Ohio State redshirt junior left-handed pitcher Seth Lonsway (11) throws a pitch during the Ohio State-Iowa game on March 27. Ohio State lost 5-1. Credit: Casey Smith | For the Lantern
In the blink of an eye, it seems that this season’s 44-game, Big-Ten-only schedule for Ohio State has gone by rather quickly. But for the Buckeyes, they’ve got one last sight in front of them before shifting focus toward the 2022 campaign.
After dropping three of four games to Nebraska and Indiana last weekend, the Buckeyes return to the friendly confines of Bill Davis Stadium, where they’ve gone 11-6 this season. Ohio State is 20-19 on the season and resides in sixth place in the Big Ten Conference.
“We need to make sure we’re playing the game,” head coach Greg Beals said. “Playing the game, just the passion for the game, playing for the pride and playing each moment and playing for The Ohio State University on the front of your shirt.”
Northwestern will trot into Columbus on a two-game winning streak after earning a series win over fifth-place Iowa to move its record to 14-19. The Wildcats have played just five games since April 26, as eight games in that span were canceled due to health and safety concerns within their program.
Junior infielder Shawn Goosenberg paces Northwestern’s offense that ranks fifth in the Big Ten with a .264 team batting average. Despite having played in just 33 games this season, the Wildcats lead the conference with 62 home runs and a .484 slugging percentage.
Goosenberg’s 13 home runs are tied for second-most in the Big Ten, alongside the Buckeyes’ redshirt senior first baseman Conner Pohl. Utilities sophomore Stephen Hrustich and junior Michael Trautwein each have double-digit home run totals of their own, and the latter leads Northwestern with 32 RBIs.
Ohio State’s starting pitchers had a strong weekend against the Hoosiers and Cornhuskers, headlined by junior right-hander Garrett Burhenn’s first-career complete game in Game 2 Sunday. The Buckeyes’ bullpen, however, was responsible for 10 earned runs last weekend.
Graduate southpaw Patrick Murphy entered in a high-leverage situation with two Indiana baserunners after relieving freshman lefty Isaiah Coupet in the fourth inning on Monday. Murphy forced two outs to work out unscathed, and surrendered just one run across his four-inning, two-strikeout performance.
“Being a bullpen guy, I don’t like cashing in other guys’ runs,” Murphy said. “Coming out of the pen, I know that’s my job. I need to strand them, get us in, keep us where we’re at. So, I take a lot of pride in making sure that those runners when I come in don’t end up scoring. That’s just my job; I’m trying to do it.”
While the Buckeyes’ offense had its hands tied against Indiana and Nebraska pitchers — the top-two staffs in the Big Ten — it may have better luck against Northwestern’s hurlers that own a 5.78 ERA.
Behind a team-high 10 starts this season, junior right-hander Mike Doherty has thrown 61 1/3 innings — 22 2/3 more than the next Wildcats pitcher. Among qualifying players, senior left-hander Quinn Lavelle has allowed the third-fewest hits and is tied for fewest walks in the conference in his 38 innings, with six starts sprinkled in his 10 appearances.
On the heels of its seventh shutout this season, Ohio State was limited to two hits last time out. Redshirt senior catcher Brent Todys, who has hit safely in 17 of the last 19 games, said the Buckeyes wanted to prove a point during Sunday’s doubleheader before Burhenn took the mound.
“I think the message just was, ‘We’re better than that,’” Todys said. “And that was all that needed to be said. We just kind of took that message and rode that into the second game. Garrett set the tone and finished it off, and I think that proved we were better than the first two games.”
Ohio State will also recognize five seniors ahead of first pitch on Sunday. In addition to Murphy and Pohl, right-handers Joe Gahm and Jake Vance and outfielder Scottie Seymour will round out the group.
Although all players are granted an extra year of eligibility as a result of the pandemic, Murphy said he won’t return even though he jokes with his teammates about coming back for a seventh season. After multiple elbow surgeries tossed a wrench in his collegiate career, Murphy said playing this season has proven it was all worth it.
“It was more so just proving to myself that all the work that I put in was worth it just because after each injury, I sat there and would reflect, ‘Is it really worth it, do I need to do this again?’” Murphy said. “I owe a lot to my teammates and my coaching staff here because they took a chance on me when coming off my second surgery in like, two years. I owe a lot to them and the plan that they had set for me just knowing they were building me from the ground-up, so, I owe a lot to them.”
The first game between the Buckeyes and Wildcats begins Friday at 6:05 p.m. and will broadcast on Big Ten Network.
