Friday, February 6
Boca Raton, Fla.
6 p.m.
Ohio State
at
Florida Atlantic
Buckeyes Set to Open Season in Paradise Classic This Weekend
2/4/2026 2:37:00 PM | Softball
Ohio State will open its 54th season of softball
COLUMBUS, Ohio – After a record breaking 2025, the Ohio State softball team will open the 2026 season in Boca Raton, Fla., in a four-game slate spanning three days. The Buckeyes will face Florida Atlantic and Indiana on Friday, followed by games against Army and Wisconsin on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Action
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Florida Atlantic | Friday | 6 p.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Indiana | Friday | 8 p.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Army | Saturday | 4 p.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Wisconsin | Sunday | 9 a.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
The 2026 Buckeyes
After winning 45 games and making an NCAA Tournament appearance last spring, the Buckeyes start this season in Boca Raton ranked No. 25 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll. Ohio State returns five starters and three pitchers from the 2025 (45-14-1) squad. Among the returnees are Hadley Parisien, Reagan Milliken and Lexi Paulsen, who were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list. Taylor Cruse, Skylar Limon and Sami Bewick also return, bringing a combined .329 batting average and 31 home runs with them. Lottie Landmesser, Kailea Ricks, Tanaya Barrett, Hailey Lang, Emma Tolley, Kiki Estrada and Cadyn Ruffer return as well.
The Ohio State pitching stable likewise brings back plenty of experience, led by sophomore Lorin Boutte and graduate student Kennedy Kay, who combined for 265.1 innings and 179 of the team's 250 strikeouts. They are joined by senior Lexi Paulsen, who returned from injury in the fall, and freshman hurler Jenna Molk.
On the Opponents
The Action
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Florida Atlantic | Friday | 6 p.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Indiana | Friday | 8 p.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Army | Saturday | 4 p.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
No. 25 Ohio State vs. Wisconsin | Sunday | 9 a.m. ET | Boca Raton, Fla
Watch | Live Stats
The 2026 Buckeyes
After winning 45 games and making an NCAA Tournament appearance last spring, the Buckeyes start this season in Boca Raton ranked No. 25 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association preseason poll. Ohio State returns five starters and three pitchers from the 2025 (45-14-1) squad. Among the returnees are Hadley Parisien, Reagan Milliken and Lexi Paulsen, who were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list. Taylor Cruse, Skylar Limon and Sami Bewick also return, bringing a combined .329 batting average and 31 home runs with them. Lottie Landmesser, Kailea Ricks, Tanaya Barrett, Hailey Lang, Emma Tolley, Kiki Estrada and Cadyn Ruffer return as well.
The Ohio State pitching stable likewise brings back plenty of experience, led by sophomore Lorin Boutte and graduate student Kennedy Kay, who combined for 265.1 innings and 179 of the team's 250 strikeouts. They are joined by senior Lexi Paulsen, who returned from injury in the fall, and freshman hurler Jenna Molk.
On the Opponents
- Florida Atlantic, the Paradise Classic host, enters competition Friday ranked No. 1 in the American Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Owls are back-to-back American Athletic Conference champions, posting a 45-12 mark in a 2025 season highlighted by a trip to the NCAA Gainesville Regional, during which they saw their first NCAA Regional win since 2016. FAU returns six of last year's 10 all-conference honorees. FAU is coached by Jordan Clark, who spent four years as an assistant coach at Ohio State (2020-23).
- Indiana travels to Boca Raton following a 34-20 2025 season, during which they finished 10th in the Big Ten (10-12) and earned an NCAA Tournament bid in the Fayetteville Regional. In 2025, Ohio State finished won two of three games vs. the Hoosiers at Buckeye Field. Indiana posted the highest team batting average in the Big Ten last season, swinging a hefty .365 while cracking top five in the conference in RBIs, runs and hits. Senior Avery Parker and juniors Alex Cooper and Aly VanBrandt represented Indiana on the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
- Army had a 35-22 record in 2025 and finished runner-up in the Patriot League Tournament. Army's 16 conference wins in 2025 set a program record, good for the regular season conference title. It enters the 2026 season ranked No. 24 in the D1 Softball Mid-Major Preseason Poll, the first such ranking in program history. Army returns senior Ashton White and head coach Jen Consaul, who earned Patriot League Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors, respectively. Saturday's matchup will be the first between Army and Ohio State since 2022, which ended in a 14-0 Ohio State victory.
- Wisconsin finished 33-21 in 2025, breaking even in Big Ten play with a mark of 11-11. Finishing ninth in conference standings, the Badgers hit .298 as a team and tossed a cumulative ERA of 3.79. Sophomore Kendra Lewis returns for Wisconsin following a freshman season that earned her NFCA 3rd Team All-American laurels, becoming only the third player in program history to do so. She joins junior Hilary Blomberg and redshirt freshman Jackie Showalter on the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
- The games against Indiana and Wisconsin will not count toward Big Ten standings.
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