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Amanda Dalton

Softball: ’Cats ready for home opener

By Charlie Hatch | Mar. 13, 2014

After beginning its season with their best start in program history, Ohio proceeded to lose 11 of its next 12 games. However, the team will look to regain their early-season stride Friday during their home opener against Wright State.

Football: Bobcats prepare for Pro Day

Football: Bobcats prepare for Pro Day

By Tony Wolfe | Mar. 12, 2014

Players and coaches have filed into Walter Fieldhouse for the first days of spring practice throughout the week. Thursday, however, the new facility will be packed even further when professional scouts enter the building for Ohio’s Pro Day.

MAC Tournament round two

Men's Basketball: Akron awaits Ohio in MAC Quarterfinals

By Christian Hoppens | Mar. 12, 2014

CLEVELAND — Neither •Stevie Taylor nor •Javarez “Bean” Willis put up especially gaudy stat lines, but when it mattered most, each rose to the occasion in Ohio’s second-round Mid-American Conference Tournament victory against Miami.The duo of junior point guards each hit a •pair of 3-pointers when the game tightened in the second half to help the Bobcats advance past the RedHawks •63-55 •Wednesday.After a layup and a triple by Miami freshman guard •Jared Eustace gave the RedHawks a •43-39 lead with •10:49 remaining in the contest, Taylor came back up the floor and knocked down •3-pointers on back-to-back possessions.“I told (Taylor) that, ‘We can’t win games in this tournament without you. … you’re going to have to give us everything you’ve got’,” Ohio coach Jim Christian said. “I thought he played with a lot of courage tonight.”And when RedHawks eventually •retook the lead, Willis knocked down a pair of 3-pointers of his of his own with to push the Bobcats ahead again, knocking down his second on a pull-up jumper stemming from a •Jon Smith steal.  “At that point in time, there’s limited time left in the game,” Willis said. “If you’re going to shoot it, then you have to shoot it with confidence. … I shot it knowing that I had to make it and I did.”Miami didn’t quit, however, trimming the lead back to within one point with 38 seconds left. But Ohio senior guard Nick Kellogg finished off the Bobcats’ second-half heroics, taking the ball to the hoop and completing an and-one opportunity. The free throw gave the Bobcats a •four-point lead and essentially sealed the win.But the first half wasn’t a shining example of how beautiful the game of basketball can be, as both teams combined for •20 team fouls, which averages out to a foul a minute.“It’s kind of tough, but it’s part of the game,” Kellogg said. “You just have to adapt and adjust to it. If that’s the way (the officials) are calling it, that’s how they’re calling it. I think it’s up to us to stop fouling.”On top of that, there was a pair of lane violations, blood on the floor and a shooting performance that made it seem like there was a lid on the rim.Ohio shot 7 of 26 from the field in the first half, while Miami actually managed to shoot worse, connecting on 7 of its 30 attempts before the break.There was also a •nine-minute, •28-second stretch in which the Bobcats didn’t make a basket. A Kellogg •3-pointer with •7:39 before half served as the first made field goal since Willis made a shot from downtown at the •17:07 mark.Awaiting the Bobcats in the quarterfinals is an Akron team that crushed Ohio’s MAC Championship and NCAA Tournament bid chances last season with a •65-46 win in the tournament’s title game.Kellogg said it wouldn’t be a •MAC Tournament without meeting a Zips team that •split the regular season series against the Bobcats this year.“Obviously they’re a really good team,” Kellogg said. “We felt like we’ve built some momentum winning these two games prior to this game, so we know what kind of energy and effort it’s going to take to beat them.”ch203310@ohiou.edu@C_Hoppens

Football Pro Day

Football: Bobcats prepare for Pro Day

By Tony Wolfe | Mar. 12, 2014

Players and coaches have filed into Walter Fieldhouse for the first days of spring practice throughout the week. Thursday, however, the new facility will be packed even further when professional scouts enter the building for Ohio’s Pro Day.Former Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton and receiver Donte Foster are among the list of athletes who will be showcasing their talents to potential suitors during the afternoon.“It’s fun to be back around the guys, and see how far they’ve come with their training,” Tettleton said. “I’ve been working out every day when possible, just trying to take care of my body and eat right and do the right things. I feel like I’m in the right place right now. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it.”The former Bobcat also says he’s weighing his future options after six NFL teams began communicating with him following an All-Star Game he played in last month, in addition to one Canadian Football League team that has offered him a contract.Foster has spent the past eight weeks training in Miami, Fla. working on drills such as shuttles, bench presses and verticals preparing for Thursday’s opportunity. Foster shared Tettleton’s enthusiasm about Pro Day and relayed some advice given to him by Indianapolis Colts receiver and former Bobcat LaVon Brazill.“LaVon told me to just stay relaxed,” Foster said. “If one thing goes bad, you can’t let that dictate the rest of your Pro Day. He just said to stay focused, and if you have one bad drill, then just go onto the next one and just make the most of it. You have to go into these things with confidence, so hearing that from him was very beneficial to me.”Tettleton and Foster have each attended the early days of the Bobcats’ spring practices to observe next year’s team, as well as the new practice facility.“I’ll always be a Bobcat, so I’ll always support them,” Tettleton said. “I try to be around the guys as much as possible. It’s great to be in here, and see the new indoor that my class and all of these guys helped build and provide for this program.”As one of the players looking to fill Tettleton’s shoes this season, redshirt junior Derrius Vick has been looking to get the most out of the first week of practice.“Practice has been way different,” Vick said. “The new quarterback coach has us doing a lot more drills and puts a lot more emphasis on different things. I can definitely feel myself getting better quickly every day.”Ohio’s Pro Day kicks off at Walter Fieldhouse on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.aw987712@ohiou.edu@_tonywolfe_

The Post

OU paid less for lastest bowl bid

By Chad Lindskog | Mar. 12, 2014

Although Ohio failed to win its third consecutive bowl game, expenses for Ohio football’s four-day trip to St. Petersburg, Fla., in December totaled less than the team’s previous two postseason trips, according to a report released by Ohio Athletics last Tuesday.Of the $469,147.08 in total expenses for the Bobcats’ trip to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, Ohio University paid $32,642.08 out-of-pocket from the Post Season Opportunity Fund — a $120,000 annual allotment from the General Fee. The total is less than half of the $78,569 OU pulled from the same pool in 2012 for the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl, according to a previous Post article.“We’re going to start making money off of (bowl games),” said Tom Symonds, Ohio assistant athletic director for media relations. “There’s going to come a time when we get increased funding from the league to go to these bowls — don’t be surprised if you see a couple years down the road that we’re making money off (games).”Ohio Athletics received $400,000 in payout from the bowl in addition to $36,505 from ticket revenue from the game. The decrease in money pulled from the Post Season Opportunity Fund was a result of an increase in ticket revenue compared to 2012, when Ohio Athletics brought in $23,876 in Independence Bowl ticket sales.“From where we were, we’re spending far less money to go to these bowl games,” Symonds said. “We’re getting better bowl deals. … Five years ago we weren’t getting that ($400,000) guarantee.”OU also sponsored a bus trip for about 350 students, who for $50 apiece were transported to and from Florida, stayed one night at a resort and were given a ticket to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. Expenses for the bus trip totaled $45,684, but OU made $13,800 of that cost back in revenues from students who bought tickets for the trip.Revenue for the student trip came from multiple sources. The Ohio Bobcat Club — a fundraising arm of Athletics — financed the largest portion of the student trip, donating $15,844.“We wanted to have our players know that our students are behind us … even down in Florida.” Symonds said. “When bowls see what we do with our student attendance and getting students to games, that’s a big deal to them.”The President’s Office Budget and VP Student Affairs Budget each paid $8,000 to cover the remaining costs of the trip, so the university wouldn’t lose money.According to a statement from Athletics, “The significant exposure received can benefit enrollment, fundraising, campus life and school pride to students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.”Athletics had taken until the first week of March to release its bowl game expenditure report because it was waiting to receive final transportation costs, Symonds said. Past bowl expenditure reports have been issued in a similar timeframe in years past, and representatives from the Ohio Bobcat Club and Athletics marketing department did not return requests for comment. Ohio lost the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl to East Carolina 37-20 on Dec. 23. The game was the Bobcats’ fifth consecutive postseason appearance and Ohio is one of 21 programs to play five straight bowl games.“Just like a cross country runner that is able to go to the NCAA tournament and compete in the nationals, — and we’ve got five wrestlers that are able to go to the nationals and compete — we’re in the business to provide those opportunities for student-athletes.” said Dan Hauser, Ohio senior associate athletic director for external operations. “When they have the chance to compete in the postseason, we’re going to support those opportunities.”cl027410@ohiou.edu@ChadLindskog

Sports Column

Sports Column: Pass by college, go directly to D-League

By Colin Hanner | Mar. 11, 2014

The National Basketball Association’s Developmental League, most commonly known as the D-League, is not the most legitimate feeder system into the big leagues. With small-town markets, trivial venues and lack of talent compared to its big brother organizations, it’s no question why not all NBA teams have a D-League affiliate.

Baseball

Bobcats to open at home against Thundering Herd

By Alex Busch | Mar. 11, 2014

Although bad weather is expected throughout the day, Ohio is set to open its home campaign at Bob Wren Stadium on Wednesday in a game against non-conference rival Marshall after spending three consecutive weeks playing on the road.The Bobcats, which have 16 freshmen on the roster, are excited to finally play at home in a familiar setting instead of dealing with the ongoing travel on the road. “We’re glad to be at home and get a chance to get into a rhythm,” coach Rob Smith said. “When you’re on the road so much it can be a challenge sometimes to find a good rhythm.”Ohio only faces Marshall twice, but similar to the rivalries in other sports, the Bobcats aren’t too fond of the Thundering Herd.“We only play them twice a year, but we still don’t really like them,” junior outfielder Tyler Wells said. “Coach Smith hates playing them and always wants to win.”Marshall started its season by winning three of its first five games, before dropping the next six contests. The Thundering Herd picked up its play last weekend as it took two out of three games in the Conference USA opening series, which was its first conference opening series victory since 2009.Marshall junior pitcher Matt Margaritonda earned the school’s fourth Conference USA pitcher of the week award after throwing a complete game, including a career-high 11 strikeouts in their 5-2 victory against East Carolina on Sunday.The Bobcats are coming off a four-game series against Longwood in which Ohio dropped three games after recording inconsistent performances. The Lancers outscored the Bobcats 14-12, but won a pair of games by at least three runs.Ohio has been outscored 83-50 this season and the Bobcat pitching staff boasts an ERA of 5.38.Smith said sophomore pitcher Jake Miller will get the start against Marshall, despite surrendering six runs on seven hits in one inning of work in Ohio’s first game against Longwood on Saturday. The team plans to use other pitchers against Marshall as well.“The Ohio-Marshall rivalry is a very good one in all sports and we’re no different,” Smith said. “We know that when they come to town we’re going to have to play really well in order to beat them and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”ab109410@ohiou.edu@Alex_Busch91

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