Cincinnati’s Quinton Coats (25) is the best player in Ohio! (Photo by UC Athletics)
Cincinnati, Dayton, and Kent State are leading the way across Ohio!
Ohio State 5-9 (0-3 in the Big Ten)
The Buckeyes’ 2026 home opener was spoiled by in-state foe Xavier. Ohio State fell hard, 13-4. The weekend began with more of the same, with a rough 11-1 loss to #1 UCLA. Saturday was just as brutal for the Bucks as the Bruins won, 19-6. Sunday, things looked better for the Buckeyes, as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Sadly, Ohio State couldn’t maintain the lead, and they lost 10-7.
The #1 Bruins swept Ohio State. This difficult stretch in the Bucks’ schedule here at home continues with a game against Kent State tomorrow. The Golden Flashes are arguably the hottest team in Ohio right now. Ohio State will have to then travel to the West Coast for a weekend series against the Washington Huskies, another Big Ten team that is struggling early in 2026.
Cincinnati 13-4 (0-0 in the Big 12)
UC had an explosive Week 4, beginning with a 5-2 road win against Western Kentucky. They then returned to the Queen City to host UC San Diego. They beat the Tritons, 9-5, on Thursday. Cincinnati brought the lightning to a stormy Southwest Ohio week on a clear Friday with a doubleheader. The Bearcats crushed UCSD, 13-3 in the first game, and won 16-1 in the second. They ended both halves of a doubleheader with run-rule victories. The Tritons put up a stronger fight against the Bearcats on Sunday. The game went into 11 innings before a dramatic finish. Cincinnati got a walk-off win in the form of a home run from Christian Mitchelle.
Quinton Coats has been Cincinnati’s Thor. The Bearcats’ own god of thunder has been demolishing the baseball. Coats is batting .351, has 26 hits, 12 home runs, and 31 runs batted in! Cincy’s super sophomore had 6 home runs and 16 RBIs all of 2025. That was 34 games and 130 plate appearances. His better stats for this year are in 16 games and 76 plate appearances. Cincy will play one more game tomorrow against Evansville before they take a road trip to Utah. Cincinnati will battle the Beehive State at BYU and Utah Valley, then take on the Utah Utes back in the Nati the following week.
Xavier 5-11 (0-0 in the Big East)
The X-Men spoiled the Buckeyes’ home opener in Columbus on Wednesday in a big way. Xavier beat Ohio State 13-4, before hopping on a flight to Oregon. They battled the #18 Beavers out west on Friday, but fell, 4-2. Oregon State showed why they’re a top 20 team again on Saturday, defeating the Musketeers, 7-2. Sunday, X got the brakes beaten off of them, 17-2. The Beavers completed their sweep of Xavier on Monday with a 7-2 victory. X will stay in Oregon for two more games, tomorrow and Wednesday against the Oregon Ducks, before a seven-game home stand that begins with a weekend series versus Evansville.
Dayton 12-3 (0-0 in the Atlantic 10)
The Flyers got their fourth week of the season off with a bang. Dayton used five home runs to beat Akron, 14-11, on Wednesday on the road. They kept that momentum going on Friday with a 12-5 series-opening win over Maine. Things got a bit closer on Saturday. The game was suspended till Sunday afternoon with Maine leading. Sunday afternoon, the Flyers trailed, 9-5, in the bottom of the ninth inning. Dayton staged a furious comeback to win the game, 10-9!
The Flyers finished off the series and swept Maine Sunday afternoon, winning 14-8. Dayton has won five in a row and 11 of their last 12 games. UD will wrap up their home stand tomorrow against Bowling Green. They’ll then head west to Missouri for three games against St. Louis and a game against Lindenwood.
Wright State 5-8 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
With rain cancelling their game against Miami, the Raiders only had their weekend series against Tennessee this week. WSU played hard, but fell to the Vols on Friday in a close one, 4-3. Wright State again took the Vols to the brink, but still fell short on Saturday, this time, 5-4. Finally, on Sunday, things went Wright State’s way. Despite the two losses, the Raiders kept battling, and it paid off in the series finale in Knoxville. WSU shut the Vols out, defeating Tennessee, 6-0!
Sunday’s heroics in the upset of Tennessee were led by JP Peltier. Peltier had a solo home run that pushed the Raiders’ lead to 4-0! He followed that up with a throw from left field that got a Tennessee runner at the plate and kept the Vols off the scoreboard. Wright State will play at Indiana tomorrow before returning home for a three-game series against Southeast Missouri State.
Youngstown State 1-13 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
No one is having a rougher 2026 season than Youngstown State. They’ll be happy when the Cincinnati Reds start playing, so they’ll have a chance to not be the worst baseball team in Ohio. Their midweek game against Pitt was cancelled due to rain, but they still played Southern Indiana and lost their first game against them on Friday, 5-2. Their doubleheader on Sunday didn’t get any better. The Penguins lost the first game, 10-1. YSU got swept again in the second game, 4-1. This week, YSU will play Central Michigan on Wednesday and against Oakland over the weekend.
Ohio 3-13 (1-2 in the MAC)
Ohio’s rough season continued to on Wednesday against Pitt. The Bobcats lost to the Panthers 16-2. They recovered on Friday against Northern Illinois, defeating NIU decisively, 14-7. Their success was short-lived as they followed that up with a 13-1 defeat on Saturday. Sunday was little better, as Ohio would fall, 8-2. The Bobcats are reeling at the moment, having lost 13 games already. They’ll play two at Austin Peay tomorrow and Wednesday, before returning home for a three-game series against Western Michigan.
Kent State 11-4 (2-1 in the MAC)
The Golden Flashes continued their winning ways this week, they beat St. Bonaventure 14-9 on Wednesday. They then took game one against Bowling Green on Friday, 8-1. Bowling Green surprised Kent State on Saturday with a 7-2 upset. Kent State responded in a huge way on Sunday with a resounding 13-1 victory that took the series.
Sawyer Solitaria continues to rock for Kent State. The sophomore right fielder already has almost as many home runs this season as he did in 2025. Last year, he had 8 home runs; this year, he has 7 already. He also has 22 hits, 19 runs, and 15 runs batted in for Kent State. Kent State will play at Ohio State tomorrow before they host Central Michigan for three games this coming weekend.
Akron 7-9 (1-2 in the MAC)
Akron’s week started with a pair of close losses. They fell to the Dayton Flyers, 14-11. They then dropped their first game of the series against Western Michigan, 4-3. Saturday was more of the same as they lost their second game to WMU, 4-1. The Zips battled back on Sunday and finished their week with some drama. Tied with Western Michigan, 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, first baseman Brady Bowen sent one into the bleachers for a walk-off home run and the 3-2 victory. This week, the Zips will host Oakland for a standalone game, and then a series against UMass.
Miami (Ohio) 11-4 (3-0 in the MAC)
With their midweek game against Wright State cancelled due to heavy rain in Southwest Ohio, the RedHawks played their Week 4 game on Friday. Miami clobbered Eastern Michigan, 13-3. Saturday’s game was a bit closer, but the RedHawks still prevailed over the Eagles, 8-5. Miami finished their sweep on Sunday, and opened MAC play, 3-0. The RedHawks’ super slugger, Evan Appelwick, has brought the power this year, with 7 home runs and 16 runs batted in. Miami will play Evansville on Wednesday and begin a series against Bowling Green on Friday.
Toledo 6-8 (3-0 in the MAC)
Toledo tried to rebound from a rough 3-8 start with their series against UMass. The Rockets won the first game on Friday, 5-0. Toledo again rocked UMass on Saturday, blasting them, 11-1. Toledo got the series sweep with their shootout win on Sunday, 16-11. The Rockets will play Northern Kentucky tomorrow before returning back to the shores of the Maumee River to host a series against Northern Illinois.
Bowling Green 3-10 (1-2 in the MAC)
The rough year for the Falcons continued to drag on, as they got crushed by Kent State, 8-1, on Friday. Bowling Green struck back on Saturday, stunning Kent State with a 7-2 upset. BGSU failed to win the series on Sunday, getting wrecked by the score of 13-1. Bowling Green will stay in Ohio but also on the road this week with a game against Dayton tomorrow, and then a series against Miami in Oxford.
Ohio Power Rankings
- Cincinnati 13-4 (0-0 in the Big 12)
- Dayton 12-3 (0-0 in the Atlantic 10)
- Miami (Ohio) 11-4 (3-0 in the MAC)
- Kent State 11-4 (2-1 in the MAC)
- Akron 7-9 (1-2 in the MAC)
- Wright State 5-8 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
- Toledo 6-8 (3-0 in the MAC)
- Xavier 5-11 (0-0 in the Big East)
- Ohio State 5-9 (0-3 in the Big Ten)
- Bowling Green 3-10 (1-2 in the MAC)
- Ohio 3-13 (1-2 in the MAC)
- Youngstown State 1-13 (0-0 in the Horizon League)
Nick Swisher-Mike Schmidt Player of the Week
The Cincinnati Bearcats’ super sophomore Quinton Coats runs away with the player of the week award in Week 4. The UC first baseman was crushing the baseball in the Cats’ five games. Coats had 11 hits, 7 home runs, and 17 runs batted in! Quinton Coats homered in every game this week for the Bearcats, and is a huge reason they are so red hot.
