Junior Bayden Root (below) nailed it down out of the bullpen, but senior catcher Brent Todys was 0-for-5 when he stepped to the plate and drove in the go-ahead run with a double down the left field line to beat Illinois in Friday's opener. Mark Znidar writes.
Even if they'd lost on Friday Greg Beals, his coaches, and 'the boys' would have gone back to their hotel Friday night liking what they saw. But they won, and the way they won bodes well for the weekend and beyond. Read about it in the latest Press Pros Buckeyes post.
The Buckeyes kick off their 44-game schedule Friday with a four-game series against Dan Hartleb's Illinois Illini. Important? You can't begin to understand all the reasons why.
Even when Ohio State was ascending in the polls, a daunting end-of-season challenge loomed ahead. Now that gauntlet has arrived, and the Buckeyes with EJ Liddell (bottom) are paddling furiously to stay afloat and preserve their hopes for a prolonged post-season. Bruce Hooley writes.
With opening day a week away, the Buckeyes look for some areas of quick certainty in a shortened season of uncertainty, and no place more important than the bullpen. Our final tuneup for Buckeye baseball in today's Press Pros feature.
