College baseball in Cincinnati, Ohio (Photo by UC Athletics)
Baseball season in Ohio finishes up the opening month of the 2026 season!
Ohio State 5-5 (0-0 in the Big Ten)
The Buckeyes began the season looking like they would improve from their 13-37 season in 2025. They started 2026 5-2 as they played in Texas this past weekend. The Bucks lost on Friday, 6-5, against UT San Antonio. They then ran into Ole Miss, who was 9-1, having started 2026 with a nine-game winning streak. The #25 Rebels kept the Buckeye bats quiet and shut the Buckeyes out, 8-0. Things weren’t going to get any easier on Sunday as Ohio State battled #3 Texas. Ohio State fell, 10-3, in Houston.
A tough schedule will continue to rear its head as Ohio State will follow their Wednesday home opener against Xavier by hosting Big Ten favorite and #1 UCLA for a three-game weekend series. The Buckeyes’ best player this season has been senior right fielder Noah Furcht. Furcht has a batting average of .400, 14 hits, 3 home runs, and 8 RBIs.
Cincinnati 8-4 (0-0 in the Big 12)
The Bearcats had their home opener this week and crushed Bowling Green in an I-75 matchup, 11-1 here in Southwest Ohio on Wednesday. They then won a 5-4 game in their series opener against Austin Peay on Friday. Saturday, Austin Peay evened the series in the first game of a doubleheader, surprising the Cats with a 7-1 win. UC didn’t mess around, and in the rubber match took the series with a 3-0 shutout.
Cincinnati will continue their homestand this week, hosting Western Kentucky tomorrow, and then welcoming UC San Diego to the Queen City for a four-game series set to begin on Thursday. UC has been led by a pair of sophomore sensations. Right fielder Derrick Pitts has a batting average of .400 and 20 hits, while first baseman Quinton Coats is bringing the power with 15 hits, including 5 home runs and 14 RBIs. Coats’ home run in the bottom of the 10th on Friday gave Cincinnati the 5-4, walk-off win.
Xavier 4-7 (0-0 in the Big East)
After a 2-0 start to the season, the Musketeers had dropped six straight, including a loss to Indiana in their home opener on Wednesday. They got an upset victory over Cal State Fullerton on Friday, by the score of 3-0, to end the losing streak. The X-Men got another victory on Saturday, this time by the score of 3-2. Xavier got the series win against Cal State Fullerton, but couldn’t finish the sweep, falling 16-7 on Sunday. This week, X will return to Cincinnati, Ohio, and head up I-71 to battle the Ohio State Buckeyes before heading back to the West Coast for a six-game stay, which will see them play Oregon State four times and Oregon twice.
Dayton 8-3 (0-0 in the Atlantic 10)
The Flyers lost their opening series against Lipscomb but then went on a tear, sweeping Eastern Kentucky, 3-0, clobbering Toledo, and before a four-game series against Ohio. The Flyers took the first two games of the series in Athens, winning each game, 7-4. On Sunday, they returned to Dayton for the final two games of the series. In the first game on Sunday, the Flyers’ six-game winning streak was snapped as they fell, 12-5. Dayton recovered in the second half of the doubleheader with a 9-6 win. UD will continue their batch of games in Ohio, playing at Akron on Wednesday before returning home to Dayton to play Maine this weekend. The Flyers have been led by their star catcher, junior Martin Howell. Howell is batting .421; he has 16 hits, which include 4 home runs and 19 RBIs for UD.
Wright State 4-6 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
Ohio’s best team from 2025 got off to a shaky start in 2026. The Wright State Raiders opened their season at top 25 Georgia. They avoided the sweep against the Bulldogs, but followed their 6-3 victory up by getting swept by Charlotte and coming into this week 1-5. They started to turn things around with an 8-1 win over Kent State on Wednesday and a 6-4 series-opening win against Campbell on Friday. Campbell struck back on Saturday, defeating the Raiders, 7-3. The Wright State Raiders would take the series against Campbell with a 3-1 victory on Sunday. Wright State was supposed to return home for a game tomorrow against the Miami RedHawks, but that game has been postponed. They’ll instead hit the road again to play a weekend series against the Vols in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Youngstown State 1-10 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
YSU had a brutal schedule to start their 2026 season with a series at two top 25 teams in Auburn and Oregon. The Penguins could catch no breaks against either opponent, being swept by both, and starting the year 0-7. They tried to turn things around this past weekend with a four-game series against Longwood. They got off to a solid start with a 2-1 victory on Friday in a pitching duel. But the success was short-lived for Youngstown State, as they dropped both games of Saturday’s doubleheader against Longwood, 9-3 and 6-3, respectively. Things didn’t get any better for Youngstown on Sunday as they fell again, 6-4. YSU will play at Pitt tomorrow before heading to Evansville, Indiana, for a three-game weekend series against Southern Indiana.
Ohio 2-10 (0-0 in the MAC)
If not for a 15-13 shootout win against Murray State in the opening weekend, the reeling Bobcats would be 0-9 right now. They got mauled 19-6 on Wednesday against West Virginia and took a 7-4 loss on the chin against Dayton on Friday. Saturday was more of the same as the Bobcats fell to the Flyers again, and by the same score of 7-4. The second half of the series would finish up in a Sunday doubleheader. Ohio would get their second win of the season in the first game, 12-5, but would fall for the third time to Dayton in the later game, 9-6. This week, the Bobcats will play Pitt in the Steel City before returning home and opening MAC play with a three-game series against Northern Illinois.
Kent State 8-3 (0-0 in the MAC)
The Golden Flashes were fresh off their series win against the mighty Tennessee Vols, so it was a bit surprising when they got rocked by the Wright State Raiders, 8-1, on Wednesday. They responded by clawing to an 8-7 victory over Rhode Island on Friday night. They crushed Rhode Island on Saturday in a doubleheader, winning the first game 7-1, and the second 12-3, keeping Rhode Island winless on the season. Kent State will continue their stand of games in Ohio this week with a game against St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, followed by a weekend series against Bowling Green to begin MAC play. The Golden Flashes are led by super sophomore Sawyer Solitaria. Solitaria has a batting average of .413 and is tied for sixth nationally in hits (19) and third nationally in home runs (6).
Akron 6-6 (0-0 in the MAC)
Akron fell on tough times after splitting their season-opening series against Presbyterian. The Zips followed their 2-2 start by losing four of their next five games. They tried to right the ship against North Carolina A&T. The doubleheader on Saturday helped them do just that with a 14-12 shootout win, followed up by a 6-4 victory. The Zips completed the sweep on Sunday with a 5-4 victory. Starting this Wednesday, Akron will have an eight-game homestand that begins with the red-hot Dayton Flyers, followed by their first MAC series of the year against Western Michigan. Sophomore right fielder Brody Chrisman has been the best player for Akron this year. He has 14 hits, 4 home runs, and 12 RBIs.
Miami (Ohio) 8-4 (0-0 in the MAC)
Miami picked up their 2026 season where they had left off in 2025. The RedHawks were 6-1 coming into this week. They continued their success with an 11-0 Wednesday win over Southern Illinois. Friday, however, they stumbled with a 14-10 shootout loss against Southeast Missouri State. The Saturday doubleheader started sourly with a 10-2 loss, but finished on a positive note with a 14-6 victory. The Butler County boys couldn’t even the series on Sunday, falling 4-2, and losing three of the four games against Southeast Missouri State.
Tomorrow, the RedHawks were supposed to play their first game in the state of Ohio with a game at Wright State, but it’s been postponed. They’ll then have an eight-game homestand that will include the beginning of MAC play with a three-game series against Eastern Michigan in Oxford. The good news for Miami is that their Superman is swinging for the fences. Senior first baseman Evan Appelwick, who had 21 home runs last year, already has 7 this season, which is tied for third best in all of college baseball. Appelwick’s 45 career home runs is a RedHawk’s program record
Toledo 3-8 (0-0 in the MAC)
After winning their season opener over Memphis, 8-6, the Rockets exploded on the launch pad and had a slump of six straight losses to Memphis, Jacksonville State, and Dayton. They tried to get things flying again, beginning with a series-opening win on Friday over Lipscomb. They followed up that 5-1 win on Friday with a 10-7 win on Saturday. Lipscomb struck back on Sunday with a 9-7 win. The Rockets started well on Monday, and at one point had a 5-1 lead. Things got pretty bad, pretty quick, as Lipscomb would score 12 unanswered and win the game 13-5. The Rockets will have their home opener this week when they begin MAC play with a three-game series against UMass that begins on Friday.
Bowling Green 2-8 (0-0 in the MAC)
The Falcons’ 1-5 start to 2026 didn’t look like it would improve much when they got clobbered 11-1 by the Cincinnati Bearcats on Wednesday. They did begin to rally on Friday, with a 7-1 win at Samford in Birmingham, Alabama. Samford responded with a 7-4 win on Saturday, setting up the series-deciding game on Sunday. It was more of the same for BGSU as they fell 11-2. The Falcons will return to Ohio, where they will play their next 12 games (seven on the road, five at home), starting with a series at Kent State to begin MAC play this Friday.
Ohio Power Rankings
- Kent State 8-3 (0-0 in the MAC)
- Cincinnati 8-4 (0-0 in the Big 12)
- Dayton 8-3 (0-0 in the Atlantic 10)
- Miami 8-4 (0-0 in the MAC)
- Akron 6-6 (0-0 in the MAC)
- Ohio State 5-5 (0-0 in the Big Ten)
- Wright State 4-6 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
- Xavier 4-7 (0-0 in the Big East)
- Toledo 3-8 (0-0 in the MAC)
- Bowling Green 2-8 (0-0 in the MAC)
- Ohio 2-10 (0-0 in the MAC)
- Youngstown State 1-10 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
Nick Swisher-Mike Schmidt Player of the Week
It’s likely we’ll see a lot of Evan Appelwick, Sawyer Solitaria, Martin Howell, Tommy Harrison, and Quinton Coats here as this season continues. This time, it was once again Sawyer Solitaria. Solitaria had 4 hits, 3 RBIs, and 2 home runs this past week as Kent State went 3-1 and are currently the best team in Ohio.
