Transfer Reggie Bussey (Oakland University) adds to one of the fastest outfields in the Big Ten. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
20 days from opening day in Arizona, the Buckeyes assemble all the pieces, as roles and positions are charted, and names and talents emerge.
Columbus, OH – The forecast was for a high of 51 degrees in Buies Creek, North Carolina last week.
Locally, Ohio State coach Justin Haire was over the moon about 38 degrees in Columbus…so over the moon, in fact, that the ground crew plowed snow off Bill Davis Stadium so Haire and his Ohio State baseball team could work out in the cold. “It could be worse,” he chuckled. “The cutoff point for playing in the Big Ten is 28 degrees.”
The additional 13 degrees is grounds for cabin fever, but not to Haire and the Buckeyes because sunlight, even cold sunlight, is an opportunity to exercise some observatory time and projection as to who plays where come February 14, which if you’re not paying attention comes in 20 days.
Columnist Sonny Fulks writes OHSAA sports and Ohio State baseball for Press Pros Magazine.com.
After three coaches in four years, angst over portal losses, and the annual questions about recruitment and freshman talent…he was open to questions this week over some specifics.
And where do things start?
He starts where all baseball coaches start, with pitching.
“I really think figuring out how we can maximize on the mound is the biggest piece, right,” he begins. “We want to figure out who are the guys that can start the game, go once or twice through the lineup, and then look at what spots we can get guys in to maximize their ability. We’ve got some guys with arm talent, but we’ve got some unproven pieces. So being able to mix and match those top twelve or thirteen guys – maximize – especially early when we’re playing three games a week is really important. That’ll help set us up for when we get into week four and five and we start playing five times a week…what things look like and who can do what.”
A reality. If pitching is the primary baseball axiom – got to have it – then those who play in the middle of your defense cannot be far behind. Who ‘s making a bid to be behind the plate, at short, at second, and in center field?
“He’s always had the hit tool, but he’s really impressed me with his work ethic to be solid defensively. ” – Justin Haire on senior infielder Tyler Pettorini
“I think the middle infield can be a combination,” he says. “And it’ll work itself out over the next three weeks. But Pettorini, Marc Stephens, and Lee Ellis would be the first three guys for consideration at second, shortstop, and third base. Those three guys stand out for me in those three spots. But it’s my experience in the past that you end up with guys getting hurt and you have to have options, so it’s important to me that those guys are comfortable in multiple positions.
“Guys get hurt, and guys have slumps, so you have to have versatility. With Maddix Simpson, Alex Koelling, Athony Scheppler, and Will Carpenter…’Carp’ is our Swiss army knife …that’s where I rate us from an infield standpoint.
“That leaves the corner spots and if we had to start tomorrow I would believe that whoever doesn’t play in the middle will play at third base; and Tyler Pettorini has impressed me in a variety of ways because in every report he has continued to improve defensively from his freshman year to now. He’s always had the hit tool, but he’s really impressed me with his work ethic to be solid defensively. You feel really good about his versatility. And freshman Ty Fox and Ryan Miller give us a nice complement at first base. They’re both good left-hand bats who had good moments in the fall.”
After back-to-back years of consistency, junior Matt Graveline is ready to establish himself as the bellwether of Big Ten catchers.
There is no better athlete behind home plate than Matt Graveline. The junior from Centerville, Ohio has opened eyes in the conference in back-to-back years and is ready now to establish himself as the bellwether of Big Ten catchers. But sophomore Mason Ekelman has made strides to be the dependable complement, giving Graveline some time away from catching while keeping his bat in the lineup at first base or in the outfield. He’s played both.
“I think Gravey and Eck are kind of neck-and-neck ability-wise, and I mean that in the best way possible,” says Haire. “We have two ‘high level’ catchers and the best teams have depth at the catching position. Gravey (Graveline) caught 53 games last year and for us to be good in April and May, or in ‘June’…I think we have to be healthy and as fresh as we can. We want to balance them so we can keep them both in the lineup as much as possible. It’s exciting to think about the two of them getting 150 or 200 at bats each.”
He has choices in centerfield, along with speed and experience at the corner positions…Nick Giamarusti, Trey Lipsey, and Reggie Bussey.
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“Luckily those three guys are all 6.4 60 (yard dash) or better,” Haire brags. “Having those three guys out there who can really fly shrinks down that big outfield. There’s no doubt. And freshman Sal Mineo and Zach Freeman have really done a good job, Freeman’s finally healthy for the first time since he’s been here,. And Sal has some good tools. And Graveline can give us some depth out there while keeping his bat in the lineup with ‘Eck’ behind the plate.”
On January 19, and the first days of the last days before opening day, whatever reality you can derive from this roster centers on foot speed and athleticism as the core strengths of this baseball team.
And there is experience at core positions – up the middle – allowing for the developmental process of talented freshmen for whom Haire shows obvious respect.
And then there’s reality that it’s not only a new experience for more than half the roster…it’s completely new for Haire, as well. The familiarity he knew is back in Buies Creek, where it’s twenty degrees warmer and clearly in the rear view mirror. How will he adapt to a new league, new competition, and a new challenge?
“It’s been a blast,” he says. You can imagine the smile on the other end of the phone. Haire is quickly establishing himself as a personality at the head of his program.
“It’s fun to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do some new things and get creative in ways you’ve never done before. It’s been a fun challenge, and I want to take some of the newness, the challenge, and the adversity and make it into our advantage.
“Not everyone has to plow the snow off the field to get outside and work. But we get that opportunity while others won’t experience it. We get a chance to build through some of those challenges. There’s been a million moving pieces with being indoors and finding ways to get around the obstacles, and that’s been fun – new schedule, new players, new schools, and that kind of stuff. That could beat some people down, but our staff looks at it as how can we make it the best that it can possibly be?”
And with that he turned mind-over-matter, left the Carhartts on a hook, and went outside to work on making the most of things, the best it can possibly be.
Buckeye baseball fans are no less eager…
As the pieces fall in place.
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