Sixty games: That mark is the NCAA all-time record for a hitting streak. Damian Costantino holds the record for any level of collegiate baseball.
Ohio freshman first baseman Jake Madsen might not get that far, but his 20-game hitting streak is notable nonetheless. He is among the Bobcats’ top five players in almost every major offensive category and leads Ohio in hits (40) and batting average (.385).
Madsen said he did not expect to come in and contribute the way that he has so far this season.
“I thought maybe I would sit my freshman and maybe my sophomore year,” Madsen said. “I’m really excited to get some playing time.”
Madsen is a product of Moeller High School in Cincinnati, which is historically a Southwestern Ohio powerhouse. Madsen said he knows he has the ability to compete at the collegiate level, but the psychological aspects of the game come into play while maintaining a streak like this one.
Despite that, he said he has not thought about maintaining the streak when he is at the plate.
“I don’t think much at all,” Madsen said. “I’ve been playing this game for a long time. I know I can play the game. That’s all that goes through my mind.”
Ohio coach Joe Carbone tells his team to focus on the performance, not the result. He stresses the mental aspect of hitting and staying focused even if a ball is hit right to the defense every time at the plate.
“If you mentally fall apart, on ‘Oh heck, I didn’t get at hit,’ now you lose everything,” Carbone said. “I tell the guys to put a good swing on the ball … all we want to do is put a good swing on the ball, square it up and hit it hard.”
Jensen Painter has reached base in every game this season. Carbone said the reason Painter and Madsen have been so successful is that they’re savvy at the plate.
“They know the strike zone,” Carbone said. “They also know what pitches are coming at them. They’re a little ahead on the other guys because they know the strike zone, and that’s key to being a good hitter.”
Painter is the known entity around the Mid-American Conference, and right now, Madsen is benefitting from being in the shadows.
“I’m really confident right now,” he said. “I’m looking for that fastball. I’m getting a lot of fastballs because no one really knows much about me.”
Ohio’s next opponent, Cincinnati, touts a 10-16 record this season and has lost 10 of its last 12.
The Bearcats have won only one game on the road, while the Bobcats boast a 9-5 record at Bob Wren Stadium.
UP NEXT:
TUESDAY
OHIO v. Cincinnati
Bob Wren Stadium
6 p.m.
FAST FACTS:
— Jensen Painter leads the team with 11 home runs.
— Jake Madsen is on a 20-game hitting streak.
— Cincinnati has lost 10 of its last 12 games.
nr225008@ohiou.edu
