Take me out with what crowd?
Ohio baseball games are missing fan support
By Britton Dove, Staff Writer
April 21, 2008 | 6 a.m.
Ohio sits in second in the Mid-American Conference East standings with an 8-7 record. Senior Matt Stiffler (OF) just had his school-record 26-game hit streak end, sophomore Marc Krauss (OF) has had 16 multi-hit games this season and freshman Robert Maddox III (1B, OF) was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 34th round of the amateur draft.
Still, with all of the 'Cats’ success, several students are not rooting for the home team.
According to several freshmen who regularly attend baseball games, they feel that college baseball simply is not as popular as football and basketball, and this is especially true in the northern regions of the United States. Others feel that Bob Wren Stadium is just too far from the dorms, but it is not more than a minute walk from the popular Convocation Center.
“I came to my first baseball game this year to watch my friend from high school, Trace Voshell (C),” freshman Tom Carpenter said. “People don’t really come to these games because it’s the middle of spring and everyone is outside doing other things."
There are many reasons that students give as to why they do not come to games: Ohio has not won a MAC title since 1997, the games are on West Green, the games are not publicized as well as basketball and football and the games are slow and there is not much fan or O-Zone involvement.
Although there are many explanations on why not to come to the baseball games, there are more convincing reasons to come to the games that students have suggested: watching the Ohio batters who hit home runs nearly every game, watching the team use metal bats (as do all college baseball teams), sitting outside because the weather is nice, sitting in great seats with great views for spectators, bringing food into the stadium and getting in for free.
Other spectators come to watch the games to just get outside or to support the student-athletes whom they have met in class, but the players on the team hope that people come out and watch them win night after night.
“Schools I have played for are usually football, basketball and baseball in that order so it doesn’t really bother me [that we don’t get many fans at games],” Maddox III said.
“I would like to see more fan support, but I also know that sometimes it just doesn’t fit into people’s schedules," he added. "They are six o’clock games, and I would like to see more students out here. I tell people as much as I can [to come to games]. I tell them to look online at the schedule and just come when they can.”
As added incentive to attend Ohio baseball games, the O-Zone has prompted a promotion of free hot dogs to all O-Zone members at Tuesday night's upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bearcats.
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