Outfielder Joel Booker led Iowa to a 8-2 upset of top-seeded Minnesota (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)
Seven Big Ten Tournament games are in the books, bringing the the conference’s postseason to its mid-point. The top two seeds, Minnesota and Nebraska, bowed out of the tournament on Thursday, the first time the top two teams were the first two eliminated since the tournament became seeded in 1988.
The tournament of the underdog, only once has the higher seed won, here’s a notebook to catch up on the action thus far.
In memory of Todd Oakes
Prior to Minnesota’s game with Michigan on Thursday, 18-year pitching coach Todd Oakes passed away, the end of a four-year battle with acute myeloid leukemia. The Gophers did not learn of Oakes’ passing until their tournament stay ended, following a 3-2 defeat to Michigan. But the final score and baseball did not matter on Thursday for the Big Ten champions and conference coach of the year.
“It’s been a day of perspective,” Minnesota head coach John Anderson said following Minnesota’s contest and addressing the team. “We started out last fall with a perspective board and perspective stories, Todd is on that board. He shared his story with the team last fall, and its’s fitting here today that’s it a day of perspective.
“I think you can easily lose perspective. This is a game, we love playing the game, try to play it as well as we can, but at the end of the day, regardless of what happens, we’re all gonna be ok… We’ll leave here today, and we don’t let the game, win or lose, define us as people. We’re not going to let us define our kids, we have wonderful young men. The game doesn’t define us, what we do in the other parts of our life, how we serve others, the leadership we can provide and mentoring others, being a good overall person, we have a team of those particular young men. This won’t define us. I’m very proud of this team.”
Michigan State head coach Jake Boss opened his press conference, following the Spartans’ 4-3 victory over Maryland with the following.
“Firs, on behalf of our entire baseball program, out thoughts and prayers go to the Oakes family and the entire Minnesota baseball community. Todd was a good friend, it was a tough day yesterday for sure, and the way those kids handled themselves under those circumstances in that situation I think is a testament to the guy Todd was.”
Underdogs, wonderdogs
Through the first seven games, the lower seed has won six games. And it hasn’t been too close. In the six wins for the lower seed, the combined score is 31-13. The results are sparking conversation around Omaha of parity and depth in the Big Ten. It’s also raised the question of how reflective the standings are to the quality of team. With a 13-team conference playing eight series, a team will not play one-third of the conference. In a year where Purdue went 2-22 and Northwestern struggled to a 7-17 showing, the top four teams, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana and Ohio State, combined to go 22-2 against the two scuffling clubs.
Scarlet fever
Fourth-seeded Ohio State made sure the favorites did not suffer an 0-for-the-day on Wednesday. Beating Michigan 8-3, the Buckeyes continued an end-of-season tear. With a fourth victory of Michigan in the month of May, Ohio State improved to 9-1 in their last ten, 13-3 in May. The Buckeyes used extra base hits to take down the Wolverines. Led by two home runs from senior third baseman Nick Sergakis, Ohio State used seven base hits to cruise to victory.
Home field advantage erased
In support of Nebraska, Husker Nation came our in droves. An official attendance figure was not recorded on Thursday, due to the day’s winner’s bracket contests postponed to Friday, but the attendance for the first day finished at 9,866. The overwhelming majority of the near 10,000 spectators were in red, cheering on Nebraska. With their 0-2 exit, the remaining six teams in the tournament will have a true neutral setting. The attendance produced a great spectacle and environment, but opposing coaches and players will have one less thing to worry about and overcome in pursuit of the conference’s automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament.
Return on the home run to Omaha
Through the first seven games, the eight teams have combined to hit eight home runs. Led by Sergakis’ two, three were hit in Wednesday’s Ohio State-Michigan game, Wolverine first baseman Drew Lugbauer hitting an opposite field home run to left. Indiana’s Laren Eustace pulled a home run to right in Indiana’s 6-2 win over Nebraska, as did Minnesota’s Connor Schaefbauer in Wednesday’s 8-2 loss to Iowa. When action resumed on Friday, Michigan State used a home runs from Jordan Zimmerman and to turn back Maryland, 4-3, who saw home runs hit by Nick Cieri and Anthony Papio.
Of the eight home runs, three have been pulled down the left field line, with Lugbauer’s opposite-field poke. Three have been hit to right center, with Eustace pulling his round-tripper to the right field bullpen.
In the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, a total of five home runs were hit.
Stars shining
It’s been a big week for more than a few of the conference’s top players. Here’s a look at who has shined in the first half of the tournament.
Iowa Jr. 1B/RHP Tyler Peyton 4-for-6, 2 R, 2B, 3B
Iowa Sr. OF Joel Booker 5-for-5, SB
Maryland Jr. RHP Mike Shawaryn 9 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 16 SO
Michigan State Jr. LHP Cam Vieaux 8.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO
Michigan State Jr. 1B Jordan Zimmerman 3-for-9, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B, HR
Ohio State Sr. 3B Nick Sergakis, 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RB,I, 2 HR
Ohio State Jr. LF Ronnie Dawson, 3-for-3, 2 BB, 2B
Weather worries
The forecast wasn’t favorable heading into the week and on Thursday afternoon the skies opened. Fortunately, all four games on Wednesdays were played as planned and the tournament’s structure called for only two games on Friday. Flipping four games on Thursday for four on Friday may take a bit of an advantage away from Wednesday’s victors, two will have two play twice on Friday, but if the conference can go into Saturday with the first 10 games played it will be a win for the Big Ten.
B1G Baseball 