Ohio (7-9) will take on Big 10 opponent Purdue (3-10) in weekend series in Kokomo, Indiana.
Head coach Rob Smith stood stone-faced on Bob Wren Stadium's field after Ohio’s disappointing lost to Northern Kentucky on Wednesday.
A 10-inning, roller-coaster affair had left Smith exhausted and noticeably disappointed.
Yet, his eyes lit up when he was reminded what awaited him this weekend. The Bobcats (7-9) will head to Indiana to face Purdue (3-10), Smith's alma mater.
Smith, who is in his fourth year at the helm of the Bobcats, began his coaching career at Purdue serving as a volunteer coach in 1999 and then as a pitching coach in 2001.
As pitching coach, he turned a relatively poor Boilermakers pitching staff into one of the best in the Big Ten Conference. Purdue’s ERA went down by nearly two runs and Smith sent several pitchers to the professional ranks during his tenure.
Much of the success, he said, is owed to his mentor, Purdue head coach Doug Schreiber, who arrived the same year as Smith.
For the first time since Smith was introduced as Ohio’s head coach, he’ll be in the opposing dugout of the man who gave him his first opportunity.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him and the opportunities he gave me,” Smith said. “To have the opportunity to compete against him on the same field, I’m very excited about that.”
However, Smith isn’t scared of taking on his former team, even if they are from a “Power Five” conference.
After all, Ohio has had plenty of experience against larger programs. It has benefited from a strong non-conference schedule playing Ohio State, Illinois, Boston College and Virginia Tech over Smith's four years.
This will be Ohio’s first series against Purdue since 2010, when the Boilermakers swept the Bobcats in a three-game series at Bob Wren Stadium.
When facing schools like Purdue, Smith’s message to his team is simple: treat it like any other team.
“We’ll just have to make the plays on the field,” third baseman John Adryan said. “I don’t think it matters from the Big Ten to the MAC. They’ve all got quality players and I believe we are as well. There’s going to be some good competition this weekend.”
Ohio is 1-5 against Power Five conferences during Smith’s tenure, with their lone win coming against Boston College in 2013.
However, it doesn't matter who the opponent is, Ohio simply has to play better than they have been when they started the season.
Ohio has started the season rather poorly, suffering series losses to Alabama- Birmingham and Wofford.
In its latest loss, Ohio fell to Northern Kentucky in extra innings. Poor pitching performances all around and a misplayed ball in the outfield ultimately doomed the Bobcats.
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Smith said that will have to be corrected if they’re going to take down his former team.
“It doesn’t matter what conference you’re playing in,” he said. “You’ve got to make plays. If you don’t do that, it doesn’t matter who they are or where they’re from, they’re going to beat you. That’s what we saw (against Northern Kentucky).”
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