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Ohio State baseball promotes Dan DeLucia to pitching coach

The Buckeyes made the NCAA regionals last season behind solid pitching and hitting during the Big Ten Tournament.

By Geoff Hammersley
Geoff Hammersley

“This past season, he helped guide the youngest pitching staff in the nation to a postseason title run as the Ohio State arms shattered the school record for strikeouts in a season, concluding the year with 583. DeLucia also took over the first base coaching duties during the team’s title run in 2019.”

— Ohio State Athletics press release on promotion of Dan DeLucia as pitching coach

The Buckeyes’ campaign on the diamond over the spring may not have ended with a national championship, but they did take the Big Ten by storm in the conference tournament. Taking an even closer look, the pitching of Andrew Magno, who would end up getting selected in the MLB Draft, was a big factor in Ohio State’s success in capturing the Big Ten Tournament crown in Omaha.

Dan DeLucia was a volunteer assistant coach during the magical run into the NCAA regionals. On Tuesday, the volunteer title was removed—and a promotion was awarded. After six seasons on the staff, DeLucia was named pitching coach for the Buckeyes.

Personally, I think this a home run promotion by head coach Greg Beals. Not only was DeLucia successful in his time as a volunteer, but he pitched for the Buckeyes in the mid-2000s. Concluding his OSU career in 2008, DeLucia went 24-13 with a 3.91 ERA. And the baseball didn’t stop there. DeLucia was drafted by the Detroit Tigers, and spent three seasons in the minor leagues.

When this past baseball season concluded, Land-Grant Holy Land’s own podcast Outside the Shoe reviewed the Buckeyes’ 36-27 campaign, and previewed what comes next for Beals and the scarlet and gray. You can listen to the podcast by clicking here, or clicking on the embed below.

Former Ohio State quarterback Matthew Baldwin had a setback since his transfer from Columbus.

TCU Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson confirmed that the Austin, Texas native had surgery—and won’t be ready for the start of camp.

Also mentioned in the tweet was the immediate eligibility waiver. Monday, during the Big 12 Media Days in Arlington, Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson talked a little about the waiver status of Baldwin.

Last season, the Buckeyes faced the Horned Frogs at AT&T Stadium for a “neutral” showdown. With Ryan Day filling in for Urban Meyer, who was serving his three-game suspension, Ohio State pulled away from the Horned Frogs, winning the game 40-28. While OSU went on to win the Big Ten conference and the Rose Bowl, the Horned Frogs sputtered. A week after losing to the Bucks, TCU was wallopped on the road, 31-16, by Texas. The next six games were rough, with the Horned Frogs going 2-4 during the stretch—and that included a 52-27 beatdown by eventual Big 12 champion Oklahoma.

With Justin Fields transferring from Georgia to Ohio State, it seemed like a good break for Patterson and TCU. Baldwin learned more about QBing under Day, who has an NFL-grade résumé, and a return to the Lone Star State with TCU could’ve been what got Baldwin a starting position and a revival of the Horned Frogs as a Big 12 power.

But the injury and transfer waiver hold up have slowed everything down for the time being.

Madden 20 Player Rankings

We got another teaser reminding us how close we are to the football season, as Madden 20 announced the complete player rankings. If you’re looking for someone in particular, you can click here to search.

If you want to know what some notable former members of the Ohio State Buckeyes are rated as, you can look below.


Dwayne Haskins — 72 OVR

Ezekiel Elliott — 94 OVR

Michael Thomas — 95 OVR

Joey Bosa — 88 OVR

Nick Bosa — 78 OVR

Denzel Ward — 88 OVR

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