(Editor’s Note: Contributor Corey Barnes wrote this piece from his unique perspective as a SportsRappUp.com intern and OSU student/sports aficionado. Barnes is a senior from Strongsville, Ohio, majoring in business.)

The skies above Columbus may be gray, but Ohio State’s baseball team has spring on its mind.

Coming off a 25-25 campaign, including a 13-11 mark in Big Ten play, the Buckeyes open up the 2012 season this weekend with the Big Ten/Big East Challenge in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Bucks are slated to play USF, Seton Hall, and Connecticut.

The 2012 campaign will be the second in head coach Greg Beals’ tenure. Despite adding nine freshmen, he feels the team is jelling and will play well together.

“The older guys have done a great job of reeling the new guys into the program,” he said.

He is optimistic about the program in Year 2.

“We’re getting closer,” Beals said. “This has been a fun group to coach. The guys all have a greater understanding of the expectations of the program, and they have really taken to that.”

The team returns 15 lettermen from the 2011 season, which is a drastic improvement on the three that Beals inherited a year ago. Shortstop Kirby Pellant has been identified as a player to watch this year. Pellant is a junior college transfer out of Chandler, Ariz., who will bat leadoff for OSU.

As a freshman at Marshall, Pellant batted .293 with seven doubles and 20 runs scored. Beals calls him “a dynamic offensive threat” who is expected to produce both on the basepaths and with a bat in his hand. He should make an immediate impact at shortstop.

Other positions on the infield will not be as easily determined. Junior Greg Solomon is a solid catcher but has also emerged as the team’s best defensive third baseman. Solomon will platoon at the hot corner along with Brad Hallberg. Freshman Aaron Gretz will catch on days that Solomon plays the field. It will be interesting to see how Beals juggles these players and how they are utilized versus righties and lefties.

The outfield will look familiar for Buckeye fans. Senior David Corna will play in right field, which, according to coach Beals, is a natural fit for him because he has the strongest arm on the team.

Meanwhile, Mike Carroll will play in left field. He was forced to sit out last year due to transfer rules and is champing at the bit to get going. Carroll is expected to hit fifth in the lineup. Sophomore Tim Wetzel saw plenty of action in center field last year, and he likely will be playing there again this season.

The starting rotation will feature Brett McKinney, Brian King, and Greg Greve. Jerrod Long and John Kuchno are both pitching well and will have a chance to compete for a starting spot. Beals called McKinney “a great competitor” and he feels comfortable with the effort he can expect from his ace on Friday.

McKinney and Greve are both returning starters and will be joined by King who most recently played for Paradise Valley Community College.

One of the biggest changes with the program this season is the improvement to the facilities. During the offseason, OSU alum and current New York Yankee Nick Swisher made a donation to the school, which funded the purchase of a new turf playing surface that has been dubbed “Nick Swisher Field.” The resilient surface promises to better endure the inconsistent Ohio springs, which allowed Ohio State to schedule 26 home games.

Beals made a point to schedule plenty of tough out-of-conference opponents. For example, playing Austin Peay may not mean much to the casual fan but the program is a regular participant in the NCAA tournament and could help build Ohio State’s tournament resume. Beals quipped, “Hopefully Austin Peay comes up here, we take care of business, they go back home and win a bunch of baseball games.”
 
One player to watch this year is sophomore Josh Dezse. The big sophomore made a splash as a first baseman and pitcher last season and even more is expected of him in 2012. College Baseball Insider recently named him an honorable mention preseason All-American, an honor that came just after he was named a third-team A-A by CollegeSportsMadness.com and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

The Powell, Ohio, native started all 53 games last season and led the Buckeyes with a .332 batting average and 42 RBI. He tied for the team lead with four home runs and also went 4-2 with a team-high six saves and 32 strikeouts in 27.2 innings pitched,

This season, Dezse is expected to assume the closer role. He has been working in the offseason to add a changeup to complement his fastball and curve.

Dezse, though, seems to be the only Buckeye, who received consistent recognition by scouts and analysts. In fact, a Big Ten media panel recently tabbed the Buckeyes as the fifth-best team in the conference this season and hailed Michigan State as the team to beat.

Dezse says the team is not concerned about the lack of credit the national media lent the young Buckeyes.

“Our goal is to make it to the national tournament,” he declared.

When asked who he is looking forward to playing this year, Dezse grinned and said, “Michigan.” Even in the dead of winter, all Buckeyes look forward to the same things: sun, blue sky, and beating That School Up North.

BTN To Dial Up Buckeyes

The Ohio State baseball team will be on Big Ten Network at least three times in 2012, the conference office announced Thursday. In addition, BTN will televise all Big Ten Tournament games from Huntington Park in Columbus.

In all, BTN will nationally televise at least 32 Big Ten baseball games and stream at least 51 additional games on the Big Ten Digital Network.

The Buckeyes’ home games against Minnesota at noon on April 8, vs. Cincinnati at 7 p.m. on April 18, and against Northwestern at 7 p.m. on May 4 will all be televised live on BTN.

All home games not aired live on BTN will be streamed live online at either BTN.com or Buckeye Vision on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.