There’s no way around it. Ohio is slumping, and the numbers behind its slump are pretty staggering.
The Bobcats have lost six of their last eight — the last five consecutively. They haven’t scored a run in 12 innings, and on Tuesday against Ohio State University, not a single runner scored a run. As a matter of fact, only two reached second base.
But coach Rob Smith is able to forget about that because this weekend his team can hit the reset button.
Ohio (11-12) will head to Muncie, Indiana, this weekend for a three-game series against Ball State (11-13) as it kicks off the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule.
As the Bobcats get ready for certainly the most important part of their schedule, Smith has the master plan for turning things around.
“It starts with scoring more than they score,” he joked. “That’s a good start.”
In all seriousness, Ohio isn’t on terrible footing as it kicks off MAC play.
The team has the second-best pitching in the conference and, even in the midst of a deplorable slump, sits about middle of the pack in hitting. The Bobcats are also tied for second in the nation in fielding percentage.
Ohio knows it just has to improve on situational hitting, an area Smith stressed in the beginning of the season. Right now, the team has left 181 runners on base.
Hitting with runners in scoring position is important for the Bobcats because with a strong pitching staff and great defense, it’s really the only part of their game plan that’s failing.
“We’ve just gotta do a better job of piecing together hits so we can get some runs on the board and get some wins,” infielder Tyler Finkler said.
As Ohio attempts to break out of its slump, the Bobcats know they have more than a tall task ahead of them. Their schedule is not handing them any favors.
After suffering a five game losing streak, Ohio will meet Ball State, which won the west division last year. After finishing up the series, Ohio will come back and face in-state foe Dayton just a day later. After a three-day turnaround, it'll host Central Michigan, which won the west division in 2015.
Despite the fact Ohio is facing the weight of a five-game losing streak and a difficult schedule, Smith is still confident in his team.
“We have to go there with the mindset that we’re going to win the series. They just got swept by Kent (State). They got beat by Butler,” he said. “They’re beatable.”
