Cincinnati is Ohio's only team left in the postseason (Graphic by UC Athletics)
Ohio sees many of its teams see rough conference tournament showings, ending hopes of playing in the college baseball championship tournament.
Ohio State 30-25 (18-12 in the Big Ten)
The Buckeyes had the worst time to hit a slump. They played Washington late on Tuesday, and the Huskies won, 8-6. Ohio State bounced back on Wednesday against Rutgers. The Buckeyes beat the Scarlet Knights 3-2 to stay alive in 2026 for one more day. They then played UM on Thursday, who they had just swept in their house. The Buckeye bats were silent, though, and they fell 3-0, ending their season. Ohio State still should hold their heads high. They beat their rival three out of four times and improved 29 games from 2025, with 17 more wins and 12 fewer losses. I can’t wait to see what they do in 2027.
Cincinnati 37-20 (17-13 in the Big 12)
The argument could be made that UC was cold, as they were automatically in the quarterfinals as one of the top four teams in the Big 12. They looked cold in their game against Arizona State on Thursday. ASU, with a home field advantage playing in the Greater Phoenix area, beat Cincy, 10-2. Since the Big 12 is one of the few conferences without a double-elimination format, that was all she wrote for the Bearcats. They had solid hopes with their 37 wins to get an at-large bid to play in the college baseball national championship tournament.The Bearcats turned out to be Ohio’s only team in the Big Dance in 2026.
Xavier 28-30 (15-6 in the Big East)
Xavier stayed hot in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. The Big East co-champions opened the tournament with a 5-1 upset of UConn on Thursday in Mason, Ohio. Xavier looked poised to do some serious damage in their tournament and qualify for the college baseball national championship tournament. Their schedule got off kilter due to the rain here in Cincinnati on Friday. That meant Xavier had a day to cool off from the win over UConn and resumed play against St. John’s on Saturday. St. John’s was dominant, routing Xavier 17-6. This set up a second game on Saturday against Creighton, with the loser going home. Despite taking two of three from the Blue Jays in the regular season, Xavier fell, 7-4, and saw the end of their season on Saturday in Mason, Ohio.
Wright State 27-28 (17-7 in the Horizon League)
Wright State came into the Horizon League tournament riding high as the regular-season champions. Having won four of the previous five tournaments, the Raiders were poised to make yet another college baseball championship tournament. The tournament got off to a solid start when they downed Oakland 7-5 on Thursday. Friday, they stumbled, falling to Milwaukee 4-1.
That put them on the brink of elimination, another loss, and the 2026 season would be over. They faced Oakland again and eliminated them in an 11-5 victory. This set up another rematch, this time against Milwaukee. If the Raiders won, they’d have had their third game on Saturday to decide the league championship. Wright State fell to Milwaukee, who won the conference championship and made the national college baseball championship tournament with the 5-4 win. Wright State can still hold their head high about another Horizon League regular season championship.
Youngstown State 15-39 (12-12 in the Horizon League)
YSU had a great final weekend of the season to avoid finishing in the basement of the Horizon League. They opened the tournament against Oakland, whom they had finished just ahead of in the final standings of the regular season. The Penguins fell to Oakland, showing that that was a fluke with a 10-3 rout of YSU. At least Youngstown State avoided the infamy of losing 40 games in 2026.
Kent State 42-15 (24-9 in the MAC)
Another team with a great chance to play postseason baseball beyond their conference tournament, Kent State was riding high to start the MAC tournament. They opened the tournament struggling against the team they ended the season against. Kent State fell to Toledo, 8-0. They then defeated the team that denied them the conference in the regular season, beating Miami, 3-1. Kent State played again on Friday and defeated Western Michigan 6-1. This brought them back to Toledo with elimination and a conference championship berth on the line. Kent State got dropped by Toledo for the third straight game between the two, 5-2. This left the Golden Flashes sweating and hoping for an at-large berth, despite having won 42 games this season.
Miami (Ohio) 38-17 (25-8 in the MAC)
The RedHawks came into the MAC tournament as the #1 seed and one of the favorites to win it and make it to the college baseball national championship tournament. Miami, though, seemed to have stayed in Oxford. In their first-round game against Northern Illinois, they fell 6-5 in extra innings. That set up an elimination game against Kent State. Miami couldn’t get the win against the team they barely edged out to win the regular-season conference crown. The 3-1 defeat will likely leave the RedHawks out of the national tournament, despite finishing with 25 conference wins and 21 wins above .500.
Toledo 32-29 (22-12 in the MAC)
The team who went the furthest in their conference tournament was Toledo. The Rockets battled the hardest of any of Ohio’s teams. They beat Ball State 8-2 in the opening round of the MAC Tournament on Wednesday. They followed that up with an 8-0 upset of Kent State. Friday showed the first crack in the Toledo armor when they got leveled by Northern Illinois, 10-3. Saturday saw them face Kent State again, with the loser going home. Toledo won their third straight over the 42-win Golden Flashes, 5-2. That set up a rematch with NIU for the MAC Championship and a berth in the college baseball national championship tournament. The Rockets fell, seeing their season come to an end in a 5-1 defeat.
Dayton 31-23 (15-15 in the Atlantic 10), Bowling Green 19-35 (12-22 in the MAC), Ohio 11-43 (8-25 in the MAC), and Akron 21-34 (11-22 in the MAC) saw their seasons come to a conclusion last week.
Ohio Power Rankings
- Cincinnati 37-20 (17-13 in the Big 12)
- Kent State 42-15 (24-9 in the MAC)
- Miami (Ohio) 38-17 (25-8 in the MAC)
- Ohio State 30-25 (18-12 in the Big Ten)
- Toledo 32-29 (22-12 in the MAC)
- Xavier 28-30 (15-6 in the Big East)
- Wright State 27-28 (17-7 in the Horizon League)
- Dayton 31-23 (15-15 in the Atlantic 10)
- Akron 21-34 (11-22 in the MAC)
- Bowling Green 19-35 (12-22 in the MAC)
- Youngstown State 15-39 (12-12 in the Horizon League)
- Ohio 11-43 (8-25 in the MAC)
Nick Swisher-Mike Schmidt Player of the Week
Toledo’s third baseman, Troy Sudbrook, had a fantastic showing in the MAC tournament. He was a big part of the Rockets playing five games, getting three wins, and playing in the MAC final, being one win away from the national tournament. Sudbrook had nine hits, scored six runs, knocked in six runs, and hit two home runs. He did everything he could to carry Toledo, and he almost carried them to the big dance.
