Ohio State head coach Greg Beals speaks with the infield at the mound during the Ohio State-Purdue game on May 2. Ohio State lost 15-16. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
The Buckeyes are heading back to Minneapolis for the second time this year — this time under different conditions.
Last time, it was a 40-degree March day and they played indoors at the U.S. Bank Stadium in one of the Big Ten’s three-team pods against Nebraska and Iowa.
This time around, Ohio State (17-14) will have to brave the elements of Siebert Field against Minnesota (4-26), looking to keep its hot bats rolling in the cool temperatures of the “Mill City.”
Last weekend, Ohio State rattled off two wins in a row against Purdue by eight and 10 runs, respectively, but could not close out the sweep for the second series in a row. The Buckeyes lost Sunday’s finale 16-15 in shootout fashion with the tying run 90 feet away at the game’s end.
The Buckeyes scored 38 runs, plating a run in 17 of the 25 innings they hit in — by far the best offensive weekend of 2021 for a team who raised their collective batting average from .229 to .253 in two series.
“I think as a whole, as a team, our approach has been to try and get on base to give ourselves a chance to score runs,” redshirt senior first baseman Conner Pohl said. “We just knew that we had to score runs in any way possible, and getting on base is key for that.”
The Buckeyes got contributions from just about everyone that stepped into the box, as every player in each of the three starting lineups reached base. Only three players — all pinch hitters who got one at-bat each — did not reach base last weekend.
Despite the effort, Ohio State dropped a spot in the Big Ten standings to seventh with 13 games remaining on the schedule, trailing Indiana by four games for the conference lead.
“There’s still a lot of baseball to be played,” head coach Greg Beals said. “We’re still in a position where we can make a lot of good things happen.”
The Buckeyes are still within reach of winning the conference and earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but the more likely postseason scenario is if the selection committee gives the Buckeyes a regional bid.
The Buckeyes will have a prime opportunity to cut into that four-game deficit, as the Golden Gophers have had a rough go of things to this point in the season.
They are last in the Big Ten standings and are currently riding a 13-game losing streak in which they are getting outscored 136-34. They have won only one game since March 26 and are 1-18 in that time frame.
Minnesota also has the worst team batting average in the Big Ten and the lowest number of runs scored — trailing Purdue who is second-lowest by 37 runs.
On the mound, Golden Gophers hurlers have a conference-worst 8.35 ERA, surrendering the most runs at 281 and walking 41 more hitters than the second-highest pitching staff.
The best average in the Gophers’ lineup belongs to junior infielder Zack Raabe who’s hitting .337 in 98 at-bats this season despite his recent struggles at the dish. Prior to his 1-for-24 hitting slump, his .432 average was the best in the Big Ten.
The Forest Lake, Minnesota, native has had multi-hit efforts in 10 of his 29 games this season.
Junior catcher Chase Stanke is hitting at an even .300 clip with 14 RBIs, and his .381 on-base percentage is the second-highest mark in the lineup.
The team leader in RBI this season is senior infielder Ronald Sweeny — the only player who has appeared in all 30 games this season — who has knocked in 22 teammates this season.
Sweeny’s .209 batting average may not jump off the charts, but he has raised it from the .169 clip it was at April 23 against Indiana. He has been the most consistent stick in Minnesota’s batting order as of late, recording two hits each in three of his last four games.
Despite the poor record and lackluster statistics that Minnesota brings to the table, Beals said he wants his team to dial in their focus for this weekend’s series.
“I’m not going to look back and I’m not going to look too far forward,” Beals said. “We’re going to have a good week of preparation and get ready to go to Minnesota.”
Ohio State will take the field Friday for the series opener at 6 p.m., with Saturday’s game at 2 p.m. and the Sunday finale at 1 p.m. All games will be streamed live on BTN+.
