With the end of the road in sight, the Bobcats have one more chance to fine-tune the machine before Mid-American Conference play goes into high gear.
Ohio has four regular season games remaining, and all but one are against MAC opponents. But Ohio coach Joe Carbone said the team is not putting extra emphasis on the final non-conference game of the season.
At this point in the year
you're just getting out there and playing Carbone said.
The Bobcats (20-30, 13-11 MAC) host Xavier tonight in their final midweek game before the regular-season schedule wraps up with conference foe Miami this weekend. The Bobcats then travel to Chillicothe for the MAC tournament.
The Musketeers (22-30, 15-9 Atlantic 10) come to town riding a five-game winning streak. They won two of three against Atlantic 10-leading Charlotte and then swept Massachusetts. Xavier now finds itself tied for second in the conference.
But things were not smooth for the Musketeers early in the season. A brutal stretch of games against southern powerhouses left Xavier with just one win in its first 13 outings, and the team did not win back-to-back games for the first 33 games of the season.
Their record is similar to ours overall Carbone said. Now they have a good conference record.
Once again, it's a team that steals bases. They've got a combination of speed and power.
Juniors Ben Thomas and John McCambridge lead Xavier's offensive charge. Thomas leads the team in batting average (.364) and home runs (12)
and McCambridge is the Musketeers' top base stealer with 25 swipes in only 30 attempts.
Freshman Matt Robin (1-1
10.32 ERA) will get the start on the mound for Ohio. Carbone said he plans to use a number of relievers tonight.
FINAL HOME GAME FOR SENIORS
Pitchers Rex Ingham and Bryce Butt
first baseman Jerod Yakubik
and catcher Kris McDonough will suit up for their final game at Bob Wren Stadium tonight. Draft-eligible juniors Gauntlett Eldemire and Robert Maddox III might also be playing their last game in Athens.
I'm sure it'll hit home with them whenever they walk off the field, Carbone said. They've all had a good experience playing on the field, and hopefully they'll take that experience with them the rest of their lives.",",2,Sports,Michael Stainbrook,31805a.jpg,Ohio's Zach Keen swings during the game against Buffalo at Bob Wren Stadium May 9. Ohio won against Buffalo 12-5. The Bobcats play Xavier today at 6. (Alex Goodlett | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER),",",",","
31805,2010-05-18 02:09:00,Baseball: Seniors suit up for last Athens game,With the end of the road in sight
the Bobcats have one more chance to fine-tune the machine before Mid-American Conference play goes into high gear.
Ohio has four regular season games remaining
and all but one are against MAC opponents. But Ohio coach Joe Carbone said the team is not putting extra emphasis on the final non-conference game of the season.,With the end of the road in sight
the Bobcats have one more chance to fine-tune the machine before Mid-American Conference play goes into high gear.
Ohio has four regular season games remaining
and all but one are against MAC opponents. But Ohio coach Joe Carbone said the team is not putting extra emphasis on the final non-conference game of the season.
At this point in the year, you're just getting out there and playing, Carbone said.
The Bobcats (20-30
