Starter Bova keeps Bobcats competitive, saves bullpen
by Kyle Jepson
Chris Bova has been slotted as the No. 1 starter for the Bobcats all season. And he has not disappointed one bit.
While pitchers (and position players) have made Ken Griffey Jr. look like Cal Ripken Jr. with their inability to stay healthy, Bova (5-6) has been a cornerstone to the pitching staff, amassing innings and keeping Ohio in games.
Projected ace Marc Cornell has been nursing his season-long injury (only 19 innings pitched), Zeke Isaacs hasn't started in three weeks after injuring his hand (22 IP) and all Bova has done is pitch 88 innings this season, nearly 20 more than the next closest pitcher.
What this means for Ohio is that it can save the bullpen for games later in a series, a commodity that is priceless.
Not only has he been able to throw countless innings this season, but he's been able to throw up zeros underneath those innings also.
Bova currently leads the team with a 3.38 ERA. Since starting 1-4, the right-hander has given up four earned runs in a game only once, and that came in a complete game, 4-3 loss to Ball State.
Since conference play began, Bova has gone 4-3, but two of those losses were one-run games. He has pitched three complete games (including a one-hitter against Buffalo) and has kept his ERA under three in that time. And with the team struggling to get a grip on the ball this year, Bova has done all he can to keep opposing hitters from putting the ball in play.
He leads the team in strikeouts with 71 (the next closest is Dan O'Rourke's 49), which may not seem very significant to helping the team. But in a season riddled with errors, Bova has taken a lot of the outs into his own hands.
There's a reason why he's the No. 1 starter on the staff. And with that, he has given Ohio every chance to win.
O'Rourke fills perfectly his multi-tasked place on team
by T.J. Lasita
This argument deserves a disclaimer. In no way is it possible to knock Chris Bova. What more could you ask from the senior hurler? He takes the ball every Friday and has put together some of the gutsiest, most impressive outings of the season. This is clear.
But when it comes to most valuable, only one of Bova's fellow staff mates has him topped: junior Dan O'Rourke.
The Bobcats are currently in a dogfight to earn a spot in the Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 10-11 league mark. Quite simply, if there's no Dan O'Rourke, there's no fighting for a spot. No other Ohio pitcher has had as much stake in those 10 victories as No. 13.
It is not an easy task to define O'Rourke. What do you call him, a starter? He does have six starts, a team-high six wins and a pair of complete games. Or should we tab him as a long reliever? He is second on the team in appearances with 17. Better yet, let's dub him a shutdown closer. O'Rourke has a team-leading two saves and is in sole possession of fifth place on the Ohio all-time save list with a year of eligibility remaining.
Injuries forced Ohio coach Joe Carbone to use O'Rourke in a starting role for part of this season, rather than his traditional position out of the bullpen. With the return of starter Marc Cornell, O'Rourke was asked to relieve again recently. Distraught with the change? Nope. In a key three-game sweep against Western Michigan, O'Rourke returned to the pen and picked up two wins and a save. I reiterate -no Dan O'Rourke, no shot at the tournament.
The fact of the matter is Dan O'Rourke does exactly what he is asked to do -get people out. It might be the first inning of a 0-0 game, the third inning with a 3-1 lead or perhaps a pressure-packed 10th inning deadlock. It doesn't matter. O'Rourke takes the ball whenever he's called upon and gets the job done.
No Ohio hurler has been more influential in 2004.
17 Archives
Kyle Jepson and T.J. Lasita
