Spring training has started for Major League Baseball, which means that NCAA Baseball has started as well.  The Ohio State Buckeyes are looking for a strong season from starting pitcher, Brad Goldberg.  So far this season, he has lived up to expectations.

In three games so far, Goldberg is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA in 19 innings.  He has only allowed 7 hits, and 2 runs with only one of them being earned.  Opposing hitters are hitting .119 against him.  He has struck out 22 batters that he has faced and walked 9.

Walks and high pitch count have been a concern for Goldberg in the past but so far this season he has improved in both of those stat categories.  It is still early in the season, and therefore the 19 innings probably could be higher, but there isn’t a need to leave him out there in a game to accumulate statistics.

This is why at the beginning of the season major leaguers will often be pulled even with a no hitter going.  Conference play is going to matter much more than these beginning of the season games that have no real effect on the outcome of the whole year.

Goldberg has been getting draft buzz for quite some time now, and if he can keep it up this season, it will only increase his stock.  He features a fastball (sinker), change up, cutter, and curve ball.

He was elected Big Ten Pitcher of the Week 2 consecutive weeks to start the season giving up no earned runs in 13.1 innings of work while striking out 17 batters.  If he stays strong throughout the season he will get serious consideration as Big Ten Pitcher of the Year.

Indiana is slated as the favorite to win the Big Ten this year, but Ohio State’s recruits from head coach Greg Beals are going to be major contributors.  The team is fairly young, but they have veterans and leaders in the right places.

Obviously Kent State stole the show last year qualifying for the College World Series, and will get the bulk of attention for Ohio college baseball teams.  However, the Buckeyes can certainly do damage in the Big Ten this year, and as we saw with Kent State last year, anyone can make a run.

The Buckeyes will head to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the long weekend during Ohio State’s spring break.  This could pose a potential matchup with Goldberg on the mound against a dangerous Coastal Carolina squad, in which he his very familiar with, having transferred to Ohio State from Coastal following his sophomore season.

Another matchup to watch is against Ball State, which is where coach Beals was head coach before accepting the Ohio State job.  The Buckeyes home opener is scheduled for March 15 against Bryant University.  Big Ten play opens up at Purdue March 22.

This should be a fun season to watch for the Buckeyes, and it will be especially fun to watch what Goldberg can accomplish on the mound, and going forward in the MLB draft process.

Signing day has come and gone, but I am not done with my opinion about the entire spectacle of it all.  Quite honestly, I am not a fan of signing day and all the hype that it brings.

Yes, there should be hype and excitement about fans wanting their schools to get the top players.  However, it is getting a bit excessive.  These high school football players are already starting to be treated like superstars.

We have already seen what happens to a number of them once they get that big head and develop the big ego.

Here are a few examples:

Isiah Crowell, RB:
Attended the University of Georgia as a highly touted running back and was very effective his freshman year.  He announced he was going to UGA by bringing a bulldog puppy up and telling everyone he named it Uga, for obvious reasons.  Although very cute and creative, what was soon to follow Crowell was not.  It was just plain stupid. Crowell was arrested in June of 2012 on three weapons charges with two of them being felonies.  Crowell was dismissed from the team and now attends Alabama State University.

Asiantii Woulard, Dual Threat QB:
This is more recent, being this year.  Woulard is a high school standout as a dual threat quarterback and chose to attend UCLA, and for those of you who don’t know UCLA stands for the University of California, Los Angeles.  So when Woulard was speaking and decided on UCLA, he said he would be playing his college football at UCLA University.  Though this may not seem like much, as a fan or current member of the team, I would want the incoming recruit to at least say the name of the school correctly.  A similar situation occurred with the next player who also was the center of a certain tattoo scandal.

Terrelle Pryor, Dual Threat QB:
Pryor was one of the most highly rated players coming out of high school in recent history, and he certainly backed it up.  He had the ability to burn opposing teams with his feet and arms. However, during his announcement he said The University of Ohio State which clearly as we all know it is The Ohio State University.  Pryor made statements claiming it was a knock on Michigan and how he wanted to stir up the rivalry a little more, and as a Buckeye fan that is fine.  The real issue is the impression it left on other people which was just plain stupidity.  Many attribute that to him getting such a big ego because all of the attention was on him that he didn’t even care to say the name of the university correctly.  Pryor always had a big ego and it really came out when he decided he was able to get free tattoos in exchange for a number of items (we have all heard the story).  This clearly was a direct result of his cockiness and ego thinking he was better than others and bigger than the NCAA rules.

Wild Cards:

Alex Collins is a running back from Plantation Florida and on signing day his mother was not happy with his decision to choose Arkansas over near by University of Miami, so she simply took the papers and was on the run. Now, nobody knows what the fate of Collins will be as a running back in college, but he seemed to have made a decision for himself and left his mother out of it (by the sound of it, a good idea).  This story swept the country because it was signing day and created even more drama to the soap opera type of day.

Reuben Foster is a LB recruit heading to Alabama.  What is interesting is that he has a huge Auburn tattoo on his forearm.  He was committed to Auburn before de-committing, but not before getting inked up with the Auburn Tattoo.  This just adds to why signing day and this whole process is too much.

Let us also not forget the infamous OL Kevin Hart.  He called for a press conference and announced he was going to Cal without even having an offer!

Athletes transfer, things happen that are unforeseen, and there are a number of factors that go into choosing a school.  Signing day gives them these huge egos that in some cases will end up making a huge difference in their lives like Isiah Crowell and Terrelle Pryor, or just makes you look flat out stupid like Reuben Foster.

The signing day events should be toned down and the hype should be toned down in order to preserve the mindset of these athletes.

I am writing this in response the recent hot topic of eliminating kickoffs.  As I was watching games with my dad, we came up with an idea to change the kickoffs to make them safer, but still keeping the basics of it.

Kickoffs are a very important part of the game, and personally I think it will take away from the fan experience if they are removed.  Safety must come first, and I understand that, but there is nothing like a stadium erupting after kick off return for a touchdown.

The proposal for a new kick off is that the kicker will kick from the 30 or 35 yard line with two players lined up there as well.  However, the rest of the kicking team will start at the 50 yard line and are not allowed to start running until the ball passes them.  This will eliminate the high speed hits that everyone is worried about.

By the time the ball passes them and then gets to the receiver it will be difficult for the tacklers to get to top speed before making a tackle.  Even if they do reach top speed, the timing of the play will most likely result in them overrunning the return man.  The kicking and returning game will then become more strategy based opposed to athletic and speed based.

If the kicker still kicks from the 35 yard line, we will continue to see the current trends in touchbacks. If the kicker kicks from the 30 yard line it will still significantly slow down the tacklers and reduce the dangerous hits.  I firmly believe with this new kickoff format it will benefit everyone.  Returners can still return, and the dangerous hits will be with less force, and occur less frequently.

A question that I anticipate is how will offsides be determined.  Since it will be judgment if a player leaves before the ball crosses the 50 yard line, it will initially be determined by the side judges.  If there is serious doubt in the call, it can be reviewed very quickly from above on a monitor.  This will resemble soccer and their offsides call, minus the review if needed.

Another anticipated question is how onside kicks will work.  They will work the same as they do now.  Since most of the onside kicks are expected when they happen anyway, in this new format it must be announced when a team is planning to attempt an onside kick.

I hope this can lead to helping football’s future in the discrepancy regarding kickoffs.  I personally don’t want them eliminated, and I can confidently say that most fans and players don’t want them eliminated either.  There needs to be some type of modifications to the kickoffs for player safety, but eliminating them is simply not an option in my opinion.

Leaving Lane Stadium and traveling elsewhere has been miserable for Frank Beamer and the Hokies. Virginia Tech is looking for its first road win of the season, which seems like a daunting task considering this is undoubtedly the biggest game of the season. But if history has taught us anything- the Hokies are 25-2 in ACC-play in November (thanks, Andy Bitter)- we may not see the same team that lost at Pittsburgh, Cincy (at FedEx), UNC, and Clemson.

It’s simple: the winner of this game has the inside track to the ACC Coastal Division title. Here are some things/statistics to look out for during the contest:

1. Hokies rushing yards

Miami is currently dead-last in the ACC in the following categories: scoring defense (32.4), total defense (499.1 yards), and rushing defense (249.2 yards). The Miami pass defense (sixth) isn’t a pushover, so the Hokies will have to beat the ‘Canes on the ground. Virginia Tech averages 157 yards rushing per game; if the Hokies are to win the game, you’ll need to see at least 200 yards on the ground.

2. Defensive personnel

After facing strictly spread offenses the previous four games, Bud Foster’s defense will face four teams that run some version of the pro style. That means that tonight will likely be the first game Ronny Vandyke sees significant time at the whip spot. Expect to see the nickel package as well with Michael Cole, especially if the Hokies build a lead.

3. Miami’s passing attack vs. Tech’s secondary

The Hurricanes boast the conference’s fourth-best aerial attack with 288 yards per game, and the Hokies have the second-best pass defense at 203 yards. Not much else needs to be said- whoever wins this battle will likely win the game.

PREDICTION

The Hokies rushing attack gets going, allowing Logan Thomas to finally utilize play-action passing as a weapon. Although it’s a close game throughout, Bud Foster’s revamped defense makes just enough plays to win, and cover the 1.5-point spread.

Hokies 31 Miami 23

This week in college football set up a number of circumstances for whats to come. A number of games this upcoming week have huge post season implications.

However, lets start with South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore.  Let’s hope he is able to come back to football after that terrifying, gruesome knee injury he suffered.

As a hot prospect for the NFL draft, that will most certainly hurt his draft stock significantly.  He is also deciding on coming back to school for another season since he has not used a red shirt.

Another, Florida absolutely did not deserve to be ranked 2nd in the BCS.  That was a joke to begin with.  It should most certainly have been Kansas State or Oregon in that slot.  Collin Klein is the real deal and pretty much the Heisman lock, especially after the 7 touchdown performance against West Virginia last week backed up by 4 touchdowns this week.

The only contender to Klein is Manti Te’o of Notre Dame.  He is a fierce linebacker who is the backbone of the great Notre Dame defense.  However, if Kansas State closes this great season out then Klein is going to win the Heisman.

Notre Dame leapfrogged Oregon in the BCS standings after that win at Oklahoma.  I am not sold on whether this is right as Oregon put up 70 points and has certainly done nothing to lose their spot.  However, Notre Dame clearly has shown they are a legitimate threat this year and definitely deserves to be in every BCS conversation.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, I do not think Notre Dame can do enough to get into the National Championship game.  If Alabama, Kansas State, Oregon, and Notre Dame all remain undefeated, I ultimately think its going to come down to style points.  It will end up being Alabama and Oregon if everything goes “as planned.”

3 of those teams have a tough matchup in week 10:

#1 Alabama travels Baton Rouge to take on the #5 LSU Tigers who most certainly are licking their chops for their revenge.  I think Alabama will come out on top in what is all but guaranteed to be a low scoring, defensive game.

#2 Kansas State plays #24 Oklahoma State at home, but this game should not be taken lightly.  The Cowboys can put up some points and this game is most likely going to be a shoot out.  Kansas State should come out on top, and I think that will happen.  Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys pull off the upset.

#3 Notre Dame gets unranked Pittsburgh at home in what should be a breeze coming off this past weekend. Pittsburgh will play Notre Dame tough and it will be a test to Notre Dame if they have a “big win hangover.”  Ultimately, Notre Dames defense is too tough and will win it for the Irish.

#4 Oregon travels to take on Matt Barkley and the #17 USC Trojans in what was a very highly anticipated game earlier in the year, but it has definitely lost some lust due to USC’s disappointing losses. Oregon is going to win this game easily.  USC just doesn’t have it, and Oregon should be very angry that they got leapfrogged in the BCS standings by Notre Dame.  They are going to play with a chip on their shoulder.

Should be a great weekend of college football with some exciting games which will have a major impact on the post season.

Ohio State’s Women’s Swimming and Diving team has started off their season the right way – by winning. The season started out officially with the team splitting up and competing against each other in what is known as the Scarlet and Gray match. This is similar to the scrimmage that the football team does during the spring. It gives the team the opportunity to see how they are doing before they start competing against other schools. In this match Scarlet defeated Gray, but still came out with a win for the Swimming and Diving team. Ironically, during last season, Scarlet defeated Gray then as well.

The team competed in their first match against another school in their win against Cleveland State and Kenyon this past Friday, October 26^th. Ohio State defeated both schools by a large margin. Ohio State beat Cleveland State by sixty-nine points with a final score of 179 to 110. The win against Kenyon was not quite as big, but still a substantial win – forty-nine points. The final outcome of this match was 168 to 119.

During the 2011-2012 season, Ohio State also had substantial wins over other schools. In their first official match, they beat Kenyon by ninety-three points. The match against Cleveland State was an even bigger win as compared to the win against Kenyon. The final outcome of this match was 232-66 – a one hundred and sixty-six point difference. Based upon last season and the start of this season, it seems like Ohio State’s Women’s Swimming and Diving team could pull it through and make it to the championships again.