Meet the Buckeyes… A team trailing their football counterparts in NIL by juuuuuust a bit
Who’s the Pack playing?
Opponent: Ohio State
Mascot: Poisonous Nut | School Location: Columbus, OH | Conference: Big Ten
2025 Record: 0-3 (0-0, T-1st) | 2025 RPI Rank: 74
2024 Record: 29-36 (12-12, T-7th) | 2024 RPI Rank: 67
2023 Record: 31-25 (9-15, 11th) | 2023 RPI Rank: 78
When? Where? How do I watch?
Location: VyStar Ballpark (Jacksonville, FL)
Game Time(s): Fri, Feb 21 @ 2:00pm
TV: Friday (D1Baseball.com)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast (Game)
Tell me about this team
Gonna get some more mileage out of the preseason preview here:
Similar to Liberty’s head coaching situation in the offseason, Ohio State’s head coach left the position to be an assistant coach at a bigger program. After two years leading the Buckeyes, Bill Mosiello departed for an assistant gig at TCU, a program he had spent nine years at before taking the OSU job.
Insert Campbell head coach Justin Haire who immediately went to work building the type of roster you’d expect him to build. The lineup loses some key pieces, but does return five starters and is being supplemented with speedy players, both from the DI and JUCO ranks. Reggie Bussey is the biggest addition to a lineup that could have six or more players with double-digit stolen base numbers this year.
The pitching staff is going to be the real question, just as it was last year. Blaine Wynk and Chase Herrell should give the Buckeyes a nice 1-2 punch in the rotation, but finding that third starter and the relief arms is going to be tricky. Haire and crew – which includes former Wolfpack assistant Joey Holcomb – followed a similar path with which they found success at Campbell: bring in a bunch of JUCO arms and some guys with big stuff, even if it comes with control issues. Similar to Liberty again, it’s a bold move to try and build a pitching staff this way. Unlike the Flames, the Wynk-Herrell combo provides the Buckeyes a buffer to make this work.
The 0-3 record doesn’t indicate how competitive the Buckeyes were in their season opening series at Arizona State. Ohio State scored four runs in the top of the 7th inning in the opener to take an 8-6 lead, only to give up three runs in the bottom half of the inning to lose 9-8. The second game saw the Sun Devils plate two in the bottom of the 9th for a 7-6 walk-off win. The final game of the series, a 17-10 ASU win, was pretty much a blowout.
Questions around the bullpen reared their head in the opening series, and that looks like a task that’s going to be a struggle for Haire and his coaching staff to figure out. With the bullpen a work in progress, if Ohio State is going to find success this year they’re going to need more out of Wynk. Herrell did come through with four shutout innings across the middle portion of his start on Saturday.
The lineup putting up 24 runs in three games? That’ll play. Depth is a concern, though, as the starters accounted for all but one plate appearance last weekend.
Pitching Matchups
Friday: LHP Dominic Fritton (JR) — (likely) RHP Blaine Wynk (JR)
Key Players:
Offense
SR 3B Tyler Pettorini – .546/.600/1.000, 2 2B, HR, 20.0 BB%, 13.3 K%, 0-0 SB. Solid hitter with defensive versatility in the infield. Spent time in the Cape Cod League each of the last two summers. Last year: .309/.383/.500, 9 2B, 9 HR, 9.5 BB%, 15.4 K%, 9-14 SB.
SR DH/OF Nick Giamarusti – .444/.615/.667, 2 2B, 15.4 BB%, 15.4 K%, 5-5 SB. Speedy outfielder started his career at Pittsburgh before heading the JUCO route and ending up in Columbus. Last year: .287/.426/.535, 5 2B, 4 HR, 12.3 BB%, 22.3 K%, 15-17 SB.
JR CF Reggie Bussey – .300/.364/.400, 2B, 8.3 BB%, 33.3 K%, 1-2 SB. Impressive to see someone on the team faster than Giamarusti, but Bussey is it. The Oakland transfer hit .336/.465/.423, 11 2B, 0 HR, 16.3 BB%, 18.1 K%, 31-37 SB last year.
JR C/OF/1B Matthew Graveline – .231/.375/.615, 3B, HR, 18.8 BB%, 31.3 K%, 0-0 SB. Like Pettorini, played on the Cape last summer after hitting .281/.409/.447, 14 2B, 5 HR, 16.2 BB%, 19.4 K%, 13-16 SB in 2024 for the Buckeyes. Impressive runner for a catcher.
Pitching
JR RHP Blaine Wynk – 0-0, 15.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 11.8 BB%, 11.8 K%. The expected ace of the staff, he put up a solid line last year as a reliever (2-1, 2 SV, 3.38 ERA, 40.0 IP, 5.3 BB%, 22.4 K%). Mid-90s fastball to go with a slider and changeup. All three are very good offerings, but he struggled to locate in the opener and it hurt him.
SO RHP Chase Herrell – 0-0, 6.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 4.0 BB%, 16.0 K%. Should make a big jump this year. High-80’s/low-90’s fastball as part of a three-pitch mix.
SR LHP Luke Carrell – 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.1 IP, 16.7 BB%, 0.0 K%. JUCO transfer who started his career at Oklahoma, although he barely pitched there (0.2 IP in 2022). A bit of a unique delivery provides some deception. Relies heavily on his slider as an out pitch.
Quick! Fun Facts!
NC State and Ohio State have played on the baseball diamond just once before, a 10-4 Buckeyes win in Raleigh in 1998.
Not generally known for their baseball prowess, the Buckeyes have a stronger history than you probably realize. The 1966 NCAA Champions made back-to-back-to-back trips to the College World Series in 1965, 1966, and 1967, although they haven’t returned yet. Over Bob Todd’s last twenty years at the helm of the program (1991-2010), Ohio State made 13 NCAA Regionals and made (and hosted) two Super Regionals.
Despite not having a 1st round MLB Draft pick since 2010 (RHP Alex Wimmers, Twins), five former Buckeyes played at the MLB level in 2024: RHP Ryan Feltner (Rockies), 1B/OF Dominic Canzone (Mariners), RHP Jack Neely (Cubs), C Dillon Dingler (Tigers), UTL Zach Dezenzo (Astros).
The Key To A Win For State
Getting over the come-from-ahead loss on Tuesday.
Prediction
Despite the meltdown for State against Liberty, the Pack’s bullpen gives them a significant edge in this one. I’ll take that as the difference maker in a decently tight ballgame.
Outcome: State wins, 7-5