| NORTHWESTERN Wildcats (13-26) vs. OHIO STATE Buckeyes (28-10) | |
| Date (Time) | Friday, April 24 (3 p.m.) Saturday, April 25 (1 p.m.) Sunday, April 26 (1 p.m.) |
| Location | Rocky Miller Park | Evanston, Ill. |
| Media | Game 1: Watch | Listen | GameTracker Game 2: Listen | GameTracker Game 3: Watch | Listen | GameTracker |
| Social | @NUCatsBaseball | @NU_SportsLIVE |
| Game Notes | Northwestern | Ohio State | B1G (coming soon) |
| Probable Pitchers | Game 1: RHP Brandon Magallones vs. LHP Tanner Tully Game 2: LHP Matt Portland vs. RHP Travis Lakins Game 3: TBD vs. LHP Ryan Riga |
EVANSTON, Ill. - After a 2-0 midweek set against Milwaukee and UIC, the Wildcats resume Big Ten play with a three-game series against Ohio State at the newly renovated Rocky Miller Park, beginning Friday, April 24, at 3 p.m.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
· Ohio State sits 13th in the latest NCAA RPI rankings - the highest in the Big Ten.
·The Buckeyes sit third in the Big Ten standings with a 28-10 overall record and a 9-3 conference mark.
· OSU has won 16 of its last 20 outings and tout a road record of 8-6 this season.
· Troy Montgomery continues to pace Ohio State at the plate with a batting average of .319 and an on-base percentage of .412. The sophomore leads the conference in stolen bases with 22 on the year.
· Tré Grant was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after hitting .500 (6-for-12) with a run scored and two RBI last week.
· As a team, Ohio State is hitting .279 to sit fifth in the Big Ten. The team's ERA is 2.63, the second-best in the league and 13th in the country.
· The Buckeyes are 3-1 against nationally ranked teams this season with one of those wins coming against No. 4 Louisville and two against Big Ten rival No. 24 Nebraska.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE BUCKEYES
Northwestern won the first two games of its series at Ohio State in 2014, but was unable to complete the three-game sweep when the Buckeyes won the regular season finale. Scott Heelan, Matt Hopfner and Joe Hoscheit had stellar outings against OSU as the trio tallied five hits apiece in the three-game series. Heelan added three doubles, a triple and four RBI with a team-best .833 slugging percentage.
WRECK `EM RUCHIM
Fifth-year senior Kyle Ruchim leads the Wildcats with a .362 batting average and has hit a season-best six of NU's 16 home runs. The center fielder leads the team in hits (54), runs (26) and slugging percentage (.604), which ranks second in the Big Ten. This season, the senior tallied his 100th-career run against Ball State on March 6 and his 200th-career hit at Chicago State (March 31).
HOME SWEET HOME
Northwestern finally returned home to the newly renovated Rocky Miller Park on Tuesday, April 21 when it hosted Milwaukee in its home opener. The Wildcats played 37 road games before opening play in Evanston. NU is 9-18 in true road games this year and is currently undefeated at home (2-0).
DOUBLING UP
Fifth-year senior Scott Heelan, who is hitting .329 this spring leads the Big Ten in doubles with 17, while senior Kyle Ruchim sits second (16) and junior Zach Jones ranks third (15). The Wildcats lead B1G in doubles with 90, averaging 2.36 doubles per game to sit 11th in the country.
SUPER SCOTT
Super senior Scott Heelan has been a key contributor to the Wildcats' offense this spring. Hitting .329, he has only struck out six times in 131 at bats this year, to rank him as the fifth toughest batter to strike out in the country. In his last four appearances, he has led the team with a .438 average with seven hits in 16 at bats, including four doubles and three runs.
ZACH ATTACK
Junior first baseman Zach Jones has played a critical role in the Wildcat's offense this year. The Glenview, Ill., native is hitting .331 and has tallied 22 runs on 53 hits along with 25 RBI and 15 doubles. On March 20, Jones tied a school record for hits in a single game when tallied seven against UNLV. The junior has reached base in 21-consecutive games for the longest Northwestern run since Trevor Stevens reached base in 28-straight games in 2011. Jones hit his first career home run in a 9-5 win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, April 21.
HOT BATS
Northwestern ranks among the Big Ten top seven in multiple offensive categories including first in doubles (90), third in hits (403), fourth in total bases (549) and batting average (.279). On Sunday, March 29, the Wildcats clinched their first Big Ten series with a commanding 19-7 win over Minnesota. The 19 runs scored were the most by NU since 2006 when the squad edged past Illinois in a 19-18 slugfest. The Wildcats have registered double-digit hits in 21 games this year.
MILESTONE MAGS'
Senior Brandon Magallones recorded his 200th-career strikeout in a 19-7 win over Minnesota (March 29). The right-handed pitcher earned the win after pitching five innings and fanning five batters. On Friday, April 17th, Magallones pitched seven shutout innings and cracked Northwestern all-time top 10 for career strikeouts against Iowa. The senior finished the game with 208 career Ks and now sits eighth on NU's all-time top 10.
NEXT UP FOR THE WILDCATS
Northwestern will continue its 11-game homestretch with a midweek game against crosstown rival Chicago State. The Wildcats defeated the Cougars earlier this season, 7-2. NU will resume Big Ten play on Friday, May 1, with a three-game set against Nebraska.
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