After one of its most successful weeks in team history, the Ohio State baseball team is ready for its encore tonight as the Buckeyes host Wooster at 6:35 in Davis Stadium.
The Buckeyes (19-10, 8-4 Big Ten) won all six of their games during the week, sweeping both Oakland and Iowa. With the wins over the Hawkeyes, OSU holds sole possession of second place in the Big Ten Conference behind Minnesota.
The biggest news of the week came from individual performances, especially on the pitching mound.
Right-hander Greg Prenger started off the week with OSU’s first perfect game in the 120-year history of Buckeye baseball. Not to be out done, lefty Scott Lewis backed Prenger up by setting a new school record, striking out 20 Hawkeye batters in a 4-1 win.
Both Prenger and Lewis were recognized by the Big Ten, splitting the Pitcher of the Week award. The duo also earned national recognition as they were named Players of the Week by Louisville Slugger, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and College Baseball Insider.
“It was awesome to be recognized nationally,” Prenger said. “I never thought something like that would happen to me. It’s a great honor to be mentioned with a lot of great players.”
But the Buckeyes didn’t have to rely on their pitching alone this past week. Outfielder Christian Snavely hit .538 with six RBIs in the four-game sweep of Iowa. His solid week helped propel his batting average from .206 to .262 after the six games. For his efforts, Snavely was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week.
“It was definitely a big weekend for us as a team,” Snavely said. “This was a confidence booster for us and we definitely needed that. Those wins against Iowa keep us in the Big Ten race and we feel we control our own destiny.”
But after such a successful week, the Buckeyes aren’t looking past tonight’s opponent. The Fighting Scots, ranked No. 24 in Division III, begin thier eight-game road trip with a stop at OSU. Wooster has won 11 of its last 12 games.
“We know they are one of the top five programs in Division III,” said OSU coach Bob Todd. “This will be a marquee game on their schedule – they have nothing to lose and everything to gain with this game.”
The Buckeyes won’t have to look very far for motivation, as they hope to avenge a 9-7 loss to Wooster last season. The Scots have won four in a row against Division I opponents.
“In sports, you never play for revenge,” Todd said. “But we are looking forward to the game and hope to continue to play like we have the past week.”
In the midst of a tough Big Ten schedule, the Buckeyes hope to use tonight’s game to keep their skills sharp and give some other players playing time.
“Honestly, we are doing a favor for Wooster,” Todd said. “But the NCAA also lets us schedule four non-divisional games, and we know in this part of the country, we have to schedule games whenever we can.”
OSU’s pitching staff will have to avoid getting into trouble against Wooster’s tough lineup. Second baseman Matt Miller leads the Scots, batting .465 with five home runs and 30 RBIs. Infielder Jake Frank anchors Wooster’s lineup with his seven home runs and 39 RBIs.
“We don’t know a whole lot about Wooster right now,” Prenger said. “But we just have to try and play our game and not worry about who we are playing.”
