Freshman Isaac Cadena has channeled a bit of Charlie Hustle, giving the Buckeyes a recent lift to help them win five of their last six games. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
At two games over .500, overall, and 4-3 in league play, the Buckeyes are at that point of making their move against the ‘elites’ of the league, for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament…and whatever point they can make about an at-large opportunity.
Columbus, OH – If you remember from last year, one of Bill Mosiello’s biggest disappointments in the Buckeyes’ 31-25 season was that of having won the final nine games of the season…and then having no where to go.
No Big Ten Tournament, no at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament…nothing. Just pack it up and hit the road recruiting for the future.
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That brings focus to this week’s non-conference games tonight against Wright State (in Columbus, 6 pm) and tomorrow’s rescheduled date with Kent State (in Kent). Win those two games and they’re 19-15, overall, and regardless of what Mosiello believes about momentum…they go to Ann Arbor this weekend feeling a lot better about themselves than .500.
Editor and publisher Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA sports and Buckeyes baseball for Press Pros Magazine.
If this were the PGA they would call it ‘moving week’, the term used to describe individuals making their move on the field. Hence, they call Saturday, the first day after the cut, ‘moving day’ when you position yourself to win the tournament on Sunday.
So here’s the metrics.
The Buckeyes are currently 5-4 in league play, tied with Indiana for fourth place.
Ironically, Michigan is 8-4 (17-19, overall), and tied with Purdue (8-4, 23-13), for third place.
And of course, whatever winning scenario you can imagine is huge for the sake of the league standings with now just five weeks remaining in the season. That’s right, after this weekend they Buckeyes have league games with just Michigan State (next week), at Illinois (May 3-5), at home with Northwestern (May 10-12), and finish at Rutgers (May 16-18). The Big Ten Tournament is May 21-26, in Omaha.
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So the next month determines their year and all the work, speculation, and conversation about the difference in 2024 over 2023, and a record of 31-25…and nowhere to go. Where they go from here is squarely in their hands.
Michigan has had its ups and downs, 17-19 overall, but of late has mitigated some of their pitching issues, as have the Buckeyes. And statistically, they trail the Buckeyes in hitting by just 4 points, and in ERA, 5.44 (OSU) to 6.34, nearly a run per nine innings. And defensively they’re just about the game, with 34 errors on the season.
So it’s there for the taking, given that if the Buckeyes can play through the emotion of ‘the rivalry’ (that you never heard talked about, except for football), they can make strong case out of the chute with Landon Beidelschies on the mound for the Friday opener at 6 pm (WBNS, 1460 AM).
Reliever Jacob Morin is 3-0, and leads the Buckeyes’ bullpen with an earned run average of 2.12 in 17 innings of work.
Beidelschies is currently 4-5, (3.94 ERA), with 61 strikeouts in 50.1 innings. And despite his first inning miseries, has righted himself afterwards to be as tough as any starting pitcher in the Big Ten in those next five innings…an earned run average almost half that of the first inning.
“He has all the tools,” said a rival coach last week. “But it’s his mental approach on the mound that really makes him tough. He pitches quick, and he comes right at you.”
Regardless of who Michigan starts on the mound, names like Mitch Voit (5.53), Dylan Vigue (7.79), Kurt Barr (3.06) have had their issues with throwing strikes. Michigan trails only Iowa in the number of walks allowed this year (207 to 202), and those extra bases have cost the Wolverines in proportionate manner. And by the way, Ohio State has walked 52 less hitters, despite having played four less games.
So without making more of it than it is, the season and the answers to all those questions about an inexperienced pitching staff – freshman playing key roles, and did they get the right transfers – boils down to five weeks and just fifteen games between now and the end of the season. My projection before the start of all was a record of 32-24, or 33-23, overall, and finishing as one of the top eight in the league. Given what we’ve seen I still believe that they have a post-season to look forward to, and given the cumulative schedules of those top eight teams, I believe the Buckeyes can finish as high as a fourth seed.
But to do it they’re going to have to win series, and get some help. I don’t see Nebraska, Illinois, and Indiana going away, same as I wrote in February.
So…this is moving week.
Get it?
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