With only six Mid-American Conference games remaining on the schedule, the Bobcats are running out of time to solidify a postseason berth.
At 7-14 in the MAC, Ohio currently sits three games behind eighth-place Bowling Green for the final spot in the conference tournament, which will take place at the end of the month.
Despite the close race, coach Joe Carbone said he does not spend much time looking at the standings.
“I looked at them once to see where everyone stands,” he said. “But right now, we’re just trying to get ready for Akron and then get ready for Miami next week.
We’ll see where we are at after that, but we know we’ve got to win
a bunch of games.”
In order to make the tournament, the Bobcats will also need to pass 8-12 Ball State, which currently occupies ninth place.
Luckily for Ohio, Bowling Green will face league-leading Kent State this weekend while Ball State will play sixth-place Northern Illinois.
With two or three wins this weekend and a little help, the Bobcats could be in position to grab one of the final spots in the eight-team field heading into
next weekend.
For the second consecutive weekend, Ohio will face a team lower than itself in the standings: Akron.
The Zips enter the series at 5-16 in conference play and will be desperate for wins.
With so much on the line, Carbone said it is important not only for his team to pick up multiple wins but also to put some space between itself and Akron.
“It’s very important for us to win a bunch of games these next two weekends,” Carbone said. “It doesn’t matter if they’re below us or above us, we’ve just got to go out and beat the next two teams.”
One of the biggest reasons for Akron’s struggles this season is the team’s batting average. At .232, the Zips have the lowest average in the league.
With only 15 home runs, they don’t hit for power, either.
Despite Akron’s plate struggles, Carbone said his pitchers will not approach this series any differently.
“They’ve got to throw strikes no matter who they’re facing,” Carbone said. “Just because a team has a lowing batting average does not necessarily mean they won’t hit the ball this weekend.”
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