HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky baseball team takes a break from Horizon League play on Wednesday when it travels to take on Big Ten-foe Ohio State in Columbus. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium.
The game will be streamed live on BTN Plus ($). Live audio and live stats are also available with links on NKUNorse.com
Gameday Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (12-22, 6-6 Horizon League)
at Ohio State Buckeyes (15-21, 4-6 B1G)
Wednesday, April 19 – 6:35 p.m.
Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium | Columbus, Ohio
NKU: Jr. LHP
Trey Ganns
OSU: Fr. RHP Jake Vance
LAST TIME OUT: The Norse offense struggled at UIC last weekend as the Flames swept NKU in a three-game series by scores of 5-2, 2-0 and 7-2 in Chicago. Norse relievers had a strong weekend, allowing just three runs, two earned, in 12.1 combined innings of work on the weekend. They struck out eight and walked one as the pitching staff as a whole issued just a trio of walks in 24.0 total innings last weekend.
MIDWEEK ACTION: Including Wednesday's matchup against Ohio State, the Norse have three midweek games remaining on the 2017 slate, all to be played on the road. NKU faces a pair of top-10 teams in the next month, traveling to No. 2 Louisville next Wednesday, April 26 for a 6 p.m. game at Louisville Slugger Field. The Norse will take two weeks off from midweek action before traveling to No. 10 Kentucky on Tuesday, May 16.
NKU has a pair of midweek victories this season including a 6-3 win at Miami (Ohio) on March 22, which was head coach
Todd Asalon's 500th win at Northern Kentucky. Last Tuesday, NKU cruised to a 15-1 win over Miami Hamilton at home. The Norse are batting .314 with 21 doubles and six home runs across their six midweek games.
QUICK HITS:
- Trey Ganns will be making his ninth start of the season on the mound for NKU. The southpaw is second on the team in innings pitched with 37.0. The two-way player is also second on the team in batting average at .310 with a team-best 32 RBI and eight homers.
- NKU pitchers have walked 10 batters while fanning 35 in their last 50.0 innings pitched, spanning six games.
- TJ Alas has reached base in all but two games this season. He is riding a 25-game reached-base streak and has recorded a hit in 26 of his 34 games played. He is tied for the Horizon League lead in runs scored with 30 and sits in the top-five in slugging percentage (.557), hits (43) and home runs (eight).
- In his 11 relief appearances this season, sophomore Jordan Menfee has a 2.60 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched. He has held foes to a .145 average out of the bullpen.
- NKU is in the top-35 nationally in doubles per game (31st, 2.09), home runs (35th, 36) and home runs per game (34th, 1.06). Thirty-three of NKU's 36 homers on the season have come in the last 21 games, dating back to the Horizon League opener against Milwaukee on March 17.
- Cameron Ross leads all relievers with a 3.55 ERA this season. He is tied for 24th in the NCAA in pitching appearances with 20. He has allowed just four earned runs in his last 25.0 innings pitched for a 1.44 ERA across his last 14 appearances.
- NKU's leadoff batters are reaching base at a .410 clip while the team owns a .361 on-base percentage this season.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes defeated Michigan State on Sunday, 13-8, to snap a four-game losing skid and move to 15-21 on the seasaon. Ohio State is batting .242 as a team while opponents are averaging .275 against the pitching staff, which owns a 4.89 ERA. Freshman Dominic Canzone has seen action in 29 of OSU's 36 games and owns a .333 average and 16 RBI. Tre' Gantt is the only other Buckeye batting over .300. Gantt has started every game and boasts a .300 batting average with a team-leading .410 on-base percentage and nine stolen bases. Jalen Washington has a team-best 24 RBI and has nine doubles, three triples and five home runs. He is batting .246 on the season.
Freshman right-hander Jake Vance is expected to make his second career start on the mound. He enters the game with an 0-1 record and 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched.
SERIES HISTORY: The teams have met three times with all three games resulting in one-run victories for OSU. The last meeting fell on March 11, 2015 in Columbus when the Norse fell, 4-3, on a walk-off hit-by-pitch after NKU tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the ninth. Current senior
Kyle Colletta went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the contest.
The first meeting between the programs was on May 1, 2013 when OSU swept NKU in a doubleheader in Columbus by scores of 9-8 and 6-5.
UP NEXT: The Norse host Horizon League foes Valparaiso on Friday and UIC on Sunday in a pair of doubleheaders at Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
