It was clear back in February as Ohio State embarked on the 2017 season that it faced an uphill climb offensively. The Buckeyes had to replace 75 percent or more of their production from the 2016 team in every statistical category after the loss, through the draft and graduation, of the top six hitters on the team.
This year’s club had no Ronnie Dawson, Troy Montgomery, Jacob Bosiokovic, Nick Sergakis, Troy Kuhn, or Craig Nennig to rely upon to get on base and drive in runs. After outscoring the opposition 373-255 a season ago en route to a Big Ten tournament championship and NCAA tournament berth, Ohio State brought back less than a handful of position players with any meaningful experience, and it proved to be the team’s achilles heel.