COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State baseball team will spend the first five weekends of the 2009 season in the state of Florida competing in tournaments, starting with the initial BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge Feb. 20-22. The 18-team, 27-game event will be held at venues in St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Dunedin, Fla., highlighted by Friday and Saturday evening doubleheaders at Knology Park, the state-of-the-art spring training stadium of the World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, and Bright House Field.
Head coach Bob Todd, entering his 21st season leading the program, released dates and most of the game times for the upcoming season Friday. Some notes about the 2009 campaign:
- This year the Big Ten Conference modifies its four-game conference series to a three-game series with nine-inning games to be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
- According to the Big Ten Conference office, all Big Ten games must be completed to nine innings unless the final game of the series is stopped because of rain or darkness. In that case, the last game will count if it has become regulation (four and one-half or five innings).
- If a Big Ten game is stopped before completion, it will become a suspended game and completed the following day. The suspended game must be played to its nine-inning conclusion before a new game can begin.
- If Game 1 is not played on the first day, two nine-inning games shall be played on the second day. If Game 2 has not started on the second day, two nine-inning games shall be played on the third and final day.
- The loss of eight conference games means the Buckeyes will be playing more games on its spring trips and some multiple-mid-week games during the season.
- The Buckeyes will play their first midweek road game – outside of early season, spring trip games – in 11 years when they travel to Louisville, Ky., for a pair of games against the Louisville Cardinals May 5-6. The teams will play two nine-inning games.
- Ohio State last played a midweek road game April 22, 1998 at West Virginia.
- Ohio State did play Cleveland State at a neutral field in 2003: Jacobs Field.
- The conference slate includes the same teams and the same weekends as the 2008 season with flip-flopped locations.
- Ohio State will open its Big Ten season on the road for its first two weekends: at Penn State March 27-29 and at Minnesota April 3-5.
- Home Big Ten weekends will be against Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa.
All 10 of the Big Ten’s baseball-playing institutions will compete in the inaugural BIG EAST/Big Ten Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission. Eight BIG EAST representatives will participate, including South Florida, Connecticut, Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Notre Dame. Each day there will be eight games that feature a BIG EAST team taking on a club from the Big Ten along with one non-conference contest in which two Big Ten schools face off.
Ohio State will play three BIG EAST teams – Notre Dame, Connecticut and Cincinnati – in its three BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge games.
The complete Ohio State schedule follows.
2009 Ohio State Baseball Schedule
As of Nov. 17, 2008
Date Day Opponent Location Time
February
20 Fri. vs. Notre Dame# Dunedin, Fla. 7:30 p.m.
21 Sat. vs. Connecticut@ St. Petersburg, Fla. 4 p.m.
22 Sun. vs. Cincinnati@ St. Petersburg, Fla. 10 a.m.
27 Fri. at North Florida Jacksonville, Fla. 7 p.m.
28 Sat. vs. George Mason Jacksonville, Fla. 3:00 p.m.
28 Sat. at North Florida Jacksonville, Fla. 7:00 p.m.
March
1 Sun. vs. Connecticut Jacksonville, Fla. 11:00 a.m.
6 Fri. vs. Rhode Island Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
7 Sat. vs. Northeastern Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
7 Sat. vs. Maine Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
8 Sun. vs. Cent. Michigan Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
13 Fri. vs. Pittsburgh West Palm Beach, Fla. TBA
14 Sat. vs. SIU-E'ville West Palm Beach, Fla. TBA
14 Sat. vs. UMBC West Palm Beach, Fla. TBA
15 Sun. vs. N. Dakota St. West Palm Beach, Fla. TBA
20 Fri. vs. Indiana Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
21 Sat. vs. Army (DH) Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
22 Sun. vs. Hartford Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
23 Mon. vs. Rollins Winter Haven, Fla. TBA
24 Tue. vs. TBA TBA TBA
27 Fri. at Penn State State College, Pa. 6:35 p.m.
28 Sat. at Penn State State College, Pa. 2:05 p.m.
29 Sun. at Penn State State College, Pa. 1:05 p.m.
31 Tue. Xavier Columbus, Ohio 2:05 p.m.
April
1 Wed. Marshall Columbus, Ohio 2:05 p.m.
3 Fri. at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. TBA
4 Sat. at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. TBA
5 Sun. at Minnesota Minneapolis, Minn. TBA
8 Wed. Morehead State Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
10 Fri. Michigan State Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
11 Sat. Michigan State Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m.
12 Sun. Michigan State Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m.
15 Wed. Kent State Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
18 Fri. at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. TBA
19 Sat. at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. TBA
20 Sun. at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind. TBA
22 Tue. Ball State Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
24 Fri. Northwestern Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
25 Sat. Northwestern Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m.
26 Sun. Northwestern Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m.
29 Wed. Akron Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
May
1 Fri. Michigan Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
2 Sat. Michigan Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m.
3 Sun. Michigan Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m.
5 Tue. at Louisville Louisville, Ky. TBA
6 Wed. at Louisville Louisville, Ky. TBA
8 Fri. at Illinois Champaign, Ill. TBA
9 Sat. at Illinois Champaign, Ill. TBA
10 Sun. at Illinois Champaign, Ill. TBA
12 Tue. Eastern Michigan Columbus, Ohio 12:05 p.m.
14 Thu. Iowa Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
15 Fri. Iowa Columbus, Ohio 6:35 p.m.
16 Sat. Iowa Columbus, Ohio 1:05 p.m.
20-24 Big Ten Conference Tournament TBA
Notes:
- All home games (in bold) will be played at Bill Davis Stadium.
- All times listed as Eastern Time.
- #Played at Knology Park
- @Played at Progress Energy Park
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