Buckeyes right fielder Mitchell Okuley has hit .353 for the first weeks of the season, while playing his customary error-free defense in the outfield. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
In January right fielder Mitchell Okuley vowed to have is best year in this, his final year as a Buckeye. One quarter of the way through the schedule, he’s more than made good on that vow.
When Bill Mosiello said to me recently, “I’m glad that (Mitchell) Okuley didn’t read all that stuff you wrote about him being a slow starter. He might have believed you…” it set in motion the makings for a good ‘then’ versus ‘now’ preview for the home-opening weekend.
And some words of vindication for the kind of college athlete that people stand in line to root for.
What Mosiello was referring to was our mentioning in the past about Okuley warming up with the bat on, or around, April the 15 – ‘tax’ day, if you will.
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And it’s a topic the Buckeyes’ right fielder has readily acknowledged in the past. He has been a slow starter at the plate throughout his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons. One might even say…in the tradition of some of baseball’s most notable, current slow starters in the major leagues – Kyle Schwarber, Joey Votto, Alex Bregman, and Bryce Harper.
But just as surely, he’s always caught fire in April, hitting nearly .350 for a four-week period in 2022 to finish at .287, with 8 homers and 30 RBIs.
Last year was no exception. After a really slow February and March he began to sizzle in April, shooting line drives to all fields, finishing with 9 home runs and 34 RBIs.
“It’s just part of my history here,” he said during some interview time in January, prior to the start of the ’24 season. “But this year I’m working on relaxing more, some swing changes, and just enjoying my final year. My goal is to have some fun and get off to a better start.”
And of course, where there’s a will…….
The Olentangy Liberty High School product has sizzled at the plate in the first four weeks, hitting nearly a hundred forty points higher than for the same period in 2023…and yes, he’s enjoying it. As are the Buckeyes, off to a 10-8 start at the quarter pole of the season, with significant wins over Southern Cal, Arizona State, Cal Berkeley, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.
“It’s great to be off to this good start,” he said this week while prepping for the home opener on Friday with Georgetown University. “And probably for one of the first times in my career. For me it’s been ‘freeing’. I’m more relaxed, I’m enjoying the game, and there’s still areas to improve. I wanted to lower my strikeouts and I’m going to keep working on that. And there haven’t been any ‘bombs’ yet (home runs), but I know that will come. I’m just sticking with my approach, trying to stay in the middle of the field, and not try to do too much.”
He’s the Jack Armstrong of the Big Ten – the All-American guy. So much so that the previous coaching regime at Ohio State still considers Okuley one of the top character people they ever recruited. This, while arguably the best right fielder in the Big Ten. Former Press Pros colleague and Dispatch columnist Mark Znidar covered Okuley for years as a prep athlete at Olentangy Liberty and claimed he was among the best all-around Ohio high school athletes he ever saw.
He may not be the fastest, but Okuley runs well, gets a great jump, takes good angles, and has a remarkable set of hands when he gets to the ball. In his cumulative career at Ohio State he has just two errors in 276 putouts and assist opportunities. And perhaps his greatest ability is his availability. He just doesn’t miss games, having played in 95% of all games since joining the program in 2020.
“It’s helpful when you see others hitting and it gives you confidence. When they’re hitting you know you don’t have to do it yourself.” – Mitchell Okuley (above)
“I think part of the past has been coincidental,” he adds, speaking of his offensive history. “Last year there were some times when I hit the ball really well and right at people. That obviously doesn’t show in the stat book. And that can get in your head and send you into a spiral.
“But that’s part of the game. How you manage it, stay with it, and trust the process is the way you get through it.”
That, and have the kind of supporting cast that Okuley now has for his final season as a Buckeye, starting with Mosiello, who, like the others, swears by work ethic, and leadership through example.
“He’s such a good kid,” says ‘Mo’, and more than once since taking the reins as coach.
“No one works harder. He’s talented, and we just need to get him going earlier,” he added during last fall’s workouts.
And one can’t overlook being a part of a lineup hitting .274 (ten points higher than last year’s season totals). With Henry Kaczmar, Tyler Pettorini, and Matt Graveline hitting ahead of him…and a variety of hitters delivering behind him, Okuley now has more insulation in the batting order than at any time during his Ohio State career.
“I think that’s helped,” he says. “It’s a big part of it. It helps when you see others hitting – gives you confidence. When they’re hitting you know you don’t have to do it yourself. They’re going to get their hits, get on base, and score runs. Like I said, it frees you up to relax and enjoy the game.”
There should be no more mention of him being the ‘tax day’ hitter. Mitch Okuley laughs at the suggestion and recently made another. He’s now paying quarterly.
February…March…and hopefully April and May.
What about the Hoyas……
It will mark the second time in six years that Georgetown has come to Bill Davis when the Hoyas open the Buckeyes home schedule this weekend, and if you’re thinking John Thompson, Patrick Ewing, and basketball…think again.
Members of the Big East Conference, the Hoyas own a 13-7 record, have played good competition out West at the same time the Buckeyes were in Arizona, and currently have won seven of their last eight against Cornell, University of Albany, George Washington and Delaware.
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They hit! As a team they average .306 at the plate, led by first baseman Christian Ficca (.418, 6 HRs, and 34 RBIs) and have 30 home runs already in their first 20 games.
On the mound they pitch at a 5.55 ERA and appear to be left-hand heavy, something the Buckeyes have grown accustomed to.
They last played Ohio State in 2018, at Bill Davis in 34-degree weather, and OSU took two of three games, winning 13-5 and 5-4, while losing the middle game, 5-4.
The Buckeyes are currently hitting .274 as a team (opponents are hitting .288), with 15 home runs and 114 RBIs. Individually, they’re being led by Henry Kaczmar (.361), Mitchell Okuley (.353), Matt Graveline (.333) and Tyler Pettorini (.282) among hitters with at least 50 at bats.
The pitching staff has an earned run average of 6.08, led by Landon Beidelschies (3.62), Colin Purcell (4.43), and Gavin Bruni (4.64) among pitchers with 20 innings or more. Closer Justin Eckhardt leads the bullpen with an ERA of 2.74 and 4 saves in 7.1 innings.
Announced times for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday games are 6 pm (Fri), 2 pm (Sat), and 1 pm (Sun).
Plenty of good seats are still available…and dress accordingly. Friday’s high will 63, Saturday will be 44, and Sunday 52.
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