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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
SKULL SESSION: DWAYNE HASKINS COULD BE THE DRAFT'S TOP QB, ROB SIMS' IMPACT ON GEE SCOTT JR., AND JOEY VELAZQUEZ TALKS SMACK
“DONE TAKING BACKSEATS.” About a year ago, Joey Velazquez was committed to play baseball at Ohio State. Now, he's plotting the demise of Ohio State's football program as a Michigan football signee.
From Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider:
“Growing up with that rivalry you get to know both sides,” Velazquez told The Michigan Insider. “It’s every day. It’s like an everyday thing. Like Bo Schembechler said, ’the objective is to beat Ohio State.’ And that’s what we’re coming to do. It’s kind of like bringing it back to Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson and David Boston days.”
Velazquez’s appreciation for “the game” is probably even more pronounced than that of his Ohio born classmates. Not only is he from Columbus, he was also committed to play baseball for the Buckeyes for almost two years before flipping to the Wolverines to play both sports. So, he really has viewed the rivalry from both sides.
“Growing up in Columbus, obviously you root for the Buckeyes,” said Velazquez. “I have always been a great fan of the rivalry. And growing up in Columbus, you know what that rivalry’s about. You go to school with it. It’s kind of like a national holiday around here. People think it’s Thanksgiving Weekend, but it’s more like ‘The Game’ weekend.”
...
... "we’re done taking backseats to teams. I’m just coming in ready to work. There’s one game on my calendar that I have circled already because that game, to me, is kind of personal.”
“I don’t think anybody is going to get any gold pants any time soon.”
I can't really hate too much because what's he really supposed to say?
"Yeah, I'm actually still a huge Ohio State fan who's only going to Michigan because they offered me for football and I fully expect to get rolled like a cheap rug every year. Go Bucks."
He's saying what he has to, and getting folks all riled up, but forgive me if I don't take the Buckeye hater schtick too seriously when it's coming from a guy who grew up in Columbus, was planning to go to Ohio State for two years, has a family member currently at Ohio State, and still follows @11w on Twitter.
He's more Buckeye than some actual Ohio State fans.
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/skul...r-life-commit-joey-velazquez-michigan-rivalry
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JANUARY 24, 2019
THREE BUCKEYES EARN PRESEASON HONORS BY PERFECT GAME
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior outfielder Dominic Canzone, junior infielder Conner Pohl and senior infielder Kobie Foppe were each named to the 2019 Preseason All-Big Ten Team by Perfect Game announced Thursday. Canzone, from Sagamore Hills, Ohio, was listed as the No. 4 prospect out of the Big Ten in the 2019 class followed by Pohl (No. 18) and junior right-hander Joe Gahm (No. 30). Redshirt freshman left-hander Seth Lonsway was named the No. 4 prospect in the 2020 class as well as sophomore catcher Dillon Dingler at No. 7.
Perfect Game said on the 2019 Buckeyes, “They look strong, if young, on the mound. Dominic Canzone leads the offense and is a solid draft prospect this year. The youth in the rotation is extremely talented but nonetheless inexperienced so the depth of the pitching staff may end up being the key to the season for the boys from Columbus.”
Click above to read Perfect Game’s full Big Ten baseball preview (subscription required).
The Scarlet and Gray open the 136th season Feb. 15-17 at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., with a three-game series against Seton Hall.
https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/three-buckeyes-earn-preseason-honors-by-perfect-game/
THREE BUCKEYES EARN PRESEASON HONORS BY PERFECT GAME
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior outfielder Dominic Canzone, junior infielder Conner Pohl and senior infielder Kobie Foppe were each named to the 2019 Preseason All-Big Ten Team by Perfect Game announced Thursday. Canzone, from Sagamore Hills, Ohio, was listed as the No. 4 prospect out of the Big Ten in the 2019 class followed by Pohl (No. 18) and junior right-hander Joe Gahm (No. 30). Redshirt freshman left-hander Seth Lonsway was named the No. 4 prospect in the 2020 class as well as sophomore catcher Dillon Dingler at No. 7.
Perfect Game said on the 2019 Buckeyes, “They look strong, if young, on the mound. Dominic Canzone leads the offense and is a solid draft prospect this year. The youth in the rotation is extremely talented but nonetheless inexperienced so the depth of the pitching staff may end up being the key to the season for the boys from Columbus.”
Click above to read Perfect Game’s full Big Ten baseball preview (subscription required).
The Scarlet and Gray open the 136th season Feb. 15-17 at the Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte, Fla., with a three-game series against Seton Hall.
https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/three-buckeyes-earn-preseason-honors-by-perfect-game/
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Jan
27
The 64K Dollar 2019 Buckeye Baseball Question…Are They ‘Armed’ And Ready? (Part I)
by Sonny Fulks | OSU, OSU Feature
Better defensively...Junior Noah West came on strong in last year's second half to play some of the Big Ten's best shortstop. He'll be a building block in a revamped infield in 2019. (Press Pros File Photos)
Sonny Fulks
Managing Editor
Sonny Fulks is a graduate of Ohio State University where he pitched four varsity seasons for the Buckeyes from 1971 through 1974. He furthered his baseball experience as a minor league umpire for seven seasons, working for the Florida State League (A), the Southern League (AA), and the American Association (AAA). He has written for numerous websites, and for the past fourteen years has served as columnist and photo editor for The Gettysburg Magazine, published by the University of Nebraska Press, in Lincoln Nebraska. His interests include history, support for amateur baseball, the outdoors, and he has dual arts degrees from Ohio State University.
CONTACT
The 2019 NCAA baseball season kicks off in exactly 20 days. And in Columbus there’s high anticipation, as always…tempered by one question of obvious overtone. Who’s going to pitch, and how well?
Columbus – They start from an impressive cornerstone. Last season the Ohio State Buckeyes rebounded in magnificent fashion from an 11th place finish in 2017, and largely by posting a team batting average that hovered around the .300 mark for two-thirds of the season.
They flipped the 2017 record of 24-36 by going 36-24, and improved their overall Big Ten standing from 11th to 7th, qualifying for the post-season Big Ten Tourney and the NCAA regional in Greenville, North Carolina.
That’s their building block and it also cuts to the quick of the upcoming year. The Buckeyes scored a lot of runs last season, but they gave up a lot of runs, as well. Defense was horrible in spurts, at times – almost inexplicable.
Their pitching was a work in progress almost from the word ‘go’, centered around starters Ryan Feltner (5-5, 4.52), Connor Curlis (7-4, 3.55), and Adam Niemeyer (4-3, 6.24). The bullpen was another story, anchored by the indefatigable Seth Kinker, a second team All-American who pitched 63 innings while compiling a 7-2 record and a team-leading ERA of 2.27. Behind him…it was a scramble at times.
But time, and experience, is the great healer in baseball. And in college baseball you can add recruiting to that remedy. Greg Beals and his staff have recruited hard and hardy over the past two seasons, bringing in arguably the best athletes and the best pitching prospects in his nine seasons as head coach.
“We’re excited to get started,” Beals said after fall baseball, in December. “We’re excited because we have quality people all over the field, and we’ve recruited quality pitching prospects that we feel can come in and help us quickly.”
“And,” he continued, “…we’re excited over what we saw in fall baseball. We lost some very good people to graduation and the draft (Feltner, Curlis, Tyler Cowles and Noah McGowan), but last year’s experience and fall ball showed maturity in some of the people in line to step up and take their place. That makes it exciting.”
Then third, now first…Conner Pohl moves across the infield to first base to help upgrade the defense in 2019.
Without question the number one priority on the field in fall baseball was how to improve defensively.
“We worked hard to address it,” says Beals. “But what we really worked hard at was to change the mindset. And what we told guys was just go out and make a play, without worrying about making an error.”
Be more athletic and less mechanical, in layman terms. If see the ball, hit the ball, works on offense…then why won’t see the ball, catch the ball, and throw the ball work just as well on defense?
And, there were transitions. Last year’s third baseman, junior Conner Pohl, is this year’s first baseman. At 6’5″ and 225 pounds he physically meets the eye test.
“We like him at the position,” says Beals of the Arcanum, Ohio native, who struggled defensively on the hot corner, committing 18 errors in 60 games – many of them throwing errors. “His size over there presents a great target, plus he showed a very good glove in fall ball. He’s played the position before, he feels comfortable there, and we think the move will also help him at the plate.”
After hitting around .300 for the first half of 2018, Pohl, one of the program’s best personalities and a vicious line-drive hitter, slumped noticeably in the last month, and through the Big Ten and NCAA tourney.
“We think first base is a more natural position for him and that will take some stress off at the plate, as well,” says Beals.
Second base is squarely on the shoulders of senior Kobie Foppe, who hit .335 in 55 games last season. The Phoenix, Arizona native earns praise from the man that counts most. Foppe is a producer, one of 2018’s most consistent players, and there’s little doubt that he won’t be again.
Senior Kobie Foppe returns at second base. “Kobie Foppe is a producer,” says coach Greg Beals.
Shortstop was assumed in mid-season last year by then sophomore Noah West, who took to everyday play like a duck to water. He committed just 7 errors in 114 chances (.963), the highest fielding average of all the Buckeyes infielders. Plus, he hit better, driving his first home run as a collegian out of Bill Davis Stadium in a win over Purdue, while hitting .223 overall.
“There were times when no one could get him out,” says Beals. “And of all they guys who played well in fall baseball, Noah just looked comfortable at shortstop. We expect him to be very good for us in the spring.”
Third base was one of the positions of greatest interest in fall ball, and freshman Zach Dezenzo (Alliance, Oh) made it interesting. At 6’4″ and 195 he moved well, proved that he could pick it and throw, and made steady contact at the plate. To paraphrase the coach, he gets a long look as this year’s third baseman, come February and March.
Sophomore captain Dillon Dingler’s four home runs in 2019 came at dramatic times. He’ll move back to his natural position as the Buckeyes’ catcher in 2019.
The catching position is perhaps the strongest position in the infield, anchored by sophomore Dillon Dingler (one of the team’s best overall athletes), and redshirt sophomore Brent Todys, from Westerville, Ohio.
Dingler hit .244 with four home runs as a catcher/centerfielder in 2018, but hit the ball harder than his average reflects. And as a catcher, NO ONE in the Big Ten catches the ball, or throws it better, than the Massillon native.
“He’s only going to get better with more work,” says Beals, who caught for three years in the New York Mets organization. “And having Todys is a big plus because he played and hit consistently in the fall, and that gives us a chance to rest Dillon.”
And there’s adequate depth at hand – Matt Carpenter, and freshmen Marcus Ernst, Nick Erwin, and and Aaron Hughes are in the wings. Senior Andrew Fishel has proven to be a steady backup behind the plate and in DH and pinch-hit duties.
The issue of the outfield is not so clear cut.
Only Dominic Canzone in right field is bankable at this point. The Buckeye junior is going to play solid defense, he can play in center if called upon…and you know he’s going to hit .325, hit a proportionate number of homers, and drive in 35 runs. He’s that good, and he’s that respected across the conference.
Right fielder Dominic Canzone is one of the NCAA’s best hitters and returns as a captain for his junior season.
Left field is a platoon scenario at this point, with seniors Nate Romans (a 2019 co-captain), who showed surprising power and hard contact last year (3 HRs, .431 slugging pct., and 12 RBIs in 72 ABs). But the surprising other candidate to play out there with Romans…is senior Brady Cherry, who had a disappointing year at the plate in 2018 (.226, 3 HRs, and 57 strikeouts in 159 ABs) while making the initial transition from third base to second.
“It’s a position we’ll watch closely,” said Beals after fall ball. “But we liked what we saw in fall ball and Brady has earned the opportunity because he’s worked so hard. And, he has a power arm and could help us on the mound, as a reliever.” That experiment looked promising in the fall.
Center field? Senior Malik Jones will probably have first dibs to prove that his speed, instinct, and “general peskiness” can make him a Big Ten centerfielder. “He had a good fall,” said Beals. “And we asked him to just be the kind of player offensively that he can be. If he can get on base he’s pesky for his ability to steal a base, take the extra base, and produce runs. That’s what we want to see.”
In the wings…fifth-year senior Ridge Winands (a 2019 co-captain) was valuable in 2o18 and proved that he’s more than capable with the glove in the middle of the outfield. Redshirt freshman Jake Ruby returns, and freshman Nolan Clegg, and sophomore Scottie Seymour made good impressions during the fall.
Again, the issue should not be scoring runs. The issue with this much of our outlook is how to save runs with the eight position guys on the field.
And as to the even bigger issues of pitching….we’ll address that in Part II, to come later in the week. Until then, oil your glove, check your supply of sun screen, and if you’re really into it check air rates to Florida and Texas. We’ll all know soon enough, when they move from the drawing board…to the diamond.
https://pressprosmagazine.com/the-6...all-question-are-they-armed-and-ready-part-i/
27
The 64K Dollar 2019 Buckeye Baseball Question…Are They ‘Armed’ And Ready? (Part I)
by Sonny Fulks | OSU, OSU Feature
Better defensively...Junior Noah West came on strong in last year's second half to play some of the Big Ten's best shortstop. He'll be a building block in a revamped infield in 2019. (Press Pros File Photos)
Sonny Fulks
Managing Editor
Sonny Fulks is a graduate of Ohio State University where he pitched four varsity seasons for the Buckeyes from 1971 through 1974. He furthered his baseball experience as a minor league umpire for seven seasons, working for the Florida State League (A), the Southern League (AA), and the American Association (AAA). He has written for numerous websites, and for the past fourteen years has served as columnist and photo editor for The Gettysburg Magazine, published by the University of Nebraska Press, in Lincoln Nebraska. His interests include history, support for amateur baseball, the outdoors, and he has dual arts degrees from Ohio State University.
CONTACT
The 2019 NCAA baseball season kicks off in exactly 20 days. And in Columbus there’s high anticipation, as always…tempered by one question of obvious overtone. Who’s going to pitch, and how well?
Columbus – They start from an impressive cornerstone. Last season the Ohio State Buckeyes rebounded in magnificent fashion from an 11th place finish in 2017, and largely by posting a team batting average that hovered around the .300 mark for two-thirds of the season.
They flipped the 2017 record of 24-36 by going 36-24, and improved their overall Big Ten standing from 11th to 7th, qualifying for the post-season Big Ten Tourney and the NCAA regional in Greenville, North Carolina.
That’s their building block and it also cuts to the quick of the upcoming year. The Buckeyes scored a lot of runs last season, but they gave up a lot of runs, as well. Defense was horrible in spurts, at times – almost inexplicable.
Their pitching was a work in progress almost from the word ‘go’, centered around starters Ryan Feltner (5-5, 4.52), Connor Curlis (7-4, 3.55), and Adam Niemeyer (4-3, 6.24). The bullpen was another story, anchored by the indefatigable Seth Kinker, a second team All-American who pitched 63 innings while compiling a 7-2 record and a team-leading ERA of 2.27. Behind him…it was a scramble at times.
But time, and experience, is the great healer in baseball. And in college baseball you can add recruiting to that remedy. Greg Beals and his staff have recruited hard and hardy over the past two seasons, bringing in arguably the best athletes and the best pitching prospects in his nine seasons as head coach.
“We’re excited to get started,” Beals said after fall baseball, in December. “We’re excited because we have quality people all over the field, and we’ve recruited quality pitching prospects that we feel can come in and help us quickly.”
“And,” he continued, “…we’re excited over what we saw in fall baseball. We lost some very good people to graduation and the draft (Feltner, Curlis, Tyler Cowles and Noah McGowan), but last year’s experience and fall ball showed maturity in some of the people in line to step up and take their place. That makes it exciting.”
Then third, now first…Conner Pohl moves across the infield to first base to help upgrade the defense in 2019.
Without question the number one priority on the field in fall baseball was how to improve defensively.
“We worked hard to address it,” says Beals. “But what we really worked hard at was to change the mindset. And what we told guys was just go out and make a play, without worrying about making an error.”
Be more athletic and less mechanical, in layman terms. If see the ball, hit the ball, works on offense…then why won’t see the ball, catch the ball, and throw the ball work just as well on defense?
And, there were transitions. Last year’s third baseman, junior Conner Pohl, is this year’s first baseman. At 6’5″ and 225 pounds he physically meets the eye test.
“We like him at the position,” says Beals of the Arcanum, Ohio native, who struggled defensively on the hot corner, committing 18 errors in 60 games – many of them throwing errors. “His size over there presents a great target, plus he showed a very good glove in fall ball. He’s played the position before, he feels comfortable there, and we think the move will also help him at the plate.”
After hitting around .300 for the first half of 2018, Pohl, one of the program’s best personalities and a vicious line-drive hitter, slumped noticeably in the last month, and through the Big Ten and NCAA tourney.
“We think first base is a more natural position for him and that will take some stress off at the plate, as well,” says Beals.
Second base is squarely on the shoulders of senior Kobie Foppe, who hit .335 in 55 games last season. The Phoenix, Arizona native earns praise from the man that counts most. Foppe is a producer, one of 2018’s most consistent players, and there’s little doubt that he won’t be again.
Senior Kobie Foppe returns at second base. “Kobie Foppe is a producer,” says coach Greg Beals.
Shortstop was assumed in mid-season last year by then sophomore Noah West, who took to everyday play like a duck to water. He committed just 7 errors in 114 chances (.963), the highest fielding average of all the Buckeyes infielders. Plus, he hit better, driving his first home run as a collegian out of Bill Davis Stadium in a win over Purdue, while hitting .223 overall.
“There were times when no one could get him out,” says Beals. “And of all they guys who played well in fall baseball, Noah just looked comfortable at shortstop. We expect him to be very good for us in the spring.”
Third base was one of the positions of greatest interest in fall ball, and freshman Zach Dezenzo (Alliance, Oh) made it interesting. At 6’4″ and 195 he moved well, proved that he could pick it and throw, and made steady contact at the plate. To paraphrase the coach, he gets a long look as this year’s third baseman, come February and March.
Sophomore captain Dillon Dingler’s four home runs in 2019 came at dramatic times. He’ll move back to his natural position as the Buckeyes’ catcher in 2019.
The catching position is perhaps the strongest position in the infield, anchored by sophomore Dillon Dingler (one of the team’s best overall athletes), and redshirt sophomore Brent Todys, from Westerville, Ohio.
Dingler hit .244 with four home runs as a catcher/centerfielder in 2018, but hit the ball harder than his average reflects. And as a catcher, NO ONE in the Big Ten catches the ball, or throws it better, than the Massillon native.
“He’s only going to get better with more work,” says Beals, who caught for three years in the New York Mets organization. “And having Todys is a big plus because he played and hit consistently in the fall, and that gives us a chance to rest Dillon.”
And there’s adequate depth at hand – Matt Carpenter, and freshmen Marcus Ernst, Nick Erwin, and and Aaron Hughes are in the wings. Senior Andrew Fishel has proven to be a steady backup behind the plate and in DH and pinch-hit duties.
The issue of the outfield is not so clear cut.
Only Dominic Canzone in right field is bankable at this point. The Buckeye junior is going to play solid defense, he can play in center if called upon…and you know he’s going to hit .325, hit a proportionate number of homers, and drive in 35 runs. He’s that good, and he’s that respected across the conference.
Right fielder Dominic Canzone is one of the NCAA’s best hitters and returns as a captain for his junior season.
Left field is a platoon scenario at this point, with seniors Nate Romans (a 2019 co-captain), who showed surprising power and hard contact last year (3 HRs, .431 slugging pct., and 12 RBIs in 72 ABs). But the surprising other candidate to play out there with Romans…is senior Brady Cherry, who had a disappointing year at the plate in 2018 (.226, 3 HRs, and 57 strikeouts in 159 ABs) while making the initial transition from third base to second.
“It’s a position we’ll watch closely,” said Beals after fall ball. “But we liked what we saw in fall ball and Brady has earned the opportunity because he’s worked so hard. And, he has a power arm and could help us on the mound, as a reliever.” That experiment looked promising in the fall.
Center field? Senior Malik Jones will probably have first dibs to prove that his speed, instinct, and “general peskiness” can make him a Big Ten centerfielder. “He had a good fall,” said Beals. “And we asked him to just be the kind of player offensively that he can be. If he can get on base he’s pesky for his ability to steal a base, take the extra base, and produce runs. That’s what we want to see.”
In the wings…fifth-year senior Ridge Winands (a 2019 co-captain) was valuable in 2o18 and proved that he’s more than capable with the glove in the middle of the outfield. Redshirt freshman Jake Ruby returns, and freshman Nolan Clegg, and sophomore Scottie Seymour made good impressions during the fall.
Again, the issue should not be scoring runs. The issue with this much of our outlook is how to save runs with the eight position guys on the field.
And as to the even bigger issues of pitching….we’ll address that in Part II, to come later in the week. Until then, oil your glove, check your supply of sun screen, and if you’re really into it check air rates to Florida and Texas. We’ll all know soon enough, when they move from the drawing board…to the diamond.
https://pressprosmagazine.com/the-6...all-question-are-they-armed-and-ready-part-i/
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – Five Buckeyes were listed in the 2019 Big Ten Preview by D1Baseball.com announced Tuesday by the website. Ohio State was picked to finish fifth in the conference in the D1Baseball.com Big Ten preseason poll.
Junior outfielder Dominic Canzone was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in 2019, while redshirt freshman left-hander Seth Lonsway (No. 6) and sophomore catcher Dillon Dingler (No. 14) were recognized in the 2020 prospect draft class. Freshman right-handed pitcher Garrett Burhenn and classmate infielder Zach Dezenzo represented Ohio State in the impact freshmen list.
https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/five-buckeyes-recognized-by-d1baseball-com/
Junior outfielder Dominic Canzone was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in 2019, while redshirt freshman left-hander Seth Lonsway (No. 6) and sophomore catcher Dillon Dingler (No. 14) were recognized in the 2020 prospect draft class. Freshman right-handed pitcher Garrett Burhenn and classmate infielder Zach Dezenzo represented Ohio State in the impact freshmen list.
https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/five-buckeyes-recognized-by-d1baseball-com/
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Buckeyes Baseball: ‘Armed’ And Ready?…Part II
by Sonny Fulks | OSU, OSU Feature
Sophomore Seth Lonsway dazzled in the fall, and is the presumptive #1 among an anticipated young starting rotation. (Press Pros File Photos)
CONTACT
This is where it gets sticky – tricky. It’s the essence of baseball. Teams that win have good pitchers, and pitch well. And as far as the Buckeyes know now…their 2019 prospects lie with both.
I can give you chapter and verse if you’re a baseball historian – of just average teams that won, and won big, because they pitched well.
Starting in my youth…the 1963 Dodgers, who could barely score but won the World Series over the Yankees in their prime because they had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
I can name you the 1966 Orioles, who had Brooks and Frank Robinson, yes; but they beat the Dodgers in the Series because they had young pitchers who blossomed in the face of necessity – Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker, and Dave McNally. The O’s won in four straight and threw three shutouts.
More recently…no one expected the 2001 Diamondbacks to beat the Yankees in the Series, but they did because Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling won 43 games between them that year, and intimidated a good Yankees lineup with their ‘attack’ mentality.
In a smaller fantasy, that same scenario exists for the 2019 Ohio State Buckeyes, who because of some seasoned talent and lessons learned through hard knocks…have a chance to be much better than average. They’re gonna’ score, and they’ve made defense a heightened priority. The biggest question is…will an impressive list of good young arms come on to throw strikes, compete, and pitch with the confidence that they’re as big as the moment?
Yes, it’s on the mound where the greatest anticipation lies. With the departure of Ryan Feltner, Connor Curlis, and Adam Niemeyer, will the roll of the dice that comes with freshman and sophomore pitchers pay off, and pay off quickly? Greg Beals makes no bones about it. Some will have to grow up quickly. And will that one significant carryover from 2018 (who didn’t pitch at all) pay dividends in proportion to his formidable pedigree?
As big as the moment?…Freshman Garrett Burhenn is one of five promising freshman pitching recruits, and will get early consideration for one of the three weekend starting spots.
At the head of the list is lefthanded sophomore Seth Lonsway, who sat out 2018 due to eligibility issues with the NCAA. A 19th round draft choice of the Cincinnati Reds in the summer of 2017, Lonsway was impressive in fall baseball after a “constructive” summer in the Prospect League. He featured the expected low-to-mid-90s fastball and an impressive curveball. The issue going forward? Overall experience and his ability to throw strikes.
“Seth, right now, is the #1 candidate as our Friday pitcher,” said Beals in December. “And what we want to see from him is the ability to locate and attack the strike zone. There’s no question about his stuff.”
And then it gets interesting. Because of five freshman arms that got long looks in fall ball – Garrett Burhenn (Indianapolis), Will Pfennig (Mason, Oh), Baydon Root (Kokomo, In), T.J. Brock (Cincinnati), and Cole Niekamp (Versailles, Oh) – it was Burhenn that emerged as looking the most ready come February’s opening weekend in Florida.
“Garrett had an impressive fall,” says Beals. “He showed command and he showed poise. In short, he looked ready and he’ll get an early opportunity to compete for one of the three weekend starting spots.”
Sophomore Griffan Smith threw well in 2018, better over the summer, and best during fall baseball – a strong candidate for one of the three starting positions.
All five showed good arms, and good aptitude. But Beals throws down the cautionary fact of pitching at the Division I level. “We recruited them to come here and show that they can contribute. Some are more ready than others, but we expect them to throw strikes and compete.”
In addition, sophomore lefthander Griffan Smith had an outstanding summer after a promising freshman campaign, and made a strong bid for at least the third starting spot with an impressive showing in the fall. Smith’s upside would appear significant – a better John Havird (from 2016), if you will. He throws harder than Havird, and has a dependable breaking pitch and change that he showed confidently during the summer and fall, and he’s only gotten better during off-season workouts. The Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy product is pounding the strike zone repeatedly, Beals’ and pitching coach Mike Stafford’s #1 prerequisite for a weekend starter.
And, junior Jake Vance is back looking to take the next step after two years of on-again, off-again success as both starter and reliever. He, too, had his best fall to date, and simply needs to prove that his command of the strike zone is up to the demands of winning against Big Ten hitters.
And another junior, Joe Gahm, from Richfield Wisconsin, showed well in his fall exhibition outings.
Sophomore Andrew Magno has electric stuff and his emergence would be key to a solid bullpen.
The bullpen? Senior Thomas Wanning heads a list of hopefuls for what’s usually the most unsettled, and important, positions in college baseball. “We need Thomas to emerge because of his stuff and his experience,” said Beals over the winter. “But there is no settled-on closer at this point, and the bullpen will emerge from several good candidates.”
Mitch Milheim (freshman, Powell, Oh), Joe Gahm, and Andrew Magno to name a few; and few throw it better than Magno. But like other young pitchers, he needs to show command of the strike zone, and himself.
“And Baydon Root has had a strong off-season,” adds Beals, speaking of another freshman.
So how poignant is this ‘call to arms’ (and all arms, at that) for 2019? Senior utility man Brady Cherry, who’s penciled to at least platoon in left field was given an opportunity to show off his arm from the mound during the fall. He threw hard, and for the most part, accurately. So there’s at least the possibility of him getting a more critical look-see during the early weeks of the schedule.
So, the 64-thousand-dollar question with this 2019 edition is simply this. Can you score five runs a game on offense, while limiting the rest of the Big Ten to 4?
And can these young pitchers pay off as quickly, as in the example of the Minnesota Gophers in 2018?
It starts with throwing strikes…and if they can do that they have the ability to be big as the moment in early weekends at Port Charlotte, in Corpus Christi (Texas), Daytona, and Greenville, South Carolina.
“We think we’ll score runs,” Beals said. “We like our projected batting order with names like Canzone, Pohl, Foppe, Dingler…and you hope for someone to have the kind of year that Noah McGowan and Tyler Cowles did last year.
“But pitching will be key for us. We recruited those guys because we thought they were talented enough to pitch in the Big Ten and help us compete, and that’s critical because so many games are won and lost on the mound,” he added last week, on the first day of official practice.
“Our defense needs to be solid…because we’ve got a veteran infield and they’re going to have to play solidly to support that pitching staff.”
The prognosis: While those pitchers will be here for the next three years, Beals and the Buckeyes are going to need an early return on investment, starting in about three weeks. 2019 is here, beginning February 15, and they’d like to know…if they’re ‘armed’ and ready!
https://pressprosmagazine.com/bucke...YG77mANAcL96JX061J2PrPS5yqlX2zEyNpgeY5qHWB7vI
by Sonny Fulks | OSU, OSU Feature
Sophomore Seth Lonsway dazzled in the fall, and is the presumptive #1 among an anticipated young starting rotation. (Press Pros File Photos)
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This is where it gets sticky – tricky. It’s the essence of baseball. Teams that win have good pitchers, and pitch well. And as far as the Buckeyes know now…their 2019 prospects lie with both.
I can give you chapter and verse if you’re a baseball historian – of just average teams that won, and won big, because they pitched well.
Starting in my youth…the 1963 Dodgers, who could barely score but won the World Series over the Yankees in their prime because they had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
I can name you the 1966 Orioles, who had Brooks and Frank Robinson, yes; but they beat the Dodgers in the Series because they had young pitchers who blossomed in the face of necessity – Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker, and Dave McNally. The O’s won in four straight and threw three shutouts.
More recently…no one expected the 2001 Diamondbacks to beat the Yankees in the Series, but they did because Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling won 43 games between them that year, and intimidated a good Yankees lineup with their ‘attack’ mentality.
In a smaller fantasy, that same scenario exists for the 2019 Ohio State Buckeyes, who because of some seasoned talent and lessons learned through hard knocks…have a chance to be much better than average. They’re gonna’ score, and they’ve made defense a heightened priority. The biggest question is…will an impressive list of good young arms come on to throw strikes, compete, and pitch with the confidence that they’re as big as the moment?
Yes, it’s on the mound where the greatest anticipation lies. With the departure of Ryan Feltner, Connor Curlis, and Adam Niemeyer, will the roll of the dice that comes with freshman and sophomore pitchers pay off, and pay off quickly? Greg Beals makes no bones about it. Some will have to grow up quickly. And will that one significant carryover from 2018 (who didn’t pitch at all) pay dividends in proportion to his formidable pedigree?
As big as the moment?…Freshman Garrett Burhenn is one of five promising freshman pitching recruits, and will get early consideration for one of the three weekend starting spots.
At the head of the list is lefthanded sophomore Seth Lonsway, who sat out 2018 due to eligibility issues with the NCAA. A 19th round draft choice of the Cincinnati Reds in the summer of 2017, Lonsway was impressive in fall baseball after a “constructive” summer in the Prospect League. He featured the expected low-to-mid-90s fastball and an impressive curveball. The issue going forward? Overall experience and his ability to throw strikes.
“Seth, right now, is the #1 candidate as our Friday pitcher,” said Beals in December. “And what we want to see from him is the ability to locate and attack the strike zone. There’s no question about his stuff.”
And then it gets interesting. Because of five freshman arms that got long looks in fall ball – Garrett Burhenn (Indianapolis), Will Pfennig (Mason, Oh), Baydon Root (Kokomo, In), T.J. Brock (Cincinnati), and Cole Niekamp (Versailles, Oh) – it was Burhenn that emerged as looking the most ready come February’s opening weekend in Florida.
“Garrett had an impressive fall,” says Beals. “He showed command and he showed poise. In short, he looked ready and he’ll get an early opportunity to compete for one of the three weekend starting spots.”
Sophomore Griffan Smith threw well in 2018, better over the summer, and best during fall baseball – a strong candidate for one of the three starting positions.
All five showed good arms, and good aptitude. But Beals throws down the cautionary fact of pitching at the Division I level. “We recruited them to come here and show that they can contribute. Some are more ready than others, but we expect them to throw strikes and compete.”
In addition, sophomore lefthander Griffan Smith had an outstanding summer after a promising freshman campaign, and made a strong bid for at least the third starting spot with an impressive showing in the fall. Smith’s upside would appear significant – a better John Havird (from 2016), if you will. He throws harder than Havird, and has a dependable breaking pitch and change that he showed confidently during the summer and fall, and he’s only gotten better during off-season workouts. The Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy product is pounding the strike zone repeatedly, Beals’ and pitching coach Mike Stafford’s #1 prerequisite for a weekend starter.
And, junior Jake Vance is back looking to take the next step after two years of on-again, off-again success as both starter and reliever. He, too, had his best fall to date, and simply needs to prove that his command of the strike zone is up to the demands of winning against Big Ten hitters.
And another junior, Joe Gahm, from Richfield Wisconsin, showed well in his fall exhibition outings.
Sophomore Andrew Magno has electric stuff and his emergence would be key to a solid bullpen.
The bullpen? Senior Thomas Wanning heads a list of hopefuls for what’s usually the most unsettled, and important, positions in college baseball. “We need Thomas to emerge because of his stuff and his experience,” said Beals over the winter. “But there is no settled-on closer at this point, and the bullpen will emerge from several good candidates.”
Mitch Milheim (freshman, Powell, Oh), Joe Gahm, and Andrew Magno to name a few; and few throw it better than Magno. But like other young pitchers, he needs to show command of the strike zone, and himself.
“And Baydon Root has had a strong off-season,” adds Beals, speaking of another freshman.
So how poignant is this ‘call to arms’ (and all arms, at that) for 2019? Senior utility man Brady Cherry, who’s penciled to at least platoon in left field was given an opportunity to show off his arm from the mound during the fall. He threw hard, and for the most part, accurately. So there’s at least the possibility of him getting a more critical look-see during the early weeks of the schedule.
So, the 64-thousand-dollar question with this 2019 edition is simply this. Can you score five runs a game on offense, while limiting the rest of the Big Ten to 4?
And can these young pitchers pay off as quickly, as in the example of the Minnesota Gophers in 2018?
It starts with throwing strikes…and if they can do that they have the ability to be big as the moment in early weekends at Port Charlotte, in Corpus Christi (Texas), Daytona, and Greenville, South Carolina.
“We think we’ll score runs,” Beals said. “We like our projected batting order with names like Canzone, Pohl, Foppe, Dingler…and you hope for someone to have the kind of year that Noah McGowan and Tyler Cowles did last year.
“But pitching will be key for us. We recruited those guys because we thought they were talented enough to pitch in the Big Ten and help us compete, and that’s critical because so many games are won and lost on the mound,” he added last week, on the first day of official practice.
“Our defense needs to be solid…because we’ve got a veteran infield and they’re going to have to play solidly to support that pitching staff.”
The prognosis: While those pitchers will be here for the next three years, Beals and the Buckeyes are going to need an early return on investment, starting in about three weeks. 2019 is here, beginning February 15, and they’d like to know…if they’re ‘armed’ and ready!
https://pressprosmagazine.com/bucke...YG77mANAcL96JX061J2PrPS5yqlX2zEyNpgeY5qHWB7vI
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