Ohio State
North Carolina Central
2025 Season Begins This Weekend at the Elon Softball Classic
2/6/2025 7:34:00 AM | Softball
Buckeyes will face North Carolina Central, UNC Greensboro, Elon and UConn Friday-Sunday
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 54th season of Ohio State softball begins this weekend, as the Buckeyes venture south to Elon, N.C. for four games at the Elon Softball Classic.
Ohio State is set to face North Carolina Central and UNC Greensboro on Friday at noon and 5 p.m., respectively. Action continues on Saturday with a single game versus Elon (2:30 p.m.) and then concludes on Sunday against UConn at noon.
The Basics
Ohio State vs. North Carolina Central | Friday, Feb. 7 | Noon | Elon, N.C.
Live Stats | Ohio State Roster | North Carolina Central Roster
Ohio State vs. UNC Greensboro | Friday, Feb. 7 | 5 p.m. | Elon, N.C.
Live Stats | Ohio State Roster | UNC Greensboro Roster
Ohio State vs. Elon | Saturday, Feb. 8 | 2:30 p.m. | Elon, N.C.
Live Stats | Ohio State Roster | Elon Roster
Ohio State vs. UConn | Sunday, Feb. 9 | Noon | Elon, N.C.
Live Stats | Ohio State Roster | UConn Roster
Buckeyes in a Nutshell
- Ohio State's 2025 roster will feature 10 newcomers – five freshmen and five transfers – under head coach Kirin Kumar, who begins her first season with the Buckeyes after a highly-successful four-year stint at Miami University.
- Kumar led Miami to four MAC regular season titles and four appearances in the NCAA Tournament. She also routinely had some of the best offensive teams in the nation, culminating in 2024 when her team hit 160 home runs and averaged nearly 10 runs scored per game.
- The most experienced Buckeyes on the 2025 roster occupy the middle infield, as seniors Kaitlyn Farley (second base) and Kami Kortokrax (shortstop) have combined to play in 305 career games. They hit .318 and .300, respectively, last season.
- Other familiar faces include sophomore Jasmyn Burns, a 51-game starter as a freshman last season who hit .298 with 37 RBI, outfielder Taylor Cruse, who played in 42 games as a freshman, and Skylar Limon, a junior who has appeared in 60 games over the past two seasons.
- Three other sophomores – Lottie Landmesser, Cadyn Ruffer and Hailey Lang, round out the returnees.
- Ohio State brought in two players from Miami University who were critical in the Redhawks' record-breaking season in 2024: sophomores Sami Bewick, the MAC Freshman of the Year, and Hadley Parisien.
- In the circle, junior Lexi Paulsen has the most returning experience with 68.1 career innings pitched. She's joined junior Kennedy Kay and newcomers Lorin Boutte, Layna Gerhard and Kassandra Gewecke.
Buckeye This and That
- A note on the opponents: Elon was 23-29 last year but finished 17-10 in the CAA and reached the conference championships for the fifth-straight year; UConn was 31-14 overall, 16-8 in the Big East and won a game in the Big East Tournament; North Carolina Central was 15-7 in the MEAC and is under the leadership of new head coach Now-Allah James; UNC Greensboro was 33-26 last year and played in the SoCon Tournament championship game.
- Freshman pitcher Lorin Boutte is a member of DI Softball's Freshman Watch List. A St. Charles, Mo. native, she had 388 strikeouts over her junior and senior seasons at Francis Howell High School.
- Lexi Paulsen, Kami Kortokrax and Kaitlyn Farley were among 51 players conference-wide on the Big Ten Players to Watch list that was announced earlier this week.
Single Game Tickets & Mini Plans on Sale
Ohio State has a 22-game home schedule in 2025 beginning on March 7. The slate includes contests against preseason No. 1 Texas, Notre Dame and three-game series versus Nebraska and Michigan.
Two-game mini plans are currently on sale. The mini plan includes the game vs. Texas and a choice of one of the following: Akron (March 26), Youngstown State (March 19) or IPFW (March 25). The cost of the mini plan starts at $26. Fans interested in a mini plan can purchase those packages HERE.
For those interested in purchasing single-game tickets, they are available HERE. Prices for non-premier games range from $5-$9 before fees. Premier pricing will be in place for a select number of home games this season. Seating at Buckeye Field is general admission. A limited number of student tickets will be available for free at each game with a BuckID on a first come, first serve basis. Children under two years old and younger will be admitted free but must sit on an adult's lap.
Group tickets and experiences will also be available for purchase. Contact the Ohio State Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-GOBUCKS or Athletic.tix@osu.edu for more information on group experiences and ticket information.
