Ohio State returns to action on Friday and Saturday with matchups against Cal State Bakersfield. Credit: Zachary Rilley | Photo Editor
While it may not be a Big Ten Tournament or national championship, Ohio State winning the Frisco Classic Sunday in Texas was a step in the right direction.
Head coach Bill Mosiello and the Buckeyes beat Mississippi State and Oklahoma last weekend, and they’re hoping the trend continues enough to line the trophy cases.
“We got to start getting some hardware around here,” Mosiello said. “You got to start winning some championships.”
Ohio State won the final game of its series for the third-straight weekend, a characteristic Mosiello said he tells a lot of his team.
“We had to win the first weekend against Connecticut to go 2-2, then we had the unfortunate three losses at Grand Canyon, and we won the last day and had to win the last day there,” Mosiello said. “Hopefully, it’s something that continues for us that we really compete throughout the whole series.”
The Buckeyes have also won two of their three series openers, due in part to the strong start of junior left-hander Isaiah Coupet who leads the Big Ten in ERA with a 0.50 clip and 27 strikeouts. This year, opponents are batting .127 against him, good for third in the conference.
“That’s why we’ve won two of the Friday nights — two of the three — and then the one we lose he gives up one run,” Mosiello said.
The Buckeyes continue moving forward with a three-game series against California State-Bakersfield this weekend beginning Friday.
Coupet will start the series opener Friday when Ohio State State takes on Cal State-Bakersfield for the first time since its only series against the Roadrunners in 2011, winning one of the three games.
Cal State-Bakersfield enters the series after getting swept in three games last weekend against No. 2 Stanford. Led by sixth-year head coach Jeremy Beard, the Roadrunners won seven of their first 10 games and are third in the Big West Conference in pitching with a 4.09 team ERA.
Leading the pitching staff is sophomore right-hander Ryan Verdugo, who is 2-1 with 12 strikeouts and a 2.60 ERA which is 10th in the conference.
Junior catcher and outfielder James Bell and redshirt junior catcher Angel Saldivar are the top run producers. The two have combined for 19 RBIs on a Roadrunners team averaging five per game.
The Buckeyes are led offensively by infielders graduate Marcus Ernst and senior Nick Erwin. After missing all but one game last year, Erwin leads the team with 11 RBIs and while hitting .308.
Mosiello also said there was “a hope” sophomore outfielder Trey Lipsey can play this weekend against the Roadrunners, but he will not be rushed. Lipsey has not played since Feb. 18 versus UConn due to injury.
“Any time you have a groin, a hamstring, or anything in your legs, if you rush somebody back and they get hurt again, maybe it’s two months out,” Mosiello said. “So, our training staff has done a great job and we’re staying patient.”
Mosiello said Lipsey, a preseason All-Big Ten selection by Perfect Game, can bring everything to a team.
“He’s a power guy, he’s a speed guy, he commands the strike zone,” Mosiello said. “Last year, he had 16 or 18 more walks than strikeouts which doesn’t happen nowadays and is a huge deal for me.”
Heading into the weekend, Mosiello said his team must continue being persistent and compared a nine-inning game to a boxing match.
“You get punched in the nose, you got to keep your feet up, make sure when you get knocked down, you get back up,” Mosiello said. “Then you got to keep throwing punches and play for nine innings, and that’s a theme for us.”
The Buckeyes and Roadrunners square off Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m., with the series finale Sunday at 3 p.m.
