By: THOMAS ST. MYER (TheStarPress.com) - When Ohio State baseball coach Bob Todd announced last month his intention to resign at the end of the season, the name Greg Beals popped up on websites as a potential replacement.
Friday, the Ball State baseball coach traveled to Columbus, Ohio to interview for the vacancy.

“I can confirm that Ohio State invited me over and I spent the day (Friday) interviewing for the job,” Beals told The Star Press on Saturday afternoon. “The players knew I had filled out an application and what not. They know I’ve sent stuff in there.”

Ohio State athletic department officials intend to bring in three to five candidates for interviews and potentially hire their next baseball coach by the end of this week, according to Beals.

Kent State coach Scott Stricklin is another name prominently mentioned as a possible replacement for Todd. One website claimed, “Ohio State set to name Kent State’s Stricklin head coach” on June 5. Stricklin refuted the rumor, texting to that site, “No basis for that. Have not been contacted by them.”

Beals played for and assisted at Kent State before he took over the Ball State program. Ball State pitching coach Mike Stafford holds ties to Ohio State, though. The Ohio State graduate notched All-Big Ten honors in 1998 and set Buckeye single season records for ERA and appearances in 1997 and 1998.

Beals just completed his eighth season at Ball State. He handed in a résumé to the Buckeyes with a 243-202 overall record, 117-80 in Mid-American Conference play, three MAC West Division titles and a propensity for producing Major League Baseball prospects.

The Cardinals fell short of expectations last season. Picked preseason to win the MAC, Ball State tied for second in the MAC West and won only one game in the conference tournament.

But on a positive note, two Cardinals were selected in the opening two rounds of the Major League Baseball first-year player draft last week. The Boston Red Sox chose infielder Kolbrin Vitek with the 20th overall pick, and the Philadelphia Phillies selected right-hander Perci Garner at No. 77.

Ball State joined Arizona State, Arkansas, Cal-State Fullerton and Texas as the only schools to produce two players drafted in the first two rounds.

“That’s pretty good company right there,” said Beals, who has had at least one player selected in each of the eight drafts since Ball State hired him.

The Cardinals lost a total of seven players to either graduation or the draft. Ball State returns 27 players to pair with 12 incoming freshman, 11 from Indiana.

Now, the question is will Beals return to coach the 2011 Cardinals.

“I really don’t want to see him go,” sophomore outfielder Kirby Campbell said Saturday after he learned Beals interviewed at Ohio State, “but at the same time, if you don’t have a coach that’s ambitious enough to go get his goal what’s that say?”

Beals said, as of now, Ball State is his sole focus.

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