Baseball to Battle Buckeyes

Game Notes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team heads to Columbus, Ohio for a pair of midweek games against Ohio State. The Ospreys and Buckeyes square off at Ben Davis Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday night with each game slated for 6:35 p.m.

North Florida enters the week with a 23-18 overall record and a 12-12 mark in the Atlantic Sun, while Ohio State is 19-18 with a 9-6 record in the Big Ten.

Ohio State leads the all-time series between the two schools 9-2. Nine of the 11 matchups between the two schools have been played in Jacksonville. The Buckeyes have won the only two meetings between the two schools in Columbus, winning 8-7 and 9-3 back in 2007.

The two schools met last season in the season opener. The University of North Florida baseball team opened the 2010 season at home with a 4-2 loss to No. 14 Ohio State at Harmon Stadium. The Buckeyes fended off a late rally by the Ospreys to claim the victory.

Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the ninth, North Florida received a one-out single from T.J. Thompson to get things started. Andrew Karmeris singled up the middle to give the Ospreys a pair of base runners. Kyle Dahl reached on a fielder's choice but an errant throw by Ohio State allowed Thompson to score from second and Karmeris advance to third base. Justin Preckajlo recorded an RBI ground out to cut the deficit to 4-2, but with two outs and a runner on second, the Buckeyes finished the game with a strikeout.

All-American Alex Wimmers picked up the win for the Buckeyes. He worked 6.0 scoreless innings, allowing one it and striking out nine. Wimmers was relieved by Drew Rucinski, who tossed 3.0 innings en route to the save.

Both North Florida and Ohio State are under the direction of new head coaches. Hall of Fame head coaches Dusty Rhodes (UNF) and Bob Todd (OSU) each retired at the conclusion of the 2010 season making way for Smoke Laval (UNF) and Greg Beals (OSU).

Scouting the Opposition:

Ohio State swept a Big Ten Conference series over Michigan for the first time in Bill Davis Stadium and the first time in 15 years with a doubleheader sweep Saturday after the Game 1 win Friday night. A season-high crowd enjoyed the fine weather and the fun that comes with a 7-6, 11-inning win in the first game Saturday and a 4-3, 10-inning win in the nightcap.

Broadcast Info:

Both games of this series will be broadcast live on 1460 ESPN (AM) with free streaming audio at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Game 1 will have a video stream at BigTenNetwork.com and Game 2 will have a free video stream at OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

Next Event

Footer