ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio baseball team (3-3) plays its first midweek game of the 2016 season on Tuesday (March 1) as it continues its spring break road trip with a visit to Kennesaw State (4-2). First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET at Stillwell Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
Tuesday: Ohio Sr. RHP #31 Connor Sitz (Westerville, Ohio; 0-1, 27.00 ERA, 1 APP, 1 GS, 1.1 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO) vs. Kennesaw State So. RHP #17 Tony Dibrell (Alpharetta, Ga.; 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 APP, 0 GS, 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) | StatBroadcast | Live Video

OHIO GOES 1-2 AT UAB
The Bobcats dropped the first two games of a three-game weekend series at UAB last weekend at Regions Field in Birmingham, Ala., but bounced back to take the series finale and return to .500.

Ohio lost the Friday (Feb. 26) series opener, 15-6, and fell on Saturday (Feb. 27) by a score of 7-2. The Bobcats bounced back to take the Sunday (Feb. 28) series finale, 2-1.

RUDNICKI NAMED MAC EAST DIVISION PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Junior right-handed starting pitcher Jake Rudnicki (Toledo, Ohio) was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday (Feb. 29).

Rudnicki garnered weekly conference honors for the first time in his career. His honor gives the Bobcats two MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week awards in as many weeks. Senior right-handed pitcher Jake Miller (Westerville, Ohio) earned recognition last Monday (Feb. 22). Junior infielder Ty Black (Waynesville, Ohio) earned MAC East Division Player of the Week laurels to help Ohio sweep the first weekly conference awards of the 2016 season last week.

Ohio climbed back to .500 and defeated host UAB, 2-1, on Sunday behind a strong start from Rudnicki in the third and final game of a three-game weekend series at Regions Field in Birmingham, Ala. Rudnicki earned his first pitching win of the 2016 season as he tossed eight innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits, four walks and two hit batters to go along with a career-high 10 strikeouts in eight innings.

GIANNINI DELIVERS
Sophomore infielder/catcher Tony Giannini (Carmel, Ind.) went 2-for-3 with a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to help power Ohio to the Sunday victory over the Blazers.

Giannini finished the weekend hitting .429 with three hits and a team-high four RBI to go along with two runs scored.

Over six games in 2016, Giannini has made four starts and is batting .357 with five hits and a team-high tying six RBI as well as three runs scored.

BOBCATS TAKE TWO AT UNC ASHEVILLE
The Bobcats began the 2016 season by taking a season-opening series at UNC Asheville for the second year in a row.

Ohio scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning to blast past UNC Asheville, 12-5, on Feb. 19 in the 2016 season opener at Greenwood Field in Asheville, N.C.

The Bobcats rallied from an early four-run deficit to top the Bulldogs, 14-8, and win the three-game weekend series on Feb. 20.

Ohio could not overcome an early four-run deficit, falling to UNC Asheville, 7-5, on Feb. 21 in the series finale.

OHIO SWEEPS MAC WEEKLY AWARDS
Ohio swept the first MAC East Division weekly conference honors of the 2016 season, with Black earning Player of the Week and Miller garnering Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office on Feb. 22.

Each earned weekly conference honors for the second time in their careers. Black was named MAC East Division Player of the Week on March 11, 2015, while Miller was recognized as MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 26, 2013.

Black hit .600 over three starts with a .667 slugging percentage and a .647 on base percentage, finishing with a team-high nine hits -- including a double -- to go along with three RBI and four runs scored. Black tallied three singles, walked and drove in a run in the 2016 season opener at UNC Asheville, Black recorded three singles, walked, scored three runs and plated a run as the Bobcats rallied from an early four-run deficit to top the Bulldogs in Saturday's series-clinching victory over the Bulldogs. In the Sunday series finale, Black tallied a double and two singles while driving in a run and scoring another.

Miller went 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a team-high eight strikeouts out of the bullpen to help Ohio win its 2016 season-opening series at UNC Asheville last weekend. Miller picked up the win on the mound in relief in last Friday's series opener. He struck out one while giving up a hit and a walk 1.1 frames of work. Miller made his second relief appearance of the weekend two days later in the series finale, fanning a season-high seven over 3.2 frames of work while surrendering two earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Black is hitting a team-best .444 with a team-high 12 hits -- including two doubles -- to go along with four walks, three RBI and five runs scored over six starts in 2016.

In three appearances and one start in 2016, Miller is 1-1 with a 4.09 ERA. He has fanned 13 over 11.0 innings of work while giving up six runs -- five of them earned -- on eight hits and eight walks.

BOBCATS ENTER YEAR AS REIGNING MAC TOURNAMENT CHAMPS
The Bobcats closed 2015 with 36 victories -- the second-most in a season in program history. The regular season was highlighted by a 10-7 win at Kentucky -- the Bobcats' first over a team out of the Southeastern Conference since recording a 15-4 win at Kentucky in 1997. The Bobcats carried their early season success over into the 2015 MAC slate, winning five of nine series. Ohio took a weekend series at Kent State, marking the Bobcats' first series win over the Golden Flashes since 1998. After winning just 11 games in 2014, the '15 team's 25-win improvement represented the largest turnaround in the NCAA last season.

No. 3-seeded Ohio won the 2015 MAC Championship and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Championship with a 6-2 win over No. 5-seeded Ball State in the title game on May 24 at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The Bobcats earned their first conference tournament title and NCAA bid since 1997.

The Bobcats drew the No. 4 seed at the 2015 NCAA Championship Champaign Regional. Ohio fell to No. 6 nationally-seeded Illinois, 10-3, in the opening round on Friday (May 29), then fell to No. 3 regionally-seeded Wright State in a rain-delayed elimination game on Sunday (May 31), 8-3, at Illinois Field.

OHIO PICKED SECOND IN MAC EAST
The Bobcats have been picked to finish second in the East Division according to the 2016 MAC Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office on Wednesday (Feb. 17). The preseason poll was voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.

The Bobcats earned two first-place votes and garnered 55 points overall. Kent State was tabbed as the top team in the MAC East Division with nine first-place votes. The Golden Flashes totaled 63 points overall. Bowling Green (43 points), Miami (37) and Buffalo (22) rounded out the MAC East predicted order of finish.

Central Michigan totaled 56 points overall and six first-place votes to earn the distinction of being the predicted winner of the MAC West Division. Ball State (53 points), Western Michigan (42), Toledo (41), Northern Illinois (24) and Eastern Michigan (15) were picked to finish behind the Chippewas. The Cardinals earned three-first place votes while the Broncos and Huskies each received one.

The Golden Flashes garnered four votes to win the 2016 MAC tournament title while Central Michigan earned two. Ball State, Bowling Green, Miami, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan all received a vote to win the league's tournament crown.

The 2016 MAC Championship will be held May 25-29 at All Pro Freight Stadium in Avon, Ohio. The winner receives the league's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Championship.

LONGO RETURNS AS REIGNING MAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Junior outfielder Mitch Longo (Mayfield, Ohio) returns as the reigning MAC Player of the Year. He joined Marc Krauss (2009) as the only Bobcats to receive MAC Player of the Year honors in 2015.

The 2015 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Mideast All-Region Second Team and First Team All-MAC pick led the MAC with 86 hits (tied for the seventh-most in a single season in school history) and 120 total bases while ranking second with 49 RBI and third with a team-best .357 batting average. He ranked fourth with 53 runs scored, ranks fifth with seven home runs, seventh with a .421 on-base percentage and eighth with a .498 slugging percentage.

Longo earned a spot as the designated hitter of the All-Champaign Regional Team. He becomes the first Bobcat to earn All-NCAA Regional Team recognition since Rick Czajkowski was named to the 1991 All-NCAA East Regional Team in Gainesville, Fla. He hit .333 with three hits -- including a double -- to go along with two RBI and a run scored.

Longo was tabbed by D1Baseball.com as the outlet's pick for MAC Player of the Year and is ranked as their seventh-best prospect in the league.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUT DE JESUS
Senior outfielder Manny De Jesus (Caguas, Puerto Rico) earned a place on the 2015 All-MAC Defensive Team, compiling 134 putouts and three assists with just one error, giving him a fielding percentage of .993.

In his first season with the Bobcats, De Jesus batted .311 to rank third on the team to go along with a .406 on-base percentage, which ranked second on the team. His 69 hits ranked third on the team -- including nine doubles and a triple. He recorded 18 multi-hit games in 2015 as well as six multi-RBI games. De Jesus led the team with 56 runs scored and has drove in 27 runs. De Jesus also led Ohio with 33 walks. He went 7-for-9 in stolen base attempts.

TOUGH AS STEEL
Redshirt junior catcher Cody Gaertner (Pittsburgh, Pa.) batted .291 for the season with a .405 slugging percentage. He has posted 66 hits -- including 12 doubles, a triple and four home runs -- to go along with 43 RBI, 32 runs scored and 18 walks.

Gaertner successfully bounced back from a a torn labrum and a torn rotator cuff that kept him off the field in 2014.

YO, ADRYAN
Senior infielder John Adryan (Delran, N.J.) enjoyed a career season in his second full year as a starter for the Bobcats in 2015, hitting .297 with a .429 slugging percentage and .374 on-base percentage. He's posted 54 hits -- including nine doubles and five home runs.

Adryan earned a place on the 2015 All-MAC Championship Team, hitting a team-best .467 over four tournament games and tallying a team-high seven hits. He finished the 2015 MAC Championship with three multi-hit efforts and has totaled 13 multi-hit games in 2015 -- including two with at least three hits.

WESTERVILLE NATIVES TURNED CHAMPIONS
Miller and fellow senior right-handed pitcher Connor Sitz gave the Bobcats two Westerville natives in the starting pitching rotation in 2015.

Miller starred at Westerville North High School while Sitz was a standout at Westerville Central. Both earned All-MAC Championship Team selection for their efforts in Avon.

Miller went 2-0 over two tournament starts, posting a 1.26 ERA with 14 strikeouts while giving up just three runs -- two of which were earned -- on seven hits and three walks in 14.1 innings. He threw a complete-game four hitter with seven strikeouts in the 6-2 win over Bowling Green in MAC Championship opener, then came back and started the title game where he worked 5.1 frames, allowing just one earned run on three hits and a walk while fanning seven to earn the pitching victory and improve to 6-3 on the year.

Sitz threw the first no-hitter in MAC Championship history in program history since 1996 as Ohio eliminated Bowling Green, 6-0, on May 23 in the MAC Championship bracket final, clinching a title game berth for the Bobcats. He pitched Ohio's first no-hitter against a NCAA Division I opponent, allowing five walks while striking out four and improving to 7-2 on the season. He was named a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper for this efforts.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State took two of three games from Jacksonville State over the weekend. The Owls won the series opener, 3-2, last Friday, then bounced back from a 10-5 Saturday loss with an 11-9 triumph in the Sunday series finale.

Led by 25th-year head coach Mark Sansing, the Owls are 18th in the country with nine home runs, with sophomore infielder Austin Upshaw accounting for a team-high four dingers, which ranks ninth in the nation. Upshaw is batting .458 with a team-high 11 hits and seven RBI.

UP NEXT
Ohio concludes its spring break road trip with a stop in Spartanburg, S.C., for a four-game series at Wofford next weekend (March 4-6).

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