Watch it, watch it go…first baseman Ryan Miller follows through, and follows the path of his mammoth fifth inning home run (his first) during the Buckeyes’ 5-run fifth. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Home runs were the highlight of the day…the possible emergence of freshman Gavin DeVooght as a third starter…and what we’ve all waited to see – how far Ryan Miller can hit a baseball.
Columbus, OH – The obvious good news on Sunday was the Buckeyes 11-1 win over Iowa to take the series 2 games to 1, improve their overall mark to two games over .500 (17-15), and keep pace in the Big Ten Conference race at 6 games up, and 6 games down.
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But there were also some things not so obvious to the nice crowd in the stands (1,519) – starting with the timely performance of bullpen-turned-starter freshman Gavin DeVooght, who for a second time in as many weeks came to the call and pitched 4 innings of three-hit, one-run baseball, striking out two and walking three.
The last of his three walks signaled his end, as he was relieved in the top of the fifth with no outs by who’s soon-to-be-known-as an ‘Everyday Eddie’, the former Twins reliever (Eddie Guardado) who literally did pitch everyday, and appeared in more than 900 major league games. For the Buckeyes, it’s grad student Jacob Morin, likewise for his ability to pitch on demand and get people out reliably and consistently.
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But those four innings might well have been a glimpse of a problem turned propitious as the Buckeyes have struggled to find that reliable weekend third starter. More on that in a minute.
But there was another overtone that delighted the 1,519 even more, when heretofore struggling first baseman Ryan Miller, the transfer from Tennessee, ignited the longest home run at Bill Davis in five years with a bomb in the fifth inning off Iowa reliever Jack Young. Young grooved a fastball to Miller who simply crushed it…a laser that went out in right center between the 370 mark and the scoreboard.
No one really saw where it landed, but when it left the park it was about 25 feet off the ground and still on a line. It’s assumed that it landed somewhere behind an equipment pile beyond the fence, coming to rest against the fence that separates the baseball property from that of the Jack Nicklaus Museum on Olentangy River Road. One could calculate the distance at about 440 feet.
Miller had entered the game batting .118 and finished with that home run and another hard hit ball for a single in the seventh, 2 for 2 for the day, and improved to .211 with just two swings of the bat.
Mitchell Okuley launches his fourth home run of the season during the five-run fifth.
“It felt great,” he said afterwards, the most obvious understatement of the season. “I haven’t been performing like I wanted to at the dish, and it helped to contribute to a big Sunday win and series win. And it’s awesome being at home where my family can come to the games, it was cool for them to see it, and help us get the win.”
One of four Ohio State home runs on the day in the wind tunnel that has been Bill Davis nearly all season, his was by far the most welcome.
“He’s worked his tail off,” added Bill Mosiello. “And what you saw is what he’s capable of doing. He’s got unlimited potential. He can do things that no one else on our club can do and that’s why I’ve stayed with him to get him some consecutive at bats. And if he can ever get it going, man, it changes our whole club.”
Trailing 1-0 in the second after Iowa scratched an early run off DeVooght, the Buckeyes answered in the bottom of the second when Iowa starter Brody Brecht – who throws as hard as anyone in college baseball – simply couldn’t locate home plate with consistency. After a single by Okuley, he walked two, hit a batter, and then gave up an RBI single to Trey Lipsey…2-1, OSU.
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The Bucks added a run in the fourth on a one-out double by Ike Cadena, then a pair of walks sandwiching a hit batsman that forced in another run…3-1, OSU.
They delivered the coup de gras an inning later on a one-out homer by Mitchell Okuley (his fourth), a Joe Mershon single, and then Miller’s blast to, for a moment, make the score 6-1…but only for a moment. Josh Stevenson took one off his shin, and Trey Lipsey followed with another home run (his fifth) – the third dinger in the inning – and at that point it felt academic…8-1.
‘Everyday Eddie’…Jacob Morin again proved reliable in two scoreless innings to gain his third win of the season.
Morin would pitch a scoreless fifth and sixth before giving the ball to Colin Purcell to start the seventh. Purcell would gain the final six outs of the game (no runs on 1 hit) as the Buckeyes added 2 more runs in the bottom of the seventh on a Ryan Miller single and Josh Stevenson’s fourth home run of the season…to make it 10-1.
But don’t head for the exits yet.
They would add yet another run in the bottom of the eighth on three consecutive walks and an RBI fielder’s choice by Stevenson, making it 11-1, and invoking the college version of the mercy rule when a team is ahead by 10 runs after seven innings.
The Buckeyes won it with 11 runs on 10 hits and committed 1 error. Morin got the win to improve to 3-0.
Iowa lost it with 1 run on 5 hits and had no errors. Brody Brecht, projected to be a possible first round pick come the July draft, took the loss.
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Bill Mosiello could have been counting his blessings as he talked with the media – a series win over one of the league’s premier teams…the next step in the development of freshman DeVooght as a possible starter…Ryan Miller’s coming out with two hits, two runs scored, and two RBIs…Trey Lipsey going 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBIs…Okuley continuing to hit the ball hard with a home run and a 2 for 3 day…and the continued steady play of Joe Mershon at second base (2 for 3 at the plate to raise his average .307).
Moreover, the Buckeyes’ series win kept them in that upper tier in the standings, adding important confidence with next week’s trip to Ann Arbor looming.
“Yeah,” he agreed, but added: “But first we have to navigate Wright State and Kent State, mid-week.” He was taking nothing for granted with a pair of out-of-conference games. WSU is currently 20-15, overall, and 10-5 in the Horizon League.
“And don’t kid yourself that we’ve suddenly become an awesome offensive team,” he cautioned. “We scored on the back end of their bullpen today. But we were patient against their starter, who’s a first-rounder, and we were able to get his pitch count up. We didn’t chase pitches. Overall, it was just good baseball. I thought it was good all weekend, and I really don’t think the error we had in the first inning [today] was right. Kacz got to that ball and made a heckuva’ backhand play. It should have been hit. That was our only blemish.
Second baseman Joe Mershon went 2 for 3 in the win and turned this double play against Iowa.
“But I still expect us to be better,” speaking to the question of having won 5 of 6 and a series against Iowa. “We lost the series to Nebraska and we didn’t sweep this one. We’ve won two series (Purdue and Iowa) and we’re only 5-4 in the league. We’re not leading this league, but I’m excited, and it’s a lot better than what we know can happen.”
In fact, the Buckeyes’ 5-4 record in the Big Ten has them tied for fifth place with Indiana, and behind Michigan and Purdue (both 8-4), and then second place Nebraska (6-3) and first place Illinois (7-2). And for heightened intrigue, consider that the Buckeyes travel to Michigan next weekend hoping to win a third series in what will be a tempest of retribution for OSU having swept the Wolverines to conclude the 2023 season.
“No one’s running away with it, and no one’s really shown that they’re a great team,” said Mo. “But we’re playing to win this thing, and we’ve won two series against good teams, Purdue and Iowa.”
Gavin DeVooght delivered his longest outing of the year, 4 innings in Sunday’s start against the Hawkeyes.
And finally, Gavin DeVooght, who delivered what was needed and necessary Sunday, four big innings that ultimately gave his team the chance to put the game away with the five-run fifth.
“I just trusted my stuff,” he said, smiling. “I had my fastball, slider and curveball, feeling good, and I don’t know what the velocity was today, but I felt more in synch.”
Odds are…he’s going to get a third consecutive Sunday chance next week, hoping to extend himself at least one more inning.
One game at a time, one series at a time, and Sunday…one more weapon emerging at a point where the standings, and the future of this club, are there for the claiming.
And did we mention 1,519 in attendance? A lot of them will come back because they left impressed. That’s there for the claiming, too.
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