Ohio State visited Ohio for the first time since 1993 on Tuesday evening, reigniting a rivalry dating back to the 19th century.
Bob Wren Stadium was a sight to behold on Tuesday evening.
A cloudless blue sky resided over the field as the smell of a flaming grill wafted throughout the chilly air. And the stadium, which more often than not sits more than half empty on game days, was packed to the brim.
Sure, there was more than a handful of fans wearing Ohio State gear, but for at least one night, despite a 6-3 loss to the Buckeyes, baseball was in the spotlight in Athens.
“We love this," outfielder Manny De Jesus said. "When we get that many fans around here, it brings the energy up in our dugout. I feel like we played better because we were motivated.”
This was the Buckeyes first visit to Athens since 1993 and Ohio holds a 29-41 win record against them.
Ohio State has been on Ohio’s schedule every year since 2012, with the plan being to alternate the home venue. However, all of the games scheduled to take place at Bob Wren Stadium since then have been cancelled due to rain.
Prior to their meeting in 2012, the two programs hadn’t met since 1994.
But before that, they had a long and storied rivalry, meeting often since 1934. Their first game took place in 1895, when Ohio’s mascot had yet to be named the Bobcats and were still called the "Green and White."
Coach Rob Smith sees a budding rivalry, but if they truly want a rivalry, the Bobcats will have to hold up their end of the bargain.
"It’s certainly an in-state rivalry," Smith said. "Rivalries have got to involve both teams winning some games, but we’ve played them close the three times (since) I’ve been a part of the games."
If anything signified the rebirth of this rivalry, it was the crowd at Bob Wren Stadium. Over two thousand people were in attendance, marking the largest crowd at home this year for Ohio.
For the first time in recent memory, there was a real fan atmosphere at Bob Wren Stadium, which certainly pleased everyone on the Ohio roster.
For relief pitcher Michael Klein, it reminded him of his appearance in last year's Junior College World Series, where another large crowd watched him pitch.
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“I love big crowds," he said. "That’s when I pitch my best. I love the crowd energy.”
Ohio is certainly hoping for the crowds to keep coming, but maybe more importantly, they hope to play more big-name programs like Ohio State.
"I expect teams should want to come here and play," Smith said. "(Ohio State) came back, and they'll be back here in a couple of years. That's the way it should be. We'll play whoever wants to come to our place and play."
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