Ohio State excellence is not exclusive to the football field or the basketball court. Around the Oval is our way of keeping you informed of the amazing things happening with the other 34 varsity sports on campus.
Baseball sweeps the week
If it wasn't already apparent to you that you should start paying attention to this Buckeye baseball team, I'm going to tell you one more time: you should start paying attention to this Buckeye baseball team.
Ohio State played five games this week, two against Morehead State and three against Northwestern, and the Buckeyes went 5-0 in those games, including yet another late inning win. The team has been fun to watch all year, but now it's getting late in the season and "fun to watch" isn't quite a good enough description. The team is beyond "fun to watch"- it's really good. The Buckeyes are currently ranked 12th in the NCAA RPI rankings and are 3-1 against current RPI top-20 teams beating Louisville (17th) and winning a road series against Nebraska 2-1 (20th).
Ohio State has not made the NCAA tournament since 2009, but they are in a great position to change that this year. In fact, with three remaining series on the schedule all against RPI top-60 teams, they would have a solid case for hosting an NCAA regional if they finish strong.
The Buckeyes do not have a week-day game this week, but Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they play host to conference foe Illinois. The Fighting Illini currently sit atop the Big Ten standings and are ranked in the top-10 of all five college baseball polls. If you have never seen Ohio State team in action, this is the perfect weekend to do it. It's the Buckeyes' most important series to date, and the weather is expected to be mid-70s and sunny all weekend. You simply couldn't ask for better from Ohio weather.
Men's and Women's tennis suffer same fate
Both the men's and women's tennis teams were in action in the Big Ten tournaments this weekend, and they both shared nearly identical fates. Both teams had dominating performances in the first two rounds of the tournament before being swept 4-0 in the finals. For the women, it was their second defeat of the year at the hands of Michigan and for the men, their third to Illinois.
The losses do not quite mean the season has come to an end, however. Both teams await the Tuesday announcement of a likely at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Of course both teams undoubtedly would have liked to enter the tournament following a conference championship win against a top- ranked opponent, but they are both strong teams equipped to make a deep tournament run regardless of the outcome of this weekend's matches.
The NCAA Tournament Brackets will be revealed at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening.
Men's Volleyball in the post season
The fifth-ranked Buckeye men's volleyball team started post-season action this weekend winning a conference tournament quarterfinal match against Ball State 3-0. Next, Ohio State travels to face second-ranked Loyola in the conference semi-finals Monday night. The semi-final match is a must win for the Buckeyes- a loss would effectively end their season.
The NCAA tournament is a six-team playoff with only two at large bids given to the two highest ranked teams who did not win their conference. If the tournament started today, Ohio State would be the last team left out. To make the tournament, the Buckeyes either need to improve their ranking with a quality win, or win the conference tournament guaranteeing an automatic bid. In either case, a win against Loyola is a must.
Unfortunately, Loyola has had Ohio State's number this year. They've already beaten the Buckeyes twice, 3-0, and are the only team to beat the Ohio State at home this season. To win, the Buckeyes will likely need to play their best match of the year.
Women's golf IS back-to-back b1g champs
The Ohio State women's golf team won the Big Ten Conference Tournament this past weekend for the second time in as many years. The win came in large part due to 4 Buckeyes finishing in the top six of the individual leaderboards. This win not only makes it back-to-back Big Ten Tournament wins for the Buckeyes, it also marks the teams 100th overall tournament win for the program.
The team will learn their tournament fate Monday night when the NCAA tournament selection show is aired on the Golf Channel. The Buckeyes own the Big Ten's automatic bid to the tournament, so it is not a matter of if they will be in the tournament, but where they will be seeded.They are currently ranked 34 nationally according to the golfweek/sagarin rankings.
Other Scores and News
- Men's Golf finished fifth in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend
- Men's Volleyball defeated Ball State in the Conference Quarterfinals
- Rowing won all 6 of their races in their last regular season meet
- Men's Lacrosse lost to Rutgers 17-10, putting the Buckeyes in serious jeopardy of missing out on the NCAA tournament, unless they win the conference tournament
- Women's Lacrosse lost to Northwestern 16-6
- Softball defeated Rutgers 12-4, and dropped a series 2-1 to Northwestern, but set a new school record for runs in a single game with their 20-17 win Saturday
What's Happening This Week
- Both tennis teams await possible at-large births in the NCAA tournament announced Tuesday evening
- Baseball has a home series against eighth-ranked Illinois Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Softball has a home series against Indiana Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Men's Lacrosse plays the Big Ten semi-final Thursday
- Women's lacrosse plays their first round game of the Big Ten tournament Thursday
- Men's Volleyball has a Semifinal match against Loyola with their season on the line
2014-15 'Ship Count: 4
- Football
- Wrestling
- Pistol
- Synchronized Swimming
