Ohio will put an emphasis on fundamentals tonight, but that could be difficult without one of its top fundamental performers.
The Bobcats (7-22, 4-5 Mid-American Conference) will host Duquesne tonight without preseason All-American Gauntlett Eldemire. The outfielder injured his wrist when he was hit by a pitch late in Friday's 25-3 thrashing of Western Michigan.
Eldemire has a .415 batting average with five home runs and 32 RBIs through 27 games.
In his absence, Ohio will rely on others to fill the void. After the 51-run weekend sweep of the Broncos, the Bobcats now have five batters hitting over .300.
Those are the guys that are the good hitters
so we count on them to really help us out coach Joe Carbone said.
Carbone wants his team to make improvements in all aspects of the game despite last weekend's offensive onslaught. He said the team works on fundamentals during its limited practice time.
We look to improve on everything he said. Just because somebody kicks a ground ball or makes a mistake doesn't mean you have to go back to the drawing board.
If you make a big deal out of it, it becomes a mental thing, and we don't want that. Hopefully we stay fairly consistent in all those areas.
Defensive fundamentals will be key to keeping the Dukes (7-22
3-4 Atlantic 10) off the bases. Duquesne has stolen 72 bases this season
20 more than any other team in the Atlantic 10. They have been successful in over 80 percent of their stealing attempts.
They have more stolen bases then any team we've played, Carbone said.
Carbone has not decided who will be the starting catcher this evening. Kris McDonough has thrown out 10 of 34 players trying to steal
while Trace Voshell has not been successful in any of his eight attempts.
Brent Choban (1-0) will make his fourth start of the season for Ohio. Choban has allowed 19 earned runs in 10 and one-third innings on the mound.
Carbone said Choban will pitch an inning or two before the Bobcats put a number of relievers on the mound.
This is the Dukes' last trip to Bob Wren Stadium. Baseball will be among four Duquesne varsity sports cut after this season
and according to Duquesne's athletics Web site
the decision was made in an effort to maximize financial resources.
I'm sure those kids will go out and play hard against us, Carbone said. They always do.",",2,Sports,Michael Stainbrook,31265b.jpg,",",",",","
31263,2010-04-13 00:04:00,Study supports stereotype,Before going uptown
many Ohio University female students slip into low-cut tops and short dresses
but according to a recent study
the percentage of skin they show might affect the male attention they receive.,Before going uptown
