No one’s to say that the Weather Channel isn’t a staple in Ohio baseball coach Joe Carbone’s household, but it’s likely that his nightly programming was interrupted by a couple of forecasts last night.
There is a 60 percent chance of rain Tuesday in Athens and thunderstorms are probable, making the day’s game with Pittsburgh less than certain.
Carbone is responsible for getting in touch with Panthers coach Joe Jordano Tuesday morning either to tell him to pack up the bus and head west or to stay home and take in an extra day of practice.
“Right now we’re concerned about the weather and what time the rain’s going to hit,” Carbone said. “And then we have issues with the travel and if they want to spend the money on the trip.”
If the game does go on without a hitch, the Bobcats have some demons to overcome. Ohio (23-20, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) has hit a rut in non-conference play lately, as the team has lost five of its last seven midweek matchups. The slump is reminiscent of Ohio’s early-season woes, when it dropped all but three of its first 10 games, all of which were on the road.
The Bobcats’ inconsistent non-conference record is not a chief concern for the Bobcats, Carbone said.
“There’s no psychological benefit to it or any psychological demise to it,” he said. “You’re using your best pitcher against your conference opponents, and the non-conference record has our (season-opening) southern trips on there.”
Ohio is 18-5 all-time against Pittsburgh and has won its last four outings with the Panthers. The Bobcats’ recent success against their next opponent does not play into the team’s mindset, Carbone said. He also noted that the cyclical nature of talent and team makeup bodes inconsistencies year-to-year.
The game could also serve as a momentum shifter for the Bobcats. Ohio, which fell twice to Bowling Green last weekend, is coming off its first series loss since March. The losses pushed the Bobcats back in the MAC standings, where they now rank three conference games behind Kent State. The Golden Flashes will make the trip to Bob Wren Stadium this weekend.
Those upcoming bouts with Kent State are not looming on the Bobcats’ minds, but they are ready to erase the memories from last weekend’s downfall with a clean slate against the Panthers.
Ohio will start junior pitcher Tyler Backstrom, who has not pitched more than an inning at a time since his last start two weeks ago against Youngstown State. Backstrom struck out four, allowing five hits and an earned run in 4-2/3 innings against the Penguins.
Bobcat starters Jason Moulton and Brent Choban pitched complete games in the first two contests of last weekend’s series before Seth Streich went five innings in Sunday’s loss.
Consequently, Sean Kennedy was the only reliever to rack up any significant time on the mound, where he spent two innings and allowed a hit. Four other relievers rounded out the game, but none pitched more than two outs.
“We played the same nine guys pretty much all weekend, and the other guys work hard too and should get developed a little bit,” Carbone said. “We have to keep some guys ready in case somebody gets injured or something.”
jr992810@ohiou.edu
