Bobcats split the weekend at NIU and move to 11-9 on the MAC season. 5 series down and 5 to go. Bobcats are the "off" team this weekend created by the odd number of MAC teams so Purdue Fort Wayne comes to town. I would say the strength of the remaining schedule is average...Akron at the bottom, Ball State at the top, and Kent/Miami/Western in the middle. Ohio would really have to fall on their face to miss the top 8 at this point.

On the pitching side, Joe Rock continues to be an ace and you have to wonder as the strikeouts pile up and the ERA stays low if he will have a chance at being drafted. Anyone know how hard he throw? It has been hard to solidify the 3 other starters behind Rock...almost all options have had control issues. Whether or not a couple guys can step up will be the biggest factor in deciding if Ohio can climb the standings a bit.

Isaiah Peterson and Harry Witwer-Dukes are having huge years at the plate. Peterson has 19 extra base hits and Witwer-Dukes has a .454 OBP. The lineup in general has hit well lately against the MAC after getting off to a slow start in OOC play.

I think I knew that about the MAC tournament and then promptly forgot it. Agree they pulled the plug too soon. I would say maybe they pull a "Big Ten Football" and reverse their too early decision but I seriously doubt the MAC would ever do anything like that. Even if winning the MAC seems far fetched, it would still be good to do well and finish top 3 or 4.

I had not heard Rock was being rated that high already. That is great news. I have to imagine he must be throwing quite hard if he is getting that kind of love.

FWIW, MLB.com has Rock as the 56th best draft eligible player, which would put him the second round.


https://www.mlb.com/prospects/draft /


Here is the scouting report that accompanies his ranking on MLB.com:


Rock cracked Ohio's rotation as a freshman in 2019 and made a Cape Cod League cameo at the end of that summer, then disappeared last spring because he was academically ineligible. He got back on the mound in the All American Collegiate League during the summer and had scouts flocking to see him during the fall. More than two dozen attended an outing in which he struck out six in two innings, and he has enough helium to possibly surpass former big leaguer Dave Tobik (third round, 1974) as the highest-drafted pitcher in Bobcats history.


After sitting around 90 mph with his fastball as a freshman, Rock dealt at 93-96 with riding life on his four-seamer in abbreviated starts in the fall. He still has room to add plenty of weight to his 6-foot-6 frame, so he should continue to gain velocity. He also has picked up power with his breaking ball, which combines slider velocity (82-85 mph) with curveball depth.


Rock can miss bats with two pitches and also shows feel for a third with an effective changeup. He has a lower arm slot and some funk in his delivery, which led to 37 walks in 59 innings in 2019. But he's doing a better job of throwing strikes now, enough that scouts believe he'll remain a starter, and his mechanics provide deception.

The MAC tournament really is a great event. I hope they can get it figured out. Maybe have a school host the whole thing and rotate each year? If its the venue that is causing the financial strain, I at least hope they will explore alternatives.

What else factors into the financials? Aren't individual schools required to pay for their own travel? Or does the conference pay for hotels?

Also, did softball cancel their tournament as well?

Tournaments were eliminated in all team sports except men's and women's basketball and volleyball, and those all were reduced in size. I'm not sure the financials of it, but barely having football this year didn't help budgets. If you go to the MAC website and pull up the "Championships" menu, all of the team sports except those three do not show up. I'm afraid it might be a few years before tournaments return.

A split vs Kent. Let game 1 slip away after the pen couldn't hold the lead. Kind of sucks to end the weekend +10 in runs and come away with a split.

Also, probably because a random guy asked the question on the internet...they did finally give Kutt a start and 8 IP, 1 R, 0 BB, 10 K. Have to imagine he is a starter now.

That's pretty awesome that Kutt came back and threw a gem after taking an L.

This seems like a great year for Ohio to make another run during the MAC tournament. Really disappointed we won't get to see it.

This is always a good thing.

#BeatMiami x2 for @Ohio_Baseball! pic.twitter.com/hZusoh5DDi

— Ohio Bobcats (@OhioBobcats) May 7, 2021

Unfortunately, as so many series have been for Ohio, it turned into a split. After winning 3-1 and 1-0, Ohio lost 11-5 and 6-1. Miami is a good pitching team and shut down Ohio all weekend. Kutt started again in the second game and was great. He and Rock make a good 1-2 punch, but Ohio doesn't have a steady 3 and 4. The Bobcats get Akron next weekend. That is a series they should be able to win. Zips are 5-26 in MAC play.

Akron is non-scholarship program, no?

Yeah, what a disaster. If Vegas had odds on that opener with Rock against Akron it would've been about -400!

With no tourney, the team's goal now should be to finish above .500 and in the top half.

Season complete at 28-25 overall and 19-21 in the MAC following a 3-1 series loss to Western Michigan. The Bobcats won the opener 8-5 in 10 innings but dropped the final three games 4-3, 4-2 and 6-3.

Ohio was a pretty average team as the record indicates, but that's probably a little better than I expected. Rock (2.33 ERA) and Kutt (2.92 ERA) were great, Harris (3.25 ERA) and Manis (4.36 ERA) were generally good, and the rest of the pitching was below average. I felt the lineup was generally solid top to bottom but lacked a truly exceptional hitter or two. Harry Witwer-Dukes led in average (.305, 5 HRs). Spencer Harbert (.295, 10 HRs) and Isaiah Peterson (.283, 9 HRs) were the best power bats. The lineup was pretty full of seniors, and it'll be interesting to see which ones take the chance to come back.