The deeper Ohio State advanced into the Big Ten baseball tournament, the more Jake Brobst was transformed from little-known outfielder into a mini-pop culture celebrity for five days.
The Buckeyes made one huge play after another in winning the tournament over six grueling games extending 88 hours, and the Big Ten Network cameras focused on Brobst holding aloft an honest-to-goodness ax as he paced back and forth in the dugout.
What made Brobst, a senior from Watterson, more of a curiosity was that stern look on his face and erect posture. Was this a bearded royal guardsman on loan from the queen of England?