In a year full of inconsistency from the Ohio baseball team, one thing has remained constant this spring: rain.
In the past two weeks, the Bobcats have had four games either postponed or canceled because of storms, downpours and muddy field conditions.
With such a young team, Carbone said the weather has made it difficult for the team to gain the experience it needs to improve.
“Young guys need to play. They need reps and they need at bats,” Carbone said. “An older team can adjust because they’ve had more experience, but with a younger team, it’s a lot more difficult.”
All of the cancellations this season have been mid-week, non-conference games in which Carbone usually lets some of the younger Bobcats play.
In all, Ohio has had seven postponements or cancellations this year with 15 regular-season games remaining on the schedule. Of those, only three are mid-week games in which younger players are likely to see the
most action.
When conference games get rained out, the teams are forced to make them up in a doubleheader the next day. Rain has affected three conference series this season.
“This has been the most trying spring as I can remember in a long time as far as the weather,” Carbone said. “We try to do as much as we can to replicate game situations, but that’s difficult to do, especially for pitchers. But everyone’s in the same boat, and you just have to adjust.”
One of the young players looking to gain more experience is freshman shortstop Garrett Black.
Black was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week last week after batting .500, driving in five runs and hitting his first home run of the season.
“He’s a young man that is very coachable, listens real well and loves to play the game,” Carbone said. “He’s made tremendous strides in his defense and in his hitting, and he’s been a real shot in the arm for our team and our program.”
While Ohio is one of the least experienced teams in the MAC, this weekend’s opponent, Kent State, may be the most experienced.
The Golden Flashes are a veteran-laden team that has won back-to-back MAC Tournaments and appeared in the last four tournament championship games.
Carbone said the asset that sets Kent State apart is its pitching.
“For the last few years, their pitching has been the best in the league,” he said. “They’ve got an outstanding pitching coach who does a great job. All their guys have good mechanics and throw strikes.”
Whether Kent State’s pitching or the weather will be more consistent remains to be seen.
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