Miami wins one for Ohio over UM (Photo by Miami RedHawks Athletics)
Miami, Kent State, and Cincinnati stay on top in Ohio!
Ohio State 21-21 (10-11 in the Big Ten)
OSU would bounce back from their winless stretch last week, beginning with a home game against Akron. Ohio State would nuke the Zips, walking the game off in seven innings with a seven-run bottom of the seventh to win 19-7. The Buckeyes headed east for a weekend Big Ten battle at Rutgers. Ohio State and the Scarlet Knights would play a doubleheader on Friday due to inclement weather forecasted for the weekend.
The first half of the doubleheader would go well for the Bucks. Ohio State would get a shutout win. Buckeye pitchers Gavin Kuzniewski and Jake Michalak would allow only four hits and zero runs in the 8-0 victory. In the second game of Friday, the shoe was on the other foot for Ohio State. Rutgers would get a 3-0 shutout victory of their own. The rubber match would be on Sunday.
OSU would fall to Rutgers, 11-5. The Buckeyes would go 2-2 this week. Ohio State will host one of the Big Ten’s top two teams this week when Nebraska, who is ranked in the top 20 in the nation, comes to Columbus.
Cincinnati 29-17 (10-11 in the Big 12)
UC had a down and up week. In their weekday game, they had to travel north to Dayton to play Wright State. This was their second game of the season, and the Raiders got the better of the Bearcats in the rematch, 12-7. Cincinnati then returned home to host the 12th-ranked Mountaineers of West Virginia. WVU took game one on Friday, 9-5.
Cincinnati struck back on Saturday with a 5-2 victory. This set up a series-deciding contest for Sunday. The Bearcats won the decisive game, 7-5, and took the series from the #12 team in the nation! UC went 2-2 this week, but went a huge 2-1 in the Big 12! This weekend, UC will play Houston in a series down in Texas.
Xavier 20-25 (10-5 in the Big East)
X came into the week on fire, winning 11 of their last 13 games. A trip to Nashville stymied their momentum and cooled them off a little. The Vanderbilt Commodores beat Xavier, 11-1, in a run-rule, eight-inning victory. Xavier would try to bounce back in an all-important Big East series against St. John’s back in Cincinnati. The Red Storm traded blows with Xavier early, as both teams were tied 6-6 going into the sixth inning. That’s when St. John’s kicked the door in with six runs, and Xavier wouldn’t be able to rally. Xavier would drop the first game, 12-7.
Xavier would look to rally and get their week back on track on Saturday. The Musketeers would again come up short, falling 8-6. On Sunday, they would battle to avoid the sweep and try to get at least one Big East win out of the week. Xavier would battle and come away with a 16-6 win. The run-rule victory was the lone silver lining in a cloudy week for X. Tomorrow, Xavier will play Miami up in Oxford. Xavier will then hit the road to play against mighty Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
Dayton 24-19 (9-12 in the Atlantic 10)
The Flyers were supposed to play in Ann Arbor on Tuesday. But UM canceled the game against UD, and Dayton filled the slot with a home game against Bellarmine. The Flyers would have been better off playing UM, as Bellarmine upset Dayton, 8-6. Dayton would hit the road to New York to play St. Bonaventure. Dayton would get an important Atlantic 10 victory on Friday in a 6-3 win. Weather would again alter the schedule, as Dayton and St. Bonaventure would conclude the series in a doubleheader on Sunday.
UD took game one early on Sunday with an 8-0 shutout victory. They took a bitterly contested battle in the second half of the doubleheader, 7-6, giving Dayton an Atlantic 10 series sweep! Tomorrow, Dayton begins its final homestand of 2026. They’ll play eight games in the Gem City, starting with Akron tomorrow. They’ll follow that up with a series over the weekend against La Salle.
Wright State 19-21 (12-3 in the Horizon League)
The Wright State Raiders were looking to bounce back from a rough week, and they got off to a good start. They hosted fellow Southwestern Ohio standout baseball team in the Cincinnati Bearcats. In this edition of the Gem City versus the Queen City the Gem City came out on top. Wright State upset UC, 12-7. WSU then turned their attention to Horizon League play.
Wright State traveled to red-hot Milwaukee. The Panthers were riding a six-game winning streak entering the series, and their 10-7 win on Friday and their 4-0 win on Saturday made it eight straight wins. Wright State, however, snapped the streak on Sunday, getting an important conference win. Every league win is huge, so WSU finishing the week with a 13-2 victory is important. The Raiders will have a road trip this week to Oakland.
Youngstown State 9-34 (6-9 in the Horizon League)
YSU had the best week of their season last week and got this one off to a good start, too. The Penguins battled Toledo and won 11-10 in the Glass City on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the Rockets came to Youngstown, and it did not go well for YSU. Toledo blasted YSU, 21-0, ending Youngstown State’s four-game winning streak. YSU then headed up to the Windy City for a series against Illinois-Chicago. UIC took the opener on Friday night, 10-7. There was no improvement for the Penguins on Saturday, as they fell 6-3. Illinois-Chicago completed the sweep on Sunday with a 5-0 win. This weekend, Youngstown State will host Northern Kentucky for a three-game series.
Ohio 8-35 (5-19 in the MAC)
OU’s week went how their entire season has gone this year. They lost their first game this week to the Horizon League’s Northern Kentucky, 7-4. Then the Akron Zips came to town, and on Friday, things got ugly. Akron pummeled the Bobcats, 21-7, in a run-rule defeat for OU. Ohio battled back on Saturday, but still fell, 9-6. Sunday, they got even closer, but still no cigar. OU fell 9-8, going 0-4 this week. The Bobcats will conclude their homestand on Wednesday against Marshall. They’ll then go on the road to play UMass this weekend.
Kent State 31-11 (17-7 in the MAC)
The hottest team in the state of Ohio stayed hot most of the week! First, the Golden Flashes hosted Mercyhurst and got a 13-2, run-rule victory in only seven innings. Kent State then went on the road to Kalamazoo for an important MAC series against Western Michigan. Friday’s game was a close one, decided by a single run, but Kent State were the victors by the score of 8-7. It was a historic victory, and not just because it took 13 innings to decide! Kent State got to 30 wins for the 10th time under head coach Jeff Duncan.
On Saturday, things were much more decisive and in Kent State’s favor. The Golden Flashes cruised to a 9-1 victory. Kent State went for the sweep on Sunday. WMU managed to snap the Golden Flashes five-game winning streak on Sunday, 4-3. On Wednesday, Kent State will play at Pitt. After that, they’ll play three games in nearby Akron.
Akron 20-24 (10-14 in the MAC)
The Zips week got off to a rough start in Columbus. They were pummeled by Ohio State, 19-7, as the Buckeyes beat them in seven innings. Things got better for Akron when they then headed to Athens. Akron took out their frustrations on Ohio in Friday’s series opener. They crushed OU, 21-7, in a run-rule win of their own. Game two on Saturday saw greater resistance from OU, but Akron won, 9-6. The Zips complete the sweep on Sunday, with a 9-8 victory. The Akron Zips will play at Dayton tomorrow, followed by a weekend series at home against rival Kent State.
Miami (Ohio) 29-13 (17-7 in the MAC)
The Butler County boys opened their week with a visit from UM out of the Big Ten. The red M defeated the yellow M, 12-10. The RedHawks got a big win for themselves and for the MAC in taking down the most hated Big Ten team in Ohio. Keeping things thematic, they then took on Central Michigan for their conference series over the weekend.
They kept things rolling on Friday, defeating CMU in the series opener, 12-5. Saturday’s game two was a little closer, but Miami still came away the winner, this time by a score of 5-1. The RedHawks completed the series sweep on Sunday with a 5-2 win. Miami went 4-0 this week and is red hot, having won 9 of their last 10 games! The RedHawks will host Xavier tomorrow, then they will go on the road for a weekend series against Western Michigan.
Toledo 20-24 (15-9 in the MAC)
The Rockets had a solid week of baseball. It got off to a rough start, as they fell by one run, 11-10, to Youngstown State. That just seemed to make Toledo mad, though. On Wednesday, in the second game in as many days against YSU, the Rockets exploded. Toledo rocked Youngstown State, 21-0 in only seven innings!
The Toledo Rockets then hosted crosstown rival Bowling Green in the Battle for the Glass City. Again, Toledo stumbled in game one, losing 9-5. Toledo didn’t stay down long, though, and on Saturday won the second contest, 5-1. On Sunday, the Rockets took the final game of the series and bragging rights. They defeated BGSU 5-2. Toledo will host Oakland on Wednesday. Then, this weekend, they will have three home games against Ball State. The Rockets are flying under the radar in competing for the MAC title!
Bowling Green 16-26 (9-16 in the MAC)
BGSU joined Miami in playing UM this week; only Bowling Green had the displeasure of having to do it in Ann Arbor. The Falcons fell 9-6 before returning home to take on Toledo in the Battle for the Glass City. Bowling Green turned things around and came away with an upset over Toledo, 9-5, on Friday. Toledo fought back on Saturday, winning the second game, 3-1. The decisive contest came on Sunday for Bowling Green and the Rockets. BGSU fell to Toledo, 6-4. The Falcons will play at Butler tomorrow, followed by a road weekend slate against Eastern Michigan.
Ohio Power Rankings
- Kent State 31-11 (17-7 in the MAC)
- Miami (Ohio) 29-13 (17-7 in the MAC)
- Cincinnati 29-17 (10-11 in the Big 12)
- Dayton 24-19 (9-12 in the Atlantic 10)
- Ohio State 21-21 (10-11 in the Big Ten)
- Wright State 19-21 (12-3 in the Horizon League)
- Xavier 20-25 (10-5 in the Big East)
- Toledo 20-24 (15-9 in the MAC)
- Akron 20-24 (10-14 in the MAC)
- Bowling Green 16-26 (9-16 in the MAC)
- Youngstown State 9-34 (6-9 in the Horizon League)
- Ohio 8-35 (5-19 in the MAC)
Nick Swisher-Mike Schmidt Player of the Week
Miami of Ohio’s center fielder, Marcus Dierks, is your player of the week for Ohio. In the RedHawks four wins this week, including sweeping UM, Dierks played great! The junior from Kansas City, Kansas, was instrumental in the success. He had nine hits, scored eight runs, and batted two more runs in!
