles to get back to within one, but left runners on second and third. The Buckeyes tied the game in the bottom of the second being an RBI single from outfielder Michael Stephens, but struggled mightily to string together hits the rest of the game. Minnesota’s Scott Fern was far from dominant, scattering 8 hits and 4 runs over 4 and a third, but he was able to retire enough batters to prevent Ohio State from gaining momentum.
The Gophers added a run in the 5th, two in the 6th and a final insurance run in the 7th inning, behind the strong hitting of Eric Decker. Big Ten Player of the Year Dan Burkhart added a home run in the 7th for the Buckeyes, but it wasn’t enough. Despite the partisan, pro-Buckeye crowd at Huntington Park, Ohio State was never able to seriously threaten Minnesota after the Gophers regained the lead in the 3rd inning.
Despite the loss, Ohio State expects to continue their season next week. Armed with a #23 ranking and a 40 win regular season, Ohio State’s resume looks to be strong enough to warrant an at-large selection for the post season. Ohio State will learn if they received a bid, and where they will play, on Monday.
Ohio State wasn’t resting on their laurels though. “We came in not relying on the Big Ten championship [to get the team into the NCAA tournament],” said Burkhart. “We came into this tournament playing to win.”
Stephens and Cory Kovanda led the Buckeyes with three hits apiece, and Ryan Dew added two more and an RBI. Matt Nohelty added three hits for the Golden Gophers, along with his 6th stolen base of the Big Ten Tournament, a record. The Buckeyes also committed three errors.
Live Blog May 23rd
2:16-Another absolutely perfect day outside for the first game today, featuring the #2 seed Minnesota and the #1 seed Ohio State. The victor gets a rematch against Indiana at 7:05 (the Hoosiers crushed both of these teams in the first meeting). The loser goes home.
Minnesota will be having Fern pitch tonight. Their lineup will be Nohelty, Pettersen, McCallum, Kvasnicka, Knudson, O'Shea, Decker, Gominsky and Geason.
Ohio State will be throwing Eric Best. Their lineup will be Hurby, Kovanda, Stephens, Burkhart, Drew, Miller, Arp, Engle and Streng
Another note to consider in the "should we continue to host the Big Ten tournament at Huntington Park" discussion. Through three days, 9,429 fans have come through the turnstiles. According to the Big Ten, that three-day total is the highest *total* attendance number in more than a decade. 6,728 came when the event was at Ohio State's Bill Davis stadium in 1999. Over 5,000 attended at Michigan's Ray Fisher last year, which was the 3rd highest total since 1999. This is also the first neutral site for the tournament in 15 years.
Not sure how many people we'll be getting here tonight, but I think it is already safe to say that as far as putting fans in the seats, Huntington Park has been a great success. Feel free to comment your thoughts. Should they host it here again? What about at other minor league parks (like Dayton, Ft.Wayne, etc).
2:47- Here are some more random thoughts before game time:
Minnesota has won at least one game now in their last 16 tournament appearances, and at least twice in their last 8. They have also faced Ohio State at least once in their last 8 appearances. For what its worth though, Ohio State has a 16-13 record against the Gophers in tournament play.
-Matt Nohelty's 4 stolen bases tie three other players for the most in a single Big Ten tournament.
-McCallum's homer against Purdue gave him 16 on the season, which is the 5th most in school history, and most by a Golden Gopher since 1999.
-Ohio State is only hitting .281 so far in the tournament, with a measly two extra base hits. OSU opponents are hitting .307
-The Bucks have yet to go yard here in Huntington Park. They are 29-3 when they hit a home run. Watch for that today.
2:58, They opened the gates a few min ago, and the crowd is sort of trickling in. I don't expect to get a showing anything like we saw for the last two Buckeye games, although they should still have the crowd advantage. The Gopher fans, while small in number, have certainly made themselves heard so far...but it looks like there are fewer and fewer of them each game.
Also, I just went and stood at the Hamburger Balcony. It was everything I hoped it would be.
3:13- The Big Ten Network boys are giving their pregame broadcast right above me. I feel a little sorry for them, since they have to wear those suits and have those bright spotlights next to them. They must be burning up.
3:18-I'm checking over some of the team stats right now. Ohio State is near the bottom of just about every offensive category. Only 10 runs scored, 21 total bases (Minny has 57), a .328 slugging percentage, 9 RBIs (Minny has 24), etc etc.
Granted, the Buckeyes have only played 2 games so far, and Minny has three, but the bats will have to do a better job if Ohio State hopes to be playing again today (or tomorrow).
3:25- Dippin' Dots sound really good right now. I wonder where is the closest place I could buy some.
They've been saying Dippin Dots are going to be the Ice Cream of the Future for about as long as I've been alive...whats the deal? Can you buy them in grocery stores, or can you only get them for 4 bucks at baseball games, amusement parks or state fairs? I gotta tell you...so far, the future has been a disappointment. No flying cars, and dippin dots have yet to make the big time. (Chris)
3:37 Matt Nohelty leading off the gamne. He leads off the game with a single.
Terrible pickoff throw by Best advances nohelty to 2nd.
Petterson flies out to shower center.
McCallum rips a double to center, scoring Nohelty. 1-0 Golden Gophers. The small Gopher faithful are on their feet. I think there are maybe 1,000 people here, but most obviously are for the Buckeyes.
Kvasnicka grounds to a fielders choice. McCallum is gunned down trying to get to third. One on, 2 outs
Knudson rips a single right up the middle. Runners on 1st and 2nd for Nick O'Shea
Nick O'Shea doubles everybody in. 3-0 Gophers. Rough start so far for Best. buncha hits and that ugly error.
Eric Decker gets a bloop single to drop, scoring O'Shea. 4-0.
Gominsky hits a sharp grounder to short, but Engle couldn't get a throw off. 2nd and 1st, two outs for Geason.
Greason strikes out. 4 runs, 6 hits and one buckeye error later, the top half of the first is over. Best is not looking so great. I think he topped out at 85 MPH, and wasn't showing a lot of confidence out there.
3:55 Zach Hurley leading off, and stars things off right with a first pitch single to center
Kovanda singles in a perfect Hit n Run. Runners on the corners for Stephens.
Three straight singles for the Buckeyes. 1st and 2nd, and the Bucks get on the board. 4-1 Gophers.
Burkhart continues the hit parade with a deep single to left. 4-2, with runners on the corners. Those 1,000 people just made themselves very loud. Dew up. We're calling the Hamburger Balcony right here.
3:58, no balcony, but the 5th straight single for the Buckeyes...and the Gophers are having a mound conference for Fern. 4-3, runners on 1st and 2nd for Miller.
Miller Sac fly advances a runner. 1st and 3rd, one out for Arp. Wild pitch advances the runner to second. Pitching conference again. Arp swing and a miss for strike three. Engle batting....and Engle sitting, for another strike out. Big opportunity lost there. Great hitting, but you just can't leave runners in scoring position, 'specially if your pitching is going to give up 6 hits an inning.
4:07 Nohelty back up, and flies out to deep left field. One away.
Petterson walks on four straight pitches.
McCallum singles, Petterson to second.
Kvasnicka up. Man, if I covered the Gophers every single day, I still wouldn't be able to spell Kvansnicka. Kvansnicka is robbed of extra bases by a great catch in left field. Runners hold, two away for Knudson.
Engle with a great diving stop gets the force at 2nd, ending the inning. Great glovework by the Buckeyes to keep any more runs from scoring. Best looked a little better, but I think the Bucks better plan on scoring a lot today.
Had to retreat to the pressbox for a few, since my laptop needs charging. I don't really like reporting from here, since my view of the game is terrible and I have to practically watch it on TV. However, it does have AC, and I am that much closer to the bowl of pretzels. Zach Hurley is batting for the Buckeyes, one away.
Quick flyout, Kovanda up. Kovanda rips a sharp single right back up the middle. Stephens up now. Stolen base for Kovanda.
The crowd has started to fill out a little more. I am pretty bad at estimating this sort of thing, but there is comfortably more than 1,000 people...maybe 1,300? Not too shabby for a daytime game.
Stephens rips an RBI single, and now we're tied, 4-4. Burkhart flies to center to end the inning. One run, two hits, no errors and one left on. After 2, we have a tie game, 4-4.
4:27, top 3, and Nick O'Shea is batting. He's had quite a tournament so far...but Best strikes him out anyways.
Eric Decker just took Best yard (soooooo close to the Hamburger Balcony. 5-4 Gophers.
Gominsky smacks one deep, but is caught just before it bounces off the Hamburger Balcony. No, Wendys isn't paying for me for product placement...that just happens to be where the Gopphers keep hitting the ball. Two away. Geason flies out to end the inning. One hit, one run, no errors, nobody left on. 5-4 Minny
4:34 Arp batting, one on, one out. Wild pitch advances the runner, and the Minny crowd wants interference on Arp. The ball did kind of bounce off his foot...
Arp flies out, runner stays at second. Engle hitting. Engle can't beat out the throw after a grounder, and the inning is over. The 3rd inning is in the books, and the Golden Gophers lead the Buckeyes 5-4.
Matt Nohelty leading off for the 4th, and he knocks a single into left center. Best is still throwing for the Bucks. Petterson up now.
Petterson grounds up the middle...it should have been a double play ball, but the SS bobbles it, and everybody is safe. 2 on for the very dangerous Derek McCallum.
McCallum is called out at first after a short grounder, and he is not happy about it at all. The TV replay looks like he was out by about a foot. The runners advance though, so it was still a pretty productive at bat. 2 on for Kvansnicka.
Kvansicka flies out, and Stephens' throw keeps anybody from scoring.
Best is being replaced with #12 Drew Rucinski on the mound. Knudson up, and Knudson promptly back down after grounding out to Rucinski.
Bottom of the 4th coming up.
In other news, I am so freaking sick of the Clipper Credit Card song they play after every 4th inning here. It gets stuck in my head and I find myself singing it on the way home, much to the chagrin of everybody in my car.
4:53 Matt Streng up to back for the Buckeyes, and draws the walk...something we haven't seen too often from the Buckeyes this weekend.
Zach Hurley up now, runner on first. Hurley grounds into a double play. Two away for Kovanda, who flies out.
Pitchers are starting to settle down. Its about five o'clock heading into the 5th inning, with the Gophers clinging to a 5-4 lead.
O'Shea flies out to right to start the inning. Eric Decker up, who hommered his last time up. He's batting .375 against Ohio State this season. Decker draws a walk.
Gominsky up. Decker *just* steals second. Gominsky smacks a double to right, scoring Decker. 6-4 Minny now, with Geason up. Minny has a dangerous lineup. Geason grounds out, Nohelty up, and down, after a flyout. Time for the Buckeyes to string some hits together again. 6-4 Minny after 5 and a half.
In unrelated news, I think I've had three cups of pretzels, and i'm ready for something else. All the luxury boxes are unoccupied, but they still have fresh fruit and granola bars. I wonder how much trouble I would get in if I walked down there and stole a banana? (Clippers Officials, I said *wondered*, not *I will go right now*)
Stephens up for the Buckeyes. Fern is still pitching for the Golden Gophers. Stephens gets the party started with a sharp single up the middle. Burkart up next.
Crowd starting to really get into it now, spontaneously standing and cheering. Burkhart grounds to second, but Stephens is safe at second. One out, one on for Ryan Dew. Minny will take this opportunity to replace Fern with Luke Rasmussen. After a rough first inning, Fern settled down and gave the Gophers some solid innings.
Nice grab to rob Dew of a bloop single. Stephens stays at second, Miller up.
Miller takes it deep, but misses a home run by maybe 4 feet. The ball is caught, and the inning is over. At the end of five (at 5:20), Minny still is up 6-4
Petterson grounds out to first to lead off the top of the 6th inning. McCallum up. A GREAT catch in right field robs him of a hit. The buckeye defense has made a few errors today, but I think they have also made some pretty tough plays as well....overall, I think the balance is about equal.
Kvasnicka singles to right.
Knudson walks. None of those 5 pitches looked very good.
5:28 tough break for the buckeyes, after a few infield hits, Decker knocks in two more with an RBI single. 8-4 Gophers. The buckeyes have to stop the bleeding now before the game totally gets away from them.
Gominsky grounds into a fielders choice and the inning is over. 8 13 0 for Minn. 4 8 2 for OSU, heading into the bottom of the 6th. Ohio State needs a run in this inning badly, to start to establish somne 'mo with the bats. Since that first inning, they've been awfully quiet with the sticks.
Arp leading off for the Buckeyes, and he quickly strikes out. Arp has flat out not looked good at all. Engle eeks out a single.
Streng grounds into a fielders choice, Engle to second. Hurley needs to get a real, legit single right now. Hurley flies out to right. One hit, no runs, no errors, one left on. Heading into the 7th, Minny leads 8-4.
Geason grounds out to start the 7th inning. Matt Nohelty steals his 5th base of the tournament, setting a big ten record. AJ Petterson lays out a perfect bunt, and slides headfirst into first. Everybody is safe. 1st and 3rd, one out. With the way they're hitting, the Buckeyes CANNOT afford to give up any more runs.
McCallum hits a sac fly, scoring Nohelly. 9-4 Gophers, one on, 2 out. After a balk, the runner advances. I dunno if people are getting sleepy, of if it is the quality of play or what, but there is almost no energy in the park right now. Ohio State needs to do something and they need to do it fast. End of the inning. 9-4 Minny.
5:55 Maybe the 7th inning stretch will wake everybody up. From the looks of it though, everybody is just getting up to get more food.
Kovanda up. According to The College Baseball Blog, OSU is predicted to be in the Atlanta regional with Georgia Tech, Jacksonville and Georgia Southern. Interesting. Kovanda grounded out, and Stephens strikes out. Burkhart up now.
There is some controversy now. It looks like Burkhart hit a home run, but some of the umps are calling it a ground rule double. It looked to obviously be a home run to me, we'll see what the umps say after they confer. It hit the top of the yellow line. WHy hold him up at second? If that isn't a home run, isnt it a live ball?
After the conference, he gets the homer. 9-5 Minny. Hopefully thats the shot in the arm the Buckeyes needed.
Dew hits a solid single to left now. The crowd seems to have awoken a little. Lots of LETS GO BUCKS now. Miller grounds out though to end the rally.
Two innings left now for the Scarlet and Gray.
Minny 9 15 0
OSU 5 11 2
To the eighth we go!
Jake Hale taking the mound for Ohio State. That should keep Minny from scoring any more runs at least. Knudson leading off with a single.
O'Shea grounds into a double play. Eric Decker up, and he bunts himself on with an infield single, then advances on an error.
Gominsky strikes out to end the top half of the 8th. two hits, one error, one left on for the Golden Gophers.
6:13-Arp leading off. This dude needed a hit in the worst way, and he gets one with a single to right field.
Another single for Engle. 1st and 2nd, nobody out for Matt Streng. Minny pitcher and catcher are talking it over. Real big at bat here.
Scott Matyas comes into the game to pitch for Minny. Full count on Streng...then he strikes out swinging.
Hurley strikes out looking. Kovada needs an RBI here.
And he delivers! Clutch single there for Kovada. 1st and 2nd again, 2 outs for Stephens. 9-6. LETS GO BUCKS is being yelled everywhere.
Aaand Stephens quickly goes down swinging. Matyas was awfully strong that inning. 9-6 Minny heading into the ninth.
6:28 Geason goes down looking. Matt Nohelty up now, who grounds to short.
Pettersen is plunked in the back. McCallum now, who grounds to second.
Do or die time folks, because its the bottom of the ninth. THhe Golden Gophers still have a 9-6 lead.
6:35 Dan Burkhart leading off. If anybody can deliver a big hit today, its prob this guy.
Burkart flies out to shortstop. Ryan Dew up to the plate. Dew hits a nice shot, but its grabbed by the center fielder for out number two. Ohio State's chances for playing again tonight in front of their home crowd now rest on Justin Miller.
Miller smacks a shot to left field for a stand up double. Arp now up at the plate.
Arp is just kinda flailing at the ball right now. 0-2.
Arps pops up, and thats all she wrote folks. The Gophers get a rematch with Indiana in an hour for the Big Ten title. Ohio State is eliminated, and will wait to see where in the country they will be shipped for regional action.
It is hard to pin the blame on any one thing here. Outside of a few isloated innings, Ohio State never really hit particularly well. Of special concern was their inability to get extra base hits. Part of that could be chalked up to impatience at the plate. OSU didn't draw many walks, and swung at a *lot* of first pitches.
However, this loss isn't the end of the world. OSU wouldn't have had much pitching left for the Big Ten Final, and winning today was unlikely to change their seeding all that much. OSU now has a few extra days to hit the cages, rest up, and get ready for next week. So far, I think its been obvious that Indiana has the most to play for. OSU and Minny have spots basically locked up. Illinois might be on the wrong side of the bubble (bet they're rooting for the Gophers tonight!), but Indiana absolutely has to win tonight to extend their season.
Should be interesting to see what the crowd will be like for the title game, since Ohio State won't be around. I doubt we see any more than the two dozen or so (loud) Minnesota supporters show up, and Indiana didn't have a huge delegation either. What will the "curious baseball fan" market be?
Minnesota will be having Fern pitch tonight. Their lineup will be Nohelty, Pettersen, McCallum, Kvasnicka, Knudson, O'Shea, Decker, Gominsky and Geason.
Ohio State will be throwing Eric Best. Their lineup will be Hurby, Kovanda, Stephens, Burkhart, Drew, Miller, Arp, Engle and Streng
Another note to consider in the "should we continue to host the Big Ten tournament at Huntington Park" discussion. Through three days, 9,429 fans have come through the turnstiles. According to the Big Ten, that three-day total is the highest *total* attendance number in more than a decade. 6,728 came when the event was at Ohio State's Bill Davis stadium in 1999. Over 5,000 attended at Michigan's Ray Fisher last year, which was the 3rd highest total since 1999. This is also the first neutral site for the tournament in 15 years.
Not sure how many people we'll be getting here tonight, but I think it is already safe to say that as far as putting fans in the seats, Huntington Park has been a great success. Feel free to comment your thoughts. Should they host it here again? What about at other minor league parks (like Dayton, Ft.Wayne, etc).
2:47- Here are some more random thoughts before game time:
Minnesota has won at least one game now in their last 16 tournament appearances, and at least twice in their last 8. They have also faced Ohio State at least once in their last 8 appearances. For what its worth though, Ohio State has a 16-13 record against the Gophers in tournament play.
-Matt Nohelty's 4 stolen bases tie three other players for the most in a single Big Ten tournament.
-McCallum's homer against Purdue gave him 16 on the season, which is the 5th most in school history, and most by a Golden Gopher since 1999.
-Ohio State is only hitting .281 so far in the tournament, with a measly two extra base hits. OSU opponents are hitting .307
-The Bucks have yet to go yard here in Huntington Park. They are 29-3 when they hit a home run. Watch for that today.
2:58, They opened the gates a few min ago, and the crowd is sort of trickling in. I don't expect to get a showing anything like we saw for the last two Buckeye games, although they should still have the crowd advantage. The Gopher fans, while small in number, have certainly made themselves heard so far...but it looks like there are fewer and fewer of them each game.
Also, I just went and stood at the Hamburger Balcony. It was everything I hoped it would be.
3:13- The Big Ten Network boys are giving their pregame broadcast right above me. I feel a little sorry for them, since they have to wear those suits and have those bright spotlights next to them. They must be burning up.
3:18-I'm checking over some of the team stats right now. Ohio State is near the bottom of just about every offensive category. Only 10 runs scored, 21 total bases (Minny has 57), a .328 slugging percentage, 9 RBIs (Minny has 24), etc etc.
Granted, the Buckeyes have only played 2 games so far, and Minny has three, but the bats will have to do a better job if Ohio State hopes to be playing again today (or tomorrow).
3:25- Dippin' Dots sound really good right now. I wonder where is the closest place I could buy some.
They've been saying Dippin Dots are going to be the Ice Cream of the Future for about as long as I've been alive...whats the deal? Can you buy them in grocery stores, or can you only get them for 4 bucks at baseball games, amusement parks or state fairs? I gotta tell you...so far, the future has been a disappointment. No flying cars, and dippin dots have yet to make the big time. (Chris)
3:37 Matt Nohelty leading off the gamne. He leads off the game with a single.
Terrible pickoff throw by Best advances nohelty to 2nd.
Petterson flies out to shower center.
McCallum rips a double to center, scoring Nohelty. 1-0 Golden Gophers. The small Gopher faithful are on their feet. I think there are maybe 1,000 people here, but most obviously are for the Buckeyes.
Kvasnicka grounds to a fielders choice. McCallum is gunned down trying to get to third. One on, 2 outs
Knudson rips a single right up the middle. Runners on 1st and 2nd for Nick O'Shea
Nick O'Shea doubles everybody in. 3-0 Gophers. Rough start so far for Best. buncha hits and that ugly error.
Eric Decker gets a bloop single to drop, scoring O'Shea. 4-0.
Gominsky hits a sharp grounder to short, but Engle couldn't get a throw off. 2nd and 1st, two outs for Geason.
Greason strikes out. 4 runs, 6 hits and one buckeye error later, the top half of the first is over. Best is not looking so great. I think he topped out at 85 MPH, and wasn't showing a lot of confidence out there.
3:55 Zach Hurley leading off, and stars things off right with a first pitch single to center
Kovanda singles in a perfect Hit n Run. Runners on the corners for Stephens.
Three straight singles for the Buckeyes. 1st and 2nd, and the Bucks get on the board. 4-1 Gophers.
Burkhart continues the hit parade with a deep single to left. 4-2, with runners on the corners. Those 1,000 people just made themselves very loud. Dew up. We're calling the Hamburger Balcony right here.
3:58, no balcony, but the 5th straight single for the Buckeyes...and the Gophers are having a mound conference for Fern. 4-3, runners on 1st and 2nd for Miller.
Miller Sac fly advances a runner. 1st and 3rd, one out for Arp. Wild pitch advances the runner to second. Pitching conference again. Arp swing and a miss for strike three. Engle batting....and Engle sitting, for another strike out. Big opportunity lost there. Great hitting, but you just can't leave runners in scoring position, 'specially if your pitching is going to give up 6 hits an inning.
4:07 Nohelty back up, and flies out to deep left field. One away.
Petterson walks on four straight pitches.
McCallum singles, Petterson to second.
Kvasnicka up. Man, if I covered the Gophers every single day, I still wouldn't be able to spell Kvansnicka. Kvansnicka is robbed of extra bases by a great catch in left field. Runners hold, two away for Knudson.
Engle with a great diving stop gets the force at 2nd, ending the inning. Great glovework by the Buckeyes to keep any more runs from scoring. Best looked a little better, but I think the Bucks better plan on scoring a lot today.
Had to retreat to the pressbox for a few, since my laptop needs charging. I don't really like reporting from here, since my view of the game is terrible and I have to practically watch it on TV. However, it does have AC, and I am that much closer to the bowl of pretzels. Zach Hurley is batting for the Buckeyes, one away.
Quick flyout, Kovanda up. Kovanda rips a sharp single right back up the middle. Stephens up now. Stolen base for Kovanda.
The crowd has started to fill out a little more. I am pretty bad at estimating this sort of thing, but there is comfortably more than 1,000 people...maybe 1,300? Not too shabby for a daytime game.
Stephens rips an RBI single, and now we're tied, 4-4. Burkhart flies to center to end the inning. One run, two hits, no errors and one left on. After 2, we have a tie game, 4-4.
4:27, top 3, and Nick O'Shea is batting. He's had quite a tournament so far...but Best strikes him out anyways.
Eric Decker just took Best yard (soooooo close to the Hamburger Balcony. 5-4 Gophers.
Gominsky smacks one deep, but is caught just before it bounces off the Hamburger Balcony. No, Wendys isn't paying for me for product placement...that just happens to be where the Gopphers keep hitting the ball. Two away. Geason flies out to end the inning. One hit, one run, no errors, nobody left on. 5-4 Minny
4:34 Arp batting, one on, one out. Wild pitch advances the runner, and the Minny crowd wants interference on Arp. The ball did kind of bounce off his foot...
Arp flies out, runner stays at second. Engle hitting. Engle can't beat out the throw after a grounder, and the inning is over. The 3rd inning is in the books, and the Golden Gophers lead the Buckeyes 5-4.
Matt Nohelty leading off for the 4th, and he knocks a single into left center. Best is still throwing for the Bucks. Petterson up now.
Petterson grounds up the middle...it should have been a double play ball, but the SS bobbles it, and everybody is safe. 2 on for the very dangerous Derek McCallum.
McCallum is called out at first after a short grounder, and he is not happy about it at all. The TV replay looks like he was out by about a foot. The runners advance though, so it was still a pretty productive at bat. 2 on for Kvansnicka.
Kvansicka flies out, and Stephens' throw keeps anybody from scoring.
Best is being replaced with #12 Drew Rucinski on the mound. Knudson up, and Knudson promptly back down after grounding out to Rucinski.
Bottom of the 4th coming up.
In other news, I am so freaking sick of the Clipper Credit Card song they play after every 4th inning here. It gets stuck in my head and I find myself singing it on the way home, much to the chagrin of everybody in my car.
4:53 Matt Streng up to back for the Buckeyes, and draws the walk...something we haven't seen too often from the Buckeyes this weekend.
Zach Hurley up now, runner on first. Hurley grounds into a double play. Two away for Kovanda, who flies out.
Pitchers are starting to settle down. Its about five o'clock heading into the 5th inning, with the Gophers clinging to a 5-4 lead.
O'Shea flies out to right to start the inning. Eric Decker up, who hommered his last time up. He's batting .375 against Ohio State this season. Decker draws a walk.
Gominsky up. Decker *just* steals second. Gominsky smacks a double to right, scoring Decker. 6-4 Minny now, with Geason up. Minny has a dangerous lineup. Geason grounds out, Nohelty up, and down, after a flyout. Time for the Buckeyes to string some hits together again. 6-4 Minny after 5 and a half.
In unrelated news, I think I've had three cups of pretzels, and i'm ready for something else. All the luxury boxes are unoccupied, but they still have fresh fruit and granola bars. I wonder how much trouble I would get in if I walked down there and stole a banana? (Clippers Officials, I said *wondered*, not *I will go right now*)
Stephens up for the Buckeyes. Fern is still pitching for the Golden Gophers. Stephens gets the party started with a sharp single up the middle. Burkart up next.
Crowd starting to really get into it now, spontaneously standing and cheering. Burkhart grounds to second, but Stephens is safe at second. One out, one on for Ryan Dew. Minny will take this opportunity to replace Fern with Luke Rasmussen. After a rough first inning, Fern settled down and gave the Gophers some solid innings.
Nice grab to rob Dew of a bloop single. Stephens stays at second, Miller up.
Miller takes it deep, but misses a home run by maybe 4 feet. The ball is caught, and the inning is over. At the end of five (at 5:20), Minny still is up 6-4
Petterson grounds out to first to lead off the top of the 6th inning. McCallum up. A GREAT catch in right field robs him of a hit. The buckeye defense has made a few errors today, but I think they have also made some pretty tough plays as well....overall, I think the balance is about equal.
Kvasnicka singles to right.
Knudson walks. None of those 5 pitches looked very good.
5:28 tough break for the buckeyes, after a few infield hits, Decker knocks in two more with an RBI single. 8-4 Gophers. The buckeyes have to stop the bleeding now before the game totally gets away from them.
Gominsky grounds into a fielders choice and the inning is over. 8 13 0 for Minn. 4 8 2 for OSU, heading into the bottom of the 6th. Ohio State needs a run in this inning badly, to start to establish somne 'mo with the bats. Since that first inning, they've been awfully quiet with the sticks.
Arp leading off for the Buckeyes, and he quickly strikes out. Arp has flat out not looked good at all. Engle eeks out a single.
Streng grounds into a fielders choice, Engle to second. Hurley needs to get a real, legit single right now. Hurley flies out to right. One hit, no runs, no errors, one left on. Heading into the 7th, Minny leads 8-4.
Geason grounds out to start the 7th inning. Matt Nohelty steals his 5th base of the tournament, setting a big ten record. AJ Petterson lays out a perfect bunt, and slides headfirst into first. Everybody is safe. 1st and 3rd, one out. With the way they're hitting, the Buckeyes CANNOT afford to give up any more runs.
McCallum hits a sac fly, scoring Nohelly. 9-4 Gophers, one on, 2 out. After a balk, the runner advances. I dunno if people are getting sleepy, of if it is the quality of play or what, but there is almost no energy in the park right now. Ohio State needs to do something and they need to do it fast. End of the inning. 9-4 Minny.
5:55 Maybe the 7th inning stretch will wake everybody up. From the looks of it though, everybody is just getting up to get more food.
Kovanda up. According to The College Baseball Blog, OSU is predicted to be in the Atlanta regional with Georgia Tech, Jacksonville and Georgia Southern. Interesting. Kovanda grounded out, and Stephens strikes out. Burkhart up now.
There is some controversy now. It looks like Burkhart hit a home run, but some of the umps are calling it a ground rule double. It looked to obviously be a home run to me, we'll see what the umps say after they confer. It hit the top of the yellow line. WHy hold him up at second? If that isn't a home run, isnt it a live ball?
After the conference, he gets the homer. 9-5 Minny. Hopefully thats the shot in the arm the Buckeyes needed.
Dew hits a solid single to left now. The crowd seems to have awoken a little. Lots of LETS GO BUCKS now. Miller grounds out though to end the rally.
Two innings left now for the Scarlet and Gray.
Minny 9 15 0
OSU 5 11 2
To the eighth we go!
Jake Hale taking the mound for Ohio State. That should keep Minny from scoring any more runs at least. Knudson leading off with a single.
O'Shea grounds into a double play. Eric Decker up, and he bunts himself on with an infield single, then advances on an error.
Gominsky strikes out to end the top half of the 8th. two hits, one error, one left on for the Golden Gophers.
6:13-Arp leading off. This dude needed a hit in the worst way, and he gets one with a single to right field.
Another single for Engle. 1st and 2nd, nobody out for Matt Streng. Minny pitcher and catcher are talking it over. Real big at bat here.
Scott Matyas comes into the game to pitch for Minny. Full count on Streng...then he strikes out swinging.
Hurley strikes out looking. Kovada needs an RBI here.
And he delivers! Clutch single there for Kovada. 1st and 2nd again, 2 outs for Stephens. 9-6. LETS GO BUCKS is being yelled everywhere.
Aaand Stephens quickly goes down swinging. Matyas was awfully strong that inning. 9-6 Minny heading into the ninth.
6:28 Geason goes down looking. Matt Nohelty up now, who grounds to short.
Pettersen is plunked in the back. McCallum now, who grounds to second.
Do or die time folks, because its the bottom of the ninth. THhe Golden Gophers still have a 9-6 lead.
6:35 Dan Burkhart leading off. If anybody can deliver a big hit today, its prob this guy.
Burkart flies out to shortstop. Ryan Dew up to the plate. Dew hits a nice shot, but its grabbed by the center fielder for out number two. Ohio State's chances for playing again tonight in front of their home crowd now rest on Justin Miller.
Miller smacks a shot to left field for a stand up double. Arp now up at the plate.
Arp is just kinda flailing at the ball right now. 0-2.
Arps pops up, and thats all she wrote folks. The Gophers get a rematch with Indiana in an hour for the Big Ten title. Ohio State is eliminated, and will wait to see where in the country they will be shipped for regional action.
It is hard to pin the blame on any one thing here. Outside of a few isloated innings, Ohio State never really hit particularly well. Of special concern was their inability to get extra base hits. Part of that could be chalked up to impatience at the plate. OSU didn't draw many walks, and swung at a *lot* of first pitches.
However, this loss isn't the end of the world. OSU wouldn't have had much pitching left for the Big Ten Final, and winning today was unlikely to change their seeding all that much. OSU now has a few extra days to hit the cages, rest up, and get ready for next week. So far, I think its been obvious that Indiana has the most to play for. OSU and Minny have spots basically locked up. Illinois might be on the wrong side of the bubble (bet they're rooting for the Gophers tonight!), but Indiana absolutely has to win tonight to extend their season.
Should be interesting to see what the crowd will be like for the title game, since Ohio State won't be around. I doubt we see any more than the two dozen or so (loud) Minnesota supporters show up, and Indiana didn't have a huge delegation either. What will the "curious baseball fan" market be?
Day 3 in the books, Championship Saturday is upon us
Photo courtesy the-ozone.net
A lot occurred Friday at Huntington Park, of which I'll get to after I grab a quick lunch before I back down to the Arena District for day 4.
Most notably Indiana will be playing tonight at 7:05 in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. The Hoosier's are seeking a berth to the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. The first being in 1996, the last and only time the Hoosiers won the Big Ten Tournament.
But before Indiana takes the field Minnesota and Ohio State will be playing at 3:35 to determine which team will take on Indiana, and which team will head home and wait for Monday's NCAA Tournament bracket release and find out where they will be playing at next weekend. For those unaware, Ohio State and Minnesota are not on the bubble and will be in the field of 64 tournament title or not.
Indiana's only hope is courtesy the auto-bid, which they are in solid position to gain having not lost yet in the double-elimination tournament. For Ohio State or Minnesota to win they will have needed to win 3 games in 24 hours. Two today and tomorrows winner takes all.
For today Ohio State will send Sunday starter Eric Best to the mound. Unlike Indiana and Minnesota the 3:35 game will be just Ohio State's third game in the tournament and they have the luxury of rolling out a weekend starter. It will be both Minnesota's and Indiana's fourth game of the week and not definite word on who will be on the mound for the Gophers and Hoosiers.
IU's coach Tracy Smith did mention ace Eric Arnett is available to pitch and depending on the situation, do not be surprised to see him on the mound at some point.
Columbus Dispatch: Buckeyes blown out by Hoosiers' hot bats
Let me first say that I checked out the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the Bloomington Newspaper hoping to post therir stories on their teams, and found nothing. It's a shame that no coverage was provided. Yes Ohio State is the "home team" but even during the season a breif recap would be provided for road series. No excuse for IU and Minnesota to not be covered. Especially when a lot is on the line: Minnesota regional hosting, Indiana regional bid.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
By Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
As remarkable as Ohio State has been in this magical season, there have been many days when games turned into batting practice for opponents because of a pitching staff that is youthful and paper-thin.
Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, that happened in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
Starter Dean Wolosiansky gave up 12 hits in four-plus innings, including five straight to open the fifth, as Indiana roughed up Ohio State 13-3 tonight in Huntington Park.
Thanks to Buckeyes fans -- who were loud and present en masse -- the crowd count was 4,019.
The loss was painful for the hometown fans.
"It is embarrassing to lose a game like this," third baseman and co-captain Justin Miller said. "The best thing is we get to strap it on (again). The next game is for pride."
Ohio State (40-16) must win three games to capture the tournament championship, starting with second-seeded Minnesota (37-16) at approximately 3:35 today.
It looked as though Wolosiansky was on the mark when he struck out the side in the second inning after allowing a leadoff double to Alex Dickerson, the conference freshman of the year.
But Indiana batters adjusted the second time through the lineup and scored three runs in the fourth inning and seven in the fifth to lead 10-2.
The problem for the Buckeyes went beyond pitching. They made three errors, and the bats went silent to the tune of six hits.
"The game of baseball never ceases to amaze me," Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. "I wasn't happy with the way we swung the bats. I wasn't happy with the way we played defense or pitched. That's not taking away anything from Indiana. Our players might be emotionally drained and need to recharge" after the drive to the regular-season championship.
Todd said the turning point came in the top of the fifth inning when Ohio State had the bases loaded with no one out and did not score.
"Then the next half-inning, we just couldn't stop the bleeding," he said.
The Hoosiers have won 10 of their last 11 games and are one victory away from completing an impressive four-year rebuilding job under coach Tracy Smith.
However, Smith isn't about to think that the Big Ten championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that come with it is in the bag.
"I'm taking nothing for granted," he said. "I'm excited. The guys are confident. They are on a roll. Literally, I make out the lineup and get out of the way. The work was done in January and February."
First baseman Jerrud Sabourin said Indiana began the turnaround last season by finishing third in the Big Ten tournament despite being the sixth seed.
"Now, we have a little bit of momentum," he said. "It's the way we're swinging the bats. We're taking pressure off our pitchers. They know we're going to score runs."
Saturday, May 23, 2009
By Mark Znidar
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
As remarkable as Ohio State has been in this magical season, there have been many days when games turned into batting practice for opponents because of a pitching staff that is youthful and paper-thin.
Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, that happened in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
Starter Dean Wolosiansky gave up 12 hits in four-plus innings, including five straight to open the fifth, as Indiana roughed up Ohio State 13-3 tonight in Huntington Park.
Thanks to Buckeyes fans -- who were loud and present en masse -- the crowd count was 4,019.
The loss was painful for the hometown fans.
"It is embarrassing to lose a game like this," third baseman and co-captain Justin Miller said. "The best thing is we get to strap it on (again). The next game is for pride."
Ohio State (40-16) must win three games to capture the tournament championship, starting with second-seeded Minnesota (37-16) at approximately 3:35 today.
It looked as though Wolosiansky was on the mark when he struck out the side in the second inning after allowing a leadoff double to Alex Dickerson, the conference freshman of the year.
But Indiana batters adjusted the second time through the lineup and scored three runs in the fourth inning and seven in the fifth to lead 10-2.
The problem for the Buckeyes went beyond pitching. They made three errors, and the bats went silent to the tune of six hits.
"The game of baseball never ceases to amaze me," Ohio State coach Bob Todd said. "I wasn't happy with the way we swung the bats. I wasn't happy with the way we played defense or pitched. That's not taking away anything from Indiana. Our players might be emotionally drained and need to recharge" after the drive to the regular-season championship.
Todd said the turning point came in the top of the fifth inning when Ohio State had the bases loaded with no one out and did not score.
"Then the next half-inning, we just couldn't stop the bleeding," he said.
The Hoosiers have won 10 of their last 11 games and are one victory away from completing an impressive four-year rebuilding job under coach Tracy Smith.
However, Smith isn't about to think that the Big Ten championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament that come with it is in the bag.
"I'm taking nothing for granted," he said. "I'm excited. The guys are confident. They are on a roll. Literally, I make out the lineup and get out of the way. The work was done in January and February."
First baseman Jerrud Sabourin said Indiana began the turnaround last season by finishing third in the Big Ten tournament despite being the sixth seed.
"Now, we have a little bit of momentum," he said. "It's the way we're swinging the bats. We're taking pressure off our pitchers. They know we're going to score runs."
Day 3 in video
The day kicked off with Minnesota and Purdue squaring off in an elimination game. The Gophers would take command after Purdue took an early 3-1 lead. The Gophers had 3 home runs on the day. Purdue's John Cummins had a 2-run home run but it wasn't enough as they fell 12-3.
Highlights
Purdue Coach Doug Schreiber's post game press conference
With the Minnesota victory they advanced to play Illinois in elimination game 2 of the day. The Gophers' bats did not cool down. More home runs flew out of Huntington Park, Minnesota's Nick O'Shea with a pair. Minnesota won 13-4.
Minnesota's head coach John Anderson addresses the media after the game...
Illinois' head coach Dan Hartleb and his post game comments...
The offensive shows and lopsided victories did not stop in the night cap. Indiana pounded out 13 runs against Ohio State to win 13-3 and move into today's championship game.
Highlights
Purdue Coach Doug Schreiber's post game press conference
With the Minnesota victory they advanced to play Illinois in elimination game 2 of the day. The Gophers' bats did not cool down. More home runs flew out of Huntington Park, Minnesota's Nick O'Shea with a pair. Minnesota won 13-4.
Minnesota's head coach John Anderson addresses the media after the game...
Illinois' head coach Dan Hartleb and his post game comments...
The offensive shows and lopsided victories did not stop in the night cap. Indiana pounded out 13 runs against Ohio State to win 13-3 and move into today's championship game.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
All-Big Ten Teams, Buckeyes and Hoosiers Sweep Awards
FIRST TEAM
1B – Mike Dufek, MICH
2B – Derek McCallum, MINN#
SS – Brandon Wikoff, ILL
3B – Dominic Altobelli, ILL
OF – Kipp Schutz, IND
OF – Ryan Durant, IOWA
OF – Brandon Haveman, PUR#
C – Josh Phegley, IND*
C – Dan Burkhart, OSU*
DH – Ryan Dew, OSU
SP – Eric Arnett, IND#
SP – Chris Fetter, MICH
SP – Alex Wimmers, OSU#
RP – Jake Hale, OSU
SECOND TEAM**
1B – Jerrud Sabourin, IND
2B – Cory Kovanda, OSU
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN
3B – Justin Miller, OSU
OF – Pete Cappetta, ILL
OF – Ryan LaMarre, MICH
OF – Michael Stephens, OSU
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND
SP – Matt Bashore, IND
SP – Seth Rosin, MINN
SP – Dean Wolosiansky, OSU
RP – Scott Matyas, MINN
THIRD TEAM
1B – John Cummins, PUR
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – Justin Toole, IOWA
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU
OF – Willie Argo, ILL
OF – Mike Kvasnicka, MINN
OF – Alex Jaffee, PUR
C – Aaron Johnson, ILL
DH – Matt Nohelty, MINN
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Tom Buske, MINN
SP – Matt Bischoff, PUR
RP – Chris Squires, IND*
RP – Ryan Ignas, PSU*
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
1B – Nick O’Shea, MINN
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN#
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU#
OF – Willie Argo, ILL#
OF – Justin Gominsky, MINN#
OF – Tyler Spillner, PUR
C – Dallas Burke, IOWA#
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND#
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Blake Monar, IND#
SP – Tony Bucciferro, MSU
RP – Austin Lubinsky, MINN
BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL HONORS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dan Burkhart, OSU
CO-PITCHERS OF THE YEAR
Eric Arnett, IND
Alex Wimmers, OSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YER
Alex Dickerson, IND
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bob Todd, OSU#
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Dominic Altobelli, ILL
Jerrud Sabourin, IND
Justin Toole, IOWA
Kenny Fellows, MICH
Nolan Moody, MSU
Matt Nohelty, MINN
Jake Wilson, NU
Cory Kovanda, OSU
Ryan Boonie, PSU
John Cummins, PUR
* Denotes ties
# Denotes unanimous choice
1B – Mike Dufek, MICH
2B – Derek McCallum, MINN#
SS – Brandon Wikoff, ILL
3B – Dominic Altobelli, ILL
OF – Kipp Schutz, IND
OF – Ryan Durant, IOWA
OF – Brandon Haveman, PUR#
C – Josh Phegley, IND*
C – Dan Burkhart, OSU*
DH – Ryan Dew, OSU
SP – Eric Arnett, IND#
SP – Chris Fetter, MICH
SP – Alex Wimmers, OSU#
RP – Jake Hale, OSU
SECOND TEAM**
1B – Jerrud Sabourin, IND
2B – Cory Kovanda, OSU
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN
3B – Justin Miller, OSU
OF – Pete Cappetta, ILL
OF – Ryan LaMarre, MICH
OF – Michael Stephens, OSU
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND
SP – Matt Bashore, IND
SP – Seth Rosin, MINN
SP – Dean Wolosiansky, OSU
RP – Scott Matyas, MINN
THIRD TEAM
1B – John Cummins, PUR
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – Justin Toole, IOWA
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU
OF – Willie Argo, ILL
OF – Mike Kvasnicka, MINN
OF – Alex Jaffee, PUR
C – Aaron Johnson, ILL
DH – Matt Nohelty, MINN
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Tom Buske, MINN
SP – Matt Bischoff, PUR
RP – Chris Squires, IND*
RP – Ryan Ignas, PSU*
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
1B – Nick O’Shea, MINN
2B – Eric Charles, PUR
SS – AJ Pettersen, MINN#
3B – Jordan Steranka, PSU#
OF – Willie Argo, ILL#
OF – Justin Gominsky, MINN#
OF – Tyler Spillner, PUR
C – Dallas Burke, IOWA#
DH – Alex Dickerson, IND#
SP – Will Strack, ILL
SP – Blake Monar, IND#
SP – Tony Bucciferro, MSU
RP – Austin Lubinsky, MINN
BIG TEN INDIVIDUAL HONORS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Dan Burkhart, OSU
CO-PITCHERS OF THE YEAR
Eric Arnett, IND
Alex Wimmers, OSU
FRESHMAN OF THE YER
Alex Dickerson, IND
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bob Todd, OSU#
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Dominic Altobelli, ILL
Jerrud Sabourin, IND
Justin Toole, IOWA
Kenny Fellows, MICH
Nolan Moody, MSU
Matt Nohelty, MINN
Jake Wilson, NU
Cory Kovanda, OSU
Ryan Boonie, PSU
John Cummins, PUR
* Denotes ties
# Denotes unanimous choice
Saturday, May 16, 2009
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
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