Ohio State LHP Andrew Magno Earns All-American Honors

By June 11, 2019 (3:00 pm)Baseball, Sports

Ohio State junior left-handed relief pitcher Andrew Magno was named a third-team All-American by Baseball America. Magno, a Dublin, Ohio, native became All-American No. 52 in Ohio State history.

The Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Magno, transformed into a dynamic go-to guy in the Buckeye bullpen. He helped lead a young and inexperienced staff to a Big Ten tournament championship and an NCAA Regional appearance.

During the No. 7-seeded Buckeyes’ unprecedented run to become Big Ten tournament champions, Magno recorded four saves, including saves against both Minnesota and Nebraska on the final day.

The lefty reliever worked 9 â…” scoreless innings in the tourney, including 3 â…“ shutout innings in the Big Ten title game against Nebraska, where he fanned four in front of 17,503 fans at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, Nebraska.

Ohio State earned an NCAA Regional appearance from its historic Big Ten tourney run, and Magno did not disappoint when needed most. Facing elimination against McNeese, Magno posted a career-high 12 strikeouts in a career-high 7 â…“ innings of relief, earning a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team in the Nashville Regional.

On the season, Magno boasted a 2.09 ERA, the lowest ERA among Big Ten pitchers. His 14 saves ranked second best in the conference and seventh in program history for a single season.

Magno limited his opposition to a .205 average with 75 strikeouts across 64 â…” innings. In an April 20 outing against Maryland, Magno sent down 11 Terps in four innings of relief. The junior from Dublin Scioto posted a 5-3 record in a team-high 31 appearances.

Stepping up as a team leader and the bullpen’s top arm, Magno helped the Buckeye staff set the program’s single-season strikeout record (583).

The second Ohio State pitcher to be named an All-American in the last two years (Seth Kinker, 2018), Magno, also excelled in the classroom. He was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete.

On June 5, Magno was selected in the 15th round by the Detroit Tigers in the 2019 MLB Draft.

All of this success may have seemed unimaginable a year ago when Magno posted a 14.09 ERA across 16 appearances, allowing 12 runs in 7 â…” innings as a sophomore. He walked 14 batters and only struck out nine in 2018, but his teammates could sense a difference this year.

“He’s just been a very consistent guy for us coming out of the bullpen,” redshirt freshman starting pitcher Seth Lonsway said of Magno ahead of the Big Ten tourney. “And I think his confidence level is in a really good spot compared to where he was last year.

“I think that was kind of a thing for him from last year to this year, his mentality has changed and you can tell how with the way he carries himself. He comes in, he’s very confident. You know he’s going to throw strikes.”

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