Milliken, Parisen & Paulsen on Big Ten Players to Watch List
1/29/2026 2:32:00 PM | Softball
Ohio State begins its 2026 season next weekend at Florida Atlantic
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Three Ohio State Buckeyes are among 51 players conference-wide to be on the Big Ten's Preseason Players to Watch List. They are: outfielder Hadley Parisien, infielder Reagan Milliken and pitcher Lexi Paulsen.
The Buckeyes, who were 45-14-1 last season and led the nation in both home runs (147) and runs scored (495) begin their season next weekend, Feb. 6-8, at the Paradise Classic on the campus of Florida Atlantic. Ohio State faces FAU (Feb. 6), Indiana (Feb. 6), Army (Feb. 7) and Wisconsin (Feb. 8).
Milliken, a fifth-year senior, had a career year in 2025 in which she hit .330 with 20 home runs and a team-high 74 RBI. Her RBI total, which was the most in single-season program history, was ninth-best nationally. Her 20 home runs were tied for the third-most in single-season history and on April 12 she tied a single-game record with three home runs in a 14-11 win over Penn State.
Parisien, a junior who spent her first season at Miami University, was Ohio State's leadoff hitter in 2025 and led the team with 65 runs scored. Her 21 home runs were second-most on the team. Parisien and Milliken were two of the four Buckeyes who hit 20 or more home runs last season, which was the first such occurrence in NCAA history.
Paulsen was injured for the entirety of the 2025 season but when healthy in 2024 showed immense potential. In her last outing of the 2024 season, Paulsen tossed a three-hit shutout with four strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Michigan. She's pitched 68.1 career innings entering this season.
