Trio of Buckeyes Named to Big Ten Players to Watch List
2/4/2025 2:46:00 PM | Softball
Seniors Kami Kortokrax, Kaitlyn Farley and junior Lexi Paulsen begin season this weekend at Elon
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State's Lexi Paulsen, Kaitlyn Farley and Kami Kortokrax are among 31 players conference-wide to be named to the 2025 Big Ten Players to Watch list.
The Buckeyes' season gets underway this weekend when Ohio State travels to the Elon Softball Classic in Elon, N.C. Friday's games will be against North Carolina Central (noon), UNC Greensboro (5 p.m.) while Saturday comes against host Elon (2:30). Ohio State finishes off the weekend against UConn on Sunday at noon.
Paulsen is the Buckeyes' leading returner from last season in innings pitched (45.0). Her 2024 season was highlighted by a pair of complete game shutouts, the first coming against Idaho State on Feb. 25 and the second in a 6-0 win at Michigan on May 4. In that win over the Wolverines, she allowed just three hits and struck out four batters to hand Michigan its first loss of the season at home. In her final seven appearances of the season, Paulsen Had a 2.69 earned run average and .170 batting average against.
Farley enters her senior season as a veteran of 148 career games with the Buckeyes. She hit .300 with 10 extra base hits, 30 runs scored, 22 RBI and a .406 on-base percentage in 2024 and also had the second-most walks on the team (23). In a two week stretch between April 14 and April 28, Farley reached base in 12 consecutive games, which was tied for the second-longest streak on the team.
Kortokrax, who is also a senior, is a two-time first team All-Big Ten selection and twice has made the NFCA All-Midwest Region team. She had a .308 career batting average with 147 hits, 19 home runs, 93 RBI and 81 runs scored. Last season she led the team in home runs (12), runs batted in (41) and her .389 batting average in Big Ten games was also the best on the team.
