For a number of years, Ohio State baseball manager Bob Todd has been trying to get more respect for northern college baseball.

Historically, teams from states like Florida and Texas have dominated the College World Series landscape.

Starting tomorrow, northern baseball will get recognition when the Buckeyes battle Southwest Missouri State for the right to move on to the 2003 College World Series in Omaha. The best-of-three series starts tomorrow at 8:05 p.m., and Sunday’s game starts 6:05 p.m. If a winner-take-all matchup is needed Monday, that game will start at 1:05 p.m. Both of the weekend’s games will be broadcast on ESPN2, while Monday’s would be on ESPN.

“The opportunity to have a super regional here in the north, especially Ohio State, I think is a feather in our cap,” Todd said.

OSU got its fill of southern baseball last weekend at the Auburn Regional. The Buckeyes earned a berth in their first super regional since 1999 by beating traditional powerhouses Clemson and Auburn.

“There’s a lot of propaganda down there – saying we are a northern school and we are inferior to the southern schools,” OSU pitcher Kyle Brown said. “We went down there and showed them we can play baseball, and hopefully this will set a precedent giving us more respect.”

But standing in the way of the Buckeyes and the ultimate respect of going to Omaha is the Bears, who won the Lincoln Regional as a No. 3 seed. Southwest Missouri State swept host Nebraska in the final two games of the regional.

On name recognition alone, the Bears don’t measure up to the Clemsons and Auburns of the college baseball world. However, the Buckeyes know that this weekend’s opponent could be its toughest to date.

“Fans have a tendency to equate baseball programs with football programs,” Todd said. “That certainly is not the case. I know Southwest Missouri State plays outstanding baseball.”

OSU knows firsthand just how tough the Bears can be. Earlier this season in the Tournament of Champions Cardinal Classic in Beaumont, Texas, Southwest Missouri State pounded the Buckeyes in an 18-3 win, thanks in large part to a 10-run ninth inning.

“We played them early in the year and got spanked pretty good,” Todd said. “They are going to come in here with a good ballclub.”

Despite the earlier setback, the Buckeyes know that both teams have changed for the better since that meeting on March 2.

“We are a totally different team now than we were last time we played them,” OSU pitcher Greg Prenger said. “We’re not really worried about our opponent; we’re more worried about us and have to play the best baseball we can play.”

However, the Bears are very experienced and have loads of talent. Leading the way is senior right-hand pitcher Brad Ziegler. Ziegler was named Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year and is a two-time first team all-MVC selection. This season, Ziegler finished 9-1 with 4.00 ERA, but was 6-0 in his seven conference starts.

Another Bear pitcher that has emerged on the scene late is 6-foot-5 Bob Zimmerman. He led SW Missouri State to the this weekend’s super regional with nine-inning shutout of the Cornhuskers, the first of his career.

“Zimmerman is somebody that I coached in 2001 on the U.S. National Team,” Todd said. “He is outstanding. He is very capable of beating anybody in the country.”

On offense, the Bears look to a number of players, most notably outfielder Dant’e Brinkley. Before the MVC Tournament, Brinkley hit .344 with 16 doubles and three triples. He scored 54 times and drove in 33.

SW Missouri State’s main RBI man is Greg Mathis. He hit .325 before the conference tournament and drove in 43 runs.

“They have a couple of guys who can really swing the bat,” OSU pitcher Nate Smith said. “We just have to make sure not to let them get to us.”