Ohio State baseball concludes fall exhibition schedule against Dayton

Before the Ohio State Buckeyes tackle the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, there is some baseball taking place with the Scarlet and Gray on Friday evening. The finale of a two-game exhibition concludes with a contest against the University of Dayton on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

In addition, former Ohio State player Kirby Pellant has joined the OSU baseball administration and coaching staff.

According to Blair Everhart, Director of Baseball Operations for Ohio State Athletics, Pellant’s title is Volunteer Quality Control. Everhart communicated that since “We can only have three assistant coaches per NCAA rules,…Kirby will be working in a non-coaching staff position with us.” Everhart noted that Pellant “will assist with video analysis, scouting reports on opponents, and assist with other day to day operations in the office and at practice.”

When asked about the impact of a former player coming back to work with the OSU baseball program, Everhart said that “I believe having former Buckeye student-athletes on staff is critical because of the passion they have for their alma mater. Kirby is also very qualified with his degree, playing experience and overall knowledge of the game of baseball.”

Everhart continued that “Kirby will be very involved with our scouting of prospective student-athletes,…and will serve as a consultant to the coaching staff on player development.”

Pellant is a Chandler, Arizona, native and was the coach of the Tempe (AZ) Corona del Sol High School baseball team before accepting the offer from Ohio State. One of this year’s Corona players, Matteo, reported his enthusiasm and respect for Coach Pellant. “I enjoyed playing for Coach Pellant,” said Matteo.

“He made it fun, but also had a lot to teach us.”

Parents at Corona del Sol were also supportive of Coach Pellant’s ability to direct and develop the players on his team. The parent of the above mentioned player responded, “Having a coach on the Corona del Sol staff who had recently played college baseball at such a high level was a real asset for the high school players with that aspiration.”

Pellant brings a level of player excellence to his coaching that his players can readily appreciate. As a shortstop at OSU, Kirby Pellant demonstrated anticipation, range and speed at his position, posting a .985 fielding percentage as an OSU senior. His speed had a direct impact on the games. During his junior season, Pellant finished second in the Big Ten in stolen bases, stealing 31 bases on 38 attempts.

After OSU, Pellant was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 26th Round of the 2013 MLB Draft. With his professional baseball days behind him, Pellant returns to the Buckeye State (and his alma mater) to help develop student-athletes into professional caliber players.

For Pellant and the OSU program, fall baseball isn’t done yet after Friday. The Buckeyes will play the Scarlet & Gray World Series, a best-of-five intrasquad clash, with the first of the games taking place on Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. The games will take place at Nick Swisher Field at Bill Davis Stadium, and all games are free to the general public, however, you’ll have to pay for parking via the Pay-N-Display machines.

Here is the complete schedule for the Scarlet & Gray World Series:

Game 1: Tuesday, Oct. 16 (6 p.m. ET)

Game 2: Friday, Oct. 19 (6 p.m. ET)

Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 20 (noon E.T.)

Game 4 (if necessary): Tuesday, Oct. 23 (6 p.m. ET)

Game 5 (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 26 (6 p.m. ET)