2026 Preview: The Offense
1/14/2026 10:03:00 AM | Softball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – While 2025 will be difficult to top from a raw numbers standpoint, the 2026 Buckeyes are surely going to try. That's because last spring, Ohio State had the nation's top statistical offense, one that saw four players hit 20 or more home runs as the Buckeyes led the nation in runs scored, home runs and slugging percentage.
What does Ohio State have planned for an encore in 2026? It starts with the return of starters Reagan Millken (,330, 20 HR, 74 RBI, .734 slugging percentage), Hadley Parisien (.300, 21 HR, 45 RBI, .438 on-base percentage), Sami Bewick (.320, 9 HR, 34 RBI, .435 on-base percentage), Skylar Limon (.361, .503 on-base percentage) and Taylor Cruse (.308, 16 HR, 54 RBI). That foursome combined to hit 66 of Ohio State's Big Ten-record 147 home runs last season (45 percent) and produced 208 of the team's 495 runs scored.
Simply put, fans can expect more explosiveness from the Buckeye bats in 2026. Few teams in the Big Ten will come into this season with more returning firepower at the plate.
Leading Returning Big Ten Home Run Hitting Trio
1. UCLA (Grant, Woolery, Bragg) – 59
2. Ohio State (Milliken, Parisien, Cruse) – 57
3. Nebraska (Bahl, Kuszak and Bland) – 54
4. Oregon (McCoy, Ma'ake and Flannery) – 44
5. Michigan (Putz, Conway, Stephenson) – 39
Learning Returning Big Ten RBI Producing Trios
1. UCLA (Grant, Woolery, Pola) – 215
2. Nebraska (Bahl, Kuszak, Bland) – 177
3. Ohio State (Milliken, Parisien, Cruse) – 173
4. Oregon (McCoy, Ma'ake, Flannery) – 162
5. Michigan (Conway, Putz, Stephenson) – 143
Learning Returning Big Ten Run Scoring Trios
1. Nebraska (Bahl, Kuszak, Bland) – 184
2. UCLA (Pola, Woolery, Grant) – 176
3. Ohio State (Parisien, Bewick, Milliken) – 166
4. Michigan (Conway, Putz, Langford) – 162
5. Indiana (VanBrandt, Strader, Copper) – 113
To ease personnel losses this offseason at catcher, shortstop and second base, Ohio State will turn to freshmen – Sara Tarr and Reese Cullen – along with transfers Kiki Estrada, Abbie Wilhelm (Missouri) and Maggie Daniel (UCLA). The starting outfield returns entirely in tact – Parisien (left field), Limon (center field) and Cruse (right field). All three were all-region selections and combined to bat .320 with 161 runs scored, 128 RBI and a .441 on-base percentage.
Buckeyes' Offense By the Numbers
78: Home runs hit last year by returning players. Ohio State's 147 homers as a team were the most in the history of the Big Ten and the fifth most in NCAA history.
87: Extra base hits by Ohio State's top-three returnees in slugging percentage – Cruse, Milliken and Parisien.
25: Times that Ohio State scored 10 or more runs last season. The Buckeyes led the nation in total runs scored (495), which was the third-highest in Big Ten history.
4: Number of all-region selections returning in 2026. Milliken was a first team choice, Cruse was chosen to the second team and Limon and Parisien was a third-team honoree.
