Ohio started off the season with a split with Rider, a mediocre MAAC program. Thought we were going to take the series but blew a 2 run lead late then blew another lead in the 11th.

4 game series with Maine this weekend followed by 4 with Ned-Omaha the following weekend, both in Georgia. Then 3 at Towson and 3 at SC-Upstate. None of these teams are particularly good. I'll be disappointed if we don't go at least 8-6.

I would give this weekend an overall grade of a "B-"

Some thoughts (based on statistics as there was no coverage other than Twitter):

The offense production was great. .308 team average is outstanding, however, Rider has a weak staff and we should expect to face much tougher pitching here on out. They hit 10 batters in 4 games, not good. 15 extra base hits is also a promising sign. The offense was an area of concern for this team so hopefully they can continue to put up runs at this rate.

The pitching was also solid. 2.87 team era is good for second in the MAC at this point, but again, Rider is weak. As a staff, we walked 25 batters, gotta get that number down. Opening weekend can be a grind for pitchers as they adjust to real game action and pitching in games that count. They will get mentally tougher as the season goes on.

The defense was not good, period. 9 errors for the weekend and a fielding pct of .945, second to last in the conference. I was surprised to see this as Rob Smith teams focus on defense probably more than any other team in the conference. I think this is also mental. The juices were flowing as many guys got their first taste of d1 baseball. As guys get more experience the game will slow down a bit and I think they will settle in. Coach Moore does a great job with the infielders during the week and I expect him to hold his guys accountable in practice.

Some areas we can surely tighten up, but a solid opening weekend to build on. Again, did not watch any of the games and my assessment is 100% based on our stats.

3 series and 3 splits. Not terrible but a little disappointing.

Rudy Rott has been good again and Klein is still a great dual threat, but most the lineup has been a little underwhelming. A lot of new regulars though so it was to be expected. Can't really complain about the pitching but still walking a few too many.

Schedule playing out as planned with no cancellations and staying healthy is a good Feb/Mar.

Towson this weekend looks like the perfect team to get the offense going against. Towson has a 10.30 ERA so far this year in 9 games. Towson has one pitcher who has been pretty good. The rest have been pretty much awful. And if you think Ohio has walked too many (40 in 108 innings), look at Towson. Towson has walked 68 in 76 innings.

I hope you're right! Getting no-hit in the last game of a 4 games series against Ohmaha-Nebraska...sheesh

Well, the offense did wake up in a sweep of Towson with wins of 5-2, 10-9 and 9-8. Pitching actually was the bigger struggle in the series. Bobcats held on in the second game and rallied in the third. Tomorrow's game at High Point is cancelled due to weather so next up is a three-game weekend series at S.C. Upstate.

They played the next day and won 11-7 with 5 dingers. 4 in a row and 6 of 7, hoping to win 2 @ SC Upstate and start the MAC schedule feeling good.

Ohio won only the finale of the three-game series against SC Upstate. Pitching struggled in the series, giving up 8, 12 and 5 runs. The Bobcats enter MAC play with an 11-8 record, .277 average and 4.24 ERA.

Supposed to be at BG this weekend. Will be cold, but the forecast has improved from what was predicted a couple days ago, which was 2-3 inches of snow Saturday.

Think they salvaged the trip by winning that last game at Upstate. Would've liked to have been coming into mac play with a series win but avoiding getting swept was big. Now its on to conference play, we will need the pitching and defense to step it up. Seems like in most of the losses this year has been a result of giving up a big inning. College baseball is unpredictable but its tough to win after giving up 4+ runs in a single inning.

A 4-0 ho hum loss at Ohio State isn't as upsetting as having to go to extras and get a walkoff against Shawnee State, who not only is NAIA but is mediocre at that. Glad we survived, that would have been a tough one to live down.