Despite spending most of its time inside, the Ohio State baseball team is ready to begin its season and join some of the top programs in the country.

The building blocks are in place for a successful run this season — it’s just a matter of taking the next step of finding the way to the College World Series. But to do so, the team may need a map — the Buckeyes have not been to Omaha since 1967.

OSU is hungry after missing out on a trip to the series by one game and the Big Ten championship by percentage points last season.

Heading into this season, the rest of the nation is taking notice of the Buckeyes’ Big Ten Tournament Championship and near miss on the road to Omaha. Pollsters for the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association have the team ranked No. 25 in its preseason poll.

As the Buckeyes open their 2003 campaign tomorrow against Lamar at the Champions Cardinal Classic in Beaumont, Texas, the key will be turning potential into victories.

“I like the character and make-up of this team,” said OSU coach Bob Todd. “Obviously, we have to prove it on the field. There’s a lot of potential.”

The pitching staff is the one place where the Buckeyes are loaded. The staff returns, missing only one starter from a year ago. Along with a solid bullpen, OSU’s pitching staff may make it tough for Big Ten foes to score runs.

“We have a lot of potential with our pitching staff; an awful lot of guys competing for jobs and pushing each other,” said senior co-captain Greg Prenger. “That fourth starting spot is the one everyone is working for.”

Leading the staff will be sophomore preseason All-American Scott Lewis, who was last year’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He returns after posting an 8-2 record and 91 strikeouts.

Other members of OSU’s pitching staff were also some of the best in the conference a year ago. Senior co-captain Nate Smith, a first-team Big Ten pick, went 6-1, while the Buckeyes’ workhorse, junior Josh Newman, pitched a team-high 94.2 innings and was selected second-team all-conference.

The battle for the last spot on the rotation is still going, but the Buckeyes should benefit from the competition.

Senior Kyle Brown and Prenger, who were both captains and former walk-ons, lead the rest of the staff, which consists mostly of underclassmen. Sophomore Matt Davis spent his freshman year posting a 6-0 record coming out of the bullpen and delivered a pair of wins in the post-season.

The staff will look to carry the bulk of the load early. The weather has kept the offense indoors. The offense also has yet to see live pitching.

“We’re a fast team; we’re going hit and run, stealing and try to get things moving,” said junior co-captain Christian Snavely. “I think we’re going to put some runs on the board and take a little pressure off the defense with our speed.”

Out on the field, Snavely will be all over. He can play at either first, second or third base, as well as in the outfield. The problem for Todd is finding a place for the Buckeyes’ most versatile player on the field in order to keep his bat in the lineup.

“We’ve got to get Christian’s bat in the lineup. There’s no doubt about that,” Todd said. “Where we put him to help our team the most is what we will do. Christian is such a team player; he’ll do whatever it takes defensively to make this team better.”

In center field, sophomore Steve Caravati is expected to do big things. After being named to the all-Big Ten Tournament team, he has been on rehab from elbow surgery. Over in left field, sophomore Mike Rabin will be another youngster looking to build on a strong post-season.

With Snavely on the move, sophomore Drew Anderson will slide over from third to second. His partner in crime up the middle, junior shortstop Brett Garrard, hopes to give the Buckeyes more stability.

A dark horse could be freshman infielder Wes Schirtzinger. Todd hopes the athletic freshman can mature quickly and step into the lineup.